CN118532536A - Valve maintenance auxiliary device and auxiliary method - Google Patents

Abstract

The object of the present invention is to improve the maintenance efficiency of a switch valve. The valve maintenance auxiliary device of the present invention comprises: a solenoid valve opening signal acquisition unit (2) which acquires an opening signal for making the solenoid valve in an open state, and the solenoid valve supplies operating device air to the switch valve; an operating device pressure acquisition unit (4) which acquires a pressure measurement value of the operating device air from an operating device pressure measurement unit (3) provided on a switch valve corresponding to the solenoid valve that is the output object of the opening signal when the solenoid valve opening signal acquisition unit (2) receives the opening signal; an operating device pressure storage unit (5) which stores the pressure measurement value; an internal leakage determination unit (6) which determines that there is a possibility of internal leakage of air in the operating device of the switch valve when the pressure measurement value does not reach a specified value; and a determination result prompting unit (7) which prompts the determination result of the internal leakage determination unit (6).

Description

Valve maintenance auxiliary device and auxiliary method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a technology for assisting maintenance work, and more particularly to a valve maintenance assisting device and assisting method for assisting efficient maintenance work for an on-off valve.

Background Art

The valves used in petrochemical industry equipment, etc. (such as the control valve of FIG. 17 ) require special attention to safety, and therefore require regular maintenance. The control valve shown in FIG. 17 is composed of a valve body 100 that opens and closes a passage through which a fluid flows, a positioner 101 that converts an input electrical signal into air pressure, and an operator 102 that operates the valve body 100 according to the air pressure supplied from the positioner 101.

In industrial equipment equipped with the valve shown in Figure 17, in order to improve the efficiency of valve maintenance work, a technology for detecting the occurrence of stick-slip in the sliding part of the valve (refer to patent document 1), a technology for determining the oscillation state of the valve (refer to patent document 2), a technology for detecting the attachment of scale to the valve (refer to patent document 3), etc. have been proposed.

On the other hand, as a valve of a different type from the control valve that can continuously change the opening, there are switch valves that can only open to two positions of fully open/fully closed, such as ball valves, butterfly valves, and gate valves. The switch valve 200 shown in FIG. 18 is a valve using a ball valve, and has a structure in which a ball 201 as a valve core is clamped by a seat ring 202 called a ball seat, and the valve can be opened or closed by rotating a shaft (valve stem) 203 90 degrees using an operator 204. In addition, there are valves other than 90 degrees depending on the type.

As shown in FIG. 19 , most of the switch valves 200 are instrumented, and the operator air is supplied to the operator 204 of the switch valve 200 via the solenoid valve 205. The open state of the switch valve 200 is detected by the limit switch 206, and the closed state is detected by the limit switch 207. In this way, the response using the limit switches 206 and 207 only indicates the two states of the closed state or the open state, and the opening and closing operation process of the switch valve 200 is not reflected in the response. That is, the response function of the switch valve 200 only issues an alarm when an abnormality occurs. If it is already an emergency abnormal state when the alarm occurs, it is too late to deal with it.

Therefore, the inventor proposed a diagnostic technology that utilizes the change in the size of the dead zone of the starting action of the switching valve (the time difference from the starting action of the pressure to the starting action of the opening) and is related to the failure of the switching valve (operating with a force above or below the reference torque) (see patent document 4).

However, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 4, although it is possible to detect a sign of a failure of the on-off valve body, there is a possibility that a sign of a failure of the operating device cannot be detected.

There is no perfect or sufficient upper limit for safety and work efficiency, and further improvement of safety and work efficiency is required. In particular, in petrochemical industry equipment, for example, as shown in FIG. 20 , multiple valves 200-A, 200-C, and 200-M are used. Therefore, further improvement of the work efficiency of valve maintenance is required.

Prior art literature

Patent Literature

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 3254624

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-114942

[Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-114943

[Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-026268

Summary of the invention

Problem that the invention aims to solve

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a valve maintenance support device and support method capable of improving the maintenance work efficiency of an on-off valve.

Technical means of solving problems

The valve maintenance auxiliary device of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises: a solenoid valve opening signal acquisition unit, which is configured to acquire an opening signal that causes the solenoid valve to be in an open state, and the solenoid valve supplies operating device air to the switch valve; an operating device pressure acquisition unit, which is configured to acquire the pressure measurement value of the operating device air from the operating device pressure measuring unit provided on the switch valve corresponding to the solenoid valve that is the output object of the opening signal when the solenoid valve opening signal acquisition unit receives the opening signal; a first storage unit, which is configured to store the pressure measurement value; an internal leakage judgment unit, which is configured to judge that there is a possibility of internal leakage of air in the operator of the switch valve when the pressure measurement value does not reach a specified value; and a judgment result prompting unit, which is configured to prompt the judgment result of the internal leakage judgment unit.

In addition, a configuration example of the valve maintenance auxiliary device of the present invention is characterized in that it also comprises: a second storage unit, which is configured to pre-store the ID of a switch valve that can become a candidate for maintenance, the first storage unit stores the pressure measurement value together with the ID of the switch valve of the sending source, the internal leakage judgment unit determines whether the switch valve whose ID is stored in the second storage unit has the possibility of the internal leakage, and the judgment result prompting unit prompts the ID of the switch valve that is judged to have the possibility of the internal leakage, the pressure measurement value and the judgment result of the internal leakage judgment unit.

In addition, a configuration example of the valve maintenance auxiliary device of the present invention is characterized in that it also includes: an opening acquisition unit, which is configured to acquire an opening measurement value from an opening measuring unit provided on the switch valve; a second storage unit, which is configured to store the opening measurement value; and a measurement fault judgment unit, which is configured to judge, for the switch valve judged to have the possibility of internal leakage, that there is a possibility of a fault in the operating device pressure measuring unit of the switch valve whose opening and closing action has been determined to be normal with reference to the opening measurement value, and the judgment result prompting unit prompts the judgment result of the measurement fault judgment unit in addition to the judgment result of the internal leakage judgment unit.

In addition, a configuration example of the valve maintenance auxiliary device of the present invention is characterized in that it also includes: a third storage unit, which is configured to pre-store the ID of a switch valve that can become a maintenance candidate, the first storage unit stores the pressure measurement value together with the ID of the switch valve of the sending source, the second storage unit stores the opening measurement value together with the ID of the switch valve of the sending source, the internal leakage judgment unit determines whether the switch valve whose ID is stored in the third storage unit has the possibility of internal leakage, the judgment result prompting unit prompts the ID of the valve, the pressure measurement value and the judgment result of the internal leakage judgment unit for the switch valve judged to have the possibility of internal leakage, and prompts the ID of the valve and the judgment result of the measurement fault judgment unit for the switch valve judged to have the possibility of failure in the operating device pressure measurement unit.

In addition, a configuration example of the valve maintenance auxiliary device of the present invention is characterized in that it also includes: an opening acquisition unit, which is configured to acquire an opening measurement value from an opening measuring unit provided on the switch valve; a second storage unit, which is configured to store the opening measurement value; and a measurement normality judgment unit, which is configured to judge, for a switch valve whose pressure measurement value does not reach a specified value, that no fault has occurred in the operating device pressure measuring unit of the switch valve whose opening and closing action has been found to be abnormal with reference to the opening measurement value, and the internal leakage judgment unit judges the possibility of internal leakage of air in the operator of the switch valve whose pressure measurement value does not reach a specified value and is judged as having no fault in the operating device pressure measuring unit.

In addition, a configuration example of the valve maintenance auxiliary device of the present invention is characterized in that it also includes: a third storage unit, which is configured to pre-store the ID of a switch valve that can become a candidate for maintenance, the first storage unit stores the pressure measurement value together with the ID of the switch valve of the sending source, the second storage unit stores the opening measurement value together with the ID of the switch valve of the sending source, the measurement normality judgment unit determines whether the pressure measurement value reaches a specified value for the switch valve whose ID is stored in the third storage unit, and the judgment result prompting unit prompts the ID of the switch valve that is judged to have the possibility of internal leakage, the pressure measurement value and the judgment result of the internal leakage judgment unit.

In addition, the valve maintenance assistance method of the present invention is characterized in that it includes: a first step of obtaining an opening signal that causes the solenoid valve that supplies operating air to the switch valve to be in an open state; a second step of obtaining a pressure measurement value of the operating air from an operating device pressure measuring unit provided on the switch valve corresponding to the solenoid valve that is the output object of the opening signal when the opening signal is received in the first step; a third step of storing the pressure measurement value; a fourth step of determining that there is a possibility of internal leakage of air in the operator of the switch valve when the pressure measurement value does not reach a specified value; and a fifth step of prompting the determination result of the fourth step.

In addition, a configuration example of the valve maintenance assistance method of the present invention is characterized in that the third step includes the step of storing the pressure measurement value together with the ID of the switch valve of the sending source, the fourth step includes the step of referring to a storage unit in which the IDs of switch valves that can become maintenance candidates are pre-stored, and for the switch valve whose ID is stored in the storage unit, determining whether there is a possibility of internal leakage, and the fifth step includes the following steps: for the switch valve determined to have the possibility of internal leakage, prompting the ID of the valve, the pressure measurement value and the determination result of the fourth step.

In addition, a configuration example of the valve maintenance assistance method of the present invention is characterized in that it also includes: a sixth step of obtaining an opening measurement value from an opening measurement part provided on the switch valve; a seventh step of storing the opening measurement value; and an eighth step of determining, for a switch valve that is determined to have the possibility of internal leakage, the possibility of a fault occurring in the operator pressure measuring part of the switch valve whose opening and closing action has been determined to be normal with reference to the opening measurement value, and the fifth step includes a step of prompting the judgment result of the eighth step in addition to prompting the judgment result of the fourth step.

In addition, a configuration example of the valve maintenance assistance method of the present invention is characterized in that the third step includes the step of storing the pressure measurement value together with the ID of the switch valve of the sending source, the seventh step includes the step of storing the opening measurement value together with the ID of the switch valve of the sending source, the fourth step includes the step of referring to a storage unit in which the IDs of switch valves that can become maintenance candidates are pre-stored, and determining whether there is a possibility of internal leakage for the switch valve whose ID is stored in the storage unit, and the fifth step includes the following steps: for the switch valve determined to have the possibility of internal leakage, the ID of the valve, the pressure measurement value and the determination result of the fourth step are prompted, and for the switch valve determined to have the possibility of failure in the pressure measurement unit of the operator, the ID of the valve and the determination result of the eighth step are prompted.

In addition, a configuration example of the valve maintenance assistance method of the present invention is characterized in that it also includes: a sixth step of obtaining an opening measurement value from an opening measurement unit provided on the switch valve; a seventh step of storing the opening measurement value; and an eighth step of determining, for a switch valve whose pressure measurement value does not reach a specified value, that no fault has occurred in the operator pressure measurement unit of the switch valve whose opening and closing action has been determined to be abnormal with reference to the opening measurement value, and the fourth step includes the following steps: determining the possibility of internal leakage of air in the operator of the switch valve whose pressure measurement value does not reach a specified value and which is determined to have no fault in the operator pressure measurement unit.

In addition, a configuration example of the valve maintenance assistance method of the present invention is characterized in that the third step includes the step of storing the pressure measurement value together with the ID of the switch valve of the sending source, the seventh step includes the step of storing the opening measurement value together with the ID of the switch valve of the sending source, the eighth step includes the step of referring to a storage unit in which the IDs of switch valves that can become maintenance candidates are pre-stored, and determining whether the pressure measurement value reaches a specified value for the switch valve whose ID is stored in the storage unit, and the fifth step includes the following steps: for the switch valve that is determined to have the possibility of internal leakage, prompting the ID of the valve, the pressure measurement value and the determination result of the fourth step.

Effects of the Invention

According to the present invention, by providing a solenoid valve opening signal acquisition unit, an operating device pressure acquisition unit, and an internal leakage determination unit, it is possible to detect the possibility of internal leakage of air in the operating device of the switch valve, thereby assisting the operator in selecting a switch valve to be maintained. As a result, in the present invention, the maintenance efficiency of the switch valve can be improved. In the present invention, the loss in the production equipment using the switch valve can be reduced, and it can be expected that the production equipment can be operated stably compared with the past.

In addition, in the present invention, by providing an opening acquisition unit and a measurement failure determination unit, for a switch valve determined to have a possibility of internal leakage, it is determined that there is a possibility of failure in the operating device pressure measurement unit of the switch valve whose opening and closing operation has been determined to be normal by referring to the opening measurement value. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to infer whether the determination result of the internal leakage determination unit is caused by a failure of the operating device or a failure of the operating device pressure measurement unit.

In addition, in the present invention, by providing the opening acquisition unit and the measurement normality determination unit, for the on-off valve whose pressure measurement value does not reach the specified value, it is determined that there is no failure in the operating device pressure measurement unit of the on-off valve whose opening and closing operation is abnormal by referring to the opening measurement value. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to infer whether the determination result of the internal leakage determination unit is caused by a failure of the operating device or a failure of the operating device pressure measurement unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of a valve maintenance support device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the valve maintenance support device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of an on-off valve according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an operating device pressure measuring unit of an on-off valve according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of presenting a determination result of the valve maintenance support device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between an input electric signal to a solenoid valve and an operating device air pressure.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a valve maintenance support device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of an on-off valve according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an opening degree measuring unit of an on-off valve according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the valve maintenance support device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

11 is a flowchart illustrating a determination process of a measurement failure determination unit of the valve maintenance support device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a method of deriving the rising timing of the valve opening degree.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the structure of a valve maintenance support device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the valve maintenance support device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the configuration of industrial equipment and its equipment management system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

16 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer that realizes the valve maintenance support device according to the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a control valve.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of an on-off valve.

FIG. 19 is an instrument flow chart of the switch valve.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of valves used in a tank of industrial equipment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[Principle 1 of the invention]

Among the causes of malfunction of the switch valve, there is internal leakage of air due to deterioration of the sealing components inside the operator (e.g., O-ring 208 shown in FIG. 18 ). The inventors found that internal leakage occurs due to wear and deterioration of the sealing components inside the operator depending on the opening and closing frequency of the valve. In addition, the inventors focused on the fact that it is impossible to distinguish whether it is a failure of the valve body or a failure of the operator by the movement of the valve shaft alone, and thought of detecting internal leakage of the operator by measuring the valve action signal and the air pressure of the operator.

More specifically, air is supplied to the operator according to the opening signal to the solenoid valve, but if there is a leak inside the operator, the air pressure of the operator does not rise to the specified value, and the air escapes through the inside of the operator to the atmosphere. In other words, the phenomenon of not being able to ensure the required amount of air pressure of the operator occurs. Therefore, by detecting the relationship between the air pressure of the operator and the action signal of the solenoid valve, it is possible to detect the internal leakage of the operator. As a result, the loss in the process using the switch valve can be reduced, and it can be expected that the production equipment can be operated stably compared with the past.

[Invention Principle 2]

In the case of implementing the process described in Principle 1 of the above invention, a pressure sensor is provided on the switch valve, and the pressure value of the operating air supplied to the operator via the electromagnetic valve can be detected. In fact, it can be conceived that a pressure sensor is additionally installed on the supply line of the operating air between the operator of the switch valve and the electromagnetic valve in actual operation in industrial equipment. That is, it is not necessarily possible to ensure sufficient installation conditions for the pressure sensor, and therefore, it is preferable to consider the possibility of a fault (measurement error) on the side of the pressure sensor.

Therefore, it is preferable to use the opening sensor disclosed in Patent Document 4, etc., and determine that there is a possibility of failure (measurement error factor) in the pressure sensor when the opening and closing action of the switch valve is normal even if the air pressure of the operating device is reduced. In addition, it is also possible to determine whether the pressure sensor has a possibility of failure before determining whether there is a possibility of internal leakage in the operating device.

[First embodiment]

Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment is an embodiment corresponding to the principle 1 of the above-mentioned invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of the valve maintenance auxiliary device of this embodiment. In the following embodiment, in order to simplify the description, the examples of valve IDs and the like are set to be simpler than those used in actual industrial equipment.

The valve maintenance auxiliary device includes: a valve ID storage unit 1, which pre-stores the ID (identification information) of a switch valve that can become a maintenance candidate; a solenoid valve opening signal acquisition unit 2, which acquires an opening signal that sets the solenoid valve that supplies operating air to the switch valve to an open state; an operating device pressure measuring unit 3, which measures the pressure of the operating device air supplied from the solenoid valve to the operating device of the switch valve; an operating device pressure acquisition unit 4, which, when the solenoid valve opening signal acquisition unit 2 receives the opening signal, acquires the pressure measurement value of the operating device air from the operating device pressure measuring unit 3 provided on the switch valve corresponding to the solenoid valve that is the output object of the opening signal; an operating device pressure storage unit 5, which stores the pressure measurement value together with the ID of the switch valve of the transmission source; an internal leakage judgment unit 6, which judges that there is a possibility of internal leakage of air in the operating device of the switch valve when the pressure measurement value does not reach the specified value; and a judgment result prompting unit 7, which prompts the judgment result of the internal leakage judgment unit 6.

FIG2 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the valve maintenance support device of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, for example, there are 26 valves in industrial equipment, and unique IDs such as "A", "B", "C", ..., "M", ..., "X", "Y", and "Z" are allocated to the 26 valves in advance. In particular, valves with valve IDs "A", "C", and "M" are on-off valves using electromagnetic valves, and the IDs "A", "C", and "M" are stored in advance in the valve ID storage unit 1.

3 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the switch valve 200 of the present embodiment, showing an example in which an operating device pressure measuring unit 3 is added to the supply line 209 of the operating device air between the solenoid valve 205 and the operating device 204 in the structure shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 .

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the structure of the operating device pressure measuring unit 3. The operating device pressure measuring unit 3 includes: a pressure sensor 30 that continuously measures the pressure value of the operating device air supplied to the operating device 204 of the switch valve 200 via the electromagnetic valve 205; a valve ID storage unit 31 that stores the valve ID inherent to the switch valve 200 installed with the operating device pressure measuring unit 3; and a transmission unit 32 that periodically transmits the pressure measurement value and the valve ID to the valve maintenance auxiliary device. The measurement/transmission cycle of the pressure measurement value is preferably shorter than the minimum value that may occur of the time required to open and close the switch valve 200.

The solenoid valve opening signal acquisition unit 2 of the valve maintenance auxiliary device receives, for example, an opening signal for opening the solenoid valve from a controller (not shown) that controls the on-off valve 200, and the solenoid valve supplies the operating device air to the on-off valve 200 (step S100 in FIG. 2 ). At this time, the solenoid valve opening signal acquisition unit 2 receives, from the controller together with the opening signal, the valve ID of the on-off valve 200 corresponding to the solenoid valve to which the opening signal is output, that is, the on-off valve 200 connected to the solenoid valve via the supply line of the operating device air.

The operating device pressure measuring unit 3 of each on-off valve 200 measures the pressure of the operating device air. The pressure measurement may be performed all the time, or may be performed only during a time period when the operating device pressure acquiring unit 4 needs to acquire a pressure measurement value.

When the electromagnetic valve opening signal acquisition unit 2 receives the opening signal, the operating device pressure acquisition unit 4 acquires the pressure measurement value from the operating device pressure measurement unit 3 of the switch valve 200 corresponding to the electromagnetic valve to which the opening signal is output (step S101 in FIG. 2 ), and stores the acquired pressure measurement value, the valve ID of the switch valve 200 that is the source of the pressure measurement value, and the receiving time of the pressure measurement value in the operating device pressure storage unit 5 (step S102 in FIG. 2 ). Specifically, the operating device pressure acquisition unit 4 only needs to acquire the pressure measurement value with the same valve ID as the valve ID received from the controller when the electromagnetic valve opening signal acquisition unit 2 receives the opening signal and the valve ID from the controller.

As described later, since it is necessary to determine whether the pressure measurement value has reached the specified value, the operating device pressure acquisition unit 4 needs to continuously acquire the pressure measurement value from the time when the solenoid valve opening signal acquisition unit 2 receives the opening signal until the specified time has passed. The specified time can be set to a value longer than the time sufficient for the pressure measurement value to reach the set value.

Next, the internal leakage determination unit 6 determines whether the pressure measurement value stored in the operating device pressure storage unit 5 has reached a predetermined value for the on-off valve 200 that can be a candidate for maintenance and has a valve ID registered in the valve ID storage unit 1 (step S103 in FIG. 2 ).

When the pressure measurement value reaches the specified value, the internal leakage judgment unit 6 judges that the operator 204 of the switch valve 200 is normal (step S104 of Figure 2). When the pressure measurement value does not reach the specified value, it judges that there is a possibility of internal leakage of air in the operator 204 (step S105 of Figure 2).

The prescribed value may be set in advance for each switch valve 200 by using the set value of the pressure measurement value when the switch valve 200 is normally in the open state as the reference value (100%), for example, using the pressure of 80% of the reference value as the prescribed value.

The determination result presentation unit 7 presents the determination result of the internal leakage determination unit 6 to the operator (step S106 of FIG. 2 ). Specifically, the determination result presentation unit 7 displays the ID, pressure measurement value, and determination result of the switch valve 200 determined to have a possibility of internal leakage in the operator 204 in a format different from the usual format (e.g., displayed in red), and displays the ID and pressure measurement value of the switch valve 200 determined to be normal in a normal format (e.g., displayed in black).

As described above, the processing of steps S100 to S106 in FIG. 2 is performed periodically or when an operator issues an instruction to execute a diagnosis.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a judgment result prompt. In the example of FIG. 5 , in area 700 of the screen 70 shown in the judgment result prompting unit 7 , the judgment results of the valves with valve IDs "A", "C", and "M" are shown. The pressure measurement value is expressed as a percentage relative to the reference value. In the present embodiment, the specified value is set to 80%. In the example of FIG. 5 , since the pressure measurement value of the switch valve with valve ID "M" is 70%, the valve ID, the pressure measurement value, and the judgment result "there is a leak" are expressed in a different color from the results of other switch valves (expressed in white text on a black background in the example of FIG. 5 ).

The judgment result presentation unit 7 displays information that the on-off valve is the object of diagnosis in the area 701 of the screen 70. In addition, the judgment result presentation unit 7 may also display a piping instrumentation flow chart 702 of the portion where the on-off valve to be diagnosed is disposed on the screen 70 using pre-prepared image data as shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, since it is possible to detect the possibility of internal leakage of air in the operator of the switch valve, it is possible to assist the operator in selecting a switch valve to be maintained. In this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the loss in the production equipment using the switch valve, and it is expected that the production equipment can be operated stably compared with the past.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the input electrical signal to the solenoid valve and the air pressure of the operator. In the example of Fig. 6, the pressure change is simplified for clarity. The input electrical signal Vin, which is a control command output from the controller to the solenoid valve, becomes an opening signal for setting the solenoid valve to an open state when it is at an "H" level. Pref represents the air pressure of the operator in normal conditions, and Pm represents the air pressure of the operator when an internal leakage occurs. The specified value for determining the internal leakage of the operator can be appropriately selected as a numerical value between Pref and Pm.

[Second embodiment]

Next, the second embodiment of the present invention is described. This embodiment is an embodiment corresponding to the principle 2 of the above-mentioned invention. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the structure of the valve maintenance auxiliary device of this embodiment. The valve maintenance auxiliary device of this embodiment includes: a valve ID storage unit 1; an electromagnetic valve opening signal acquisition unit 2; an operator pressure measurement unit 3; an operator pressure acquisition unit 4; an operator pressure storage unit 5; an internal leakage determination unit 6; an opening acquisition unit 8, which acquires the opening measurement value from the opening measurement unit provided on the switch valve; an opening storage unit 9, which stores the opening measurement value together with the ID of the switch valve of the transmission source; a measurement fault determination unit 10, which determines that there is a possibility of a fault in the operator pressure measurement unit 3 of the switch valve that has been determined to have a normal opening and closing action with reference to the opening measurement value for the switch valve that is determined to have a possibility of internal leakage; and a determination result prompting unit 11, which prompts the determination result of the measurement fault determination unit 10 in addition to the determination result of the internal leakage determination unit 6.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the on-off valve 200 of this embodiment, showing an example in which the opening measuring unit 12 is added to the structure shown in Fig. 3. The additional position of the opening measuring unit 12 is not limited to the position of Fig. 8, and any position is sufficient as long as the opening of the on-off valve 200 can be measured.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing the structure of the opening measurement unit 12. The opening measurement unit 12 includes: an opening sensor 120, which continuously measures the valve opening by continuously detecting the rotation angle of the shaft (valve stem) 203 of the switch valve 200; a valve ID storage unit 121, which stores the valve ID inherent to the switch valve 200 installed with the opening measurement unit 12; and a sending unit 122, which periodically sends the opening measurement value and the valve ID to the valve maintenance auxiliary device.

The sending unit 122 adds the valve ID stored in the valve ID storage unit 121 to the opening measurement value and sends it. In addition, since the opening of the switch valve 200 needs to be continuously obtained, the measurement/transmission cycle of the opening measurement value needs to be shorter than the minimum possible value of the time required to open and close the switch valve 200.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the valve maintenance support device of the present embodiment. The operation of the valve ID storage unit 1, the electromagnetic valve opening signal acquisition unit 2, the operating device pressure measurement unit 3, the operating device pressure acquisition unit 4, the operating device pressure storage unit 5 and the internal leakage determination unit 6 (steps S200 to S205 of Fig. 10) are the same as those explained in steps S100 to S105 of Fig. 2.

The opening acquisition unit 8 receives the opening measurement value from the opening measurement unit 12 of each on-off valve 200 (step S206 of FIG. 10 ), and stores the received opening measurement value, the valve ID attached to the opening measurement value, and the reception time of the opening measurement value in the opening storage unit 9 (step S207 of FIG. 10 ). In addition, although not explicitly shown in FIG. 10 , the opening acquisition unit 8 periodically performs the processing of steps S206 and S207.

Next, when the internal leakage judgment unit 6 determines that there is a possibility of internal leakage of air in the operator 204 of the switch valve 200 (step S205 of Figure 10), the measurement fault judgment unit 10 determines whether the opening and closing action is normal for the switch valve 200 determined to have a possibility of internal leakage, with reference to the opening measurement value stored in the opening storage unit 9 (step S208 of Figure 10).

Fig. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the determination process of the measurement failure determination unit 10. The measurement failure determination unit 10 obtains the rising time of the valve opening degree based on the opening degree measurement value stored in the opening degree storage unit 9 for the switch valve 200 determined to have the possibility of internal leakage (step S300 of Fig. 11). In addition, the measurement failure determination unit 10 obtains the rising time of the operating device air pressure based on the pressure measurement value stored in the operating device pressure storage unit 5 for the switch valve 200 determined to have the possibility of internal leakage (step S301 of Fig. 11).

As described above, the opening storage unit 9 stores the opening measurement values, valve IDs, and the reception times of the opening measurement values obtained in time series, so the rising time of the valve opening can be obtained. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a method for deriving the rising time of the valve opening. Based on the opening measurement values and their reception times, a valve opening change curve such as FIG. 12 is obtained. When the valve opening A changes significantly by more than a prescribed opening amplitude relative to the set value Acont, the measurement fault determination unit 10 finds the point on the valve opening change curve where the slope of the change becomes the largest, and the time when the tangent line L2 of the point intersects with the extension line L1 of the set value Acont is taken as the rising time ta of the valve opening A.

Similarly, the pressure measurement values, valve IDs, and the receiving times of the pressure measurement values obtained in time series are stored in the operating device pressure storage unit 5. When the operating device air pressure P changes significantly by more than a predetermined pressure amplitude relative to the set value, the measurement failure determination unit 10 finds the point on the operating device air pressure change curve where the slope of the change becomes the largest, and the time when the tangent line of the point intersects with the extended line of the set value is set as the rising time tp of the operating device air pressure P.

Then, the measurement failure determination unit 10 calculates the time difference (dead time) ta-tp between the rising time tp of the operating device air pressure P and the rising time ta of the valve opening A as a diagnosis index (step S302 of FIG. 11 ).

When the diagnostic index is less than a predetermined threshold value ("Yes" in step S303 of Figure 11), the fault determination unit 10 determines that the opening and closing action of the switch valve 200, which has been determined to have the possibility of internal leakage, is normal (step S304 of Figure 11); when the diagnostic index is above the threshold value ("No" in step S303), the opening and closing action of the switch valve 200 is determined to be abnormal (step S305 of Figure 11).

As described above, it is possible to determine whether the opening and closing operation of the on-off valve 200 is normal.

When the measurement fault determination unit 10 determines that the opening and closing action of the switch valve 200 that has been determined to have the possibility of internal leakage is normal, it determines that there is a possibility of a fault (the main cause of measurement error) in the operating device pressure measuring unit 3 of the switch valve 200 (step S209 of Figure 10).

The determination result presentation unit 11 presents the determination results of the internal leakage determination unit 6 and the measurement failure determination unit 10 to the operator (step S210 of FIG. 10 ). Specifically, the determination result presentation unit 11 displays the ID of the valve, the pressure measurement value, and the determination result of the internal leakage determination unit 6 in a format different from the usual format (e.g., red display) for the switch valve 200 determined to have a possibility of internal leakage in the operator 204, and displays the ID of the valve and the determination result of the measurement failure determination unit 10 in a format different from the usual format (e.g., red display) for the switch valve 200 determined to have a possibility of failure in the operator pressure measurement unit 3. In addition, the determination result presentation unit 11 displays the ID and pressure measurement value of the switch valve 200 determined to be normal by the internal leakage determination unit 6 in a normal format (e.g., black display).

As described above, the processing of steps S200 to S210 in FIG. 10 is performed periodically or when an operator issues an instruction to execute a diagnosis.

As described above, in this embodiment, for the on-off valve determined to have a possibility of internal leakage, it is determined that there is a possibility of failure in the operating device pressure measuring unit of the on-off valve whose opening and closing operation has been determined to be normal by referring to the opening measurement value. Therefore, in this embodiment, it can be inferred whether the determination result of the internal leakage determination unit 6 is caused by a failure of the operating device or a failure of the operating device pressure measuring unit.

[Third embodiment]

Next, the third embodiment of the present invention is described. This embodiment is another embodiment corresponding to the principle 2 of the above-mentioned invention. Figure 13 is a block diagram showing the structure of the valve maintenance auxiliary device of this embodiment. The valve maintenance auxiliary device of this embodiment comprises: a valve ID storage unit 1; an electromagnetic valve opening signal acquisition unit 2; an operator pressure measurement unit 3; an operator pressure acquisition unit 4; an operator pressure storage unit 5; an internal leakage judgment unit 6a; an opening acquisition unit 8; an opening storage unit 9; a normal measurement judgment unit 13, which determines that no fault has occurred in the operator pressure measurement unit 3 of the switch valve whose pressure measurement value has not reached the specified value, and the switch valve whose opening and closing action has been found to be abnormal by referring to the opening measurement value; and a judgment result prompting unit 14, which prompts the judgment result of the internal leakage judgment unit 6a.

Fig. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the valve maintenance support device of the present embodiment. The operation of the valve ID storage unit 1, the electromagnetic valve opening signal acquisition unit 2, the operating device pressure measurement unit 3, the operating device pressure acquisition unit 4 and the operating device pressure storage unit 5 (steps S400 to S402 of Fig. 14) is the same as that explained in steps S100 to S102 of Fig. 2.

The operations of the opening degree acquisition unit 8 and the opening degree storage unit 9 (steps S403 and S404 in FIG. 14 ) are the same as those described in steps S206 and S207 in FIG. 10 .

The normal measurement determination unit 13 determines whether the pressure measurement value stored in the operating device pressure storage unit 5 reaches a predetermined value for the on-off valve 200 that can be a candidate for maintenance and has a valve ID registered in the valve ID storage unit 1 (step S405 in FIG. 14 ).

When there is a switch valve 200 whose pressure measurement value does not reach the specified value, the normal measurement determination unit 13 refers to the opening measurement value stored in the opening storage unit 9 for the switch valve 200 to determine whether there is an abnormality in the opening and closing operation (step S406 of Figure 14). The processing of step S406 can be implemented in the same way as the processing of the measurement failure determination unit 10 described in Figure 11, so the detailed description is omitted.

When determining that the opening and closing operation of the switch valve 200 whose pressure measurement value does not reach the specified value is abnormal, the measurement normality determination unit 13 determines that no failure (measurement error cause) has occurred in the operating device pressure measurement unit 3 of the switch valve 200 (step S407 of Figure 14).

The internal leakage judgment unit 6a judges that the operator 204 of the switch valve 200 whose pressure measurement value reaches the specified value is normal (step S408 of Figure 14). For the switch valve 200 whose pressure measurement value does not reach the specified value and is judged to be not faulty in the operator pressure measurement unit 3, it is judged that there is a possibility of air leakage into the operator 204 (step S409 of Figure 14).

The determination result presenting unit 14 presents the determination result of the internal leakage determination unit 6a to the operator (step S410 of FIG. 14 ). Specifically, the determination result presenting unit 14 displays the ID, pressure measurement value, and determination result of the switch valve 200 determined to have a possibility of internal leakage in the operator 204 in a format different from the usual format (e.g., displayed in red), and displays the ID and pressure measurement value of the switch valve 200 determined to be normal in a normal format (e.g., displayed in black).

The processing of steps S400 to S410 in FIG. 14 is performed periodically or when an operator issues an instruction to execute a diagnosis.

As described above, in this embodiment, the same effects as those of the second embodiment can be obtained.

[Fourth embodiment]

Next, the fourth embodiment of the present invention is described. This embodiment describes an installation example of the first to third embodiments. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the structure of industrial equipment and its equipment management system. In this embodiment, the switch valves 200-A and 200-M with valve ID "A" and "M" are arranged in the flow path 15-1, and the switch valve 200-C with valve ID "C" is arranged in the flow path 15-3. 16-A, 16-C, and 16-M in FIG. 15 are flow meters, 17 is a tank, and 18 is a pressure transmitter. In addition, in FIG. 15, the description of valves other than valve IDs "A", "C", and "M" is omitted.

In the equipment management system of industrial equipment in the petroleum and chemical systems, a management device 19 for controlling/managing each device of the industrial equipment is provided. The valve ID storage unit 1, the solenoid valve opening signal acquisition unit 2, the opening acquisition unit 8, the opening storage unit 9, the operator pressure measurement unit 3, the operator pressure acquisition unit 4, and the operator pressure storage unit 5 described in the first to third embodiments are preferably installed in the management device 19 because they process a large amount of information inherent to the industrial equipment.

On the other hand, the internal leakage determination unit 6, 6a, the measurement failure determination unit 10, the measurement normal determination unit 13 and the determination result prompting unit 7, 11, 14, in principle, provide necessary processing only when determining whether the valve maintenance is required. In addition, the maintenance implementer (the operation person in charge of the maintenance entrusted enterprise) is generally entrusted by the industrial equipment owner enterprise to perform the maintenance of the industrial equipment. Therefore, it is preferable to assume that the internal leakage determination unit 6, 6a, the measurement failure determination unit 10, the measurement normal determination unit 13 and the determination result prompting unit 7, 11, 14 are installed on the portable computer 20 carried by the operation person in charge (operator) of the maintenance entrusted enterprise for an unspecified number of industrial equipment.

The industrial equipment management device 19 and the computer 20 are temporarily connected to each other using a communication function such as Ethernet (registered trademark) when performing maintenance work.

When the operator starts the application software on the computer 20, the CPU of the computer 20 executes processing according to the program stored in the memory, realizing the functions of the internal leakage judgment unit 6, 6a, the measurement failure judgment unit 10, the measurement normal judgment unit 13 and the judgment result prompting unit 7, 11, 14.

The internal leakage determination unit 6 reads the valve ID from the valve ID storage unit 1 on the management device 19, and reads the pressure measurement value stored in the operator pressure storage unit 5, and determines whether the pressure measurement value reaches the specified value (step S103 of FIG. 2). The determination result display unit 7 displays the determination result of the internal leakage determination unit 6 on the display of the computer 20 (step S106 of FIG. 2).

The operator confirms the on-off valve 200 that requires special attention based on the displayed valve ID, pressure measurement value, and determination result. After confirming the displayed matters, the operator disconnects the computer 20 from the management device 19.

In this way, the valve maintenance support device described in the first embodiment can be applied to actual industrial equipment.

In addition, when the second embodiment is applied to actual industrial equipment, the internal leakage determination unit 6 reads the valve ID from the valve ID storage unit 1 on the management device 19, and reads the pressure measurement value stored in the operator pressure storage unit 5 to determine whether the pressure measurement value reaches the specified value (step S203 of Figure 10).

The measurement failure determination unit 10 reads the opening measurement value stored in the opening storage unit 9 on the management device 19, and determines whether the opening and closing operation of the switch valve 200 determined to have the possibility of internal leakage is normal (step S208 of Figure 10). The determination result presentation unit 11 displays the determination results of the internal leakage determination unit 6 and the measurement failure determination unit 10 on the display of the computer 20 (step S210 of Figure 10).

In addition, when the third embodiment is applied to actual industrial equipment, the measurement normality determination unit 13 reads the valve ID from the valve ID storage unit 1 on the management device 19, and reads the pressure measurement value stored in the operator pressure storage unit 5 to determine whether the pressure measurement value reaches the specified value (step S405 of Figure 14).

The normal measurement determination unit 13 reads the opening measurement value stored in the opening storage unit 9 on the management device 19, and determines whether there is an abnormality in the opening and closing action of the switch valve 200 whose pressure measurement value does not reach the specified value (step S406 of Figure 14). The internal leakage determination unit 6a reads the pressure measurement value stored in the operating device pressure storage unit 5 on the management device 19, and determines whether there is a possibility of internal leakage in the operating device 204 of the switch valve 200 (steps S408 and S409 of Figure 14). The determination result display unit 14 displays the determination result of the internal leakage determination unit 6a on the display of the computer 20 (step S410 of Figure 14).

The valve maintenance support device described in the first to fourth embodiments can be realized by a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage device, and an interface, and a program for controlling these hardware resources. FIG16 shows an example of the configuration of the computer.

The computer has a CPU 300, a storage device 301, and an interface device (I/F) 302. For example, a valve, a management device, a display, etc. are connected to the I/F 302. In such a computer, a program for realizing the valve maintenance support method of the present invention is stored in the storage device 301. The CPU 300 executes the processing described in the first embodiment to the fourth embodiment according to the program stored in the storage device 301.

Furthermore, as shown in the fourth embodiment, when the valve maintenance support device is separately installed in the management device 19 and the computer 20, these can be realized by the configuration shown in FIG. 16 .

[Industrial Application Possibility]

The present invention can be applied to the technology of auxiliary valve maintenance work.

Explanation of symbols

1…valve ID storage unit, 2…solenoid valve opening signal acquisition unit, 3…operator pressure measurement unit, 4…operator pressure acquisition unit, 5…operator pressure storage unit, 6, 6a…internal leakage determination unit, 7, 11, 14…determination result prompt unit, 8…opening acquisition unit, 9…opening storage unit, 10…measurement failure determination unit, 12…opening measurement unit, 13…measurement normal determination unit, 15-1, 15-3…flow path, 16-A, 16-C, 16-M…flow meter, 17…tank, 18…pressure transmitter, 19…management device, 20…computer, 30…pressure sensor, 31, 121…valve ID storage unit, 32, 122…transmitting unit, 120…opening sensor.

Claims (10)

1. A valve maintenance support device is characterized by comprising:

A solenoid valve opening signal acquisition unit configured to acquire an opening signal for opening a solenoid valve that supplies operator air to the on-off valve;

An operator pressure acquisition unit configured to acquire, when the electromagnetic valve opening signal acquisition unit receives the opening signal, a pressure measurement value of operator air from an operator pressure measurement unit provided in an on-off valve corresponding to an electromagnetic valve to which the opening signal is output;

A first storage section configured to store the pressure measurement value;

An internal leakage determination unit configured to determine that there is a possibility of internal leakage of air in an operator of the on-off valve when the pressure measurement value does not reach a predetermined value; and

And a determination result presentation unit configured to present a determination result of the internal leakage determination unit.

2. The valve maintenance support device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second storage unit configured to store in advance an ID of the switching valve that can be a maintenance candidate,

The first storage section stores the pressure measurement value together with an ID of an on-off valve of a transmission source,

The internal leakage determination section determines whether there is a possibility of the internal leakage of the on-off valve whose ID is stored in the second storage section,

The determination result presenting unit presents, to an on-off valve determined to be likely to have the internal leakage, an ID of the valve, the pressure measurement value, and a determination result of the internal leakage determining unit.

3. The valve maintenance support device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an opening degree acquisition unit configured to acquire an opening degree measurement value from an opening degree measurement unit provided in the on-off valve;

a second storage unit configured to store the opening degree measurement value; and

A measurement failure determination unit configured to determine, for a switching valve determined to have a possibility of the internal leakage, a possibility of occurrence of a failure in the operator pressure measurement unit that has determined a switching valve that has normally opened and closed with reference to the opening degree measurement value,

The determination result presentation unit presents the determination result of the measurement failure determination unit in addition to the determination result of the internal leakage determination unit.

4. The valve maintenance support device according to claim 3, further comprising:

a third storage unit configured to store in advance an ID of the switching valve that can be a maintenance candidate,

The first storage section stores the pressure measurement value together with an ID of an on-off valve of a transmission source,

The second storage unit stores the opening degree measurement value together with an ID of an on-off valve of a transmission source,

The internal leakage determination section determines whether there is a possibility of the internal leakage of the on-off valve whose ID is stored in the third storage section,

The determination result presentation unit presents, for an on/off valve determined to have a possibility of the internal leakage, an ID of the valve, the pressure measurement value, and a determination result of the internal leakage determination unit, and presents, for an on/off valve determined to have a possibility of failure in the operator pressure measurement unit, an ID of the valve and a determination result of the measurement failure determination unit.

5. The valve maintenance support device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an opening degree acquisition unit configured to acquire an opening degree measurement value from an opening degree measurement unit provided in the on-off valve;

a second storage unit configured to store the opening degree measurement value; and

A measurement normal determination unit configured to determine, for a switching valve whose pressure measurement value has not reached a predetermined value, that no failure has occurred in the operator pressure measurement unit of the switching valve whose opening/closing operation has been determined to be abnormal by referring to the opening measurement value,

The internal leakage determination unit determines that there is a possibility of internal leakage of air in an operator of the on-off valve determined to have not failed in the operator pressure measurement unit when the pressure measurement value has not reached a predetermined value.

6. The valve maintenance support device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a third storage unit configured to store in advance an ID of the switching valve that can be a maintenance candidate,

The first storage section stores the pressure measurement value together with an ID of an on-off valve of a transmission source,

The second storage unit stores the opening degree measurement value together with an ID of an on-off valve of a transmission source,

The measurement normal determination portion determines whether the pressure measurement value reaches a prescribed value for the on-off valve whose ID is stored in the third storage portion,

The determination result presenting unit presents, to an on-off valve determined to be likely to have the internal leakage, an ID of the valve, the pressure measurement value, and a determination result of the internal leakage determining unit.

7. A valve maintenance assistance method, comprising:

a first step of acquiring an opening signal for opening an electromagnetic valve for supplying operator air to an on-off valve;

A second step of acquiring, when the opening signal is received in the first step, a pressure measurement value of operator air from an operator pressure measurement section provided on a switching valve corresponding to a solenoid valve to which the opening signal is output;

a third step of storing the pressure measurement value;

A fourth step of determining that there is a possibility of internal leakage of air in an operator of the on-off valve when the pressure measurement value does not reach a predetermined value; and

And a fifth step of prompting the judgment result of the fourth step.

8. A valve maintenance assistance method as claimed in claim 7, wherein,

The third step includes the step of storing the pressure measurement value together with an ID of an on-off valve of a transmission source,

The fourth step includes the steps of: referring to a storage unit in which an ID of a switching valve that can be a maintenance candidate is stored in advance, determining whether there is a possibility of the internal leakage of the switching valve whose ID is stored in the storage unit,

The fifth step comprises the steps of: for an on-off valve determined to have the possibility of the internal leakage, the ID of the valve, the pressure measurement value, and the determination result of the fourth step are presented.

9. The valve maintenance assistance method according to claim 7, further comprising:

a sixth step of acquiring an opening degree measurement value from an opening degree measurement section provided on the on-off valve;

a seventh step of storing the opening degree measurement value; and

An eighth step of determining, for the open/close valve determined to have the possibility of the internal leakage, that there is a possibility of occurrence of a failure in the operator pressure measuring section of the open/close valve whose opening and closing operations are determined to be normal by referring to the opening degree measurement value,

The fifth step includes a step of presenting the determination result of the eighth step in addition to the determination result of the fourth step.

10. The valve maintenance assistance method according to claim 7, further comprising:

a sixth step of acquiring an opening degree measurement value from an opening degree measurement section provided on the on-off valve;

a seventh step of storing the opening degree measurement value; and

An eighth step of determining that no failure has occurred in the operator pressure measuring section of the on-off valve whose opening and closing operations have been confirmed to be abnormal by referring to the opening degree measurement value, with respect to the on-off valve whose pressure measurement value has not reached a predetermined value,

The fourth step includes the steps of: it is determined that there is a possibility of internal leakage of air in an operator of the on-off valve, which is determined that the pressure measurement value has not reached a predetermined value and that no failure has occurred in the operator pressure measurement portion.