JPH0476309A - Device to detect abnormality in gas supply facilities - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To omit safety check by man by detecting the pressure and flow rate of the gas in gas supply facilities and judging whether or not there is an abnormality in the gas supply facilities from detection results. CONSTITUTION:A comparator 12 outputs when the output of a flow rate sensor 9 is over a certain level. A comparator 13 outputs when the output of a pressure sensor 8 is below 230 mm H2O or over 330 mm H2O. A gate circuit 14 transmits the output of the comparator 13 to a timer circuit 15 only when there is signal from the comparator 12. Accordingly only when there is signal to the flow rate sensor 9 that is over a certain level, the signal of the pressure sensor 8 is transmitted to the timer circuit 15, and if the pressure is below 230 mmH2O or over 330 mmH2O, the timer circuit 15 is actuated. The timer circuit 15 outputs signal to an output means 11 on the next stage only when the signal continues for over a certain time. And the means 11 informs man of abnormality or informs the control center of alarm. Or a gas shut-off valve that is provided in gas supply facilities is actuated and the gas supply is stopped.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gas supply equipment abnormality detection device for detecting an abnormality in a pressure regulator, which is an LP gas supply equipment.

Conventional technology In recent years, in order to prevent explosions due to gas leaks and fires caused by forgetting to turn off gas appliances, gas meters have been installed to monitor gas leaks and the usage time of gas appliances, and gas appliances are being used for long periods of time. Gas cutoff devices are now being installed that determine that gas appliances have been forgotten to be turned off and shut off the gas supply, ensuring safety downstream from the gas meter. . On the other hand, regarding safety management on the upstream side of the gas meter, that is, from the LP gas cylinder to the gas meter, conventional safety checks have been carried out by visiting the site once every two years.An overview of this conventional safety management will be explained according to Figure 2. do.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a conventional safety check method for gas supply equipment. In FIG. 2, 1 is an LP gas cylinder, 2 is a main valve to the cylinder, 3 is a pressure regulator, 4 is a gas meter, 5 is a gas appliance, 6 is a pressure gauge, and 7 is a pen recorder.

The operation of the safety check means in the conventional gas supply equipment constructed as described above will be explained with reference to FIG. Once every two years, a person visits the site, connects a pressure gauge 6 in the middle of the gas pipe between the pressure regulator 3 and the gas meter 4, and measures the gas pressure inside the gas pipe with a pen recorder 7. The pressure regulating capacity of the pressure regulator 3 is checked. The cylinder main valve 2 and the gas cutoff valve in the gas meter 4 are opened, and the gas pressure is measured with the pressure gauge 6 while the gas appliance 5 is in a normal operating state.

If the measured gas pressure is between 230 and 330 HzO, it is normal; otherwise, it is determined that the pressure regulator 3 is malfunctioning.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, with the above configuration, there is a problem in that it is necessary for a person to go to each site, install check equipment, and perform safety checks, which takes time and effort.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a gas supply equipment abnormality detection device that can automatically check for abnormalities in a pressure regulator.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the gas supply equipment abnormality detection device of the present invention includes pressure detection means for detecting the gas pressure in the gas supply equipment downstream of the pressure regulator, which is the gas supply equipment. and a flow rate detection means for detecting the flow rate flowing through the gas supply equipment,
A determination means receives two signals, a signal from the pressure detection means and a signal from the flow rate detection means, and determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the gas supply equipment, and an output means operates based on the signal from the determination means. It has a configuration.

Operation The present invention can automatically measure the gas pressure and flow rate in the gas supply equipment with the above-described configuration, and can distinguish between normal gas pressure fluctuations and abnormal gas pressure fluctuations based on the relationship between the gas pressure and flow rate. This means that manual safety checks can be omitted.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, a gas supply membrane #Tatsumi detection device according to an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a gas supply equipment abnormality detection device in an embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 1, 1 is an LP gas cylinder, 2 is a main valve of the cylinder, 3 is a pressure regulator, 4 is a gas meter, 5 is a gas appliance, 8 is a pressure sensor which is a pressure detection means, and 9 is a flow rate sensor which is a flow rate detection means. , IO is a determination means, 11 is an output means, 12 is a comparator, 13 is a comparator, 14 is a gate circuit, and 15 is a timer circuit. Note that blocks showing the same functions as those in the conventional example shown in FIG. 2 are given the same numbers.

The operation of the gas supply equipment abnormality detection device, which is an embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, will be described below. Note that, depending on the configuration of the determining means 10, it is possible to deal with two types of abnormal pressure: the maximum pressure abnormality (in the case of exceeding 330 mm Hz O) and the minimum pressure abnormality (in the case of 230 W+H, O or less).

(1) In the case of maximum pressure abnormality detection If the pressure adjustment function of the pressure regulator 3 is operating normally, the gas pressure in the gas supply equipment will be maintained between 230 and 330H,O when the gas appliance is in use. It's dripping. However, when the gas appliance is not in use, even if the pressure regulator 3 is normal, sunlight hits the gas supply equipment and the temperature of the gas trapped inside the gas supply equipment rises, causing the gas to expand and increase the gas pressure. It is conceivable that the temperature will increase and exceed 330 ■H,O. Therefore, it is necessary to measure the pressure while the gas appliance 5 is being used and gas is flowing in order to distinguish whether the pressure increase is due to a malfunction of the pressure regulator or the pressure increase is due to temperature.

The comparator 12 is set to output when the output of the flow rate sensor 9 exceeds a certain level. The comparator 13 is set to output when the output of the pressure sensor 8 becomes 330mH,0 or more. The gate circuit 14 transmits the output of the comparator 13 to the timer circuit 15 only when there is a signal from the comparator 12. Therefore,
Only when the flow rate sensor 9 has a signal of a certain level or higher, the signal of the pressure sensor 8 is transmitted to the timer circuit 15, and if the pressure is 330IIIH220 or higher, the timer circuit 15 is activated. In order to eliminate noise, the timer circuit 15 is configured to output a signal to the output means of the next stage only when the signal is present for a certain period of time or more. The output means 11 notified of the abnormality lights up or blinks an LED to notify a person of the abnormality, or notifies a management center of an alarm using a telephone line or the like. Alternatively, a gas cutoff valve installed in the gas supply equipment is operated to stop the gas supply.

(2) In the case of minimum pressure abnormality detection, it is possible that the pressure on the downstream side from the pressure regulator 3 decreases when replacing the cylinder. Therefore, it is difficult to determine whether the pressure regulator 3 is malfunctioning or the pressure has decreased due to cylinder replacement or the like based on pressure information alone. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, two pieces of information, information from the pressure sensor 8 and information from the flow rate sensor 9, are used. The comparator 12 is set to output when the output of the flow rate sensor 9 exceeds a certain level.

The output of the pressure sensor 8 is 230 mmH for the comparator 13.
.

It is set to be output when it becomes 0 or more. The gate circuit 14 transmits the output of the comparator 13 to the timer circuit 15 only when there is a signal from the comparator 12.

Therefore, the signal from the pressure sensor 8 is transmitted to the timer circuit 15 only when the flow rate sensor 9 has a signal above a certain level, and if the pressure is below 230 mH.O, the timer circuit 15 is activated. In order to eliminate noise, the tire circuit 5 is configured to output a signal to the output means of the next stage only when the signal is present for a certain period of time or more. The output means 11 notified of the abnormality lights up or blinks an LED to notify a person of the abnormality, or notifies a management center of an alarm using a telephone line or the like. Alternatively, a gas cutoff valve installed in the gas supply equipment is operated to stop the gas supply.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the pressure detection means detects the gas pressure in the gas supply equipment downstream of the pressure regulator, which is the gas supply equipment, and the flow rate detector detects the flow rate flowing through the gas supply equipment. and two signals, a signal from the pressure detection means and a signal from the flow rate detection means, are input,
With the configuration of a determining means for determining whether there is an abnormality in the gas supply equipment, and an output means operated by a signal from the determining means, the maximum pressure abnormality or the minimum pressure abnormality is detected as a pressure regulator abnormality and is notified to a person. I can do it.

In addition, it may be built in the pressure regulator 3 of the gas supply equipment abnormality detection apparatus of this invention, and it may be built in the gas meter 4. Further, the entire gas supply equipment abnormality detection device may be provided as a separate unit, or a portion, for example, the pressure sensor 8 may be built into the pressure regulator 3 or the gas meter 4, and other portions may be provided in another location.

The pressure sensor 8 may be located anywhere downstream of the pressure regulator, for example between the gas meter 4 and the gas appliance. The flow rate sensor 9 also connects the LP gas cylinder 1 to the gas appliance 5.
It can be placed anywhere in between. For example, a full-ink flow rate element may be used as a flow rate sensor on the upstream side of the pressure regulator. Further, the determining means 10 may be realized by software logic using a microcomputer.

Incidentally, the setting level of the combination barre 13 may be automatically set by learning the pressure adjustment range of the pressure regulator 3 under normal conditions.

Note that the determining means for detecting the highest pressure abnormality and the determining means for detecting the lowest pressure abnormality may be provided in parallel.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention includes a pressure detection means for detecting the gas pressure in the gas supply equipment downstream of a pressure regulator, which is the gas supply equipment, and a flow rate detection means for detecting the flow rate flowing through the gas supply equipment. means, a determining means that receives two signals, a signal from the pressure detecting means and a signal from the flow rate detecting means, and determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the gas supply equipment; and an operation based on the signal from the determining means. By providing an output means for detecting a pressure regulator abnormality such as a maximum pressure abnormality or a minimum pressure abnormality, it is possible to provide a gas supply equipment abnormality detection device that can detect and notify a person of a pressure regulator abnormality such as a maximum pressure abnormality or a minimum pressure abnormality.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a gas supply equipment abnormality detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a conventional block diagram. 1... To the LP gas cylinder, 2... Main valve to the cylinder, 3... Pressure regulator, 4... Gas meter, 5... Gas appliance, 6... Pressure gauge, 9... Flow rate sensor, 10... Judgment means, 11... Output means, 12...
Comparator, 15...Timer circuit.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) Pressure detection means for detecting the gas pressure in the gas supply equipment downstream of the pressure regulator, which is the gas supply equipment; flow rate detection means for detecting the flow rate flowing through the gas supply equipment; and a signal from the flow rate detection means to determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the gas supply equipment, and an output means operated by the signal from the determination means. Gas supply equipment abnormality detection device. (2) Claim (1), wherein the determining means is configured to determine that there is an abnormality when the signal from the flow rate detecting means is above a certain level and the signal from the pressure detecting means is above a certain level. Gas supply equipment abnormality detection device. (3) The determining means is configured to determine that there is an abnormality when the signal from the flow rate detecting means is above a certain level and the signal from the pressure detecting means is below a certain level. Gas supply equipment abnormality detection device.