SAFETY VALVE

Abstract

A safety valve is provided with an electronic control unit for generating a control voltage. An electro-fluidic preliminary stage has a piezo bending actuator which can be actuated between a working position and a safety position by the control voltage and influences the flow of a secondary control fluid flow depending on its position. A fluid-mechanical main stage has an influencing device for influencing the flow of a primary working fluid flow. The influencing device can be actuated by means of the secondary control fluid flow which flows into a control chamber of the main stage. The control unit caries out a test of the preliminary stage repeatedly in an iterative manner after the expiration of a specified time interval. As part of the functionality test, the position of the piezo bending actuator is changed slightly by varying the control voltage.

Claims

1. A safety valve (1) with an electronic control unit (2) for generation of a control voltage, an electrofluidic pilot stage (3), which has a piezo bending transducer (4) that can be actuated by means of the control voltage between a working and a safety position and that influences the flow of a secondary control fluid flow in position-dependent manner, and a fluid-mechanical main stage (5) having an influencing device (6) for influencing the flow of a primary working fluid flow, wherein the influencing device (6) can be actuated by means of the secondary control fluid flow discharging into a control chamber (10) of the main stage (5), wherein the control unit (2) is set up for performance, to be repeated iteratively in fully automatic manner and after expiration of specified time intervals, of a function test of the electrofluidic pilot stage (3), and wherein a change in the position of the piezo bending transducer (4) is induced during the function test by suitable variation of the control voltage, which change is so transient and/or so small that, on the one hand, correct functioning of the piezo bending transducer (4) can indeed be checked by simultaneously occurring determination of an actually occurring deflection movement thereof, but on the other hand the flow of the primary working fluid flow through the main stage (5) is not influenced in any way.

2. The safety valve (1) of claim 1, wherein, by suitable specification of the volume of the control chamber (10), of the existing pressure ratios and/or of the energy needed for its actuation, the influencing device (6) of the fluid-mechanical main stage (5) is actuated by the secondary control fluid flowing into the control chamber only with a time delay of such magnitude that the piezo bending transducer (4) can be moved during the function test, by transient disconnection of the control voltage, from its working position to its safety position and back again, without resulting in an influence on the flow of the primary working fluid flow through the main stage (5).

3. The safety valve (1) of claim 1, wherein the piezo bending transducer (4) is deflected only slightly from its working position during the function test by suitably reducing the control voltage.

4. The safety valve of claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit (2), the electrofluidic pilot stage (3) and/or the fluid-mechanical main stage (5) are respectively constructed as separate modules.

5. The safety valve of claim 1, wherein the electrofluidic pilot stage (3) contains no electrical and/or electronic components other than the electrical conductors (21, 22) necessary to supply the piezo bending transducer (4) with the control voltage.

6. The safety valve (1) of claim 5, wherein the control unit (2) is set up, via the conductors (21, 22) that also carry the control voltage, to modulate an evaluable electrical measurement signal onto the piezo bending transducer (4) for diagnostic purposes during the function test.

7. The safety valve (1) of claim 6, wherein the control unit (2) is set up for acquisition and evaluation of a response signal induced by the measurement signal, in order that a deflection movement of the piezo bending transducer (4) that has actually occurred can be determined.

8. The safety valve (1) of claim 6, wherein the measurement signal is an a.c. voltage and in that, by evaluation of the phase shift between the measurement signal and the alternating current induced thereby as a response signal, a change of impedance of the piezo bending transducer (4) can be determined that corresponds to an actual deflection movement of the piezo bending transducer (4).

9. The safety valve (1) of claim 1, wherein the control unit (2) is set up to determine, by measurement of the capacitance and/or of a change of the resonance behavior of the piezo bending transducer (4), a deflection movement of the piezo bending transducer (4) that has actually occurred.

10. The safety valve (1) of claim 1, wherein the control unit (2) is set up to determine the length of the time interval between two function tests in dependence on a rating representing the quality of the piezo bending transducer (4), which rating in turn is resident in a memory unit preferably assigned to the control unit (2).

11. The safety valve (1) of claim 10, wherein the control unit (2) is set up to dynamically adapt the rating and the resulting length of the time interval between two function tests in dependence on measured values of previous function tests.

12. The safety valve (1) of claim 1, wherein the control unit (2) is set up to dynamically adapt the control voltage needed for actuation of the piezo bending transducer (4) in dependence on measured values of previous function tests.

13. The safety valve (1) of claim 1, wherein the piezo bending transducer (4) is configured by choice of a suitable geometry and suitable materials in such a way that the electrical capacitance of the piezo bending transducer (4) over a permissible operating temperature range of −40° C. to +80° C. is always smaller than 170 nF, preferably smaller than 100 nF.

14. The safety valve (1) according to claim 1 wherein the electrofluidic pilot stage (2) according to DIN EN 60079-11 is equipped for use in potentially explosive atmospheres, preferably as a unit constructed to be intrinsically safe.

15. The safety valve (1) of claim 1, wherein the control unit (2) has an interface for communication with higher-level control, regulation, diagnostic and/or communications devices and systems and is set up for active or passive transmission of data determined during the iterative function test.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0067] An exemplary embodiment of an inventive safety valve or of the components that can be used therein will be explained in more detail hereinafter on the basis of the drawing, wherein:

[0068] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram, partly in cross section, of all components of an exemplary embodiment of an inventive safety valve,

[0069] FIG. 2 shows typical signal and pressure variations during a function test realized according to the invention, and

[0070] FIG. 3 shows a diagram of the variation of a phase shift between input and response signal as a function of the position of the piezo bending transducer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0071] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of an inventive safety valve 1 of modular design. This is provided with an electronic control unit 2 for generation of a control voltage, with an electrofluidic pilot stage 3 with a piezo bending transducer 4 that can be actuated between a working and a safety position by means of the control voltage and that influences the flow of a secondary control fluid flow in position-dependent manner as indicated by arrows S.sub.1, S.sub.2, S.sub.3, and with a fluid-mechanical main stage 5 having an influencing device 6 for influencing the flow of a primary working fluid flow as indicated by arrows P.sub.1, P.sub.2.

[0072] Main stage 5 is constructed here as an NC variant (NC=normally closed) in actuated state. It comprises a housing 7, a fluidic inlet 8 and a fluidic outlet 9 for the primary working fluid flow, a control chamber 10 with port 11 for secondary fluid flow S.sub.2, which is separated by a diaphragm 12, an actuating element 14 reset by means of a spring 13 (and which in the present case is deflected against the spring force), as well as a sealing element 15 fastened thereon, which with a seal seat 15a blocks the primary working fluid flow through main stage 5 when actuating element 14 is pushed upward. Longitudinally displaceable actuating element 14 consists of a diaphragm disk 14a connected to diaphragm 12 as well as a shaft 14b fastened thereon, which projects into the primary flow and on the free end of which sealing element 15 is fastened. The step-up ratio between pilot stage 3 and main stage 5 is determined essentially by the area ratio of diaphragm disk 14a to sealing element 15.

[0073] Pilot stage 3 is constructed as a piezo valve, wherein piezo bending transducer 4 is represented both in its actuated working state (with solid lines) and in its safety position (with dashed lines). Occupation of this safety position (when control voltage is not present) is forced by a spring 16, which preloads the piezo bending transducer in the direction of the safety position. Both elements (i.e. piezo bending transducer 4 and spring 16) are disposed in a housing 17 of pilot stage 3, which housing has a supply port 18 (for the secondary control fluid present under pressure), a venting port 19 as well as a port 20 for the secondary fluid flow carried to/from control chamber 10 of main stage 5, which port is to be connected appropriately with upper port 11 on housing 7 of main stage 5.

[0074] In the working position of piezo bending transducer 4, a fluid path exists between supply inlet 18 and outlet 20 of pilot stage 3 leading to main stage 5, while vent port 19 is covered or blocked by the free end of piezo bending transducer 4.

[0075] In contrast, in the safety position of piezo bending transducer 4 represented by dashed lines, supply inlet 18 is covered by the free end of piezo bending transducer 4, so that in this position a fluid path exists between port 20 a vent port 19, which leads to venting of control chamber 10 of the main stage, so that then influencing device 6 of main stage 5 is transferred by its spring preload into the end position, which blocks the primary working fluid flow.

[0076] Electrical conductors 21, 22 of the pilot stage needed for supplying piezo bending transducer 4 with the control voltage are brought out through housing 7, from where they are connected in standard manner—for example using suitable plugs—by means of a cable 23 to ports 24, 25 of control unit 2 corresponding thereto, wherein the simplest variant of a two-conductor connection is chosen for this purpose in the present exemplary embodiment.

[0077] Control unit 2, appropriately set up in standard manner for control of safety valve 1 and especially for generation of a control voltage, is illustrated only schematically. Besides the control electronics (not illustrated), which are set up in a way according to the invention to perform function tests, to be repeated iteratively, of pilot stage 3, it also comprises operator-control elements 26, a display element 27 and suitable ports or interfaces (not illustrated) for communication with higher-level control, regulation, diagnostic and/or communications devices and systems and for active or passive transmission of data determined during the iterative function tests. Furthermore, suitable signal inputs may be provided for any measurement signals that may be needed for control of the valve.

[0078] The connection to be appropriately established for the secondary control fluid flow between ports 20, 11 on pilot and main stages 3, 5 is illustrated by a double arrow. Influencing device 6 of main stage 5 can therefore be actuated by means of the secondary control fluid flow discharging into control chamber 10 of main stage 5, wherein the pressure present at supply port 18 of pilot stage 3 in the working position of piezo bending transducer 4 shown in FIG. 1 is delivered to control chamber 10 of main stage 5, whereby influencing device 6 of main stage 5 occupies, as illustrated, the switched state that releases the primary working fluid flow.

[0079] If piezo bending transducer 4 is now transferred into the safety position illustrated by dashed lines in FIG. 1 by disconnection or reduction of the control voltage by means of control unit 2, or if it is deflected in this direction, the pressure in control chamber 10 is lowered (due to opening of vent port 19), since the secondary control fluid present therein under pressure is able to flow back to pilot stage 3 and to escape through vent outlet 19 as shown by arrow S.sub.3.

[0080] Control unit 2 of inventive safety valve 1 is set up for performance, to be repeated iteratively in fully automatic manner and after expiration of specified time intervals (of between 8 and 72 hours, for example), of a function test of electrofluidic pilot stage 3, wherein a change in the position of piezo bending transducer 4 is induced during the function test by suitable variation of the control voltage, which change is so transient and/or so small that, on the one hand, correct functioning of piezo bending transducer 4 can indeed be checked by simultaneously occurring determination of an actually occurring deflection movement thereof, but on the other hand the flow of the primary working fluid flow through main stage 5 is not influenced in any way.

[0081] FIG. 2 shows, by way of example, the signal and pressure variations during a function test realized according to the invention, in which a measurement signal is modulated onto the control voltage and measured as a response signal of the (alternating) current induced hereby.

[0082] In these graphs, the left column shows the signal variations at nominal control voltage (U.sub.nom), i.e. in working position.

[0083] The graphs in the right column show the respective signal variations at reduced control voltage, wherein piezo bending transducer 4 has already left its end position.

[0084] The graphs in the upper row respectively show the control voltage U, onto which an a.c. voltage of low amplitude is modulated as the measurement signal. The middle row shows the current signal I measured respectively as the response signal and the lower row shows the pressure p obtained at outlet 20 (which leads to control chamber 10 of main stage 5) of pilot stage 3.

[0085] In the sketched situation, the modulated voltage has a frequency that lies close to and slightly above the resonance frequency of piezo bending transducer 4 in its end position.

[0086] In working position, the pressure at outlet 20 of pilot stage 3 is constant. A small positive phase shift is established between voltage and current.

[0087] If the driving voltage is now lowered, piezo bending transducer 4 leaves its end position and the pressure decreases slightly, wherein, during the function test realized according to the invention, it is ensured by suitable specification of the volume of control chamber 10, of the given pressure conditions and/or of the energy needed for actuation of influencing device 6 of main stage 5 (and which is also determined, for example, by the restoring force of spring 13 of main stage 5), that the pressure at each time is above the switching pressure (p.sub.sw) necessary for actuation of influencing device 6 of main stage 5. Hereby it is therefore possible to realize a function test of the pilot stage without exerting an influence on the primary working fluid flow at the same time.

[0088] Due to the departure from the end position, a change of the phase position and amplitude results in the response signal, so that, in the case of the existence of a phase shift between the measurement signal modulated onto the supply voltage and the response signal (measured as the current flow), which deviates from the phase shift occurring in working position, it is possible to infer the actual deflection of the piezo bending transducer from its end position and thus its correct functioning. In the illustrated example, the phase shift between current and voltage now amounts to −180° (see the signal variations illustrated in the upper two graphs in the right column of FIG. 2).

[0089] Finally, FIG. 3 shows, for the given exemplary embodiment, the variation of the phase shift as a function of the (relative) position/deflection of piezo bending transducer 4 from its working position, wherein a value of 1 corresponds to transfer of the piezo bending transducer into its safety position.

[0090] The graph illustrated in FIG. 3 is most largely self explanatory together with the explanations about FIG. 2. In this connection, the exact variation of the phase shift depends on the frequency of the modulated signal. Once again, a case is sketched that relates to a frequency close to and slightly above the resonance frequency of the piezo bending transducer in the end position.