Computer-Implemented Method For Operating A Shut-Off Device For A Fluid And A Corresponding Shut-Off Device

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for operating a shut-off device for a fluid includes: using a mathematical model to calculate a current static fluid pressure at a location of interest within a shut-off device as a function of at least one measured state variable of the fluid; determining a vapor pressure of the fluid; comparing a current static fluid pressure with a cavitation limit value which is dependent on a vapor pressure of the fluid; and in the event of the calculated current static fluid pressure falling below the cavitation limit value dependent on the vapor pressure of the fluid, signaling the presence or expected presence of cavitation at the location of interest of the shut-off device. A related shut-off device is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for operating a shut-off device for a fluid, with a housing conducting the fluid, with an inflow opening for the fluid, which opening is provided in the housing and with an outflow opening for the fluid, which opening is provided in the housing, with a flow channel formed in the housing for the fluid between the inflow opening and the outflow opening, and with a blocking device arranged in the flow channel with an adjustable flow cross-section for the fluid in the blocking device and thus in the flow channel and with a control and evaluation unit for actuating the blocking device and for acquiring state variables of the shut-off device, the method comprising: using a mathematical model to calculate the current static fluid pressure at a location of interest within the shut-off device as a function of at least one measured state variable of the fluid; determining the vapor pressure of the fluid; comparing the current static fluid pressure with a cavitation limit value which is dependent on the vapor pressure of the fluid; and in the event of the calculated current static fluid pressure falling below the cavitation limit value dependent on the vapor pressure of the fluid, signaling the presence or expected presence of cavitation at the location of interest of the shut-off device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the location of interest within the shut-off device is the location of the fluidic lowest static fluid pressure.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the location of interest is within the shut-off device in the flow cross-section for the fluid in the blocking device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cavitation limit value dependent on the vapor pressure of the fluid is the vapor pressure of the fluid itself.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mathematical model is based on Bernoulli's equation and the measured state variable is a fluid pressure within the shut-off device and/or a flow velocity of the fluid within the shut-off device.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the Bernoulli equation is provided with at least one correction factor for adapting the Bernoulli equation to the constructive design of the shut-off device.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the correction factor is dependent on a state variable of the fluid, wherein the state variable is a flow velocity of the fluid within the shut-off device.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the mathematical model based on Bernoulli's equation has the following form: $p_c=p_1+\alpha \frac{1}{2}{\rho }_l{v}_1^2-\beta \frac{1}{2}{\rho }_l{v}_2^2-\Delta p$

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the flow velocity v.sub.1 is either determined by ultrasonic measurement, or the flow velocity v.sub.1 is calculated in dependency of measured pressures in the shut-off device using the following relationship: $\Delta p=\frac{1}{2}{\rho }_l{v}_1^2.Math.{\left(\frac{A_1}{A_2}\right)}^2\left(0.5\left(1-\frac{A_2}{A_1}\right)+{\left(1-\frac{A_2}{A_1}\right)}^2\right)$

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mathematical model and the method steps are calculated and carried out with the control and evaluation unit, or the mathematical model and the method steps are calculated and carried out on a computing unit external to the shut-off device, and the detected values of the state variables are transmitted from the shut-off device to the external computing unit via a communication channel.

11. A shut-off device for a fluid, comprising: a housing conducting the fluid; an inflow opening for the fluid, which opening is provided in the housing; an outflow opening for the fluid, which opening is provided in the housing; a flow channel formed in the housing for the fluid between the inflow opening and the outflow opening; a blocking device arranged in the flow channel with an adjustable flow cross-section for the fluid in the blocking device and thus in the flow channel, and a control and evaluation unit for actuating the blocking device and for acquiring state variables of the shut-off device; wherein the control and evaluation unit uses a mathematical mode to calculate the current static fluid pressure at a location of interest within the shut-off device as a function of at least one measured state variable of the fluid; wherein the control and evaluation unit determines the vapor pressure of the fluid; wherein the control and evaluation unit compares the current static fluid pressure with a cavitation limit value which is dependent on the vapor pressure of the fluid; and wherein the control and evaluation unit signals the presence or expected presence of cavitation at the point of interest of the shut-off device in the case of the calculated current static fluid pressure falling below the cavitation limit value.

12. The shut-off device according to claim 11, wherein the control and evaluation unit is designed and arranged such that at least one of: the location of interest within the shut-off device is the location of the fluidic lowest static fluid pressure; the location of interest is within the shut-off device in the flow cross-section for the fluid in the blocking device; the cavitation limit value dependent on the vapor pressure of the fluid is the vapor pressure of the fluid itself; the mathematical model is based on Bernoulli's equation and the measured state variable is a fluid pressure within the shut-off device and/or a flow velocity of the fluid within the shut-off device; the Bernoulli equation is provided with at least one correction factor for adapting the Bernoulli equation to the constructive design of the shut-off device; the correction factor is dependent on a state variable of the fluid, wherein the state variable is a flow velocity of the fluid within the shut-off device; the mathematical model based on Bernoulli's equation has the following form: $p_c=p_1+\alpha \frac{1}{2}{\rho }_l{v}_1^2-\beta \frac{1}{2}{\rho }_l{v}_2^2-\Delta p:$ the flow velocity v.sub.1 is either determined by ultrasonic measurement, or the flow velocity v.sub.1 is calculated in dependency of measured pressures in the shut-off device, especially using the following relationship: $\Delta p=\frac{1}{2}{\rho }_l{v}_1^2.Math.{\left(\frac{A_1}{A_2}\right)}^2\left(0.5\left(1-\frac{A_2}{A_1}\right)+{\left(1-\frac{A_2}{A_1}\right)}^2\right):$ and the mathematical model and the method steps are calculated and carried out with the control and evaluation unit, or the mathematical model and the method steps are calculated and carried out on a computing unit external to the shut-off device, and the detected values of the state variables are transmitted from the shut-off device to the external computing unit via a communication channel.

13. The shut-off device according to claim 11, wherein the medium pressure on the inflow side is acquired by a pressure sensor and the medium pressure on the outflow side is acquired by a pressure sensor.

14. The shut-off device according to claim 11, wherein a flow velocity of the medium in the flow channel is acquired by a flow sensor based on ultrasonic waves, and/or the flow velocity is calculated in dependency of measured pressures in the shut-off device using the following relationship: $\Delta p=\frac{1}{2}{\rho }_l{v}_1^2.Math.{\left(\frac{A_1}{A_2}\right)}^2\left(0.5\left(1-\frac{A_2}{A_1}\right)+{\left(1-\frac{A_2}{A_1}\right)}^2\right)$

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] As explained, there are different possibilities for designing and further developing the method according to the invention and the shut-off device according to the invention. Preferred embodiments are described below on the basis of the drawings.

[0018] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a first embodiment of a shut-off device according to the invention.

[0019] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a further embodiment of a shut-off device according to the invention.

[0020] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a method according to the invention for operating a shut-off device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] FIGS. 1 to 3 each schematically show a computer-implemented method 100 for operating a shut-off device 1 for a fluid. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the emphasis is on the representation of shut-off device 1, in FIG. 3 the emphasis is on the schematic representation of the computer-implemented method 100.

[0022] In FIGS. 1 and 2 it can be seen that the shut-off device 1 has a fluid-conducting housing 2 with an inflow opening 3a with a cross-section A.sub.1 for the fluid, which opening is provided in the housing 2 and with an outflow opening 3b with a cross-section A.sub.3 for the fluid, which opening is provided in the housing 2. A flow channel 4 for the fluid is formed in the housing 2 between the inflow opening 3a and the outflow opening 3b. A blocking device 5 with an adjustable flow cross-section A.sub.2 for the fluid is arranged in the flow channel 4. The blocking device 5 is implemented here by a blocking body receptacle 6 and a blocking body 7. By deflecting the blocking body 7 by means of an actuator 10, the flow cross-section A.sub.2 for the fluid can be varied. If the blocking body 7 is located in the blocking body seat 6, the flow cross-section A.sub.2 is closed for the fluid, the flow resistance is therefore at its highest, if the blocking body 7 is completely retracted, the flow cross-section A.sub.2 is maximally open for the fluid and the flow resistance for the fluid is therefore at its lowest. However, the exact design of the blocking device 5 is not important here; it could also be implemented differently, for example as a gate valve, butterfly valve or ball valve.

[0023] The shut-off device 1 also includes a control and evaluation unit 8 for actuating the blocking device 5 for detecting state variables of the shut-off device 1 and of the fluid flowing in the shut-off device 1.

[0024] With the method 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 for operating the shut-off device 1 and with the corresponding shut-off device 1, it is possible in a simple manner to detect the occurrence or also the imminent occurrence of cavitation within the shut-off device 1.

[0025] The method 100 for operating the shut-off device 1 and the corresponding shut-off device 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are characterized firstly by the fact that a mathematical model 9 is used to calculate the current static fluid pressure p.sub.c at a location of interest 16 within the shut-off device 1 as a function of at least one measured state variable of the fluid 101. The mathematical model is thus chosen to be capable of calculating the current static fluid pressure p.sub.c at a specific location only—or at a limited number of predetermined, i.e. fixed, locations—possibly even at a few predetermined fixed locations, which in any case makes the mathematical model 9 simple compared to a model capable of calculating the static fluid pressure p.sub.v at any location in the shut-off device 1 depending on location coordinates as input variables.

[0026] In addition, the vapor pressure p.sub.v of the fluid is determined 102. In which order the method steps 101 and 102 are executed is irrelevant.

[0027] Finally, the current static fluid pressure p.sub.c is compared with a cavitation limit value p.sub.l that depends on the vapor pressure p.sub.v of the fluid 103, indicated in FIG. 3 by the expression comp(p.sub.c, p.sub.l(p.sub.v)) in method step 103. In the case of the calculated current static pressure p.sub.c falling below the cavitation limit value p.sub.l dependent on the vapor pressure p.sub.v of the fluid, the presence or expected presence of cavitation at the location of interest 16 of the shut-off device 1 is signaled 104, symbolized in FIG. 3 by the exclamation mark in method step 104.

[0028] In the embodiments in FIGS. 1 and 2, the location of interest 16 within the shut-off device 1 has been selected as the location of the fluidic lowest static fluid pressure. This location of interest 16 has been located in advance by a numerical fluidic calculation. At the same time, the location of interest 16 is located near the flow cross-section for the fluid in the blocking device 5. Cavitation occurring there is also potentially damaging due to its proximity to structural parts of the blocking device 5. Dependent on the geometry of the shut-off device 1 or the severity of the cavitation, the location of interest could also be at an other location.

[0029] In the embodiments shown here, the cavitation limit value p.sub.l that depends on the vapor pressure p.sub.v of the fluid is the vapor pressure p.sub.v of the fluid itself, so that testing is done for the actual occurrence of cavitation rather than for an expected cavitation event should the current static fluid pressure p.sub.c drop even further.

[0030] The mathematical model 9 can be an analytical description of the physical relationships in the mathematical sense, for example in the form of a state-space representation of state variables of the shut-off device 1 known from systems theory. However, the relationships for determining the static fluid pressure p.sub.c do not necessarily have to be recorded analytically; they can also be recorded, for example, in the form of tabular characteristic diagrams, as a neural network or in the form of other description variants known from the mathematical modeling of physical systems.

[0031] A particularly advantageous variant of the mathematical model 9 is based on the Bernoulli equation, which describes the conservation of energy along a flow path (Eq. 1):

[00001]$p+\rho hg+\frac{1}{2}\rho v^2=\mathrm{const}$

[0032] The specific pressure and position energy as well as the specific kinetic energy are included. ρ is the density of the fluid. In the presence of a relevant flow resistance, a pressure loss resulting over the length of the considered flow path must be considered (Eq. 2):

[00002]$p_1-p_2=\mathrm{\rho g}\left(h_2-h_1\right)+\frac{1}{2}\rho \left(v_2^2-v_1^2\right)+\Delta p$

[0033] Δp is the pressure difference over the flow path under consideration, i.e. it corresponds to the pressure difference p.sub.1−p.sub.3 if the flow path extends over the entire length of the shut-off device 1.

[0034] If the flow path runs on a gravitational equipotential surface, the related term with the height difference h.sub.2−h.sub.1 is omitted. The fluid is assumed to be incompressible. If this assumption is no longer valid, the change in density should be taken into account.

[0035] It has been found that the actual fluidic conditions in the shut-off device 1 can be approximated very well by a highly simplified geometric consideration using simplifying assumptions. The rather complicated geometry of the flow channel 4 of the shut-off device 1 is considered in a simplified way as a linear flow course starting with the inflow opening 3a (with the flow cross-section A.sub.1 and the pressure p.sub.1 and the flow velocity v.sub.1), via the constriction in the blocking device 5 (with the flow cross-section A.sub.2, the pressure p.sub.2 prevailing there and the flow velocity v.sub.2), to the outflow opening 3b (with the flow cross-section A.sub.3, the pressure p.sub.3 prevailing there and the flow velocity v.sub.3).

[0036] As already explained above, in the embodiment examples shown, the pressure p.sub.2 in the flow cross-section of the blocking device 5 is of interest, since the aim is to test for the lowest static fluid pressure that exists in the flow cross-section of the blocking device 5 according to a previously performed fluidic investigation. The pressure p.sub.2 is therefore the current static fluid pressure p.sub.c at the location 16 of interest, i.e. in—or near—the flow cross-section of the blocking device 5. Having said this, Eq. 2 can be rewritten as follows (Eq. 3):

[00003]$p_c=p_1-\alpha \frac{1}{2}{\rho }_l{v}_1^2-\beta \frac{1}{2}{\rho }_l{v}_2^2-\Delta p$

[0037] Obviously, the α-term in equation 3 can be omitted in the case that the velocity v.sub.2 is much larger than the velocity v.sub.1.

[0038] The state variables of shut-off device 1 occurring here can be determined in various ways. They can be measured directly, but in some cases they can also be determined indirectly. For example, it is not necessary to measure the flow velocity v.sub.2 in the flow cross-section A.sub.2 of the blocking device 5 if the flow velocity v.sub.1 is already known—by measurement—and the flow cross-section A.sub.2 in the blocking device 5 is also known because the setting position of the blocking body 7 is a known state variable. This will be explained below. The Bernoulli equation according to Eq. 3 is provided with two correction factors α, β, which serve to adapt the Bernoulli equation to the structural design of the shut-off device 1. These correction factors can be determined within the scope of calibration measurements for a type of shut-off device 1, for example by known statistical curve fitting methods, or by calculations based on computational fluid dynamics.

[0039] In the present case, the correction factors α, β are dependent on the state variable of the flow velocity of the fluid within the shut-off device 1, with the transition between laminar and turbulent flow playing a role in particular.

[0040] In the simple approach to the uniform description of a mathematical model 9 of the shut-off device 1 shown here, first the flow and pressure conditions are considered from the inflow-side cross-section A.sub.1 to the cross-section A.sub.2 in the variable constriction of the blocking device 5 and then the flow and pressure conditions are considered from the cross-section A.sub.2 in the variable constriction of the blocking device 5 to the outflow-side cross-section A.sub.3. The flow cross section A.sub.2 depends on the position of the blocking body 7 and thus on its distance from the blocking body seat 6. For the two sections, i.e. from the inflow side to the blocking device 5 and from the blocking device 5 to the outflow side, the pressure loss coefficients K can be given as follows (equations 4 and 5):

[00004]$K_{1.fwdarw.2}=0.5\left(1-\frac{A_2}{A_1}\right)$$K_{2.fwdarw.3}={\left(1-\frac{A_2}{A_3}\right)}^2$

[0041] The pressure loss in the two sections mentioned above can be formulated as follows using the pressure loss coefficients shown above (equations 6 and 7):

[00005]$p_1-p_2=K_{1.fwdarw.2}\frac{1}{2}{\rho }_l{v}_2^2=0.5\left(1-\frac{A_2}{A_1}\right)\frac{1}{2}{\rho }_l{v}_2^2$$p_2-p_3=K_{2.fwdarw.3}\frac{1}{2}{\rho }_l{v}_2^2={\left(1-\frac{A_2}{A_3}\right)}^2\frac{1}{2}{\rho }_l{v}_2^2$

[0042] Here, p.sub.1, p.sub.2 and p.sub.3 are the inflow, the blocking device 5 and outflow pressures 3b. ρ.sub.1 is the density of the fluid and v is the flow velocity. The relationships shown here are based on the assumption of an incompressible fluid. For the sake of completeness, it is pointed out that corresponding relationships can also be formulated for compressible fluids without further consideration. By adding equations 6 and 7 to describe the pressure drop and assuming that the inflow cross-section A.sub.1 is equal to the outflow

[00006]$\left(p_1-p_2\right)+\left(p_2-p_3\right)=\frac{1}{2}{\rho }_l{v}_2^2.Math.0.5\left(1-\frac{A_2}{A_1}\right)+\frac{1}{2}{\rho }_l{v}_2^2.Math.{\left(1-\frac{A_2}{A_3}\right)}^2$$\left(p_1-p_3\right)=\frac{]}{2}{\rho }_l{v}_2^2.Math.\left(\left(\right)\text{.5}\left(1-\frac{A_2}{A_1}\right)+{\left(1-\frac{A_2}{A_1}\right)}^2\right)$$\Delta p=\frac{1}{2}{\rho }_l{v}_2^2.Math.{\left(\frac{A_1}{A_2}\right)}^2\left(0.5\left(1-\frac{A_2}{A_1}\right)+{\left(1-\frac{A_2}{A_1}\right)}^2\right)$

cross-section A.sub.3, the following relationships are obtained by eliminating p.sub.2 (equations 8 to 10):

[0043] The cross-sectional area A.sub.2 of flow depends on the valve position and can be determined simply by knowing the position of the shut-off valve 7.

[0044] In FIG. 1, it is shown that the mathematical model 9 is stored in the control and evaluation unit 8 in a housing supplement 14—transmitter housing—and consequently the computer-implemented method 100 is also executed there. The control and evaluation unit 8 is usually an embedded computer based on a microcontroller or a digital signal processor. The exact technical design is not important here. The solution in the design in FIG. 2 deviates from this. Here the mathematical model 9 is stored in an external computing unit 15, for example in a process control system. The acquired state variables are transmitted here from the control and evaluation unit 8 to the external computing unit 15 via a field bus, wherein the further method steps are then executed in the external computing unit 15.

[0045] The state variables measured for the shut-off device 1 are the medium pressure p.sub.1 on the inflow side, which is detected via the pressure sensor 11 on the inflow side, the medium pressure p.sub.3 on the outflow side, which is detected via the pressure sensor 12 on the outflow side, and a flow velocity v of the medium in the flow channel 4, which is detected via ultrasonic sensors 13 via a transit time measurement. The flow velocity v could as well be calculated by equation 10, i.e. the velocity v does not necessarily have to be measured. In the case of incompressible fluids, the flow velocity v determined in the cross section of the flow velocity v measurement can be converted very easily to any other cross section in the flow channel 4. The sensors are only shown schematically in FIGS. 1 and 2. For clarity, no wiring is shown between the sensors and the control and evaluation unit 8. The pressure difference Δp could also be calculated using equation 10. The additional measurement of p.sub.3 results in a redundancy that can be used for diagnostic purposes.