Pump assembly and method for assessing valve conditions in pump

Abstract

A method of monitoring and assessing valve conditions in a pump includes collecting data regarding timing of a pump piston and vibration of a pump fluid end, processing the data to form a filtered and transformed vibration signal, banding the vibration signal into high energy bands and low energy bands, and comparing a ratio of at least one high energy band to at least one low energy band of the vibration signal with at least one constant to determine valve condition.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of monitoring and assessing valve conditions in a pump, the method comprising:
 collecting data regarding timing of a pump piston and vibration of a pump fluid end;   processing the data to form a filtered and transformed vibration signal;   banding the vibration signal into high energy bands and low energy bands; and   comparing a ratio of at least one high energy band to at least one low energy band of the vibration signal with at least one constant to determine valve condition.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, if the ratio of the at least one high energy band to the at least one low energy band of the vibration signal is greater than a first constant amongst the at least one constant, determining the valve to be in good condition. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein, if the ratio of the at least one high energy band to the at least one low energy band of the vibration signal is less than the first constant, but greater than a second constant amongst the at least one constant, determining the valve to be worn out. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein, if the ratio of the at least one high energy band to the at least one low energy band of the vibration signal is less than the second constant, determining the valve to be destroyed. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein banding the vibration signal into high energy bands and low energy bands includes banding the vibration signal into harmonic frequency response spectral bands and non-harmonic frequency response spectral bands. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein processing the data includes noise filtering. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein noise filtering includes time synchronous averaging. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein noise filtering includes spectral averaging. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein processing the data further includes passing the signal through a low pass filter. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein processing the data further includes fast Fourier transformation. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the transformation prepares the signal for banding. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising configuring a sensor to provide a timing signal of the pump piston. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising arranging a sensor to detect vibration within the fluid end of the pump. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein arranging a sensor includes utilizing an accelerometer. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein data is collected at more than 10,000 samples per second. 
     
     
         16 . A pump assembly comprising:
 a pump including a power end, a fluid end, a piston, and a plurality of valves;   a timing sensor configured in the power end to sense movement of the piston;   an accelerometer in the fluid end to sense vibrations within the fluid end; and,   a system configured to collect data from the timing sensor and accelerometer, process the data to provide a filtered and transformed vibration signal, and compare a ratio of high energy bands and low energy bands of the vibration signal to at least one constant to assess valve condition.   
     
     
         17 . The pump assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the system includes a user operable display arranged to indicate the valve condition. 
     
     
         18 . The pump assembly of  claim 16 , further comprising a prime mover operatively connected to the power end to move the piston, wherein the system sends a signal to the prime mover to halt operation if at least one of the valves requires immediate replacement as determined by the assessed valve condition. 
     
     
         19 . The pump assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the pump is a positive displacement reciprocating pump. 
     
     
         20 . The pump assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the valves of the pump include at least one inlet valve and at least one outlet valve. 
     
     
         21 . A method of monitoring and assessing valve conditions in the pump assembly of  claim 16 , the method comprising:
 collecting data regarding timing of the piston and vibrations in the fluid end;   processing the data by the system to form a filtered and transformed vibration signal;   banding the vibration signal by the system into the high energy bands and the low energy bands; and   comparing a ratio of at least one high energy band to at least one low energy band of the vibration signal with the at least one constant to determine valve condition.