Method for Early Detection of Damage to Valves in Oscillating Displacement Pumps and Oscillating Displacement Pumps Comprising a Built-In Sensor System for Using in Said Method

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This invention provides a method and system for early detection of valve damage in oscillating displacement pumps (like piston or diaphragm pumps with three or more cylinders) by continuously monitoring and analyzing pressure and structure-borne noise (vibrations) using built-in, non-invasive sensors. Through digital signal processing and statistical correlation analysis, the system can quickly identify and localize worn or damaged valves—such as suction or discharge valves—often before pump performance is noticeably affected. When abnormal signal patterns are detected, the system automatically triggers an alarm.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Industrial dosing pumps in chemical processing plants for safety and reliability monitoring
• High-pressure pumps in oil drilling or refinement facilities for predictive maintenance
• Remote monitoring of distributed pumps in water treatment or distribution networks
• Automated diagnostics in pharmaceutical or food production where precision and hygiene matter
• Smart pump systems in geothermal or construction industries for operational uptime
• Integration in embedded PC-based pump supervision platforms accessible via centralized control rooms or the Internet

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables early detection of valve faults, reducing downtime and costly catastrophic failures
• Non-invasive sensor integration avoids process interruption and simplifies retrofitting
• Reduces need for frequent manual inspections or preemptive maintenance
• Automatic localization of the specific faulty valve and cylinder increases maintenance efficiency
• Works without requiring complex or highly calibrated sensor networks
• Facilitates remote and centralized monitoring of multiple pumps at different locations
• Decreases operational risks, improves pump lifetime, and ensures consistent fluid delivery

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Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the early detection of damage to valves in oscillating displacement pumps comprising at least three cylinders with or without a common pump head, by signal-based evaluation of measured pressure and structure-borne noise signals, digitalisation of the pressure signals, calculation of correlation coefficients by means of covariance analysis using the distribution of the structure-borne noise on each cylinder in the absence of a common pump head, or using fictive oscillation acceleration signals for each cylinder and associating valve damage to a cylinder in the presence of a common pump head, and triggering an alarm if pre-defined threshold values for the correlation coefficients are exceeded or not reached. The invention also relates to oscillating displacement pumps with integrated sensors for use in said method.