JP2012078126A - Leakage check system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an appropriate and prompt repair of leak of compressed air.SOLUTION: A compressor 2 for supplying compressed air by being driven by electric power and a leak detector 3 for detecting leak of the compressed air are communicably connected to each other. The compressor 2 with a meter 23 for measuring power consumption transmits the result of a measurement by the meter 23 to the leak detector 3. The leak detector 3 has a detection part 31 for detecting sonic waves generated by leak of the compressed air and an operation display part 32 for displaying the measurement result received from the compressor 2.

Description

  The present invention relates to a leak investigation system for investigating leakage / leakage of compressed air or the like.

  For example, in a production facility, air compressed by a compressor flows through a piping system to which many air pipes are connected, and is used in each production line. Such energy saving measures related to compressed air-related facilities need to be performed for the compressor on the compressed air supply side and the piping system and air gun on the use side. That is, if there is a leak of compressed air in an air pipe or the like, the load on the compressor increases, resulting in an increase in power consumption. Such a leak on the use side is said to be 20% of the supply amount from the compressor, and it is necessary to repair the leak portion as an energy saving measure.

  For this reason, a leak investigation work for investigating a leak of compressed air is performed in a piping system or the like, and in this leak investigation work, a leak detector and a leak amount are specified using a leak detector (for example, patent document) 1). As this leak detector, for example, when compressed air leaks from an air pipe or the like, a sound wave generated at the leak portion is examined. And if a leak location is found by leak investigation work, it is repaired.

JP 2003-294573 A

  By the way, the production facilities to be investigated are vast, and leak points are found in a distributed manner, and the leak points and the compressor are often far away. Furthermore, repairing leaks requires time and effort. For this reason, even if the individual leak points are repaired, the effect, that is, the reduction in the power consumption of the compressor cannot be known in real time. In other words, when a certain leak point is repaired, the operation status before and after the compressor on the supply side is not immediately known on the spot. For this reason, it was difficult to know whether there was an effect of renovation or how much refurbishment should be done, and it was difficult to make a proper and quick renovation.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a leak investigation system that makes it possible to appropriately and quickly repair leaks such as compressed air.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is configured such that a fluid supply device that supplies fluid by driving with regulated electric power and a leak detector that detects fluid leakage are connected to be able to communicate, and the fluid supply The apparatus includes a measuring unit that measures power consumption, transmits a measurement result obtained by the measuring unit to the leak detector, and detects to the leak detector a sound wave generated due to fluid leakage, and the fluid And a detector-side display means for displaying a measurement result received from the supply device.

  According to this invention, the power consumption of the fluid supply device is measured by the measuring means, and the measurement result is transmitted to the leak detector. And in a leak detector, while the power consumption of a fluid supply apparatus is displayed by the detector side display means, the leak of a fluid is detected by the detection means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the leak investigation system according to the first aspect, the leak detector transmits a detection result by the detection means to the fluid supply device, and the fluid supply device is connected to the leak detector. An apparatus-side display means for displaying the received detection result is provided.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the leak investigation system according to the first or second aspect, the detection unit calculates a leak amount based on the detected sound wave, and the leak detector is configured to include the fluid supply device. Based on the specification storage means that stores specifications such as capacity and characteristics, the amount of leakage calculated by the detection means, the specifications stored in the specification storage means, and the measurement result received from the fluid supply device, Estimating means for estimating the power consumption of the fluid supply device when there is no leakage of the leakage amount.

  According to this invention, in the leak detector, the detection unit detects the leakage of the fluid and calculates the amount of leakage. Subsequently, based on the calculated amount of leakage, the capacity and characteristics of the fluid supply device, and the power consumption of the fluid supply device, the power consumption of the fluid supply device when there is no leakage is estimated by the estimation unit. .

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the leak investigation system according to any one of the first to third aspects, a plurality of the fluid supply devices are provided, and fluid is supplied from the fluid supply devices to the leak detector. Route storage means storing the supply route, position detection means for determining the leak position when the detection means detects the sound wave, the leak position determined by the position detection means, and the path storage means And a device indexing means for indexing the fluid supply device that supplies the fluid to the leakage position based on the supply path and transmitting the measurement result transmission command to the determined fluid supply device. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, in the leak detector, when the leakage of the fluid is detected by the detection means, the position of the leakage is determined by the position detection means. Subsequently, based on the determined leakage position and the supply path through which the fluid is supplied from each fluid supply device, the fluid supply device that supplies the fluid to the leakage position is determined by the device indexing means. The measurement result transmission command is transmitted to the fluid supply apparatus. In response to this, the power consumption of the fluid supply device is transmitted to the leak detector, and the power consumption is displayed on the leak detector.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the leak detector for detecting the leakage of the fluid, the power consumption of the fluid supply device is displayed. Therefore, the power consumption of the fluid supply device when the leak is found (before renovation), The power consumption of the fluid supply device after the renovation can be immediately obtained in real time. As a result, it is possible to know in real time and immediately whether the repair effect is effective or how much it should be repaired, and it is possible to perform the repair appropriately and quickly.

  According to the invention of claim 2, since the fluid leakage detection result by the leak detector is displayed on the device side display means of the fluid supply device, there is fluid leakage on the fluid supply device side, that is, useless. It becomes possible to know immediately that there is power consumption in real time. As a result, necessary measures and modifications can be appropriately and quickly performed on the fluid supply device side.

  According to the invention of claim 3, when the leakage of the fluid is detected, the power consumption of the fluid supply device when there is no leakage is estimated, so the effect of the renovation can be predicted in real time and immediately, In addition to facilitating repairs, it is possible to prioritize repair points and make more appropriate and quick repairs.

  According to the invention of claim 4, the fluid supply device that supplies the fluid to the leakage position is determined, and a measurement result transmission command is transmitted to the fluid supply device, and the power consumption of the fluid supply device is determined. Is displayed on the leak detector. Thus, even when there are a plurality of fluid supply devices, the power consumption of the fluid supply device corresponding to the leakage position is displayed, so that appropriate and quick repair can be performed.

It is a figure which shows the leak investigation system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the compressor of the system of FIG. It is an external view of the leak detector of the system of FIG. It is a schematic block diagram of the leak detector of FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a leak detector estimation task of FIG. 4. It is a figure which shows the state by which the label printed with the leak detector of FIG. 3 was affixed on the leak tag. It is a timing chart which shows the effect | action of the system of FIG.

  The present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiments.

  FIG. 1 shows a leak investigation system 1 according to this embodiment. The leak investigation system 1 is a system for investigating a leak / leakage of compressed air (fluid). In this embodiment, a case where a leak of compressed air is investigated in a production facility will be described as an example. In this leak investigation system 1, a plurality of compressors (fluid supply devices) 2 and a leak detector (leak detector) 3 are connected so as to be communicable.

  The compressor 2 is a device that generates and supplies compressed air driven by electric power. As shown in FIG. 2, the compressor 2 mainly includes a compressor body 21, a controller 22, a meter (measuring means) 23, a display unit ( (Device side display means) 24, a communication unit 25, and a CPU 26 for controlling these.

  The compressor main body 21 is a main part of the compressor 2 that compresses and blows out gas / air and may be of any type such as a reciprocating type or a diaphragm type, and may be either a constant speed machine or an inverter machine. The controller 22 controls the compressor main body 21, and in this embodiment, has a function of controlling the compressor main body 21 so that the pressure of the compressed air becomes the set pressure. For this reason, as will be described later, when the leak portion is repaired, the supply amount and the discharge amount from the compressor main body 21 are automatically reduced by the amount of the leak amount.

  The meter 23 is a watt-hour meter that measures the power consumption of the compressor main body 21 and always measures the power consumption in real time. The display unit 24 is a display that displays a detection result received from the leak detector 3 via the communication unit 25, a measurement result by the meter 23, power consumption, and the like. The communication unit 25 is a communication device for communicating with the leak detector 3 via a communication network (not shown), and the communication network includes wired and wireless.

  A plurality of such compressors 2 are installed in a production facility, and are connected to devices and apparatuses of each production line via a plurality of pipes 20. Further, identification information is attached to each compressor 2, and information / data to which the identification information is added is transmitted from the leak detector 3, so that the corresponding compressor 2 receives and processes it. Then, when a measurement result transmission command is transmitted from the leak detector 3 as will be described later, the measurement result obtained by the meter 23 is always transmitted to the leak detector 3 from the received compressor 2 to the leak detector 3 in real time. Is. Here, the measurement result may be transmitted every time a transmission command is received from the leak detector 3 without always transmitting.

  The leak detector 3 is a device for detecting and detecting a leak of compressed air. As shown in FIG. 3, the leak detector 3 has a substantially megaphone shape and can be held by the investigator M with one hand. Yes. As shown in FIG. 4, the leak detector 3 mainly includes a detection unit (detection unit) 31, an operation display unit (detector side display unit) 32, a communication unit 33, and a GPS unit (position detection unit) 34. A printer 35, a specification memory (specification storage means) 36, a path memory (path storage means) 37, an estimation task (estimation means) 38, a device indexing task (device indexing means) 39, and And a central processing unit 30 for controlling and the like.

  The detector 31 detects a leak by detecting a sound wave generated by a leak of compressed air. Specifically, the sound collecting unit 302 collects the ultrasonic waves generated from the leaked portions and collects them at one point. When the sound wave sensor 303 receives the ultrasonic waves collected by the sound collecting unit 302, the received ultrasonic waves are converted into the received ultrasonic waves. A sound wave signal, which is an electrical signal corresponding to the signal, is generated. Next, the sound wave signal is amplified, and a detection signal including the amount of leakage calculated based on the magnitude of the sound wave signal is generated while representing the magnitude of the amplified sound wave signal. In addition, a laser pointer is output from the sound collection unit 302 so that a detection point can be understood.

  The operation display unit 32 includes various operation buttons and a liquid crystal panel. For example, the operation buttons include a button for setting the amplification degree of the sound wave signal, and sensitivity adjustment is performed by this setting. In addition, the liquid crystal panel displays the leakage / sound wave size detected by the detection unit 31 in a bar shape or displays a numerical value representing the leakage amount. Further, when power consumption is received from the compressor 2 as described later, the power consumption is displayed.

  The communication unit 33 is a communication device for communicating with each compressor 2 via a communication network. The communication unit 33 adds identification information of the compressor 2 to be communicated and transmits information / data.

  The GPS unit 34 detects the position, direction, and direction of the leak detector 3, and includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor and an direction sensor. The GPS sensor receives radio waves from GPS satellites and calculates current position data, that is, latitude and history based on the received radio waves. Further, the azimuth sensor includes a magnetic sensor inside, and this magnetic sensor detects geomagnetism and calculates azimuth data. Such a GPS sensor and azimuth sensor are operated upon receiving a command from the central processing unit 30 when a leak is detected by the detection unit 31, and position data and azimuth data as a result of the calculation are sent to the central processing unit 30. Output. That is, when a leak is detected by the detection unit 31, the leak position is calculated (determined).

  The printer 35 is for a small shoulder and prints data from the central processing unit 30. That is, when two-dimensional code data described later is received from the central processing unit 30, a label on which the two-dimensional code is displayed is printed based on this data.

  Here, the communication unit 33, the GPS unit 34, the memories 36 and 37, the tasks 38 and 39, the central processing unit 30, and the like are accommodated in the accommodation unit 304 that is located at the lower end of the grip unit 301. The housing unit 304 and the detection unit 31 are connected by a first transmission cable 305, and the housing unit 304 and the printer 35 are connected by a second transmission cable 306. Further, the detection unit 31 and the operation display unit 32 are connected by a third transmission cable 307, and the operation display unit 32 and the storage unit 304 are connected via the cable 307 and the detection unit 31 so that transmission is possible. Yes.

  In addition, the storage unit 304 includes an interface (not shown) and can be connected to an external terminal such as a personal computer. Data to a specification memory 36 and a path memory 37 described later, investigator information, and the like are input from the external terminal. It can be done.

  The specification memory 36 is a memory that stores specifications such as capacity and characteristics of each compressor 2. Here, the specifications include the type of constant speed machine or inverter machine, rated power consumption, rated air flow rate, power consumption per unit flow rate at a predetermined pressure / normal pressure, and the like. It is information that can be calculated. These specifications may be stored in a fixed manner in advance, or may be input and stored from a personal computer connected to an interface as necessary.

  The path memory 37 is a memory that stores a supply path through which compressed air is supplied from each compressor 2. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the arrangement latitude and history of each pipe 20 indicating how the pipe 20 is arranged from each compressor 2 (compressed air flow path) is stored. The identification information of the compressor 2 that supplies compressed air to each pipe 20 is stored. Here, there may be a plurality of compressors 2 that supply compressed air to one pipe 20. As a result, as will be described later, when latitude, longitude, and direction are designated, the identification information of the compressor 2 that supplies compressed air can be determined to the pipe 20 disposed at the latitude, longitude, and orientation. It has become. Such data and information may be stored in advance for all production facilities that are planned to be surveyed, and the target production facility may be selected during the survey, or a personal computer may be connected to the interface during the survey. You may make it input and memorize | store about a production facility.

  The estimation task 38 is based on the leakage amount calculated by the detection unit 31, the specification stored in the specification memory 36, and the measurement result received from the compressor 2. It is a program that estimates power consumption. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, first, the specification of the target compressor 2 is acquired from the specification memory 36 (step S1), and the electric power corresponding to the leakage amount is calculated (step S2). In other words, the power consumption per unit flow rate, which is the specification, is multiplied by the leakage amount to calculate the power corresponding to the leakage amount. Next, the power consumption of the compressor 2 when there is no leak (when the leak is completely repaired) is calculated (step S3). That is, the power consumption is calculated by subtracting the power calculated in step S3 from the current power consumption that is the measurement result received from the compressor 2.

  Thus, although the power consumption when there is no leak is calculated based on the power consumption per unit flow rate, the power consumption may be calculated by other calculation methods. For example, the power consumption when there is no leak may be calculated based on the ratio of the leakage amount to the total discharge amount of the compressor 2 and the current power consumption that is the measurement result.

  Subsequently, the cost estimated to be reduced when the leak is repaired, that is, the amount of money lost due to the leak is calculated (step S4). Specifically, the unit price per unit compressed air is set and stored in advance, and this unit price is multiplied by the leakage amount and the period to calculate the monthly and annual reduction costs.

  The apparatus indexing task 39 determines the compressor 2 that supplies compressed air to the leak position based on the leak position calculated by the GPS unit 34 and the supply path stored in the path memory 37, and calculates the compressor. 2 is a program for transmitting a measurement result transmission command to the second. Specifically, first, based on the supply path of the path memory 37, the pipes 20 arranged at the latitude, background, and direction of the leakage position are determined, and then compressed air is supplied to the determined pipes 20. The identification information of the compressor 2 is acquired from the path memory 37. Subsequently, a measurement result transmission command is transmitted to the compressor 2 of the identification information so as to be transmitted. In response to this output, identification information is added and a transmission command is transmitted from the communication unit 33 to the compressor 2.

  Further, the leak detector 3 has a function of inputting and storing various information related to the leak investigation and outputting the investigation result and the like. That is, for example, a personal computer is connected to the interface, and various information such as the name of the investigator, the organization to which the researcher belongs, and contact information are input from the personal computer, and these are stored in a memory (not shown). . Further, when the print button of the operation display unit 32 is pressed, a label indicating information on the leak location is printed. That is, the central processing unit 30 reads the name of the investigator and the organization to which the investigator is stored in the memory, and this information, the amount of leakage calculated by the detection unit 31, the power consumption received from the compressor 2, the survey date and time Two-dimensional code data including such information is generated. Then, by transmitting the generated two-dimensional code data to the printer 35, a label on which the two-dimensional code is displayed is printed by the printer 35. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the printed label 4 can be attached to the leak tag 40.

  Next, the operation of the leak investigation system 1 having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, when the investigator M investigates the leak using the leak detector 3 and the leak is detected by the detection unit 31 (step S11), the GPS unit 34 determines its position and direction (step S11). Along with S12), the leakage amount and the like are displayed on the operation display unit 32 (step S13). Subsequently, the device indexing task 39 is activated (step S14), and the compressor 2 supplying compressed air to the leak position is determined as described above, and identification information is added to the compressor 2 to determine the compressor 2. Thus, a power consumption transmission command and a leakage amount are transmitted (step S15). Here, when there are a plurality of corresponding compressors 2 as described above, a transmission command or the like is transmitted to all the corresponding compressors 2.

  In response to this, the display unit 24 of the target compressor 2 displays that there is a leak and the amount of the leak (step S16), and the current power consumption value from the compressor 2 to the leak detector 3 is displayed. It is transmitted (step S17). Here, the transmission of the power consumption value is performed, for example, every time the power consumption fluctuates or periodically. In response, the power consumption value is displayed on the operation display unit 32 of the leak detector 3 (step S18), and then the estimation task 38 is activated (step S19). Then, as described above, the power consumption of the compressor 2 when there is no leakage of the leakage amount and the reduction cost corresponding to the leakage amount are calculated, and the calculation result is displayed on the operation display unit 32. Further, when an emergency measure such as winding a tape is applied to the leak location, the power consumption value of the compressor 2 that has changed due to the measure is displayed on the operation display unit 32 of the leak detector 3. That is, the effect of the first aid is displayed in real time.

  Next, when the print button is pressed on the operation display unit 32, as described above, the label 4 on which a two-dimensional code including information such as the name of the investigator, the organization to which the investigator belongs, the amount of leakage and the power consumption of the compressor 2 is displayed. Is printed from the printer 35 (step S20). Then, the label 4 is affixed to the leak tag 40, and the leak tag 40 is filled with the amount of leakage and power consumption, and attached to the leak location. Thereafter, when the clear button is pressed on the operation display unit 32, a transmission stop command is transmitted to the compressor 2 indexed by the device indexing task 39 (step S21). Transmission of the power value is stopped. Such a leak investigation is performed for all target areas of the production facility.

  As described above, according to the leak investigation system 1, since the power consumption of the compressor 2 is displayed on the leak detector 3 in real time and immediately, the power consumption of the compressor 2 when a leak is found (before renovation) During renovation, it will be possible to immediately know the power consumption after renovation. As a result, it is possible to know in real time and immediately whether the repair effect is effective or how much it should be repaired, and it is possible to perform the repair appropriately and quickly.

  In addition, when a leak is detected, the power consumption of the compressor 2 when there is no leak and the reduction cost when repaired are calculated and displayed. For this reason, the effect of renovation can be predicted in real time and immediately, the necessity of refurbishment can be properly judged, and refurbishment can be promoted. It becomes possible to perform more appropriate and quick repair. Furthermore, even when a plurality of compressors 2 are set, the power consumption of the compressor 2 that supplies the compressed air to the leak location is displayed, so that appropriate and quick refurbishment can be performed. .

  On the other hand, since the fact that the leak has been detected and the amount of the leak are also displayed on the compressor 2, it is possible to immediately know in real time that there is a leak, that is, wasteful power consumption, on the compressor 2 side. it can. As a result, necessary and possible measures and modifications can be appropriately and promptly performed on the compressor 2 side. Further, since the label 4 on which the two-dimensional code is displayed is affixed to the leak tag 40, for example, by reading the two-dimensional code at the time of repair, it is possible to know the amount of leaked liquid or power consumption at the time of the leak. It is possible to confirm the effect of the repair on the spot by comparing it with the power consumption after the repair.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the specific configuration is not limited to the above embodiment, and even if there is a design change or the like without departing from the gist of the present invention, Included in the invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the specification memory 36, the path memory 37, the estimation task 38, and the device indexing task 39 are provided in the leak detector 3 itself. Communicate with the leak detector 3. Then, the server transmits a power consumption transmission command to the corresponding compressor 2, transmits the power consumption received from the compressor 2 to the leak detector 3, or calculates the power consumption calculated by the estimation task 38 using the leak detector 3. Or may be sent to Even in this case, only a part of the function of the leak detector 3 is assigned to the server, and the leak detector 3 is substantially provided with memories 36 and 37 and tasks 38 and 39. Is equivalent.

  Moreover, although the leak amount is transmitted from the leak detector 3 to the compressor 2 as a detection result, the leak position may be included as a detection result. As a result, on the compressor 2 side, the leak location can be immediately known, and a more appropriate and quick response is possible. Furthermore, by collecting the ambient temperature, ambient humidity, compressed air pressure, flow rate, and the like when a leak is detected, more effective energy saving measures can be promoted. At this time, the data may be collected by transmitting the ambient temperature, humidity, compressed air pressure, and flow rate measured on the compressor 2 side to the leak detector 3 for display and storage. Further, although the amount of leakage and power consumption are written on the leak tag 40, only the label 4 may be attached to the leak tag 40, or a two-dimensional code may be directly printed on the leak tag 40. Good.

  The present invention can be used not only for leak investigation of compressed air but also for leak investigation of various liquids and fuel gas.

1 Leak investigation system 2 Compressor (fluid supply device)
20 Piping 23 Meter (Measuring means)
24 display unit (device side display means)
3 Leak detector (leak detector)
31 Detection part (detection means)
32 Operation display (detector side display means)
34 GPS section (position detection means)
36 Specification memory (specification storage means)
37 path memory (path storage means)
38 Estimating task (estimating means)
39 Device indexing task (device indexing means)
M Researcher

Claims (4)

A fluid supply device that is driven by electric power to supply fluid and a leak detector that detects fluid leakage are connected to be able to communicate,
The fluid supply apparatus includes a measuring unit that measures power consumption, and transmits a measurement result of the measuring unit to the leak detector.
In the leak detector,
Detecting means for detecting sound waves generated by fluid leakage;
Detector-side display means for displaying the measurement result received from the fluid supply device,
Leak investigation system characterized by that. The leak detector transmits a detection result by the detection means to the fluid supply device,
The fluid supply device includes device-side display means for displaying a detection result received from the leak detector.
The leak investigation system according to claim 1 characterized by things. The detection means calculates a leakage amount based on the detected sound wave,
In the leak detector,
Specification storage means for storing specifications such as capacity and characteristics of the fluid supply device;
Based on the leakage amount calculated by the detection means, the specification stored in the specification storage means, and the measurement result received from the fluid supply device, the fluid supply device when there is no leakage of the leakage amount. An estimation means for estimating power consumption,
The leak investigation system according to any one of claims 1 and 2. A plurality of the fluid supply devices;
In the leak detector,
Path storage means for storing a supply path through which a fluid is supplied from each of the fluid supply devices;
Position detecting means for determining a leakage position when the detecting means detects the sound wave;
Based on the leakage position determined by the position detection means and the supply path stored in the path storage means, the fluid supply apparatus that supplies the fluid to the leakage position is determined, and the determined fluid supply apparatus Device indexing means for transmitting the measurement result transmission command to the
The leak investigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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