EP4665983A1

EP4665983A1 - A method for automatically determining an operating profile of an installed pump system

Info

Publication number: EP4665983A1
Application number: EP24703771.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Lasse Søgaard LEDET; Rolf Stougård BROGE; Troels Jepsen
Original assignee: Grundfos Holdings AS
Current assignee: Grundfos Holdings AS
Priority date: 2023-02-15
Filing date: 2024-02-06
Publication date: 2025-12-24
Also published as: CN120712415A; WO2024170352A1

Abstract

Disclosed and claimed is a method for automatically determining an op- erating profile of an installed pump system. The installed pump system continuously records value pairs indicative of an operating load of the pump system over an operating period. A first value is indicative of a pump flow and a second value is indicative of a pump head. The oper- ating profile of the installed pump system is determined from the recorded value pairs by establishing a time the installed pump system operates at or in the vicinity of each of a plurality of operating points over the operating period. Each operating point of the plurality of oper- ating points is defined by a pump flow and a pump head provided by the installed pump system. Further, a pump system configured to imple- ment the method is described and claimed.

Description

[01 ] The present invention is directed to a method for automatically determining an operating profile of an installed pump system. Further, the invention is directed to an installed pump system.

[02] Before a pump system with one or more pumps is initially installed, requirements in terms of an expected required pump flow and an expected required pump head are commonly determined. Based on these requirements one or more pumps are selected among a plurality of available pumps to form a pump system. Usually, a conservative choice is made so that the selected pump system can under all expected circumstances achieve the required flow as well as the required pump head.

[03] The consequence is that installed pump systems are usually oversized as the expected pump flow and pump head are either not required at all or only very infrequently. For most of the time the pump system will therefore operate below its optimal operating point making the pump system inefficient as compared to smaller dimensioned pump systems which operate at their optimal operating point.

[04] In other examples, the required pump head or pump flow may increase overtime so that the pump system originally chosen may be too small and not be able to provide the required flow and/or head. Sometimes the pump system may be able to provide the required pump flow and pump head but only by operating one or more pumps of the pump system outside of their intended operating range. Besides being inefficient, this increases the wear of the one or more pumps and reduces their lifetime.

[05] In any case, a pump system should always be operated within the upper and lower limits for the pump flow and pump head for which it was designed. Otherwise, a different pump system may be more energy efficient and may additionally also be able to provide the same flow and/or head at a reduced wear.

[06] In view of the above it can be considered an object of the present invention to enable an operator of an installed pump system to determine how an installed pump operates and whether there are more suitable pump systems for replacing the installed pump system.

[07] The problem is solved by a method and an installed pump system according to the respective independent claims. Preferred embodiments of the method and the pump system are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[08] In a first aspect the problem is solved by a method for automatically determining an operating profile of an installed pump system comprising at least one installed pump. The installed pump system continuously records value pairs indicative of an operating load of the installed pump system over an operating period. A first value of each value pair is indicative of a pump flow of the installed pump system and a second value of each value pair is indicative of a pump head of the installed pump system. The operating profile of the installed pump system is determined from the recorded value pairs by establishing a time the installed pump system operates at or in the vicinity of each of a plurality of operating points over the operating period. Each operating point of the plu- rality of operating points is defined by a pump flow and a pump head provided by the installed pump system.

[09] In other words, the present invention provides a method where an installed pump system continuously and automatically records two values that characterize the current operation of the pump system. The recorded value pairs are automatically allocated by the pump system to selected operating points so that a time can be determined for which the pump system operates at or in the vicinity of each operating point. Each operating point resembles a flow value and a pump head which is provided by the installed pump system. The pump system thus allows an operator of the pump system to determine at any point in time the pump flow and the pump head which the pump system provides over time. These values and how they change over time can be used to assess the suitability of the pumping system for its current application.

[10] The installed pump system may be a single pump or a booster system. A booster system comprises two or more pumps: at least one base pump and one or more booster pumps. The at least one base pump is dimensioned to provide sufficient flow and sufficient head for most of the operating period. Only when particularly high flows or a particularly high pump head are required, then the one or more booster pumps are turned on to support the base pump. Usually, booster pumps are provided to increase the flow of the pump fluid and are therefore installed in parallel to the base pump and one another. Subsequently, unless specifically stated to the contrary, whenever reference is made to an installed pump system, the installed pump system may thus be a single pump or a combination of two or more pumps of a booster system.

[1 1 ] According to the method, the installed pump is operated for an extended operating period. The operating period may, for example be one week, two weeks, four weeks, one months, two months, six months or only one day. While the pump operates, values pairs which are indicative for an operating load of the pump system are collected. The value pairs are collected continuously and automatically over this period at regular or irregular intervals. In other words, collecting the value pairs does not require the installation of additional sensors that are not a permanent part of the pump system and it is also not necessary to commission anyone to perform an audit of a pump system to obtain the value pairs that are indicative of the operating load.

[12] The first value of each value pair is indicative of the pump flow provided by the pump system and the second value of each value pair is indicative of the pump head provided by the installed pump system. For example, the pump system could record for each pump of the system a rotational speed of the respective pump impeller, for example, in revolutions per minute (rpm). The combination of the recorded values would thus for a first value indicative of a pump flow. As second value the pump system could record the combined power uptake of each of the pump motors at a given time. Alternatively, the actual pump head measured using a pressure sensor at the pump inlet and a pressure sensor at the pump outlet could be used as the second value.

[13] Based on the plurality of value pairs, an operating profile of the installed pump is automatically created. The operating profile comprises a plurality of operating points where each operating point represents a combination of a pump flow and a pump head provided by the installed pump system. The operating profile shows how long the installed pump has been operated at or in the vicinity of each operating point during the operating period. In other words, the collected value pairs are sorted into bins which may have a finite width, i.e., each bin may have a center pump head and a center pump flow and a certain width about these center values. Thus, when creating the operating profile similar value pairs are grouped together which advantageously reduces the number of value pairs that must be managed. Further, for each operating point it is established how long the installed pump system operated at or in the vicinity of the respective combination of a pump head and a pump flow.

[14] In case the operating points are collected at regular intervals, it may also be sufficient to simply count the number of times the installed pump system was operated at a certain operating point or in vicinity of an operating point (i.e., within a certain bin). The time the installed pump system was operated at each operating point can then simply be calculated by multiplying the number of times the pump was operated at an operating point with the interval at which the operating points were collected. Alternatively, the time for which the installed pump system was operated at a respective operating point may be determined based on timestamps recorded for each value pair.

[15] Hence, the method according to the present invention advantageously enables the pump system to continuously establish and record its operating load in terms of pump flow and pump head without any human interaction or without an operator having to initiate a manual audit of the pump system. From the recorded values pairs an operating profile is automatically generated again without any human interaction. The operating profile allows an operator of the pump system to establish easily how long the pump operated at which operating point. This gives the operator the chance to continuously monitor whether the day-to- day operation of the pump matches the intended requirements without having to perform a time and resource consuming manual audit of the pump. Also, as will be discussed in more detail with regard to the further detailed embodiments, the operating profile can be used for further detailed analysis and suggestions for replacing the installed pump with a more favorable solution. [16] Preferably, the operating profile includes a power usage of the installed pump system over the operating period. The power usage of the installed pump system over the operating period can be determined from the value pairs recorded by the installed pump system. Alternatively, the power usage can be determined by the installed pump system by measuring the actual power uptake of the installed pump system. Further alternatively, the power usage can be estimated from other operating parameters of the pump system which are continuously measured.

[17] For example, the power usage of the installed pump system over the operating period can be calculated based on the operating profile. To this end, a virtual representation of the installed pump system could be used to calculate the power consumption or power usage of the installed pumps for each operating point. A virtual representation could, for example, be a digital model of the real-word pumps and may also be referred to as a digital twin. The power usage or power consumption of the installed pumps would then be calculated by determining, based on the virtual representation, how much power the one or more pumps require at each operating point and by multiplying that power usage at a certain operating point with the time the installed pump system has been operated at this operating point.

[18] Alternatively, the power consumption of the installed pump system over the operating period could be determined by measuring the actual power uptake of the one or more installed pumps. Measuring the actual power consumption is more accurate as errors caused by differences between the real-world pumps and their digital twins are avoided. These differences could be systematic, for example, due to the modelling of the pumps or be the result of a change of the pumps’ power consumption for the same operating point over time due to, for example, wear. [19] Alternatively, one operating parameter of the one or more pumps of the installed pump system such as a voltage driving the pumps motor over time can be measured, a second operating parameter such as the current drawn by the pumps motor can be estimated and the actual power consumption of the pump system, i.e., the product of voltage, current, and time can then be calculated from the combination of the measured and the estimated operating parameters.

[20] In a preferred embodiment, the installed pump system comprises a single installed pump. The first value and the second value of the plurality of value pairs indicative of an operating load of the installed pump system are recorded by the single installed pump. In other words, in the preferred embodiment, the pump system is formed by one pump. The first and second value which form the basis of the operating profile are recorded directly by the pump. For example, the pump comprises two pressure sensors to determine the pump head and measures the impeller speed to establish the pump flow. The measured values may be directly recorded and processed by an electronics unit of the pump to obtain the operating profile, i.e., the operating profile that indicates how much time the pump and thus the pump system operates at or in the vicinity of an operating point is determined on edge.

[21 ] In an alternative preferred embodiment, the installed pump system comprises two or more installed pumps. The value pairs indicative of an operating load of the installed pump system are recorded by combining respective first values and second values recorded by each of the two or more installed pumps of the installed pump system. In this embodiment, the pump system is formed by combining multiple pumps. Each of the pumps is provided with the means to record a first value indicative of a pump flow and a second value indicative of a pump head. The values recorded by the individual pumps are combined at one processing entity of the pump system which determines combined first values and combined second values that represent the combined pump flow and the combined pump head provided by the entire pump system. Based on these combined first and second values the operating profile of the pump is determined. The combination of the first and second values of the two or more pumps to obtain the combined values for the entire pump system may, for example, be performed by a dedicated electronics units for the entire pump system or by an electronics unit of one of the two or more pumps.

[22] Preferably, the operating profile includes a power usage of the installed pump system over the operating period. The power usage of the installed pump system over the operating period is determined by combing the power usage of the installed pumps of the installed pump system over the operating period. Thus, in the preferred embodiment the operating profile reflects the overall power consumed by all pumps of the pump system during the operating period that is reflected in the operating profile. The overall power usage can be obtained by summing up the power consumption of all individual pumps. As previously described, the power consumption of each pump or the entire pump system can be determined in different ways.

[23] Preferably, either the first value or the second value of each value pair of the installed pump system is determined by the installed pump system from an operating speed or impeller speed of the at least one installed pump. Thus, in the preferred embodiment, one of the first value and the second value for each pump of the one or more pumps is determined from the speed of the impeller, i.e., the number of times the pump impeller of the pump rotates per minute. It has already been discussed that the pump flow can be derived from the impeller speed. The second value which is indicative of a pump head could in this embodiment be determined by measuring the pressure difference between the inlet of the respective pump and the outlet of the respective pump. Al- tentatively, the value which is indicative of a pump head is determined from the impeller speed. The impeller speed is a figure that is widely available for pumps and recorded by the pump electronics. It is also proportional to the pump head. In this alternative embodiment the first value which is indicative of a pump flow could, for example, be measured using a flow sensor.

[24] In a preferred embodiment, the operating profile is determined automatically by the installed pump system. Hence, all method steps from the collection of the pump parameters from which the first and second value are derived, deriving the first and second value, combining the values of the one or more pumps and determining the time each pump system operated at or in the vicinity of an operating point are performed without any operator input by the pump system itself. This advantageously allows the pump operator to directly obtain the operating profile at the pump which is particularly preferable if no data connection is available at the installed pump system.

[25] It is further preferred for the installed pump system to transmit the operating profile of the installed pump system for further processing to an external processing system. The transmission may, for example, be performed using a wired or wireless data connection. The external data processing system could, for example, be a handheld device which is connected directly to the installed pump system for downloading the operating profile, for example, via a short rang wireless connection such a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection or via a wired connection e.g. using a USB cable. In another embodiment, the data processing system is a remote server or even just a remote processing service operated in a cloud computing environment. In this case, the operating profile may be transmitted to the remote processing system using the internet where an access to the internet may, for example, be provided using a cellular network. It is noted that the above are all mere exemplary ways of transmit- ting the operating profile to an external processing system and that the skilled person is aware of many other ways of transmitting the operating profile.

[26] Alternatively, the installed pump system may transmit the continuously recorded value pairs indicative of an operating load of the installed pump system to an external processing system for determining the operating profile and for further processing. In other words, in the preferred embodiment already the operating profile is generated by an external processing system. The transmission of the value pairs may be achieved in the ways already discussed. It is contemplated that the installed pump system may use pre-processing to reduce the amount of data that is transmitted. For example, the recorded value pairs may be binned before transmission, data compression may be performed, and data does not have to be transmitted continuously but could be transmitted at regular or irregular intervals. However, this does not exclude that the operating profile is in any case obtained automatically without any necessary interference of a user or operator. Examples of further processing of the operating profile will be discussed as part of the subsequent exemplary embodiments.

[27] In a preferred embodiment, the installed pump system automatically provides an operator of the installed pump system with a report including parts of the operating profile and preferably a result of the further processing of the operating profile. A report is provided in a human-read- able format and may include details such as the power consumption of the installed pump system over the operating period. Further, it includes one or more results of the further processing described in the subsequent embodiments. Automatically providing a report on the operating profile and further information allows the operatorto continuously assess the operation and load of the pump system and keeps the operator informed on the pump system’s performance, in particular, in case of changing operating conditions without having to manually launch an audit of the pump system.

[28] In a preferred embodiment, the operating profile includes a power usage of the installed pump system over the operating period. Further processing of the operating profile includes selecting at least one pump system from a set of pump systems for replacing the installed pump system. Each pump system in the set of pump systems includes at least one pump. Selecting at least one pump system from the set of pump systems includes for each pump system in the set of pump systems, establishing whether the respective pump system can be operated at each operating point of the operating profile. Further, for each pump system in the set of pump systems that can be operated at each operating point of the operating profile, an expected power usage of the respective pump system for the operating period based on the operating profile is determined. The power usage of the installed pump system is compared with the expected power usage of each pump system in the set of pump systems that can be operated at each operating point of the operating profile. A pump system is selected from the set of pump systems that can be operated at each operating point of the operating profile that has a lower expected power usage than the installed pump system during the operating period.

[29] In order to select a pump system that may be used to replace the installed pump system, in a first step the power consumption of each pump system in the set of pump systems is determined under the assumption that the respective pump system would provide the same pump flow and the same pump head as reflected in the operating profile of the installed pump system.

[30] Different ways exist of estimating the power consumption of the pump systems in the set of pump systems. Preferably, digital twins of the pumps in the pump systems are used for estimating their power consumption. It is even more preferred to use digital twins both for establishing the power consumption of the potential replacement pump systems and also the installed pump system. In other words, for the comparison of the power consumption of the installed pump system to other pump systems, the power consumption of the installed pump system is estimated using a digital twin of the pump system. If both estimates are based on digital twins, the risks of systematic errors affecting the comparison of the installed pump system with potential replacement pump systems is reduced as systematic errors should affect both pump systems in the same way and would thus cancel out in a direct comparison of power consumptions.

[31 ] However, before determining the expected power usage of the potential replacement pump systems, the method establishes whether the pump system can be operated at each operating point of the operating profile. To this end, the method could, for example, verify that each value pair of a pump flow and a pump head collected during the operating period can be achieved by the respective pump system in the set of pump systems.

[32] Detailed examples of ways to establish whether a pump system can be operated at all operating points of the operating profile are the subject matter of further exemplary embodiments. For example, additional restrictions may be applied to ensure that a pump system always operates well within its operating limits.

[33] In a preferred embodiment, a pump system in the set of pump systems is considered to be able to operate at each operating point of the operating profile if operating at no operating point of the operating profile causes excessive wear or damage of the one or more pumps of the respective pump system. [34] This may, for example, be achieved by weakening some requirements so that a pump system may be considered to be able to operate at each operating point of the operating profile although it has to operate for a limited number of operating points and/or a limited amount of time beyond its regular operating limits. For example, it may be acceptable for a pump system to operate for a limited amount of time at an operating point which requires a power uptake by one or more of the pumps of the pump system that is 20% above the specified maximum power uptake of the respective pump system. Thus, in an exemplary embodiment a pump system may be considered as being able to provide a flow that goes beyond the specified maximum flow in case the required power uptake is no more than 20% above the maximum allowed power uptake and the flow only needs to be provided, for example, for an hour at a time. In other examples, additional wear or even potential damage of a pump system may be determined if operated at an operating point for a specified time using the virtual representation by simulating the impact of operating the pump system at the respective operating point for a given time. Thereby, it may be determined whether operating at a given operating point causes excess wear or damage of the pump system.

[35] For those pump systems in the set of pump systems which can be operated at all operating points in the operating profile, the expected power usage over the operating period is determined. Preferably, the expected power usage of each pump system is determined using digital twins.

[36] It is noted that the above steps do not necessarily have to be performed in the previously discussed order. For example, the power usage of the installed pump system can be determined concurrently while the pump system is running. Alternatively, the power usage of the installed pump system can be determined after the expected power usage of one or more pump systems in the set of pump systems has been determined and before it is determined whether the next pump system in the set of pump systems is suitable for operating at all operating points.

[37] Once the power usage of the installed pump system and the expected power usage of the pump systems that can be operated at each operating point of the operating profile have been determined, they are compared to each other. Afterwards, one pump system is selected that requires less power than the installed pump system to operate over the operating period. The selected pump system could, for example, be used for replacing the installed pump system or could at least be further investigated as a potential replacement for the installed pump system. Evidently, if none of the pump systems in the set of pump systems would require less power to operate on the same operating profile, this may also be reported to the operator of the installed pump system.

[38] The method thus advantageously provides a way of establishing whether a pump system which has been installed at a certain location is still a good fit based on the actual operation of the pump system. By comparing the power consumption of the installed pump system with the expected power consumption of alternative pump systems it is possible to provide a recommendation for a replacement of the existing pump system that should at least have a lower power consumption and is still able to achieve the required pump head and pump flow over the entire operating period.

[39] In a preferred embodiment, establishing for each pump system in a set of pump systems whether the respective pump system can be operated in each operating point of the operating profile may include further limitations that need to be fulfilled in order for a pump system to be considered to be able to operate at each operating point. Preferably, it is determined whether the pump system can provide the maximum and the minimum pump flow included in the operating profile. Additionally or alternatively, it is preferably determined whether the pump system can provide the minimum and maximum pump head included in the operating profile. Additionally or alternatively, it is preferably determined whether a maximum power uptake of the pump system is sufficient to provide the pump flow and the pump head of each operating point in the operating profile. Additionally or alternatively, it is preferably determined whether a maximum allowed torque of the pump is sufficient to provide the pump flow and the pump head of each operating point in the operating profile. Additionally or alternatively, it is preferably determined whether for each operating point in the operating profile a required net positive suction head is sufficiently below an available net positive suction head. Furthermore, it may be determined that for each operating point in the operating profile that wear of the pump system is not excessive and/or that the pump is not damaged if operated at the operating point.

[40] Hence, in the preferred embodiment it is verified whether a pump system that could be suitable for replacing an existing pump system would operate within its operating limits over the entire operating profile. The method could apply various different limitations such as a minimum and a maximum pump flow, a minimum and maximum pump head, a maximum power uptake which may not be exceeded to provide a given pump flow and pump head or, a maximum allowed torque of the pump and also ensuring that the required net positive suction head is sufficiently below an available net positive suction head. Verifying that some or maybe even all of these limitations are met ensures that the potential replacement pump system is not prone to excessive wear which could occur when the pump system is operated outside of its operation limits. [41 ] It is noted that at least some of the above limitations may not be applied strictly. For example, the method could allow exceeding the maximum allowed torque of one pump or more pumps of a pump system, for example, by 10 % permanently and by 20% for a limited amount of time and/or similarly allow that a maximum power uptake may be exceeded by, for example, up to 15 %, or even as much as 20 %. Also, it would be possible to consider a pump system to be able to provide the maximum required pump flow if the maximum pump flow the pump can provide is, for example, within 1 10 % of the maximum allowed pump flow by increasing the motor speed of one or more pumps of the pump system.

[42] Furthermore, it may also be possible to evaluate using a virtual representation whether one or more pumps of the pump system would be damaged if operated a certain operating point or whether the pump system is prone to excessive wear if operated at a certain operating point. Thus, instead of defining absolute limits for operating points, the actual wear and potential damages of the one or more pumps of the pump system are taken into consideration.

[43] Thus, providing variable limits or allowing some of the limits to be exceeded at certain points of time shall ensure that a pump system is not excluded from consideration if it has to run temporarily outside of its usual operating limits provided that this exceeding of the operation limits is temporarily and does not result in excessive wear of the one or more pumps of the pump system. An increased wear of the pump system that is caused by exceeding the operating limit of the pump system may be acceptable in a trade for a considerably reduced power consumption. This may, in particular, be the case if an operating profile includes limited spikes with operating points having a particularly high pump flow or a particularly high pump head for a very short time. [44] In a further preferred embodiment a pump system from the set of pump systems that can be operated in each operating point of the operating profile that has a lower expected power usage than the installed pump system during the operating period is selected that fulfills at least one of the following conditions: the pump system is expected to require the least amount of power for the operating period based on the operating profile of all pump systems in a set of pump systems that can operate at all operating points of the operating profile, operating the pump system for the operating period based on the operating profile emits at least amount of CO₂ of all pump systems in a set of pump systems that can operate at all operating points of the operating profile and the pump system is expected to have a longest remaining life after operating for the operating period according to the operating profile of all pump systems in the set of pump systems that can operate at all operating points of the operating profile. Additionally, also the lifetime CO₂ footprint of a pump system may be taken into consideration.

[45] Hence, in the preferred embodiment further conditions are provided for selecting a pump among the pumps that could operate at all operating points and have a lower power consumption. For example, this may mean that the pump that requires a least amount of power is selected, that a pump system is selected that emits the least amount of CO₂ or that the pump system is selected that has the least amount of wear and can thus run for the longest time at the respective operating profile. Evidently, it is also possible to select a pump system that achieves the best results in two or more or the above conditions in combination. For example, of the best three pump systems in terms of power consumption that pump system may be chosen which has the longest remaining operating life.

[46] In a further exemplary preferred embodiment, the method further includes determining for each pump system that could operate at all operating points and has a lower power consumption an operating margin, wherein an operating margin includes at least one value indicating by how much a maximum flow of the operating profile may increase before the pump system reaches its limits and/or at least one value indicating by how much a maximum head of the operating profile may increase before the pump system reaches its limits. Hence, in the preferred exemplary embodiment, the method for determines whether a pump system is still able to operate in case of an increased future demand and by how much that future demand may increase.

[47] In another aspect the problem underlying the present invention is solved by an installed pump system comprising at least one installed pump and at least one processing system. The installed pump system is configured for automatically performing the method according to any of the preceding embodiments.

[48] Preferably, each installed pump of the at least one installed pump comprises at least one first sensing means for sensing the first value indicative of a pump flow of the respective installed pump and/or at least one second sensing means for sensing the second value indicative of a pump head of the respective installed pump.

[49] Further preferably, the installed pump system comprises a transmitter for transmitting the operating profile of the installed pump system for further processing to an external processing system or for transmitting the continuously recorded value pairs indicative of an operating load of the installed pump system to an external processing system.

[50] In a preferred embodiment, the installed pump system comprises means for providing an operator of the installed pump system with a report including at least parts of the operating profile and preferably a result of the further processing of the operating profile. Such a means may, for example, be a screen or a printer or a way of transmitting a digital document with the report to a (mobile) computer of the operator.

[51 ] The advantages of the preferred embodiments of the installed pump system correspond to the advantages of the method preformed on the respective pump system.

[52] In the following the invention will be described in further detail with reference to the drawings wherein,

Fig. 1 shows a first exemplary embodiment of an installed pump system adapted for automatically determining an operating profile,

Fig. 2 shows a second exemplary embodiment of an installed pump system adapted for automatically determining an operating profile,

Fig. 3 shows a third exemplary embodiment of an installed pump system adapted for automatically determining an operating profile and

Fig. 4 shows a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of a method for automatically determining an operating profile of an installed pump system.

[53] Figure 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of an installed pump system 1 comprising a single installed pump 2. Figure 1 further shows an external data processing system 3. The installed pump 2 is in the exemplary embodiment shown in figure 1 a centrifugal pump comprising a pump housing 4 in which one or more impellers (not shown) are arranged. The installed pump 2 further comprises a motor housing 5 encapsulating a motor that drives the one or more impellers arranged in the pump housing 4. Further, an electronics unit 6 is provided which is in communication with the external data processing system 3 as indicated by the dashed line. The communication may, for example, be a wireless data communication via a cellular network.

[54] The installed pump 2 and thus the installed pump system 1 comprises amongst others the following three sensors: an inlet pressure sensor 7a which measures the pressure of the pump fluid at an inlet of the installed pump 2, an outlet pressure sensor 7b which measures the pressure of the pump fluid at the outlet of the installed pump 2 and an RPM sensor 8 measuring a speed of rotation of the impeller. The sensors 7a, 7b, 8 may be physical sensors 7a, 7b, 8 that directly measure the pressure in the pump fluid provided by the pump 2 and the number of rotations that a drive shaft of the impeller turns per minute (RPM). Instead of relying on actual sensors, it would also be possible to use virtual sensors or derived sensors. For example, a power uptake of the pump 2 and a set rotation speed of the impeller could be used to virtually derive a flow and the head of the pump.

[55] In any case, all measured values are reported to the electronics unit 6. At the electronics unit 6, value pairs for the installed pump 2 are continuously recorded for an operating period of, for example, one month, six months, or one year. In the present embodiment from the values reported by the sensors 7a, 7b, 8, a flow value and a head value are determined by the electronics unit 6. The pump head is determined from the difference between the inlet and the outlet pressure reported by the pressure sensors 7a, 7b and the flow is determined from the RPM value reported by the RPM sensor 8. The value pairs are collected continuously and automatically without any operator input.

[56] The electronics unit 6 collects and processes the value pairs to reduce the amount of memory that is required to store the value pairs at the pump system 1 . To this end, the value pairs may be binned, i.e., identical or similar value pairs are combined. In particular, if value pairs are collected at regular intervals, binning value pairs may amount to essentially counting the number of times a specific combination of a first value pair and a second value pair was observed. Furthermore, the electronics unit 6 also generates an operating profile for the pump system by determining how long the pump system 1 operators at or in the vicinity of each operating point.

[57] For further processing, the operating profile is transmitted at regular or irregular intervals to the external data processing system 3. The external data processing system 3 may, for example, be a commercial off-the-shelve personal computer, a server, or a cloud-based distributed data processing system.

[58] Operation of the exemplary embodiment of a system 1 shown in figure 1 will subsequently be described with reference to figure 4. However, first two additional exemplary embodiments of installed pump systems 1 will be described with reference to figures 2 and 3.

[59] Figure 2 shows a second exemplary embodiment of an installed pump system 1 . This pump system 1 comprises an installed pump 2 which is of a similar structure as the pump 2 of the first exemplary embodiment shown in figure 1 . The pump 2 comprises a pump housing 4 in which an impeller (not shown) is arranged. The impeller is driven by a motor (not shown) which is arranged in a motor housing 5 attached to the pump housing 4. Further, the installed pump 2 comprises an electronics unit 6 which is attached to the motor housing 5. The installed pump 2 comprises at least three sensors 7a, 7b, 8 which are shown in the exemplary embodiment of figure 2 as an inlet pressure sensor 7a which measures the pressure of the pump fluid at the inlet of the pump 2, an outlet pressure sensor 7b for measuring a pressure of the pump fluid at the outlet of the pump 2 and an RPM sensor 8 which senses the speed of the pump 2. [60] The pressures and speed sensed by the sensors 7a, 7b, 8 are reported to the electronics unit 6 which processes the sensed values to obtain value pairs indicative of the pump head and pump flow provided by the installed pump system.

[61 ] The subsequent steps of the method for generating an operating profile and further processing of the operating profile, for example, to select a pump from a set of pumps for replacing the installed pump system are performed by the electronics unit 6 of the installed pump 2. In other words, the operation is performed “on edge.” Data is collected continuously and without operator input by the pump system 1 . Any additional further processing of the data may also be performed automatically by the installed pump system 1 in predetermined intervals such as once every month. The installed pump system 1 and, to be more precise, the electronics unit 6 could, for example, prepare a report once per month for an operator of the pump system 1 that indicates whether the current pump system 1 is an optimal choice or whether another pump system from the set of pump systems could be operated at the same operating profile as the installed pump system 1 but at lower overall costs, a lower energy consumption and/or other or additional benefits. The report can be displayed to an operator of the pump system 1 via a display 6a provided directly on the pump 2. The method will subsequently be explained in more detail with reference to figure 4.

[62] Figure 3 shows a third exemplary embodiment of an installed pump system 9 which comprises two pumps 10, 1 1 . A first pump 10 of the booster pump system 9 may also be referred to as a base pump 10. A second pump 1 1 of the booster pump system 9 may also be referred to as a booster pump 1 1 . Each of the pumps 10, 1 1 is a centrifugal pump comprising a pump housing 4 in which an impeller (not shown) is arranged. The impeller is driven by a motor (not shown) arranged in a motor housing 5. [63] Further, each of the pumps 10, 1 1 comprises an electronics unit 6 and three sensors 7a, 7b, 8 as previously discussed. The values sensed by the sensors 7a, 7b, 8 of the two pumps 10, 1 1 are reported to the respective electronics unit 6. It is noted that given the configuration of the booster system, fewer sensors may be employed. For example, if the pumps 10, 1 1 of the booster pump system 9 are used in parallel as shown in figure 3, only one of the pumps 10, 1 1 needs to be provided with pressure sensors 7a, 7b as the pressure provided by the pumps 10, 1 1 of the booster system 9 is identical. In case the pumps 10, 1 1 of the booster system 9 are used in series (not shown), one RPM sensor may be sufficient as the flow of the pumps, 10, 1 1 is identical.

[64] The electronics unit 6 of the base pump 10 collects the reported values, derives the first and second values indicative of a pump head and a pump flow of the pump system 9 and prepares an operating profile for the pump system 9 with a plurality of operating points. Each of the operating points includes a pump flow and a pump head for the booster system 9 which corresponds to the combined flow and combined head provided by the first and second pump 10, 1 1 and a time the installed pump system 9 operates at or in the vicinity of the respective operating point.

[65] For the electronics unit 6 to be able to combine the values reported by the two pumps 10, 1 1 , it needs to be aware of how the two pumps 10, 1 1 are combined to form a booster system 9. In the exemplary embodiment of figure 3 the two pumps 10, 1 1 are provided in parallel. Thus, the booster pump 1 1 is primarily provided for increasing the flow that can be provided by the booster system 9. In an alternative embodiment, the two pumps 10, 1 1 could also be provided in series. In such a scenario the booster pump 1 1 would be primarily provided to increase the head that can be provided by the booster system 9. [66] The electronic unit 6 eventually forwards the operating profile to an external data processing system 3 which is in the exemplary embodiment of figure 3 provided in a cloud.

[67] An exemplary embodiment of a method for generating an operating profile and further for selecting at least one pump system from a set of pump systems for replacing an installed pump system 1 , 9 will now be explained with reference to figure 4. The exemplary embodiment of a method applies in general to each of the three pump systems 1 , 9 already discussed with reference to figures 1 , 2 and 3. However, for some method steps additional details will be provided for specific embodiments.

[68] In a first step 14 the installed pump system 1 , 9 collects a plurality of values pairs for an operating period. Each of the value pairs comprises at least two values. One of the values is indicative of a pump flow, the other value is indicative of a pump head. It has already been described with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in figures 1 to 3 how value pairs can be collected by the respective installed pump systems 1 , 9. The value pairs are collected by the electronics unit 6 of the installed pump 2, in case of the booster system 9 by the electronics unit 6 of the first pump 10 and the second pump 1 1 . Alternatively, the pump systems 1 , 9 may comprise additionally electronics units for handling of the value pairs.

[69] In a second step 15 an operating profile of the installed pump system 1 , 9 is determined from the collected value pairs. The operating profile could, in the exemplary embodiment shown in figure 1 , be determined by the electronics unit 6 or by the data processing system 3. The advantage of preparing the operating profile on edge, i.e., by the electronics unit 6 which is part of the installed pump system 1 , 9 is that only the operating profile would have to be transferred to the data process- ing system 3 processes the operating profile further. Also, the initial results can be provided directly at the pump system 1 , 9 to an operator.

[70] In the exemplary embodiment shown in figure 3 the operating profile is preferably prepared an electronics unit 6 of one of the two pumps 10, 1 1 so that no additional local processing unit is required. Hence, one of the pumps 10, 1 1 reports the recorded value pairs to the other pump 10, 1 1 and the other pump 10, 1 1 prepares the operating profile for the booster pump system 9 which is considered as the operating profile of the installed pump system 9.

[71 ] The operating profile is created by binning the recorded value pairs. To this end, a plurality of value pairs is selected as center values of bins of the operating profile. The value pairs selected as operating points do not necessarily have to be value pairs that were previously collected by the installed pump system 1 , 9.

[72] Each of the collected value pairs of the installed pump 2 is afterwards allocated to a bin which has the closest center operating point. For each of the bins, the time the installed pump system 1 , 9 operates within the respective bin is allocated so that the operating profile in the end provides a distribution of operating points and a time the installed pump system 1 , 9 operates at each operating point.

[73] In a third step 16 based on the operating profile of the installed pump system 1 , 9 a power consumption of the installed pump system 1 , 9 over the operating period is calculated. The power consumption is in the exemplary embodiment of a method shown in figure 4 calculated on the basis of a virtual representation of the installed pump system 1 , 9. The representation is obtained, for example, by creating a digital model of the pump system 1 , 9 and simulating the behavior of the one or more installed pumps 2, 10, 1 1 so that for a given combination of a pump head and a pump flow the necessary power that has to be supplied to the pump system 1 , 9 can be determined. The overall power consumption of the installed pump system 1 , 9 serves as a measure as to whether the pump system 1 , 9 is operating efficiently and whether another pump system from a set of pump systems could have operated more efficiently over the operating period based on the operating profile. Alternatively, the power consumption of the installed pump system 1 , 9 can be determined by measuring the actual power consumption of the installed pump system 1 , 9.

[74] In a fourth step 17 for each pump system in a set of pump systems it is determined whether the respective pump system can be operated at each operating point of the operating profile. Establishing whether the pump system can be operated at each operating point includes a plurality of checks.

[75] For example, for each pump system that is in this set of available pumps it is checked whether the pump system is able to provide the minimum and maximum flow that was part of the operating profile. Further, it is checked whether the pump system is able to provide the minimum and, in particular, the maximum pump head that occurs in the operating profile. Further, for each operating point in the operating profile the method confirms that a selected pump system is able to provide the respective combination of a pump flow and a pump head in terms of the maximum allowed power uptake of the pump system. In case the power required to operate at a certain operating point, i.e., a given combination of a pump flow and a pump head, exceeds the specified maximum power uptake of a pump system, a pump system may be considered as being not able to operate at all operating points.

[76] Similarly, for each operating point it is established whether the maximum torque of the pump motor or pump motors would be sufficient to provide the pump flow and pump head of these operating points. Finally, if all other checks were already passed, it is also checked whether a required net positive suction head which was determined based on the operating profile for all operating points in the operating period is sufficiently below an available net positive suction head of the pump system. The required net positive suction has, for example, to be 10 % or more below the available net positive suction head. Additional sensors may have to be provided at the installed pump system to measure the net positive suction head.

[77] In case a pump system does not meet all criteria to establish whether it can be operated at each operating point, it could be verified whether the pump system could operate at all operating points if some of the limitations given by the pump system specifications are only exceeded for a short time and by a certain limited amount. For example, in case the maximum torque of the one or more pump motors needs to provide to be able to reach all operating points is 10% above the maximum allowed torque but needs to be only provided for very short periods of time, such a pump system may be included into the pump systems which can operate at all operating points. This may, in particular, be advisable if certain operating points that require particularly high flows and/or high pump heads are only reached very infrequently. Other examples in which the pump head may be considered are cases in which the system is able to consider wear or damage of the pump system caused by operating outside of the specified limits when selecting a pump for replacement of the installed pump system.

[78] In a fifth step 18 for each pump system in the set of pump systems that can be operated each operating points of the operating profile (which also includes those pump systems that can be operated at each operating point of the operating profile when allowing the pump system to exceed certain operating limit for a limited time and also potential booster systems), on expected power usage of the respective pump system is determined. The expected power usage of the potential replacement pump systems which in the following always includes the potential booster systems is determined using digital twins of the pump systems. The digital twins are used to calculate for each operating point in the operating profile how much power the pump system would require operating at the operating point. The required power is multiplied by the time the installed pump system operates at the respective operating point and the power required for operating at all operating points is accumulated to obtain an overall power consumption.

[79] Finally, in a sixth step 19 a pump system from the set of pump systems that can be operated at each operating point of the operating profile which has a lower expected power usage than the installed pump system 1 , 9 is selected as a potential replacement pump system.

[80] If only one pump system requires less power than all other potential replacement pump systems, the selection is straight forward. However, in any other case it is preferred and implemented in the exemplarily embodiment of a method depicted in figure 4 to employ additional restrictions when selecting a pump as a potential replacement pump system.

[81 ] For example, the method could simply select the pump system that requires the least amount of power to operate over the entire operating profile. Alternatively, of all pump systems that require less power to operate at all points than the installed pump system, the pump system could be chosen that has the lowest CO₂ footprint.

[82] Further, since digital twins are used to determine the expected power consumption of the potential replacement pump systems, it is also possible to estimate the remaining lifetime of a potential replacement pump system for replacing the installed pump system 1 , 9. It would then be possible to select the pump system that has the longest remaining life, i.e., the least amount of wear of all potential replacement pump systems.

[83] In a preferred embodiment, the method could also provide a trade-off between the above requirement for selecting a replacement pump system. For example, the method could provide a choice of pump systems and indicate which of the pumps requires the least amount of overall power, which emits the least amount of CO₂ over its lifetime including production and which has the longest remaining life after operating over the operating period. Also, it could be included which of the replacement pump systems would be the most cost-effective solution in terms of costs for replacing the installed pump system 1 , 9, maintaining the selected pump system for another operating period and also incorporating the costs of having to replace the pump system 1 , 9 after a certain time, i.e., including how long the pump system can be operated given the respective operating profile.

[84] Hence, the exemplary embodiments of a system 1 , 9 and a method for determining an operating profile of a pump system 1 , 9 as well as selecting at least one pump system from a set of pump systems for replacing an installed pump system 1 , 9 advantageously give an operator of an installed pump system 1 , 9 a choice among available pump systems to replace the existing pump system 1 , 9 with an improved pump system. The replacement is made in consideration of the actual operation of the pump system as it relies on measured operating points which consider at least the flow and the head that needs to be provided by the pump system over the operating period. In addition to only considering the power that the pumps require for the operating period it would also be possible to include additional considerations such as wear of the replacement pump system when operated over the operating profile, a CO₂ emission of the pump system, and also the remaining lifetime of the pump system.

[85] In case a virtual representation ordigital twin of the installed pump system is available, it would also be possible to consider the wear and the CO₂ emission of the installed pump system over the operating period so that these factors can also be incorporated into a comparison with a selected pump system. Furthermore, in case pump systems are selected as being able to operate at all operating points in the operating profile which partially exceed their specific operating limits to be able to oper- ate at all operating points, it would be particularly important to consider the wear of the pump system when operating over the operating profile, i.e., the remaining lifetime of the pump system, since operating outside of the operating profile usually leads to an increased wear of the pump system. [86] The method is carried out automatically at regular or irregular intervals such as once per month. The result of the method could be provided to an operator of the pump system in form of a report that details potential replacement options including the potential benefit of these replacement options over the installed pump system 1 , 9.

Reference list pump system installed pump external data processing system pump housing motor housing electronics unit a display flow sensor rpm sensor pump system 0 first pump, based pump 1 second pump, booster pump2 pressure outlet of first pump 3 suction inlet of second pump4 first step 5 second step 6 third step 7 fourth step 8 fifth step 9 sixth step

Claims

1 . A method for automatically determining an operating profile of an installed pump system (1 , 9) comprising at least one installed pump (2, 10, 1 1 ), wherein the installed pump system (1 , 9) continuously records value pairs indicative of an operating load of the installed pump system (1 , 9) over an operating period, wherein a first value of each value pair is indicative of a pump flow of the installed pump system (1 , 9) and a second value of each value pair is indicative of a pump head of the installed pump system (1 , 9), and wherein the operating profile of the installed pump system (1 , 9) is determined from the recorded value pairs by establishing a time the installed pump system (1 , 9) operates at or in the vicinity of each of a plurality of operating points over the operating period, wherein each operating point of the plurality of operating points is defined by a pump flow and a pump head provided by the installed pump system (1 , 9).

2. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the operating profile includes a power usage of the installed pump system (1 , 9) over the operating period, and wherein the power usage of the installed pump system (1 , 9) over the operating period is determined from the value pairs recorded by the installed pump system (1 , 9), or wherein the power usage of the installed pump system (1 , 9) over the operating period is determined by the installed pump system (1 , 9) by measuring the actual power uptake of the installed pump system ( 1 , 9) or wherein the power usage of the installed pump system (1 , 9) over the operating period is estimated by the installed pump system (1 , 9) from measured operating parameters of the installed pump system (1 , 9).

3. Method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the installed pump system ( 1 ) comprises a single installed pump (2), wherein the first value and the second value of the plurality of value pairs indicative of an operating load of the installed pump system (1 ) are recorded by the single installed pump (2), or wherein the installed pump system (9) comprises two or more installed pumps (10, 1 1 ), wherein the value pairs indicative of an operating load of the installed pump system (1 , 9) are recorded by combining respective first values and second values recorded by each of the two or more installed pumps (10, 1 1 ) of the installed pump system (9).

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein the operating profile includes a power usage of the installed pump system (9) over the operating period and wherein the power usage of the installed pump system (9) over the operating period is determined by combing the power usage of the installed pumps ( 10, 1 1 ) of the installed pump system (9) over the operating period.

5. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein either the first value or the second value of each value pair of the installed pump system (1 , 9) is determined by the installed pump system (1 , 9) from an operating speed of the at least one installed pump (2, 10, 1 1 ).

6. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the operating profile is determined automatically by the installed pump system (1 , 9).

7. Method according to claim 6, wherein the installed pump system (1 , 9) transmits the operating profile of the installed pump system ( 1 , 9) for further processing to an external data processing system (3).

8. Method according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the installed pump system (1 , 9) transmits the continuously recorded value pairs indicative of an operating load of the installed pump system (1 , 9) to an external data processing system (3) for determining the operating profile and for further processing.

9. Method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the installed pump system (1 , 9) automatically provides an operator of the installed pump system with a report including parts of the operating profile and preferably a result of the further processing of the operating profile.

10. Method according to claim 7, 8, or 9, wherein the operating profile includes a power usage of the installed pump system (1 , 9) over the operating period and wherein the further processing of the operating profile includes selecting at least one pump system from a set of pump systems for replacing the installed pump system (1 , 9), wherein each pump system in the set of pump systems includes at least one pump, and wherein selecting at least one pump system from the set of pump systems includes for each pump system in the set of pump systems, establishing whether the respective pump system can be operated at each operating point of the operating profile, for each pump system in the set of pump systems that can be operated at each operating point of the operating profile, determining an expected power usage of the respective pump system for the operating period based on the operating profile, comparing the power usage of the installed pump system (1 , 9) with the expected power usage of each pump system (1 , 9) in the set of pump systems (1 , 9) that can be operated at each operating point of the operating profile and selecting a pump system (1 , 9) from the set of pump systems (1 , 9) that can be operated at each operating point of the operating profile that has a lower expected power usage than the installed pump system (1 , 9) during the operating period.

1 1. Method according to claim 10, wherein for each pump system in the set of pump system comprising more than one pump, the method determines an expected combined power usage of the pumps of the respective pump system for the operating period based on the operating profile.

12. Method according to claim 10 or 1 1 , wherein establishing for each pump system in the set of pump systems whether the respective pump system can be operated at each operating point of the operating profile includes at least one of the following determining whether the pump system can provide the maximum and the minimum pump flow included in the operating profile, determining whether the pump system can provide the minimum and maximum pump head included in the operating profile, determining whether a maximum power uptake or power limit of the pump system is sufficient to provide the pump flow and the pump head of each operating point in the operating profile, determining whether a maximum allowed torque of the pump motor is sufficient to provide the pump flow and the pump head of each operating point in the operating profile, and determining whether for each operating point in the operating profile a required net positive suction head is sufficiently below an available net positive suction head.

13. Method according to claim 12, wherein a pump system in the set of pump systems is considered to be able to operate at each operating point of the operating profile if operating at no operating point of the operating profile causes excessive wear or damage of the pump system.

14. Method according to any of the claims 10 to 13, wherein a pump system from the set of pump systems that can be operated at each operating point of the operating profile that has a lower expected power usage than the installed pump system during the operating period is selected that fulfills at least one of the following conditions: the pump system is expected to require the least amount of power for the operating period based on the operating profile of all pump systems in the set of pump systems that can operate at all operating points of the operating profile, operating the pump system for the operating period based on the operating profile emits a least amount of CO₂ of all pump systems in the set of pump systems that can operate at all operating points of the operating profile, and the pump system is expected to have a longest remaining life after operating for the operating period according to the operating profile of all pump systems in the set of pump systems that can operate at all operating points of the operating profile.

15. An installed pump system (1 , 9) comprising at least one installed pump (2, 10, 1 1 ), wherein the installed pump system ( 1 , 9) is configured for automatically performing the method according to any of the preceding claims.

16. Installed pump system according to claim 15, wherein each installed pump (2, 10, 1 1 ) of the at least one installed pump (2, 10, 1 1 ) comprises at least one first sensing means (8) for sensing the first value indicative of a pump flow of the respective installed pump (2, 10, 1 1 ) and/or at least one second sensing means (7a, 7b) for sensing the second value indicative of a pump head of the respective installed pump (2, 10, 1 1 ).

17. Installed pump system according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the installed pump system (1 , 9) comprises a transmitter for transmitting the operating profile of the installed pump system (1 , 9) for further processing to an external processing system or for transmitting the continuously recorded value pairs indicative of an operating load of the installed pump system (1 , 9) to an external data processing system (3).

18. Installed pump according to any of claims 15, 16, and 17, wherein the installed pump system (1 , 9) comprises means for providing an operator of the installed pump system (1 , 9) with a report including at least parts of the operating profile and preferably a result of the further processing of the operating profile.