JP2006039626A - Pressure regulator abnormality detection device and pressure regulator abnormality detection method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily and automatically detect a deterioration in a diaphragm without decomposing a pressure regulator, and to perform such detection as necessary in a proper period, and to surely prevent gas leakage due to the deterioration in rubber components. <P>SOLUTION: This pressure regulator abnormality detecting device 1 is a device for detecting the abnormality of a pressure regulator 2 for high pressure gas, and is provided with: a pressure fluctuation detecting means 4 for detecting pressure fluctuation occurring in the pressure regulator 2; an abnormality determination means 5 for determining whether or not any abnormality has occurred in the pressure regulator 2 based on a detection signal from the pressure fluctuation detecting means 4; and a determination result notification means 6 for notifying the determination result of the abnormality determination means 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a pressure regulator abnormality detection device and a pressure regulator abnormality detection method for detecting abnormality of a pressure regulator for high pressure gas.

  It is required by law to confirm that the pressure regulator for high-pressure gas has no hindrance in use at the time of inspection accompanying gas container replacement. In this inspection, adjustment pressure and blockage pressure are measured, and it is judged whether the measured pressure is within the normal range.

  On the other hand, even if rubber parts such as a diaphragm used in the pressure regulator are deteriorated, the measured pressure is often within a normal range, and it is difficult to detect the deterioration of the rubber parts from the measured pressure. If this deterioration is overlooked, there may be a gas leak accident such as a crack in the diaphragm and gas leakage.

  Therefore, conventionally, the pressure regulator is disassembled and visually checked for cracks and the like to prevent gas leakage.

  However, when the pressure regulator is disassembled as described above, the inspection work becomes complicated and takes time. Furthermore, since the disassembly work is performed at the time of inspection accompanying replacement of the gas container, the diaphragm may crack and cause gas leakage by the next inspection, so it cannot be said that the inspection is performed at an appropriate time. It was.

  The present invention has been proposed in view of the above. Deterioration of the diaphragm can be easily and automatically detected without disassembling the pressure regulator, and the detection can be performed at an appropriate time as needed. An object of the present invention is to provide a pressure regulator abnormality detection device and a pressure regulator abnormality detection method that can reliably prevent gas leakage due to deterioration of rubber parts.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a pressure regulator abnormality detecting device for detecting an abnormality of a pressure regulator for high pressure gas, and a pressure fluctuation for detecting a pressure fluctuation generated by the pressure regulator. A detection means, an abnormality determination means for determining whether an abnormality has occurred in the pressure regulator based on a detection signal from the pressure fluctuation detection means, and a determination result notification for notifying a determination result of the abnormality determination means Means.

  Further, in the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the configuration of the invention described in claim 1, the pressure fluctuation detecting means is arranged on the atmosphere chamber side of the pressure regulator, and the pressure fluctuation on the atmosphere chamber side is arranged. It is characterized by detecting.

  Further, in the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the configuration of the invention described in claim 1, the pressure fluctuation detecting means is incorporated in a pipe of a gas meter provided on the rear stage side of the pressure regulator, It is characterized by detecting pressure fluctuations.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, the pressure fluctuation detecting means is a high-sensitivity pressure sensor. Yes.

  Further, in the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the configuration of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 4, the pressure fluctuation generated in the pressure regulator is caused by the diaphragm of the pressure regulator. It is characterized by a pressure fluctuation having a specific frequency due to deterioration of the supporting rubber member.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the pressure regulator abnormality detection method for detecting an abnormality in the pressure regulator for high pressure gas, the pressure fluctuation generated in the pressure regulator is detected, and the pressure fluctuation detection means Based on the detection signal, it is determined whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the pressure regulator, and the determination result of the occurrence of the abnormality is notified.

  In the pressure regulator abnormality detection device and the pressure regulator abnormality detection method of the present invention, the pressure fluctuation generated in the pressure regulator is detected, and it is determined whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the pressure regulator based on the detection signal. Therefore, the deterioration of the diaphragm can be detected easily and automatically without disassembling the pressure regulator, and the gas leakage caused by the crack caused by the deterioration of the rubber parts can be surely prevented.

  In addition, since automatic detection is performed, it is possible to issue an alarm without requiring any human inspection work, leading to improvement in accuracy of accident prevention and labor saving.

  Further, since the pressure fluctuation detecting means detects the pressure fluctuation on the atmosphere chamber side of the pressure regulator, the airtightness is not required for the mounting, and the pressure fluctuation detecting means can be easily mounted.

  In addition, the pressure fluctuation detection means is built in the pipe of the gas meter located downstream of the pressure regulator, and the pressure fluctuation of the pressure regulator transmitted through the gas in the pipe is detected. The abnormality of the pressure regulator can be monitored at a position closer to the place where the gas is used, and the accuracy of preventing a gas leakage accident can be further improved.

  In addition, since the pressure fluctuation detecting means is composed of a high-sensitivity pressure sensor, it is possible to detect a pressure fluctuation having a specific frequency that occurs due to deterioration of the rubber member forming the diaphragm of the pressure regulator. It is possible to reliably detect the deterioration of the rubber member that has depended on visual observation with high accuracy.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a pressure regulator abnormality detection device according to the present invention. In the figure, a pressure regulator abnormality detecting device 1 according to the present invention is a device for detecting an abnormality in a pressure regulator 2 for high pressure gas, and a pressure fluctuation detecting means 4 for detecting a pressure fluctuation generated in the pressure regulator 2; Based on the detection signal from the pressure fluctuation detection means 4, an abnormality determination means 5 for determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the pressure regulator 2, and a determination result notification means for informing the determination result of the abnormality determination means 5 6 are provided. The pressure regulator 2 is attached to the outlet side of the container 11, adjusts the pressure of the high-pressure gas from the container 11 to a predetermined pressure, and supplies the pressure from the gas outlet passage 20 to the gas consumption side.

  Next, a more specific configuration of the pressure regulator abnormality detection device 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the pressure regulator abnormality detection device. In this figure, the pressure regulator abnormality detection device 10 performs a predetermined signal processing on the high-sensitivity pressure sensor 40 as one configuration example of the pressure fluctuation detection means 4 and the detection signal of the high-sensitivity pressure sensor 40 to determine whether it is abnormal. It comprises an abnormality determination device 50 that determines whether or not and notifies if there is an abnormality. The abnormality determination device 50 includes an amplifier 51, a band pass filter 52, a determination circuit 53, and a notification unit 54. The determination circuit 53 is formed around a CPU of a microcomputer. The amplifier 51, the band-pass filter 52, and the determination circuit 53 constitute the abnormality determination unit 5, and the notification unit 54 forms the determination result notification unit 6.

  The high sensitivity pressure sensor 40 is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the upper end of the lid 33. The lid 33 has an inverted saddle shape with an open lower end, and can be easily attached to and detached from the cap 22 of the pressure regulator 2. The lid 33 is provided with a communication hole 41 that does not affect the internal pressure of the atmospheric chamber 25 of the pressure regulator 2.

  The high-sensitivity pressure sensor 40 is a low-frequency microphone whose characteristics are 10 Hz to 20 kHz, a gain of −45 dB (0 dB = 0 V / Pa) = 5.6 mV / Pa, and an ultra-fine frequency of 0.1 Hz to 20 kHz. The pressure can be measured.

  The pressure regulator 2 includes a body 21 and a cap 22 attached to the upper opening of the body 21. A gas inlet passage 23 into which the gas from the container 11 is introduced is formed at the left end portion of the body 21, and a gas outlet passage through which the gas decompressed to a predetermined pressure flows out at the right end portion of the body 21. 20 is formed.

  A decompression chamber 24 is provided between the gas inlet passage 23 and the gas outlet passage 20, and the decompression chamber 24 is configured to reduce the pressure of the inflowing gas (pressure of about MPa) to about Pa. Depressurize to pressure. The decompression chamber 24 includes a diaphragm 27 that is pressed toward the decompression chamber 24 side by a spring 26 as a pressing member from the atmosphere chamber 25 side as a pressure chamber. The diaphragm 27 is made of a rubber member, and a peripheral edge thereof is sandwiched and fixed between the body 21 and the cap 22 to partition the atmosphere chamber 25 and the decompression chamber 24 in an airtight manner.

  The cap 22 is provided with a vent hole 22a that connects the atmosphere chamber 25 to the atmosphere.

  The spring 26 is provided in the atmospheric chamber 25 and is made of a relatively large-diameter spring. One end of the spring 26 is in contact with the protrusion 25 a formed on the inner wall of the atmospheric chamber 25 and the other end is in contact with the upper surface of the diaphragm 27. Has been.

  In the center of the diaphragm 27, an operating rod 28 is provided so as to penetrate vertically, and one end of a lever 29 is connected to the lower portion of the operating rod 28. A fulcrum pin 29a and a movable pin 29b are inserted through the other end of the lever 29, and the lever 29 is rotatable about the fulcrum pin 29a. The movable pin 29b is also inserted into one end of the valve stem 30, and at the other end of the valve stem 30, a valve 32 is provided as a valve body that can move in the left-right direction to open and close the nozzle 31.

  The pressure regulator 2 operates as follows. When the valve of the container 11 is opened, the high-pressure gas from the container 11 enters the decompression chamber 24 through the nozzle 31. At this time, if the gas outlet passage 20 is closed, the gas pressure in the decompression chamber 24 becomes high, overcomes the spring 26 that pushes down the diaphragm 27, and the diaphragm 27 is pushed upward. As a result, the lever 29 connected to the diaphragm 27 rotates counterclockwise around the fulcrum pin 29a, so that the movable pin 29b moves to the left. For this reason, since the valve rod 30 also moves to the left and closes the nozzle 31 of the gas inlet passage 23, the gas inflow into the decompression chamber 24 stops and the pressure in the decompression chamber 24 does not increase any more.

  On the other hand, when the gas flows out from the gas outlet passage 20, that is, when gas consumption starts on the combustor side, the pressure in the decompression chamber 24 decreases and the diaphragm 27 also decreases. As a result, the lever 29 connected to the diaphragm 27 rotates clockwise about the fulcrum pin 29a, so that the movable pin 29b moves to the right. For this reason, the valve stem 30 also moves to the right, the valve 32 opens, and high-pressure gas flows from the gas inlet passage 23. Thus, the pressure regulator 2 controls the pressure of the gas flowing out from the gas inlet passage 23 to a predetermined pressure by the vertical movement of the diaphragm 27.

  Next, a case where the rubber deterioration of the diaphragm 27 used in the pressure regulator 2 is inspected using the pressure regulator abnormality detection device 10 described above will be described. At the time of this inspection, the operator first performs an operation of covering the cap 22 of the pressure regulator 2 with the lid 33. Then, with the supply of the high pressure gas stopped, the pressure regulator abnormality detection device 10 is operated, and the pressure measurement by the high sensitivity pressure sensor 40 is performed in advance. Next, the high pressure gas is supplied to the gas inlet passage 23 of the pressure regulator 2 and introduced into the pressure regulator 2. At this time, as described above, the pressure regulator 2 performs control so as to keep the gas pressure inside the decompression chamber 24 constant, and maintains the gas pressure in the gas outlet passage 20 at a predetermined low pressure.

  By the way, when the introduced high-pressure gas is controlled to a predetermined low pressure, the diaphragm 27 has a large initial vertical vibration, and thereafter converges the vibration while repeating minute damping vibration, so that the deterioration of the rubber is small. At that time, as shown in FIG. 3A, the minute vibration converges at an early stage, and as the rubber deteriorates, it takes time to converge as shown in FIG. 3B. As the rubber progresses, the rubber loss coefficient decreases. The present invention has been made paying attention to the reduction of the rubber loss coefficient due to the rubber deterioration, and extracts a minute damping vibration of the diaphragm 27 from the vibration sound of the air, and calculates the rubber loss coefficient from the extracted damping vibration. It is determined that the rubber is deteriorated when the rubber loss coefficient becomes smaller than the threshold value.

  That is, in FIG. 2, the high sensitivity pressure sensor 40 collects sound around the cap 22 of the pressure regulator 2 and outputs the detection signal to the abnormality determiner 50. As described above, the high-sensitivity pressure sensor 40 is capable of measuring a very small pressure of 0.1 Hz to 20 kHz, and detects a minute damped vibration of the diaphragm 27 that has been difficult to detect conventionally.

  The abnormality determiner 50 performs predetermined signal processing on the detection signal from the high sensitivity pressure sensor 40. First, the signal is amplified by the amplifier 51, a signal having a predetermined frequency is extracted by the band pass filter 52, and the extracted signal S3 is output.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the extracted signal S3. In the figure, the horizontal axis represents time, the vertical axis represents the amount of displacement, and the waveform S3 represents minutely damped vibration of the diaphragm 27. The determination circuit 53 obtains the i-th peak value P _i and the (i + 1) -th peak value P _{i + 1} of the extraction signal S3. On the other hand, the ratio P _i / P _{i + 1} of the peak values can be expressed as the following equation (1) using the loss coefficient ζ.

The determination circuit 53 obtains the loss coefficient ζ by putting the P _i value and the P _{i + 1} value into the following equation (2) obtained by modifying the above equation (1).

  Then, the obtained loss coefficient ζ is compared with the threshold value ζo, and when it is smaller than the threshold value ζo, it is determined that the rubber of the diaphragm 27 is deteriorated, and the information is output to the notification unit 54. The notification unit 54 notifies the operator by turning on an LED, displaying it on a liquid crystal screen, or generating an alarm sound.

On the other hand, when the vibration of the signal S3 extracted by the band pass filter 52 continues due to turbulence as shown in FIG. 5A, the determination circuit 53 uses an algorithm such as FFT (Fast Fourier Transform). Then, a spectrum as shown in FIG. 5B is obtained from the signal S3, and the Q value is obtained from the peak value of the frequency obtained from this spectrum. The determination circuit 53 obtains the loss coefficient ζ by substituting this Q value into the following equation (3), and compares the obtained loss coefficient ζ with the threshold value ζo.

  As described above, in the present invention, the pressure fluctuation generated in the pressure regulator 2 is detected by the high-sensitivity pressure sensor 40, and based on the detection signal, it is determined whether or not the rubber of the diaphragm 27 has deteriorated. The deterioration of the diaphragm 27 can be detected easily and automatically without disassembling the pressure regulator 2, and gas leakage due to cracks caused by rubber part deterioration can be reliably prevented.

  In addition, since the high-sensitivity pressure sensor 40 is used, it is possible to detect a pressure fluctuation having a specific frequency caused by deterioration of the rubber member forming the diaphragm 27. Degradation can be reliably detected with high accuracy.

  Furthermore, it is possible to automatically detect and issue an alarm, which can improve the accuracy of accident prevention and save labor.

  Further, since the pressure fluctuation is detected on the atmosphere chamber side of the pressure regulator 2, no airtightness is required for the mounting, and the mounting can be easily performed.

  Further, when the operator checks the pressure regulator 2, the measurement can be performed simply by putting the lid 33 on the cap 22 of the pressure regulator 2. Therefore, the measurement can be performed very easily and in a short time.

  6 and 7 show a second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the high-sensitivity pressure sensor 40 is provided not in the vicinity of the pressure regulator 2 but in the gas meter 7 arranged on the downstream side of the pressure regulator 2. This is the point.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the high-sensitivity pressure sensor 40 is attached in the middle of a pipe 71 inside the gas meter (microcomputer meter) 7 so as to be in contact with the gas flow. In this case, by providing the pipe 71 on the inlet side, it is possible to prevent the wet gas from condensing and the water droplets from adhering to the high sensitivity pressure sensor 40. The abnormality determiner 50 is provided on the circuit board 72.

  A gas consuming equipment 13 in the house 12 is arranged in the subsequent stage of the gas meter 7 through a pipe 9.

  In the above configuration, minute pressure fluctuations generated in the diaphragm 27 of the pressure regulator 2 are transmitted to the gas meter 7 via the piping 8 on the outlet side of the pressure regulator 2 and detected by the high sensitivity pressure sensor 40. .

  As described above, the high-sensitivity pressure sensor 40 is incorporated in the pipe 71 of the gas meter 7 located on the downstream side of the pressure regulator 2, and the pressure fluctuation of the pressure regulator 2 transmitted through the gas in the pipe 71 is detected. As a result, the abnormality of the pressure regulator 2 can be monitored at a position closer to the place where the gas is actually used, such as the house 12, and the accuracy of preventing a gas leak accident can be further improved. Can do.

  In addition, since the gas meter 7 incorporates the high-sensitivity pressure sensor 40, it is possible to always detect an abnormality not only at the time of inspection but also to prevent gas leakage more reliably.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the pressure regulator abnormality detection apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a pressure regulator abnormality detection apparatus. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a minute damped vibration of a diaphragm, where (a) shows a normal case and (b) shows a case where rubber has deteriorated. It is a figure which shows how to obtain | require the waveform of extraction signal S3, and loss coefficient (zeta). It is a figure which shows how to obtain | require the waveform of extraction signal S3 when the vibration continues by a turbulent flow, and loss factor (zeta). It is explanatory drawing at the time of incorporating the pressure regulator abnormality detection apparatus of this invention in a gas meter. It is a figure which shows the structure of the pressure regulator abnormality detection apparatus provided in the gas meter.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pressure regulator abnormality detection apparatus 2 Pressure regulator 4 Pressure fluctuation detection means 5 Abnormality discrimination means 6 Discrimination result notification means 7 Gas meter 8 Piping 9 Piping 10 Pressure regulator abnormality detection apparatus 11 High pressure gas container 12 House 13 Gas consumption equipment 20 Gas Exit passage 21 Body 22 Cap 22a Vent hole 23 Gas inlet passage 24 Depressurization chamber 25 Atmosphere chamber 25a Projection portion 26 Spring 27 Diaphragm 28 Actuation rod 29 Lever 29a Supporting pin 29b Movable pin 30 Valve rod 31 Nozzle 31 Valve 32 Valve 33 Cover body 40 High-sensitivity pressure sensor 41 Communication hole 50 Abnormality determination device 51 Amplifier 52 Band pass filter 53 Determination circuit 54 Notification unit 71 Piping 72 Circuit board

Claims (6)

In the pressure regulator abnormality detection device that detects the abnormality of the pressure regulator for high pressure gas,
Pressure fluctuation detecting means for detecting pressure fluctuation generated by the pressure regulator;
An abnormality determining means for determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the pressure regulator based on a detection signal from the pressure fluctuation detecting means;
A determination result notifying means for notifying the determination result of the abnormality determining means;
A pressure regulator abnormality detection device comprising:   2. The pressure regulator abnormality detection device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure fluctuation detection means is arranged on the atmosphere chamber side of the pressure regulator and detects pressure fluctuation on the atmosphere chamber side.   The pressure regulator abnormality detection device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure fluctuation detection means is built in a pipe of a gas meter provided on the rear stage side of the pressure regulator and detects pressure fluctuation in the pipe.   The pressure regulator abnormality detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pressure fluctuation detection means is a high sensitivity pressure sensor.   5. The pressure according to claim 1, wherein the pressure fluctuation generated in the pressure regulator is a pressure fluctuation having a specific frequency due to deterioration of a rubber member supporting a diaphragm of the pressure regulator. Adjuster abnormality detection device. In the pressure regulator abnormality detection method for detecting the abnormality of the pressure regulator for high pressure gas,
Detects pressure fluctuations generated by the pressure regulator,
Based on the detection signal from the pressure fluctuation detection means, it is determined whether an abnormality has occurred in the pressure regulator,
Informing the determination result of the occurrence of the abnormality,
The pressure regulator abnormality detection method characterized by the above-mentioned.

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