US 11,808,260 B2
Mud pump valve leak detection and forecasting
Alejandro Camacho Cardenas, Houston, TX (US); Vishwanathan Parmeshwar, Houston, TX (US); and Manat Singh, Houston, TX (US)
Assigned to Schlumberger Technology Corporation, Sugar Land, TX (US)
Filed by Cameron International Corporation, Houston, TX (US)
Filed on Jun. 15, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/901,166.
Prior Publication US 2021/0388831 A1, Dec. 16, 2021
Int. Cl. F04B 51/00 (2006.01); G01M 3/28 (2006.01); G01M 3/22 (2006.01); G01M 3/38 (2006.01); F04B 7/04 (2006.01); F04B 53/10 (2006.01); G01M 3/24 (2006.01); E21B 21/00 (2006.01); F04B 15/02 (2006.01)
CPC F04B 51/00 (2013.01) [F04B 7/04 (2013.01); F04B 53/1032 (2013.01); G01M 3/224 (2013.01); G01M 3/24 (2013.01); G01M 3/2876 (2013.01); G01M 3/38 (2013.01); E21B 21/00 (2013.01); F04B 15/02 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for controlling a pump in a drilling system, the method comprising:
determining baseline behaviors for one or more valves of the pump;
determining in-use behaviors for the one or more valves of the pump, wherein each of the in-use behaviors are determined based on one or more measurements from one or more sensors;
comparing the in-use behaviors and the baseline behaviors;
forecasting, based on the comparison of the in-use behaviors and the baseline behaviors, a remaining useful life of at least one of the one or more valves;
emitting a light from one side of at least one of the one or more valves toward an opposite side of the at least one of the one or more valves, wherein the one or more valves are configured to at least partially obstruct the light when the at least one of the one or more valves is closed and at least partially permit passage of the light when the at least one of the one or more valves is open;
wherein determining the baseline behaviors comprises determining when the light passes the at least one of the one or more valves; and
wherein determining the in-use behavior comprises determining when the light passes the at least one of the one or more valves; and
comparing the baseline behaviors and the in-use behaviors comprises comparing when the light passes the at least one of the one or more valves for the in-use behavior with when the light passes the at least one of the one or more valves in the baseline behavior, wherein emitting the light comprises strobing the light such that the light is on only when the at least one of the one or more valves is closed, and wherein the at least one of the one or more valves is repeatedly opened and closed when in-use.