Leakage monitoring for booster pump

Abstract

A pump system includes a cylinder, a piston disposed within the cylinder to define a first chamber portion and a second chamber portion within the cylinder, and a conduit system fluidly coupled to the second chamber portion. The piston is configured to move in a first direction within the cylinder to draw a working fluid into the first chamber portion, and the piston is configured to move in a second direction within the cylinder to pressurize the working fluid. The conduit system is configured to receive fluid discharged from the second chamber portion due to movement of the piston in the first direction within the cylinder, and the conduit system includes a sensor configured to determine a parameter of the fluid flowing through the conduit system, the parameter being indicative of leakage of the working fluid from the first chamber portion to the second chamber portion.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A pump system, comprising:
 a cylinder;   a piston disposed within the cylinder to define a first chamber portion and a second chamber portion within the cylinder, wherein the piston is configured to move in a first direction within the cylinder to draw a working fluid into the first chamber portion, and the piston is configured to move in a second direction within the cylinder to pressurize the working fluid and discharge the working fluid from the first chamber portion; and   a conduit system fluidly coupled to the second chamber portion, wherein the conduit system is configured to receive fluid discharged from the second chamber portion due to movement of the piston in the first direction within the cylinder, and the conduit system comprises a sensor configured to monitor a parameter of fluid flow through the conduit system, the parameter being indicative of leakage of the working fluid from the first chamber portion to the second chamber portion.   
     
     
         2 . The pump system of  claim 1 , wherein the parameter monitored by the sensor comprises a flow rate of fluid flow through the conduit system. 
     
     
         3 . The pump system of  claim 1 , wherein the parameter monitored by the sensor comprises a temperature of fluid flow through the conduit system. 
     
     
         4 . The pump system of  claim 1 , comprising a control system configured to output a signal based on the parameter monitored by the sensor. 
     
     
         5 . The pump system of  claim 4 , wherein the control system is configured to:
 compare the parameter to a threshold; and   output the signal in response to determining the parameter exceeds the threshold and indicates that excessive working fluid is leaking from the first chamber portion to the second chamber portion.   
     
     
         6 . The pump system of  claim 5 , wherein the control system is configured to operate in a calibration mode to establish the threshold, and the control system, in the calibration mode, is configured to:
 operate at a plurality of operating conditions having a first plurality of values;   determine a second plurality of values of the parameter indicative of excessive leakage of the working fluid from the first chamber portion to the second chamber portion at each operating condition of the plurality of operating conditions;   determine a relationship between the first plurality of values and the second plurality of values; and   establish the threshold based on the relationship between the first plurality of values and the second plurality of values.   
     
     
         7 . The pump system of  claim 6 , wherein the relationship associates respective first values of the parameter indicative of excessive leakage of the working fluid from the first chamber portion to the second chamber portion with corresponding second values of the plurality of operating conditions, and the control system is configured to:
 determine a current operating condition having one or more current values;   determine a respective first value of the parameter associated with the one or more current values of the current operating condition based on the relationship; and   establish the respective first value as the threshold.   
     
     
         8 . The pump system of  claim 1 , comprising:
 an additional cylinder; and   an additional piston disposed within the additional cylinder to define a third chamber portion and a fourth chamber portion within the additional cylinder, wherein the additional piston is configured to move in a third direction within the additional cylinder to draw an additional working fluid into the third chamber portion, and the additional piston is configured to move in a fourth direction within the additional cylinder to pressurize the additional working fluid and discharge the additional working fluid from the third chamber portion,   wherein the conduit system is configured to receive fluid discharged from the fourth chamber portion due to movement of the additional piston in the third chamber portion.   
     
     
         9 . The pump system of  claim 8 , wherein the conduit system comprises a conduit fluidly coupled to each of the second chamber portion of the cylinder and the fourth chamber portion of the additional cylinder, and the sensor is configured to monitor the parameter of fluid flow through the conduit. 
     
     
         10 . The pump system of  claim 9 , comprising a first leg fluidly coupled to the second chamber portion of the cylinder, a second leg fluidly coupled to the fourth chamber portion of the additional cylinder, and a valve fluidly coupling the first leg, the second leg, and the conduit to one another to fluidly couple the conduit to each of the second chamber portion and the fourth chamber portion. 
     
     
         11 . The pump system of  claim 8 , wherein the conduit system comprises a first conduit fluidly coupled to the second chamber portion of the cylinder and a second conduit fluidly coupled to the fourth chamber portion of the additional cylinder, the sensor is configured to monitor the parameter of fluid flow through the first conduit, and the conduit system comprises an additional sensor configured to monitor an additional parameter of fluid flow through the second conduit, the additional parameter being indicative of flow of the additional working fluid from the third chamber portion to the fourth chamber portion. 
     
     
         12 . The pump system of  claim 8 , wherein the additional working fluid comprises the working fluid pressurized by the piston and discharged from the first chamber portion. 
     
     
         13 . A conduit system for a pump system comprising a cylinder and a piston disposed within the cylinder to define a rod-side chamber and a piston-side chamber, opposite the rod-side chamber, wherein the conduit system comprises:
 a conduit that is fluidly couplable to the rod-side chamber of the pump system, wherein the piston is configured to move in a first direction within the cylinder to draw a first fluid into the piston-side chamber and discharge a second fluid from the rod-side chamber, the piston is configured to move in a second direction within the cylinder to pressurize the first fluid and discharge the first fluid from the piston-side chamber, and the conduit is configured to receive the second fluid discharged from the rod-side chamber via movement of the piston in the first direction within the cylinder; and   a sensor configured to monitor a parameter of the second fluid flowing through the conduit from the rod-side chamber, wherein the parameter is indicative of flow of the first fluid from the piston-side chamber to the rod-side chamber.   
     
     
         14 . The conduit system of  claim 13 , comprising a control system communicatively coupled to the sensor, wherein the control system is configured to:
 receive the parameter monitored by the sensor; and   compare the parameter to a threshold that indicates the second fluid is comprised, at least in part, of the first fluid.   
     
     
         15 . The conduit system of  claim 14 , wherein the control system is configured to output a signal in response to determining the parameter exceeds the threshold. 
     
     
         16 . The conduit system of  claim 15 , wherein the control system is configured to output the signal to provide a notification. 
     
     
         17 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to:
 receive a parameter from a sensor of a pump system, wherein the pump system comprises a piston disposed within a cylinder to define a first chamber portion and a second chamber portion within the cylinder, the piston is configured to move in a first direction within the cylinder to draw a working fluid into the first chamber portion, the piston is configured to move in a second direction within the cylinder to pressurize the working fluid in the first chamber portion, a conduit system of the pump system is configured to receive fluid discharged from the second chamber portion, and the parameter is associated with fluid flow through the conduit system and is indicative of working fluid flow between the first chamber portion and the second chamber portion;   compare the parameter to a threshold; and   output a signal based on comparison of the parameter to the threshold.   
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to output the signal to suspend operation of the pump system in response to determining the parameter exceeds the threshold. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to:
 determine a first plurality of values of a plurality of operating conditions;   determine a second plurality of values of the parameter, wherein each value of the second plurality of values indicates excessive working fluid flow between the first chamber portion and the second chamber portion for a respective operating condition of the plurality of operating conditions;   determine a relationship between the first plurality of values and the second plurality of values, wherein the relationship associates respective first values of the parameter indicative of excessive working fluid flow between the first chamber portion and the second chamber portion with corresponding second values of the plurality of operating conditions; and   establish the threshold based on the relationship between the first plurality of values and the second plurality of values.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 19 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to:
 determine a current value of a current operating condition; and   establish the threshold as the respective first value of the parameter associated with the current value of the current operating condition based on the relationship.