P15671: Expansion Joint Health Monitoring Data Acquisition

YOUSIF AL-ALI NICK D’ERMILIO JAMES JEWIS

JESSE FOLLMAN MATTHEW SUTTON

What is an Expansion Joint?•An expansion joint is a rubber and fabric component that provides flexible joints between 2 different sections of piping.

•Expansion joints are subject to high pressure, high temperature, and chemical attacks.

•Expansion joints are used on pipes ranging in size from 2 to 120 inches in diameter.

Problem Statement Garlock Sealing Technologies is seeking to improve the performance of their expansion joints by developing a robust monitoring system. The purpose of this project is to develop a monitoring system that can withstand extreme temperatures and pressures while directly measuring the conditions encountered by the expansion joint. Understanding the conditions and how they impact product health allows proactive maintenance, versus the far more expensive and dangerous method of reactive maintenance.

The updated monitoring system must meet minimum thermal, mechanical and pressure cycles. The system must also be able to connect to a DAQ program and accurately monitor temperature, pressure, position and system strain. The sensor package must be able to be integrated with any EJ larger than 2 inches. Testing will have to be done at both Garlock and RIT.

Stakeholders•Garlock Sealing Technologies

• Wayne Evans and Steve Cramb• Maintenance teams

•Dr. Kolodziej – RIT

•Expansion Joint Users• Oil and gas industry• Nuclear Industry• Municipal Infrastructure

Previous Project Overview•Developed a working list of customer needs and specifications

•Designed a package with limited sensing capabilities

•Demonstrated proof of concept• Successful sensor mounting modification• Collected and stored data using Arduino (Axial Displacement)

•Provided detailed insight on challenges of the project

•Purchased some parts that can be reused by this iteration of the project

Customer Needs

Requirement Importance Customer RequirementCR1 9 Temperature SensingCR2 9 Radial Position SensingCR3 9 Pressure SensingCR4 9 Axial Position SensingCR5 9 Manual stop/start with visual indicationCR6 9 Live data collection and storageCR7 9 Retrievable data format in an easy mannerCR8 9 Trigger alert when leak occurs along flange faceCR9 3 User defined sampling rate

CR10 3 Monitoring of current conditions/alarm conditionsCR11 3 Portable power sourceCR12 3 Portable data acquisition and storageCR13 3 Robust sensing packageCR14 3 Integration versatility with various size EJ'sCR15 1 Wireless communication capability

Engineering SpecsImportance Source Engr. Requirement

Unit of Measure

Marginal Value

Ideal Value Accuracy

9 CR3/CR8 Measure Pressure PSI 45 90 ±0.25%9 CR1 Measure Temperature °F 400 450 ±0.75%9 CR4 Measure Axial Displacement in 2 4 ±.025%9 CR2 Measure Radial Displacement % 5 40 ±.025%3 CR13 Temperature Cycles to Fail cycles 500 750 -3 CR13 Pressure Cycles to Fail cycles 1000 1500 -3 CR13 Mechanical Cycles to Fail cycles 3000 5000 -3 CR12 Small Size (Width) in 8 4 -3 CR12 Small Size (Length) in 5 3 -3 CR12 Small Size (Height) in 3 2 -

3 CR14 Easily Mountable Steps 8 1 -1 CR11 Battery Life Days 90 180 -3 CR6 Data Storage Days 90 180 -3 CR9 Sampling Rate Hz 1 10 -

3 CR14 Various Size Mount-ability in 12 120 -1 CR5 Buttons for on/off/reset Binary - 1 -3 CR7 Able to output to excel Binary - 1 -3 CR10 Light intensity of LED alarm indications Lumens 5 10 -3 CR10 Sound intensity of alarm Decibels 70 80 -

Functional Decomposition

Whole System Pugh Chart1 2 3 4 5

Measure Temperature

Thermocouple ThermometerBimetallic

StripHuman Touch

Resistive Temperature

Detector

Measure Pressure

Pressure GaugeStrain Pressure

Transducer

Piezoelectric Pressure

Transducer

Capacitance Pressure Sensor

Measure Radial Displacement

String Potentiometer

Spring-Loaded "Caliper"

"Ring-Switch"

Strain Gauge

Measure Axial Displacement

String potentiometer

Sonar/ Ultrasound

Magnetic-Linear

EncoderLaser

Write Data .csv Analog Printout Binary

Transmit Data Bluetooth WiFi Ethernet USB SD cardPhysical User

I nputButtons Touchscreen

Toggle Switches

Phone app

Alert User LED's Audible Email LCD PanelComponent Grouping

Aluminum box3D-Printed

CaseNon-Metallic

EnclosureExposed

Panel-MountData capture/

processingHardware -

Buttons/DialsSoftware -

Programmable

Fu

nct

ion

OptionIn

terf

ace

Wit

h

Use

rC

ollect

an

d S

tore

Data

Key: 1 - Practical2 - Precision3 - Analog4 - Research

Subsystem Pugh Analysis

Temperature Sensing

Temperature Sensing Winner - Thermocouple

•Cheap – Can be found for around 30 dollars

•Already own one from previous group

•Accurate to +/- 2°C with ranges from -270°C to 1300°C

Negatives:

Although Thermocouple outputs an analog voltage, the changes in voltage for different temperatures are too small to be distinguished by Arduino analog inputs. A thermocouple amplifier needs to be used ($15).

K – Type Threaded Thermocouple

Thermocouple AmplifierBreakoutBoard

Pressure Sensing

• Notes: Strain Pressure Transducer is type

used by previous group Capacitance Pressure Sensors:

Typically used for low pressure settings

Piezeoelectric Pressure Sensors typically used for dynamic pressure changes and not long term static pressures

Pressure Sensing Winner – Strain Pressure Transducer

•Very resistant to shock and vibration

•We already own one (Saves $350)

•Performs with 0.25% accuracy

•Can be powered by 9 V supplied to Arduino while outputting 0-5 V analog voltage

Negatives:

Only compensates for environmental temperatures up to 80°C. May requires mounting further from expansion joint to maintain accuracy

Validyne P2-3000-V Strain Gage Pressure Transducer

Axial Displacement Sensing

Axial Displacement Winner – String Potentiometer

•Have an accuracy of .025% of full scale (10 in = +/- .0025in)

•Lightweight and easy to mount

•Ability for different types of outputs

•Operation in temperatures -65°C to 125°C

•We own one that meets the current requirements

Radial Displacement Sensing

Radial Displacement Winner – Spring Loaded Caliper

•Two main types of spring loaded calipers

•Forceps model is less expensive than Snap model

•Both have SPC outputs which can be converted to Arduino

•Vibration will affect forceps model more than Snap model

Alerting the User

Alerting the User Winner – LED’s and LCD

•Already own a 20x4 LCD screen which can be used

•Allows for very specific alerts/monitoring of current conditions

•LED’s are compact and attention grabbing

•Additional option for audio alert can be added later with minimal difficulty 20x4 LCD Screen –

Easily compatible with Arduino

LED’s

Writing Data

Writing Data Winner - .csv•“Comma-Separated Values”

•Very common, relatively simple format that is used for many applications

•Arduino has functions already in place to write a .csv file with simple commands

•Can be easily imported into Excel

•Text file so it’s compact

Remote Data Transmission

Remote Data Transmission Winner – Wi-Fi

•Implemented on an Arduino with an easy to use Wi-Fi shield

•Allows for portability inside a factory setting

•Using to use on the customer end

•Fairly cheap ($80)

Negatives: Wi-Fi shields do tend to use a lot of power while in use so this option may not be feasible while running on a battery for long periods of time.

Arduino Wi-Fi Shield

Grouping/Housing of Internal Components

Grouping-Housing Winner – Metallic Box

•Strong and durable compared to other options

•Can be cut and shaped

•Aesthetically clean and robust looking

•Cheap

•Can be bolted, strapped or bent to fit many mounting configurations

Negatives: Although cutting and shaping can be performed, it is not as easy as other options. Machining will be required or working around the shape of what is purchased.

Physical User Input – Power, Reset, Thresholds

Physical User Input Winner - Buttons

•Pushbuttons can be easily used on an Arduino platform to allow the user to power on, off, or reset the board

•Threshold values will be set in software but the possibility to use numbered buttons is also an idea

•Very durable in industrial environments

•Extremely cheap

Component ListComponent Owned?

Arduino Board Yes

Pressure Transducer Yes

String Potentiometer Yes

Wi-Fi Shield No

Spring Loaded Caliper No

Thermocouple Yes*

Case No

LCD Screen Yes

Battery No

Sketch of Mounting on EJ

Sketch of Monitoring Package

Temp Press R-Disp A-Disp400 36 0.2 0.25

Thresholds450 90 0.3 0.4

Risk List

ID Risk Item Effect Cause

Likelihood

Severity

Importance

Action to Minimalize Risk Owner1 Team runs out of time Unfinished Project Poor

planning/”senioritis”

2 5 10 Develop a good plan for finishing project on time Matthew

2 Device draws too much power Cannot run on battery power easily

Choosing parts poorly

3 3 5 Perform thorough calculation on different parts to determine power consumption

EE’s

3 Data samples take up too much storage room

Missing data collection

Sample rate too high

1 3 4 Communicate with and agree on acceptable rate of sampling with customer

Jesse

4 Components take up too much room to be put into enclosure

Less portable/visually appealing

Choosing too large of components

2 2 4 Choose smaller technology along with efficient methods of creating circuitry

EE’s

5 Device does not stay mounted onto EJ

Durability issues Inferior mounting 2 4 6 Create an effective mount out of a strong material Nick

6 Alarm indications are not easily noticed

Critical issues with EJ go unnoticed

Choosing alarm indicators poorly

1 3 4 Agree on how many alarm indicators are necessary to achieve acknowledgement from operator

James

7 “Scope Creep” Lack of focus on critical parts

Not having a concrete plan

3 4 8 Communicate with customer and decide as a team which concepts to pursue and which to not focus on

Team

8 Sensors fail during testing/monitoring

Issues involving EJ go unmonitored

Choosing less durable sensors

1 3 5 Choose industrial setting sensors only ME’s

9 Lead time for critical parts Project not done on time

Ordering parts too late

2 4 8 Assess lead time of critical parts and take into account leeway for shipping times

Matthew

10 Data is not easily interpreted Difficult usability by customer

Poor data capture/processing

1 3 5 Have methods in place to have data easy translate to spreadsheets/graphs

Yousif

Questions?