WorldWide Drilling Resource

69 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® OCTOBER 2013 Computers are Watching us... by Britt Storkson Owner, P2FlowLLC That’s right...computers are watch- ing us, but it may not be such a bad thing. I don’t like invasions to my privacy any more than anybody else, but prop- erly applied, computers can collect and store information that can make our lives better, safer, and reduce our expenses. The first thing that comes to mind is the “black boxes” on aircraft that col- lect and compile information continuously during the flight. “Black boxes” are actu- ally a bright orange so they can be more easily spotted in plane wreckage and are mounted in the tail section where the impact of a crash is less likely to damage them. Sure, black boxes may confirm pilot error, but they can also reveal the pres- ence of weak, defective, or improperly installed or maintained parts. For exam- ple, if there is a vibration present that should not be there, something is wrong and the pilot or maintenance crew can be alerted to the condition. Who knows how many times computer alerts have prevented catastrophic damage and/or injury, or even death? Most new cars have the equivalent of black boxes which monitor any num- ber of things. The same computer per- forming engine management functions can also collect and store information regarding vehicle speed and forces such as braking. I’ve heard of cases where insurance companies refused to pay auto claims until auto “black box” evi- dence was introduced. Along those lines, we have devel- oped water pump pressure controls that eliminate pump cavitation. According to Wikipedia: Pump suction cavitation occurs when the pump suction is under a low- pressure/high-vacuum condition where the liquid turns into a vapor at the eye of the pump impeller. This vapor is car- ried over to the discharge side of the pump, where it no longer sees vacuum, and is compressed back into a liquid by the discharge pressure. This imploding action occurs violently and attacks the face of the impeller. Pump cavitation is also very ineffi- cient and greatly increases the pump power requirements. How did we do this? We first “learn” the proper operation of the pump and store the data in memory. Then the data is constantly compared to the current pump operation, and if there is a significant variance between the “known good” data stored in memory, the pump slows to prevent cavitation. Flow rate and cavitation are directly re- lated, and reducing the flow rate will eliminate pump cavitation. Not only can this detect plugged suctions or air leaks in the suction, it can also detect plugged filters and leaks (such as broken pipes) on the discharge. Rather than “rev up” to try to satisfy the higher demand a leak will present, the pump slows down to indicate there is a problem. The computer is constantly “watching” the pump to ensure it is run- ning in conformance to what the user has “certified” as proper operation. This is just one of many valuable applications for computer monitoring. Storkson cont’d on page 80.