Degradation detection for internal gear pumps using pressure reduction time maps

Abstract

In this paper, a novel approach for detecting degradation in internal gear pumps is proposed. In a data-driven approach, pressure reduction time maps (PRTMs) are identified as a useful indicator for degradation detection. A PRTM measures the time for reducing the internal pump pressure from certain levels to any lower level when the pump engine is stopped and the valves are closed. The PRTM can thus be interpreted as an internal leakage indicator of the pump. For simplified evaluation, PRTMs are compressed to a single scalar indicator by computing their volume (PRTMV). When the internal leakage increases due to wear, the pressure in the pump decreases faster (implying a decreased PRTMV). The proposed approach has been developed and tested with data of real internal gear pumps with different operating times. The PRTMV shows a close relation to the operating time of the pump. Moreover, we compare PRTMV with the commonly used and well known approach of observing pressure holding speed (PHS). Especially for medium degradation, PRTMV shows better sensitivity then PHS.