Title of Invention

"AN IMPROVED SYSTEM FOR DATA COLLECTION AND DIAGNOSTICS OF AIR POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT"

Abstract

This invention relates to an improved system for remote data collection and diagnostics of electrostatic precipitators of multiple boiler units located in distant geographically comprising three controllers, level 1 controller (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22), level 2 controllers (04,05,06,07,08,09) and level 3 controller (01), wherein said system being connected to PC based common controller, said level 2 controllers being connected through +/- 10mA current loop communication, said level 2 controllers and level 3 controller being connected through RS-485 communication bus. (Fig. 1)

Full Text

The present invention relates to an improved system to enable and achieve remote data collection and diagnostics of an air pollution control equipment, particularly an Electrostatic Precipitator. FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to a remote data collection and remote diagnostics of electrostatic precipitator equipment. Particularly this invention relates to remote control, remote data collection and diagnosis of many control equipment, which are used for dust collection and dust removing process in the electrostatic precipitator. This invention endeavour to control, monitor, data logging and diagnosis of electrostatic precipitators from a remote location by means of electronic mail. More particularly this invention provides a system relating to remote control, monitor and diagnosis of electrostatic precipitators controlled by individually or collectively by means of level 1, level 2 and level 3 controllers. More particularly, this invention relates to remote data collection and remote diagnosis of level 1 controllers, which are used for dust collection and dust removing through level 2 and level 3 controllers. This invention provides use or implementation of hardware and software to achieve remote control and monitoring, remote data collection and remote diagnosis through electronic mail. BACKGROUND OF THE ART Various control equipments like high voltage transformer / rectifier controllers, rapping motor controllers and PC based integrated controllers are used for control and monitoring the operation of electrostatic precipitator. The electrostatic precipitator has variable number of fields, which have collecting and emitting electrodes. A high voltage is generated between these electrodes resulting in charging ofthe dust particles and their collection. This high voltage is generated by means of a high voltage transformer, usually one per field, that is controlled and monitored by a microprocessor based controller. For dislodging the dust collected on the collecting electrodes, the collecting electrodes are rapped periodically by means of hammers driven by electrical motors. These motors are controlled and monitored by a microprocessor based controller. In some of the prior art, each field or group of fields are controlled and monitored independently by this type of controllers. In some of the prior art, these microprocessor based controllers are operated from remote PC based controller for control and monitoring of electrostatic precipitator. In some of the prior art number of microprocessor based controllers and PC based controller collectively control and monitor the operation of electrostatic precipitator. In some of the prior art, electrostatic precipitators of one boiler is controlled and monitored by a PC based integrated controller along with number of microprocessor based controllers. Generally in power plant number of boilers are located in the large area. So number of PC based integrated controllers alongwith number of microprocessor based controllers are generally used for control. In the prior art there no single point means control and monitor electrostatic precipitators of multiple boilers available in the power plant. The status of operation and diagnostics are possible only at the individual microprocessor based controller or PC based integrated controller. Remote data collection and remote diagnostic is not available in the prior art control systems. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of invention is to have the feature of remote control, remote data collection and remote diagnostics for electrostatic precipitators of multiple boilers. Another object of invention is to have remote control and monitoring of number electrostatioc precipitators of multiple boilers, using a single controller. Another object is to design and develop a common PC based controller to provide control and monitoring for electrostatic precipitators of multiple boilers by interfacing the group of microprocessor based controllers and PC based integrated controller to the common PC based controller. Another object of invention is to improve the monitoring system of electrostatic precipitator and provide single point monitoring system to monitor any microprocessor based controller of any electrostatic precipitator of any boiler by means of a common PC based controller. A still further object of invention is to provide storage of status of various operating parameters of electrostatic precipitators of multiple boiler units in a single PC based controller. Yet another object of invention is to improve the control and monitoring operation of electrostatic precipitators from a remote location, namely a location that is distant geographically from the power plant installation, by means of electronic mail. A still another object of invention is to provide remote diagnostics of operation of electrostatic precipitator from a remote location, namely a location that is distant geographically from the power plant installation, by means of electronic mail. SUMMAY OF THE INVENTION Present invention integrates all the controllers of electrostatic precipitators of multiple boilers and provides remote data collection, control, monitoring and diagnosis. In this invention a PC based common controller was developed using PC hardware, communication hardware and software. In this invention remote control and moni- toring, remote data collection and diagnostics are achieved through three different level controllers. The three different level controllers are Level 1 controllers, Level 2 controllers and Level 3 controller. Level 1 controllers are at the field level and these are microprocessor based controllers, used for controlling high voltage transformer rectifier and rapping motors. Level 2 controllers are PC based integrated controllers, which controls and monitors Level 1 controllers of electrostatic precipitators of one boiler. Level 3 controller is at the top level, which provides control, monitoring and remote data collection and remote diagnosis for Level 1 controllers of electrostatic precipitators of multiple boilers through Level 2 controllers. Level 2 controllers and Level 3 controllers are interfaced via RS-485 physical communication bus. Level 2 and Level 3 controllers utilize MODBUS communication protocol for communication. PC based common controller is the level 3 controller designed for single point control and monitoring of number of electrostatic precipitators of multiple boilers. Also level 3 controller is designed for remote data collection and remote diagnostics of any electrostatic precipitator in the power plant. Remote diagnostics and remote data collection is achieved using the server-client concept. The level 3 controller is the server system, provides information for client system, which can be located in distant geographically. The client system can send electronic mail to the level 3 controller whenever it needs data regarding operation, performance and alarm conditions of a particular field or group of fields of electrostatic precipitator of any boiler. Unique MAILID should be allotted to the level 3 controller. By sending an electronic mail to this MAILID required information can be obtained or diagnostics can be carried out with the PC based common controller. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is interface diagram of three levels of controllers of electrostatic precipitators of multiple boilers. Fig.2 is software logic diagram of PC based common controller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION The complete control and monitoring set up of electrostatic precipitators of multiple boilers is shown in Fig.l. This invention integrates level 1 controllers (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22), level 2 controllers (04) (05) (06) (07) (08) (09) and level 3 controller (01). This invention connects remote client system (02) and PC based common controller, the level 3 controller (01) through internet (03). Level 1 controllers and level 2 controllers are connected through +/- 10mA current loop communication. Level 2 controllers and level 3 controller are connected through RS-485 communication bus. To achieve this RS-232 to RS-485 converter hardware (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) is used. Level 1 controllers are microprocessor based embedded controllers. Level 1 controllers are used for energizing high voltage transformer rectifier and rapping motors. These controllers utilize an intelligent processor, digital input devices, digital output devices, analog input devices and communication devices. Analog input devices and digital input/output devices interface the processor with field signals. Communication devices connect the controller to other controllers and PC based level 2 controllers for remote operation. Level 2 controllers are PC based controller, which controls and monitors number of level 1 controllers connected to it. Various display screens like bar graph for electrostatic precipitator current and voltage, alarm status, other parameters like boiler load and opacity display are provided in the PC based level 2 controller. Print out of operating parameters of electrostatic precipitator is possible in these controllers. Many optimization logics in level 2 controller provide improved performance in electrostatic precipitator. PC based level 2 controllers are generally provided with RS-232 port for communication with other system. Level 3 controller (01) is a PC based controller, operates on windows operating system. Level 3 controller controls and monitors all the level 1 controllers of electrostatic precipitators of multiple boilers through respective level 2 controllers. Level 3 controller has many status display screens and command display screens for the user to view the status and to feed command. Level 3 controller stores the operating parameters status in the storage device. Six months to one year data can be stored in the storage device, depending on the size of the storage device used. Level 3 controller has Ethernet port for connecting remote client and RS-232 port for connecting level 2 controllers. Remote data collection and remote diagnostics are achieved through Etherner port. A unique email ID should be given to this controller. Software of the level 3 controller consists of user interface block (60), email block (61), communication block (62), status update block (63), command implementation block (64), data logging block (66), mimic display block (65) and main block (59). Main block (59) initiates default values and various tasks to be performed during the operation. User interface block (60) enables user to set or change any parameters of level 1 controllers. Parameters like high voltage transformer ON/OFF, ALARM reset, current value, rapper motor ON/OFF, rapper motor start time, run time and repeat time can be changed. This block provides navigation between multiple screens. Mimic display block (65) displays status of control and monitoring parameters of electrostatic precipitators of multiple boilers. This block provides command screens for high voltage transformer rectifier controller and rapper motor controller (level 1 controllers). This also provides status display screens for level 1 controllers. Status update block (63), updates the status of operating parameters of electrostatic precipitators, which are received through communication. Status of various parameters of level 1 controllers is collected by sending query to the respective level 2 controller in the predefined time interval. Status of level 1 controllers is received as MODBUS communication frames. These are de-framed and converted into respective parameters. Communication block (62) provides interface between level 2 controllers and level 3 controller. Communication is achieved through MODBUS communication protocol over RS-485 physical bus. The communication driver receives data from level 2 controllers and stores in a buffer. Similarly the driver transmits data to the level 2 controllers. Command implementation block (64) frames the data entered by the user into a MODBUS frame. Various parameters of high voltage transformer rectifier controller and rapping motor controller, changed or set by the user are structured as MODBUS frame. This frame is sent to level 2 controller for implementing in level 1 controller. Data logging block (66) logs the status of high voltage transformer rectifier controller and rapping motor controller (level 1 controllers). Depending upon the hard disk size number of data storage will vary.Email block (61) receives electronic mail from remote client and process the queries, which are embedded in the electronic mail. Unique "CODE" is assigned to each type of query. There are number of queries can be sent to common controller for data collection or diagnostics. Such queries are ON/OFF status in a particular time period, alarm status in a particular time period, accumulated time existence of particular condition and accumulated time for particular parameter at particular range. WE CLAIM: 1. An improved system for remote data collection and diagnostics of electrostatic precipitators of multiple boiler units located in distant geographically comprising three controllers, level 1 controller (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22), level 2 controllers (04,05,06,07,08,09) and level 3 controller (01), wherein said system being connected to PC based common controller, said level 2 controllers being connected through +/- 10mA current loop communication, said level 2 controllers and level 3 controller being connected through RS-485 communication bus. 2. An improved system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said system is adopted for control and monitoring of electrostatic precipitators of multiple boilers from single controller. 3. An improved system as claimed in claim 1 or 2 further comprising three levels of controllers to have integrated control. 4. A system as claimed in any of the preceding claims comprising a server provide information regarding the electrostatic precipitator, required by the remote client located in distant geographically by mans of electronic mail.

Documents:

2257-DEL-2004-Abstract-(27-08-2010).pdf

2257-del-2004-abstract.pdf

2257-DEL-2004-Claims-(27-08-2010).pdf

2257-del-2004-claims.pdf

2257-DEL-2004-Correspondence Others-(08-11-2011).pdf

2257-DEL-2004-Correspondence-Others-(27-08-2010).pdf

2257-del-2004-correspondence-others.pdf

2257-del-2004-description (complete).pdf

2257-del-2004-description (provisional).pdf

2257-del-2004-drawings.pdf

2257-DEL-2004-Form-1-(27-08-2010).pdf

2257-del-2004-form-1.pdf

2257-del-2004-form-18.pdf

2257-del-2004-form-2.pdf

2257-del-2004-form-3.pdf

2257-del-2004-form-5.pdf

2257-DEL-2004-GPA-(27-08-2010).pdf

2257-del-2004-gpa.pdf