FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to solenoid coil assemblies used to control pilot valves and particularly to a solenoid coil having a field-replaceable LED or other status indicator light to indicate an operational status of the solenoid coil.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hazardous environments such as nuclear power plants, chemical processing plants, fuel storage tanks, and the like, require extensive safety precautions, including regular safety checks of systems and components to ensure they will function properly when needed. For example, scram solenoid pilot valves (SSPV) of the type used for emergency shutdown of a boiling water reactor in a nuclear power plant need to be checked on a regular basis to ensure they remain operational. While a number of backup safety measures are usually designed into such hazardous environments to avoid catastrophic failure should one or more of the solenoid valves stop working, it is nevertheless imperative to be able to detect when the valve has malfunctioned.

Prior attempts to detect when a solenoid valve has malfunctioned have included manually checking the solenoid coil, thermally scanning the solenoid coil, and connecting an LED or other status indicator light to the solenoid coil. However, manual checking in a hazardous environment like a nuclear power plant requires plant personnel to be exposed to potentially dangerous levels of radiation. And using thermal scanners may be less reliable for sensing individual solenoid coils when multiple valves are clustered together. LEDs and status indicator lights have been incorporated directly into the solenoid coil, but the lights have decreased life spans due to the coils being continuously energized in most applications. Once burned out, such LEDs and status indicator lights are extremely difficult to remove and replace in the field, often requiring substitution of the entire solenoid valve.

Accordingly, a need exists for a solenoid coil with an operational status indicator that may be quickly and conveniently replaced in the field.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments disclosed herein relate to an apparatus and method for indicating an operational status of a solenoid coil. The apparatus and method provide a solenoid coil having a field-replaceable status indicator light connected in parallel and proximate to the coil. The parallel-connected field-replaceable status indicator light lights up when power is supplied to the solenoid coil to indicate that the coil is being energized. The status indicator light turns off when power stops flowing to the solenoid coil to indicate that the coil is no longer being energized. This allows technicians and other personnel working in hazardous environments to easily and reliably monitor the operational status of the solenoid coil from a safe distance rather than having to manually check the coil. In some embodiments, the parallel connection of the solenoid coil to the status indicator light may be achieved using an electrical splitter adapter. The splitter adapter, which may be a T-shaped or a Y-shaped splitter adapter, provides power simultaneously to both the solenoid coil and the status indicator light. This allows the status indicator light to be quickly and conveniently swapped when the light burns out without needing to remove or replace the solenoid coil or even interrupt power to the coil. The power is typically AC power because of the operation of the solenoid coil, so for embodiments that also require DC power, as in the case of an LED status indicator light, a rectifier may be connected to or otherwise provided on the splitter adapter to convert the AC power to DC power.

In general in one aspect, the disclosed embodiments relate to a solenoid coil assembly. The solenoid coil assembly comprises, among other things, a solenoid coil operable to actuate a valve connected to the solenoid coil, and an electrical splitter adapter disposed between the solenoid coil and a light source, the electrical splitter adapter having electrical contacts that connect the solenoid coil in electrical parallel to the light source.

In general, in another aspect, the disclosed embodiments relate to a solenoid coil assembly comprising, among other things, a solenoid coil operable to actuate a valve connected to the solenoid coil and a light source affixed adjacent to the solenoid coil. The solenoid core assembly further comprises an electrical splitter adapter disposed between the solenoid coil and the light source, the electrical splitter adapter having electrical contacts that connect the solenoid coil in electrical parallel to the light source.

In general, in yet another aspect, the disclosed embodiments relate to a method of monitoring a solenoid coil. The method comprises, among other things, connecting a light source adjacent to and in electrical parallel with the solenoid coil, the light source operable to provide an indication of an operational status of the solenoid coil when power is flowing to the solenoid coil. The method further comprises replacing the light source with a replacement light source without interrupting the power flowing to the solenoid coil.

