Sensing system and method for analyzing a fluid at an industrial site

• US 10,018,613 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (GE Vernova, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Potyrailo, Radislav Alexandrovich, Worden, Bret, Tokarev, Igor
• Primary Examiner(s): Huls, Natalie
• Application Number:
  US14/866,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20160018381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/026 Dielectric impedance spectroscopy electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for measuring corrosion G01N17/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/2888 Lubricating oil characteristics, e.g. deterioration lubricating properties G01N33/30

Abstract

System includes a sensor operably coupled to a device body. The sensor includes a sensing region and at least one resonant inductor-capacitor-resistor (LCR) circuit. The sensing region is configured to be placed in operational contact with an industrial fluid. The at least one resonant LCR circuit is configured to generate an electrical stimulus that is applied to the industrial fluid via electrodes at the sensing region. The device body includes one or more processors configured to receive an electrical signal from the sensor that is representative of a resonant impedance spectral response of the sensing region in operational contact with the industrial fluid responsive to the electrical stimulus. The one or more processors are further configured to analyze the resonant impedance spectral response and determine both a water concentration in the industrial fluid and an aging level of the industrial fluid based on the resonant impedance spectral response.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a sensor comprising a sensing region including at least two electrode structures and at least one resonant inductor-capacitor-resistor (LCR) circuit, each electrode structure including at least two electrodes, the sensing region being configured to be placed in operational contact with a fluid of interest at an industrial site, the at least one resonant LCR circuit being electrically connected to the electrode structures and configured to generate an electrical stimulus having a spectral frequency range, the electrical stimulus being applied to the fluid via the electrode structures; and

a device body operably coupled to the sensor, the device body including one or more processors configured to receive an electrical signal from the sensor that is representative of a resonant impedance spectral response of the sensing region in operational contact with the fluid responsive to the electrical stimulus being applied to the fluid, the one or more processors configured to analyze the resonant impedance spectral response and determine both a concentration of an external contaminant in the fluid and an aging level of the fluid based on the resonant impedance spectral response that is analyzed;

wherein the sensor has a probe body that extends between a distal end and a proximal end, the probe body including a shoulder disposed between the distal end and the proximal end, the sensing region of the sensor extending from the shoulder to the distal end of the probe body, the electrode structures of the sensing region being disposed at different distances relative to the shoulder such that the electrode structures extend different depths into the fluid.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensing region of the sensor is configured to be disposed within a reservoir of a machine having moving parts that are lubricated by the fluid in the reservoir.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each resonant LCR circuit includes one or more tuning elements, the one or more tuning elements comprising one or more inductors, capacitors, resistors, resonators, or impedance transformers.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes multiple resonant LCR circuits that have different resonant frequencies, the spectral frequency range of the electrical stimulus applied to the fluid incorporating the resonant frequencies of the resonant LCR circuits such that the resonant impedance spectral response is measured over the resonant frequencies of the resonant LCR circuits.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the sensor includes a multiplexer that is configured to individually control the resonant LCR circuits to tune the electrical stimulus that is applied to the fluid.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid of interest is at least one of an oil, a fuel, a gas, or a solvent.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to analyze the resonant impedance spectral response by extracting complex resonance parameters of the resonant impedance spectral response, and the one or more processors are configured to determine the concentration of the external contaminant in the fluid and the aging level of the fluid by comparing the extracted complex resonance parameters to known resonance parameters associated with various concentrations of the external contaminant and aging levels.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the complex resonance parameters include one or more of a frequency position (Fp) and magnitude (Zp) of a real part of the resonant impedance spectral response, a resonant frequency (F1) and antiresonant frequency (F2) of an imaginary part of the resonant impedance spectral response, an impedance magnitude (Z1) at the resonant frequency (F1) and an impedance magnitude (Z2) at the antiresonant frequency (F2), or a zero-reactance frequency (Fz) at the imaginary part of the resonant impedance spectral response.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a metal oxide layer.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the aging level of the fluid as being at or proximate to a beginning of a recommended fluid life, at or proximate to a middle of the recommended fluid life, or at or proximate to an end of the recommended fluid life.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the electrode structures of the sensing region operates at higher frequencies than at least one other electrode structure of the electrode structures.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the electrode structures of the sensing region includes electrodes coated with at least one of a protective layer or a sensing layer and at least another of the electrode structures includes bare electrodes.

13. A method comprising:

applying an electrical stimulus to a fluid at an industrial site using a sensor, the sensor including at least one resonant inductor-capacitor-resistor (LCR) circuit configured to generate the electrical stimulus, the electrical stimulus being applied to the fluid via at least two electrode structures at a sensing region of the sensor in operational contact with the fluid;

receiving an electrical signal from the sensor representative of a resonant impedance spectral response of the sensing region in operational contact with the fluid responsive to the electrical stimulus being applied to the fluid; and

analyzing, using one or more processors, the resonant impedance spectral response to determine both a concentration of an external contaminant in the fluid and an aging level of the fluid based on the resonant impedance spectral response that is analyzed;

wherein at least one of the electrode structures at the sensing region is operated at higher frequencies than at least one other electrode structure of the electrode structures.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein analyzing the resonant impedance spectral response using one or more processors includes extracting complex resonance parameters of the resonant impedance spectral response, the complex resonance parameters including one or more of a frequency position (Fp) and magnitude (Zp) of a real part of the resonant impedance spectral response, a resonant frequency (F1) and antiresonant frequency (F2) of an imaginary part of the resonant impedance spectral response, an impedance magnitude (Z1) at the resonant frequency (F1) and an impedance magnitude (Z2) at the antiresonant frequency (F2), or a zero-reactance frequency (Fz) at the imaginary part of the resonant impedance spectral response.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the concentration of the external contaminant and the aging level of the fluid are determined by comparing the extracted complex resonance parameters to known resonance parameters associated with various water concentrations in the fluid and various aging levels of the fluid.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the sensor that applies the electrical stimulus to the fluid is a sensor having a metal oxide layer.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising tuning the electrical stimulus generated by the at least one resonant LCR circuit using one or more tuning elements, the one or more tuning elements comprising one or more inductors, capacitors, resistors, resonators, or impedance transformers.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the sensor includes multiple resonant LCR circuits that have different resonant frequencies, and wherein applying the electrical stimulus to the fluid comprises generating the electrical stimulus to incorporate the resonant frequencies of the resonant LCR circuits such that the resonant impedance spectral response is measured over the resonant frequencies of the resonant LCR circuits.