Techniques for monitoring health of vessels containing fluids
First Claim
1. A method of monitoring health of a vessel that contains fluid at non-ambient temperatures, comprising:
- attaching a sensor suite of one or more sensors to an outer skin of the vessel; and
providing power for the sensor suite based on a temperature difference between a fluid temperature of a contained fluid inside the vessel and an ambient temperature outside the vessel.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Some techniques for monitoring health of a vessel include attaching a sensor suite of one or more sensors to an outer skin of the vessel and providing power for the sensor suite based on a temperature difference between a fluid temperature of a contained fluid inside the vessel and an ambient temperature outside the vessel. Some techniques include attaching a sensor suite by cinching a belt around the vessel and causing two ends of a strain gauge in the sensor suite to become rigidly attached to the outer skin of the vessel, for example, on opposite sides of a weld joining two sections of the vessel. These techniques allow a pipeline to be readily instrumented and monitored remotely which reduces manpower costs for performing manual inspections, reduces the risks of injury from performing manual inspections during hazardous weather conditions, and reduces the likelihood of undetected leaks.
68 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A method of monitoring health of a vessel that contains fluid at non-ambient temperatures, comprising:
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attaching a sensor suite of one or more sensors to an outer skin of the vessel; and
providing power for the sensor suite based on a temperature difference between a fluid temperature of a contained fluid inside the vessel and an ambient temperature outside the vessel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of monitoring health of a vessel that contains a fluid, comprising:
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cinching around an outer skin of the vessel, at a weld between successive sections of the vessel, a belt that contains a sensor suite of one or more sensors, wherein said step of cinching the belt causes two ends of a strain gauge in the sensor suite to become rigidly attached to the outer skin of the vessel on opposite sides of the weld.
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18. An apparatus for monitoring health of a vessel that contains a fluid, comprising:
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a belt for cinching around an outer skin of the vessel at a location along the vessel, wherein the belt further comprises a plurality of biting members for rigidly attaching to the outer skin of the vessel when the belt is cinched around the vessel, and a strain gauge for measuring change in distance between two ends of the strain gauge, each end of the two ends rigidly attached to a different one of the plurality of biting members. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. An apparatus for monitoring health of a vessel that contains a fluid, comprising:
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a belt for cinching around an outer skin of the vessel at a location along the vessel, wherein the belt includes a sensor suite of one or more sensors for measuring properties related to the health of the vessel; and
a thermopile that generates power based on a temperature difference between a first thermocouple of the thermopile and a second thermocouple of the thermopile, wherein;
the first thermocouple is connected to the belt for making thermal contact with the outer skin of the vessel;
the second thermocouple is configured for exposure to an ambient temperature of an environment outside the vessel; and
power generated by the thermocouple powers the sensor suite. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
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32. A pipeline, comprising:
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a plurality of pipe sections welded together;
a belt cinched around an outer skin of a pipe section at a location along the pipeline, wherein the belt further comprises a plurality of biting members rigidly attached to the outer skin of the pipeline, and a strain gauge for measuring change in distance between two ends of the strain gauge, each end of the two ends rigidly attached to a different one of the plurality of biting members. - View Dependent Claims (33)
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34. A pipeline, comprising:
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a plurality of pipe sections welded together;
a belt cinched around an outer skin of a pipe section at a location along the pipeline, wherein the belt further comprises a sensor suite of one or more sensors for measuring properties related to health of the pipeline; and
a thermopile that generates power based on a temperature difference between a first thermocouple of the thermopile and a second thermocouple of the thermopile, wherein;
the first thermocouple is connected to the belt in thermal contact with the outer skin of the pipeline;
the second thermocouple is exposed to an ambient temperature of an environment outside the pipeline; and
power generated by the thermocouple powers the sensor suite. - View Dependent Claims (35)
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Specification