HARSH ENVIRONMENT TEMPERATURE SENSING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20090074348A1
• Filed: 09/19/2007
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals Incorporated (Linde Plc)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Young, Clayton Ming, Xia, Hua, McCarthy, Kevin Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,912,334 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 11/3206 at discrete locations in the fibre, e.g. using Bragg scattering
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/00 Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes

Abstract

A gasification distributed temperature sensing system is disclosed. The sensing system includes a gasification vessel and a harsh environment fiber sensing cable package disposed within the gasification vessel, the sensing cable package includes a thermally conductive enclosure and at least one sensor cable including a distributed array of high-temperature fiber Bragg grating sensors, wherein the sensors are disposed and hermetically sealed within the thermally conductive enclosure.

Claims

1. A gasification system comprising:

a gasifier unit; and

a harsh environment fiber sensing cable package disposed within the gasifier unit, comprising;

a thermally conductive enclosure; and

at least one sensor cable comprising a distributed array of high-temperature fiber Bragg grating sensors, wherein the sensors are disposed and hermetically sealed within the thermally conductive enclosure.

2. The gasification system of claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive enclosure comprises a material with a melting point greater than 2000°

F. (˜

1093°

C.) and wherein an outer surface of the enclosure reflects at least 50 percent of incident radiation at wavelengths less than 2 microns.

3. The gasification system of claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive enclosure further encloses thermally conductive filler materials disposed about the sensor cable within the thermally conductive enclosure.

4. The gasification system of claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive enclosure is pressurized by an inert gas filling.

5. The gasification system of claim 1, wherein the sensor cable package further comprises a woven ceramic material disposed around the fiber sensor cable.

6. The gasification system of claim 1, further comprising one or more support fibers disposed about the sensor cable to mechanically support the sensor cable.

7. The gasification system of claim 1, wherein the sensor cable package comprises a plurality of sensor cables, wherein the sensor cables are disposed in a twisted configuration to form a mechanically self supporting fiber sensor bundle.

8. The gasification system of claim 1, wherein the sensor cable package is operable at pressures greater than 500 psi (˜

3.45 MPa).

9. The gasification system of claim 1, wherein the sensor cable package is operable in and configured to measure temperatures greater than 1000 degree Fahrenheit (˜

537°

C.).

10. The gasification system of claim 1, wherein the sensor cable package is operable in and configured to measure temperatures up to 2000 degree Fahrenheit (˜

1093°

C.)

11. A harsh environment temperature sensing fiber sensor package comprising:

at least one sensor cable comprising at least one high-temperature fiber Bragg grating sensor; and

a thermally conductive enclosure comprising a reflective material with a melting point greater than 2000°

F. (˜

1093°

C.) wherein the material reflects at least 50 percent of incident radiation at wavelengths less than 2 microns,

wherein the at least one sensor is disposed and hermetically sealed within the thermally conductive enclosure.

12. The fiber sensor package of claim 11, wherein the thermally conductive enclosure comprises a material comprising iron and alloys thereof, nickel and alloys thereof, chromium and alloys thereof, molybdenum and alloys thereof, rhenium and alloys thereof, platinum and alloys thereof, tantalum and alloys thereof, titanium and alloys thereof or combinations thereof.

13. The fiber sensor package of claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor is located in a curved section of the fiber sensor cable and the fiber sensor cable is fixed to an inner surface of the curved section.

14. The fiber sensor package of claim 11, wherein the thermally conductive enclosure is pressurized using a nitrogen gas filling.

15. The fiber sensor package of claim 11, wherein the thermally conductive enclosure further encloses thermally conductive filler materials disposed about the fiber sensor cable within the thermally conductive enclosure.

16. The fiber sensor package of claim 15, wherein the thermally conductive filler material comprises a wide band gap material.

17. The fiber sensor package of claim 16, wherein the wideband gap material comprises a material comprising silica, quartz, porcelain, alumina, magnesia, hafnia, titanium dioxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride or combinations thereof.

18. The fiber sensor package of claim 15, wherein the thermally conductive filler material comprises a material comprising Ag, Al, Ni, Cu, Ta, Co, Fe, Mg, stainless steel, Inconel or combinations thereof.

19. The fiber sensor package of claim 11, wherein the sensor cable package further comprises a woven ceramic sleeve disposed around the fiber sensor cable.

20. The fiber sensor package of claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor cable comprises a single-mode fiber sensor cable or a multimode fiber sensor cable.

21. The fiber sensor package of claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor cable comprises a metallized fiber sensor cable.

22. The fiber sensor package of claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor cable comprises a polymerized fiber sensor cable.

23. The fiber sensor package of claim 22, further comprising one or more polymerized support fibers disposed about the sensor cable to mechanically support the polymerized fiber sensor cable.

24. The fiber sensor package of claim 11, wherein the sensor cable package comprises a plurality of sensor cables, wherein the sensor cables are disposed in a twisted configuration to form a mechanically self supporting fiber sensor bundle.

25. A harsh environment temperature sensor system comprising:

a harsh environment temperature fiber sensor package disposed within the harsh environment, wherein the fiber sensor package comprises a fiber sensor cable at least partially disposed and mechanically supported within a hermetically sealed, thermally conductive high melting point enclosure, wherein the fiber sensor cable comprises one or more fiber Bragg grating sensors and the thermally conductive high melting point enclosure comprises a reflective material with a melting point greater than 2000°

F. (˜

1093°

C.), wherein the material reflects at least 50 percent of incident radiation at wavelengths less than 2 microns,

an interrogation source disposed external to the harsh environment for generating an interrogation signal, wherein upon interrogation of the fiber sensor cable by the interrogation signal, the sensor generates a response data signal characteristic of a sensed temperature; and

a signal acquisition and analysis system, wherein the response data signal is acquired by the data acquisition and analysis system to estimate the sensed temperature.