INDUSTRIAL PROCESS MONITORING AND IMAGING

• US 20120287749A1
• Filed: 05/13/2011
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chevron USA Incorporated (Chevron Corp.), Silixa Limited
• Original Assignee: Chevron Corp.
• Inventors: Kutlik, Roy Lester, Farhadiroushan, Mahmoud, Luo, Huping, Parker, Tom Richard, Finfer, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 9,052,230 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 367/7
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/2961 for discrete levels G01F23/2962 - G01F23/2968 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/2962 Measuring transit time of reflected waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 3/125 for representing acoustic field distribution using optical means G01H9/002; sonar systems for imaging G01S7/56, G01S15/89; acoustic holography G03H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 9/00 Measuring mechanical vibrations or ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves by using radiation-sensitive means, e.g. optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 9/004 using fibre optic sensors light guides per se G02B6/00, acousto-optical devices specially adapted for gating or modulating in optical wave guides G02F1/125
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/18 using ultrasonic, sonic, or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 42/06 using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments include an apparatus for imaging a volume of material contained inside a vessel. The apparatus includes a plurality of synchronized acoustic sensors positioned at a periphery of an inner volume of the vessel. A processor combines the outputs of the acoustic sensors to identify at least one ambient noise source of the industrial process generating a noise field that illuminates an internal volume of the vessel and to provide an image of the material by temporal and spatial coherent processing of the transmission and reflection of the noise field generated by the noise source.

Claims

1. A system for imaging material contained inside an enclosure, comprising:

a plurality of synchronized acoustic sensors positioned at a periphery of an inner volume of the enclosure to sense acoustic energy emanating from the material in the enclosure during an industrial process; and

a processor that combines an output of each of the acoustic sensor to identify at least one ambient noise source generating a noise field that illuminates the inner volume of the enclosure and to produce image data of the material by temporal and spatial coherent processing of the transmission and reflection of the noise field generated by the noise source.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of acoustic sensors is a microphone.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors is an accelerometer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors is a fiber optic accelerometer.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein an output of each sensor in a group of closely spaced sensors are combined to enhance a directional sensitivity to the acoustic signal emanating within the enclosure.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a continuous length of optical fiber attached to a surface of vessel and the acoustic signals perturbing the fiber at different positions are synchronously detected using a distributed optical fiber acoustic sensing system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors are positioned in optimum configurations such as in helical arrangements around the enclosure.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the enclosure is a pipeline, a coke drum, a vessel, a conduit, or a container that contains the material.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor processes the sensed acoustic energy of each sensor using beam forming technique.

10. A method of imaging material in an inner volume of an enclosure, comprising:

detecting acoustic signals generated by an industrial process through a plurality of synchronized sensors positioned at a periphery of the inner volume of the enclosure;

identifying at least one ambient noise source generating a noise field that illuminates the inner volume of the enclosure; and

generating an acoustic image of material illuminated by the noise field through temporal and spatial coherent processing of the transmission and reflection of the noise field generated by the at least one ambient noise source.

11. The method of claim 10 comprises at least one of:

filling the enclosure with the material;

processing the material contained in the enclosure; and

draining the enclosure of the material.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein identifying the at least one noise source of the detected signals, comprises:

generating a map of the detected acoustic signals in the inner volume of the enclosure; and

associating the mapped acoustic signals with characteristics of the industrial process.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein generating the map of the detected acoustic signals, comprises:

generating a plurality of two-dimensional image slices of the inner volume of the enclosure; and

combining the two-dimensional image slices to generate a three-dimensional image of at least a portion of the inner volume of the enclosure.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein associating the mapped acoustic signals comprises:

analyzing frequency components of the detected acoustic signals through a Fast Fourier Transform and/or a Wavelet Transform.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein generating the map of the detected acoustic signals, comprises:

measuring a time of flight of one of the detected acoustic signals at each one of the plurality of sensors; and

determining a location of the source of said one of the detected acoustic signals based on the time of flight of said one of the detected acoustic signals at each one of the plurality of sensors.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein generating the map of the detected acoustic signals, comprises:

identifying an acoustic impedance mismatch among the detected signals of the plurality of sensors; and

measuring a time of flight of the detected signals in a triangulation scheme of corresponding sensors to locate a boundary between materials contained in the enclosure.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

array filtering acoustic signals detected at an outer surface of the vessel.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the object of interest within the volume is nonspecific and observed passively, and wherein a contour of the object is detectable as a result of reflection or absorption of ambient sound.

19. A method of level detection in a an enclosure, comprising:

detecting characteristic acoustic signals of an industrial process through a plurality of time-synchronized sensors disposed about an axis of the enclosure;

measuring a time of flight of one of the detected acoustic signals at each one of the plurality of sensors; and

analyzing the time of flight of the measured acoustic signals at each one of the plurality of sensors to determine a fluid level in the enclosure.

20. A method of detecting an object in an enclosure, comprising:

detecting characteristic acoustic signals of an industrial process acting on a material within the enclosure through a plurality of time-synchronized sensors disposed about a periphery of an inner volume of the enclosure;

measuring a time of flight of one of the detected acoustic signals at each one of the plurality of sensors; and

analyzing the time of flight of the measured acoustic signals each of the plurality of sensors to determine a size and location of an object in the material acted on by the industrial process in the enclosure.

21. A computer readable medium containing a program which when compiled on a computer causes the computer to execute a process of imaging material in an inner volume of an enclosure of an industrial process, the method comprising:

synchronizing acoustic signals of a plurality of sensors disposed at a periphery of the inner volume of the enclosure;

generating a plurality of two-dimensional images of the inner volume of the enclosure based on the synchronized acoustic signals;

associating the synchronized acoustic signals with characteristics of the material in the industrial process;

identifying at least one source of the synchronized signals in the enclosure; and

stacking the plurality of two-dimensional images to generate a three-dimensional image of the inner volume of the enclosure.