SENSING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20160018381A1
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Published: 01/21/2016
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 10,018,613 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 an industrial fluid of interest, 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 industrial 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 industrial fluid responsive to the electrical stimulus being applied to the industrial fluid, the one or more processors configured to analyze the resonant impedance spectral response and determine at least one of a concentration of an external contaminant in the industrial fluid or an aging level of the industrial fluid based on the resonant impedance spectral response that is analyzed.

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 industrial 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 industrial 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 industrial fluid.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the industrial 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 industrial fluid and the aging level of the industrial 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 is a metal oxide sensor.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the aging level of the industrial 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 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 industrial fluid.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. A method comprising:

applying an electrical stimulus to an industrial fluid 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 industrial fluid via at least two electrode structures at a sensing region of the sensor in operational contact with the industrial fluid;

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

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

15. The method of claim 14, 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.

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

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the sensor that applies the electrical stimulus to the industrial fluid is a metal oxide sensor.

18. The method of claim 14, 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.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the sensor includes multiple resonant LCR circuits that have different resonant frequencies, and wherein applying the electrical stimulus to the industrial 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.

20. A system for monitoring a condition of an industrial site comprising:

a sensor with at least two sufficiently non-correlated output signals representative of a response of the sensor to an industrial fluid at the industrial site; and

a device body operably coupled to the sensor, the device body including one or more processors configured to receive the output signals from the sensor and analyze the output signals to determine at least one of a concentration of an external contaminant in the industrial fluid or an aging level of the industrial fluid based on the output signals.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the condition of the industrial site is based on the concentration of the external contaminant in the industrial fluid and the aging level of the industrial fluid.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the industrial site is at least one of a first machine that has moving parts, a second machine that does not have movable parts, a manufacturing facility, a processing facility, a disposal facility, an industrial research facility, a gas producing facility, or an oil producing facility.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the industrial fluid is at least one of a lubricant, a fuel, a hydraulic media, a drive fluid, a power steering fluid, a solvent, a power brake fluid, a drilling fluid, an oil, an insulating fluid, a heat transfer fluid, compressed air, ambient air, water, a naturally occurring fluid, or a synthetic fluid.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the industrial fluid is a lubricating oil with known type and level of additives designed for exposure to multiple environmental conditions and with different wear protection and different particles-deposit control.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the sensor is a metal oxide sensor.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the output signals of the sensor represent a resonant impedance spectral response of the sensor in operational contact with the industrial fluid responsive to an electrical stimulus being applied to the industrial fluid, the one or more processors of the device body configured to analyze the output signals by extracting complex resonance parameters of the resonant impedance spectral response, the complex resonance parameters including a frequency position of a real part of the resonant impedance spectral response, the frequency position increasing linearly with increasing concentration of the external contaminant.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein one of the two sufficiently non-correlated output signals represents an impedance response of the sensor to the industrial fluid, and the other of the two sufficiently non-correlated output signals represents a capacitance response of the sensor to the industrial fluid.