ACOUSTIC EMISSION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PREDICTING EXPLOSIONS IN DISSOLVING TANK
First Claim
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1. A system comprising:
- a dissolving tank adjacent to a recovery boiler,a smelt spout having a first end proximate a recovery boiler and a second end opposite the first end, the second end being proximate a dissolving tank, wherein the smelt spout is configured to receive a smelt from the recovery boiler and convey the smelt to the dissolving tank;
an acoustic emission sensor having a reading end configured to detect acoustic emissions emanating from the smelt contacting a liquid in the dissolving tank, and wherein the acoustic emission sensor has a transducer in signal communication with the reading end, and wherein the transducer is configured to transduce the acoustic emissions into an initial electric signal;
a pre-processor configured amplify, filter, and digitize the initial electric signal to produce a pre-processed signal having a frequency of greater than 20 KHz, wherein the pre-processor is disposed downstream of the transducer;
a data processor in signal communication with the pre-processor, wherein the data processor is configured to transform the pre-processed signal with a transformation method to produce an output signal, wherein the output signal comprises a first set of processed waveforms representative of a first rate of smelt flow, and a second set of waveforms representative of a second rate of smelt flow, the second set of processed waveforms having amplitude peaks exceeding the first set of processed waveforms by more than 200% to comprise a pre-influx fingerprint.
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Abstract
The present disclosure describes a system for predicting explosions in a dissolving tank. The system includes acoustic emission sensors placed in or around the dissolving tank. By filtering the recorded frequencies to the range which is most sensitive for desired explosions “fingerprints,” it is possible to predict a smelt influx before the smelt influx occurs as well as program response actions to prevent compromising explosions.
17 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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a dissolving tank adjacent to a recovery boiler, a smelt spout having a first end proximate a recovery boiler and a second end opposite the first end, the second end being proximate a dissolving tank, wherein the smelt spout is configured to receive a smelt from the recovery boiler and convey the smelt to the dissolving tank; an acoustic emission sensor having a reading end configured to detect acoustic emissions emanating from the smelt contacting a liquid in the dissolving tank, and wherein the acoustic emission sensor has a transducer in signal communication with the reading end, and wherein the transducer is configured to transduce the acoustic emissions into an initial electric signal; a pre-processor configured amplify, filter, and digitize the initial electric signal to produce a pre-processed signal having a frequency of greater than 20 KHz, wherein the pre-processor is disposed downstream of the transducer; a data processor in signal communication with the pre-processor, wherein the data processor is configured to transform the pre-processed signal with a transformation method to produce an output signal, wherein the output signal comprises a first set of processed waveforms representative of a first rate of smelt flow, and a second set of waveforms representative of a second rate of smelt flow, the second set of processed waveforms having amplitude peaks exceeding the first set of processed waveforms by more than 200% to comprise a pre-influx fingerprint. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method for predicting a smelt influx in a dissolving tank comprising:
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detecting acoustic emissions emanating from smelt banging in a dissolving tank with an acoustic emission sensor; generating an initial electric signal representing the acoustic emissions; amplifying the initial electric signal to produce an amplified signal; filtering the initial electric signal to a frequency range above 20 KHz to produce a filtered signal; converting the initial signal from an analog signal to produce a digital signal, wherein a pre-processed signal comprises the amplified signal, filtered signal, and digital signal; transforming the pre-processed signal with a data processor, wherein the data processor transforms the pre-processed signal with a transformation method, wherein the transformed pre-processed signal is an output signal; outputting the output signal, wherein the output signal comprises a first set of processed waveforms representing a first rate of smelt flow, and a second set of waveforms representing a second rate of smelt flow, the second set of processed waveforms have having amplitude peaks exceeding the first set of processed waveforms by more than 200%, and wherein the first set of processed waveforms and the second set of processed waveforms comprise a pre-influx fingerprint. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification