Acoustic emission monitoring system
First Claim
1. A method of monitoring the presence and source location of acoustic emissions generated within or on a tubular, acoustically conductive medium comprising the steps of:
- monitoring acoustic emissions respectively at a plurality of at least three separate spaced locations around the girth of the tubular surface;
measuring the time difference between the first reception at one of the monitoring locations of a particular acoustic emission and the next reception of the same emission at a second of the monitoring locations;
automatically blocking for a given period of time all further acoustic reception responses from the monitoring locations subsequent to the reception at the second monitoring location;
translating the time measurement into a position measurement around the tubular girth representative of the girth location most proximate the source of the emission; and
registering the position measurement.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for identifying the source location of acoustic emissions generated within an acoustically conductive medium. A plurality of acoustic receivers are communicably coupled to the surface of the medium at a corresponding number of spaced locations. The differences in the reception time of the respective sensors in response to a given acoustic event are measured among various sensor combinations prescribed by the monitoring mode employed. Acoustic reception response encountered subsequent to the reception by a predetermined number of the prescribed sensor combinations are inhibited from being communicated to the processing circuitry, while the time measurements obtained from the prescribed sensor combinations are translated into a position measurement representative of the location on the surface most proximate the source of the emission. The apparatus is programmable to function in six separate and five distinct operating modes employing either two, three or four sensory locations. In its preferred arrangement the apparatus of this invention will re-initiate a monitoring interval if the predetermined number of sensors do not respond to a particular emission within a given time period.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method of monitoring the presence and source location of acoustic emissions generated within or on a tubular, acoustically conductive medium comprising the steps of:
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monitoring acoustic emissions respectively at a plurality of at least three separate spaced locations around the girth of the tubular surface; measuring the time difference between the first reception at one of the monitoring locations of a particular acoustic emission and the next reception of the same emission at a second of the monitoring locations; automatically blocking for a given period of time all further acoustic reception responses from the monitoring locations subsequent to the reception at the second monitoring location; translating the time measurement into a position measurement around the tubular girth representative of the girth location most proximate the source of the emission; and registering the position measurement. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. Apparatus for monitoring the presence and source location of acoustic emissions generated within or on an acoustically conductive medium comprising:
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a plurality of acoustic sensors communicably coupled to the surface of the medium and respectively positioned at a corresponding plurality of spaced locations; means for respectively measuring the difference in time between the reception of a given acoustic event at a pre-established combination of sensors; means for blocking further acoustic reception reponses from the monitoring locations subsequent to the reception by a predetermined number of the pre-established sensor combinations; means for programming the measuring means and blocking means to re-establish the sensor combinational groupings and corresponding predetermined number of responses required before blocking in accordance with a plurality of given acoustical monitoring functions; and means for translating the time measurement into a position measurement on the surface representative of the location of the source of the emission; and means for registering the location of the emission source. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification