Acoustic transducer assembly for a pressure vessel
First Claim
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1. A transducer assembly for diagnosing acoustic noise from a pressure vessel, comprising:
- an acoustic sensor element;
an acoustic waveguide including a rotatable acoustic coupler coupled to the acoustic sensor element, a tube having a first tube end coupled to the rotatable acoustic coupler and a second tube end coupled to a foot portion which extends parallel with a sealed fluid conduit acoustically couplable to the sealed fluid conduit, wherein the foot portion extends parallel with the sealed fluid conduit along an exterior of the sealed fluid conduit; and
a temperature sensor in the foot portion configured to sense a temperature of the conduit;
a circuit assembly coupled to the acoustic sensor element and the temperature sensor, the circuit providing a diagnostic output responsive to an acoustic vibration delivered to the acoustic sensor element through the rotatable acoustic coupler and a temperature output from the temperature sensor, wherein the circuit assembly is rotatable about the rotatable acoustic coupler with respect to the foot portion.
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Abstract
A transducer assembly includes an acoustic sensor element and an acoustic waveguide. The acoustic waveguide includes a rotatable acoustic coupler, a tube, and a foot. The foot has a mounting surface that is mountable on a fluid conduit. A circuit assembly couples to acoustic sensor element and provides a diagnostic output.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A transducer assembly for diagnosing acoustic noise from a pressure vessel, comprising:
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an acoustic sensor element; an acoustic waveguide including a rotatable acoustic coupler coupled to the acoustic sensor element, a tube having a first tube end coupled to the rotatable acoustic coupler and a second tube end coupled to a foot portion which extends parallel with a sealed fluid conduit acoustically couplable to the sealed fluid conduit, wherein the foot portion extends parallel with the sealed fluid conduit along an exterior of the sealed fluid conduit; and a temperature sensor in the foot portion configured to sense a temperature of the conduit; a circuit assembly coupled to the acoustic sensor element and the temperature sensor, the circuit providing a diagnostic output responsive to an acoustic vibration delivered to the acoustic sensor element through the rotatable acoustic coupler and a temperature output from the temperature sensor, wherein the circuit assembly is rotatable about the rotatable acoustic coupler with respect to the foot portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of sensing acoustic energy at a fluid conduit, comprising:
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providing an acoustic sensor element; coupling a first end of a rotatable acoustic coupler to the acoustic sensor element; coupling a first end of a tube to a second end of the rotatable acoustic coupler; mounting a foot portion coupled to a second end of the tube to the fluid conduit;
the foot portion extending parallel with the fluid conduit, wherein the foot portion extends parallel with the sealed fluid conduit along an exterior of the sealed fluid conduit;delivering an acoustic vibration from a mounting surface of the foot portion to the acoustic sensor element through the foot portion, the tube, and the rotatable acoustic coupler; sensing a temperature of the fluid conduit with a temperature sensor in the foot portion configured to thermally couple to the conduit; providing a first electrical output representative of the acoustic vibration using the acoustic sensor element diagnosing a condition of the fluid conduit based upon the first electrical output and the sensed temperature with an electrical circuit; and rotating the electrical circuitry about the rotatable acoustic coupler to a desired position with respect to the foot portion. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification