Acoustic transducer assembly for a pressure vessel

• US 9,945,819 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2014
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rosemount Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Rosemount Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Kleven, Lowell A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Macchiarolo, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shabman, Mark A
• Application Number:
  US14/456,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20140352435A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F16T 1/48 Monitoring arrangements for inspecting, e.g. flow of steam and steam condensate
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0234 Metals, e.g. steel
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0289 Internal structure, e.g. defects, grain size, texture
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/2695 Bottles, containers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/04 Analysing solids using acoustic emission techniques G01N29/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/14 using acoustic emission techniques echo of particles G01N29/046; measuring mechanical vibrations or acoustic waves in solids in general G01H1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/228 related to high temperature conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/2462 Probes with waveguides, e.g. SAW devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/28 providing acoustic coupling , e.g. water impedance matching G10K11/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/326 compensating for temperature variations

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.

Claims

1. A transducer assembly for diagnosing acoustic noise from a pressure vessel, comprising:

an acoustic sensor element;

an acoustic waveguide that comprises a acoustic coupler coupled to the acoustic sensor element, a hollow tube that has a first tube end coupled to the acoustic coupler, and a second tube end acoustically couplable to a fluid conduit, wherein the acoustic coupler is rotatable relative to the acoustic sensor element;

a mount configured to mount the acoustic waveguide to a surface of the fluid conduit;

a circuit assembly coupled to the acoustic sensor element, the circuit providing a diagnostic output; and

an electronic housing that is rotatable relative to the acoustic waveguide.

2. The transducer assembly of claim 1 wherein the second tube end has an internal thermowell cavity adjacent the fluid conduit, and the transducer assembly comprises:

a temperature sensor that senses a temperature in the internal thermowell cavity and that has an output cable that extends through the tube and the first tube end to the circuit assembly.

3. The transducer assembly of claim 2 wherein the circuit assembly comprises static temperature compensation.

4. The transducer assembly of claim 2 wherein the circuit assembly comprises dynamic temperature compensation.

5. The transducer assembly of claim 2 wherein the temperature sensor is selected from the group of a thermistor and a thermocouple junction.

6. The transducer assembly of claim 1, further comprising an electronic data display that is disposed on the electronic housing and that is aimable by rotation of the electronic housing.

7. The transducer assembly of claim 6, further comprising frustoconical surfaces on the electronic housing and on the acoustic waveguide, the frustoconical surfaces being rotatable relative to one another.

8. The transducer assembly of claim 7, further comprising a spring washer that compresses the frustoconical surfaces to control torque as the frustoconical surfaces are rotated relative to one another.

9. The transducer assembly of claim 1 wherein the second tube end forms a foot which is mountable on the fluid conduit.

10. The transducer assembly of claim 1 wherein the acoustic sensor element is selected from the group of a piezoelectric force sensor, a capacitive force sensor and a magnetic force sensor.

11. The transducer assembly of claim 1 wherein the acoustic waveguide couples an acoustic vibration from the mounting surface to the acoustic sensor element.

12. The transducer assembly of claim 11 wherein the acoustic vibration is in the range of 30 kHz to 50 kHz.

13. The transducer assembly of claim 11 further comprising an insulating cap that couples the acoustic vibration from the acoustic coupler to the acoustic sensor element, the insulating cap providing a rotatable joint between the acoustic coupler and the acoustic sensor element.

14. The transducer assembly of claim 1, further comprising an electronic housing mounting flange that is mounted to the tube and that includes a threaded flange portion adjacent the first tube end.

15. The transducer assembly of claim 14, further comprising an acoustic sensor support adapter that supports the acoustic sensor element and that includes a threaded support end that engages the threaded flange portion.

16. The transducer assembly of claim 1 wherein the tube comprises a metal tube having an external diameter of less than 11 millimeters.

17. The transducer assembly of claim 16 wherein the tube comprises a tube wall thickness of less than 2.0 millimeter.

18. The transducer assembly of claim 1, wherein the hollow tube extends in a first direction and the mount extends at an angle relative to the first direction.

19. A method of sensing acoustic energy at a fluid conduit, comprising:

providing an acoustic sensor element;

coupling a first end of an acoustic coupler to the acoustic sensor element;

forming a hollow tube into an acoustic waveguide;

coupling a first end of the hollow tube to a second end of the acoustic coupler;

shaping a foot to include a mounting surface that is mountable on the fluid conduit;

coupling the foot to a second end of the hollow tube;

mounting the foot to a surface of the fluid conduit; and

providing a first electrical output from the acoustic sensor element representative of the acoustic energy.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

shaping the foot to include an internal thermowell cavity adjacent the mounting surface; and

sensing a temperature in the internal thermowell cavity and providing a second electrical output representative of temperature.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the tube and the acoustic coupler form an acoustic waveguide that couples acoustic vibrations from the mounting surface to the acoustic sensor element.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising, sensing the acoustic vibration with the acoustic sensor element in the range of 30 kHz to 50 kHz.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising, coupling the acoustic coupler to the acoustic sensor element through an insulating cap that forms a rotatable joint between the acoustic coupler and the acoustic sensor element.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising, mounting the acoustic sensor element to an acoustic mounting flange and threading the mounting flange.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising, mounting an electronics housing support adapter that includes a threaded end that engages the threading of the mounting flange.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising, forming the tube of metal.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the hollow tube extends in a first direction and the foot extends at an angle relative to the first direction.