Monitoring the contents of a container by ultrasonic means
AssigneeBritish Nuclear Fuels plc
InventorsGordon Rees Jones, Keith E.H. Woolley, Joseph William Spencer, Gary A. Jones, Perminder Tony Singh, Robert McAlpine Dickson, John Raymond Gibson
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Abstract
The contents of a container 1 are non-intrusively monitored by probing the container with an ultrasonic signal, and measuring changes in the ultrasound signature of the received signal after the signal has passed through the contents of the container.
Claims20
A method for non-intrusively monitoring the gaseous contents of a sealed container comprising:
- transmitting an ultrasonic signal through a wall of the sealed container into the gaseous contents of the container;
- receiving a signal from within the container;
- and
- analyzing the received signal so as to deduce the level of one or more components of the gaseous contents of the container without having to unseal the container.
A method for non-intrusively monitoring the gaseous contents of a sealed container comprising:
- transmitting an ultrasonic signal through a wall of a monitoring housing and into a monitoring location disposed therein, the monitoring housing projecting from the sealed container such that the monitoring location is in sealed fluid communication with the gaseous contents of the sealed container;
- receiving a signal from within the monitoring housing;
- and
- analyzing the received signal so as to deduce the composition of the gaseous contents within the monitoring location without having to unseal the container or the monitoring housing.
An apparatus for non-intrusively monitoring the gaseous contents of a sealed container, the apparatus comprising:
- transmitter means for transmitting an ultrasonic signal through a wall of the sealed container into the gaseous contents of the container;
- receiving means for receiving a signal from within the container;
- and
- analyzing means for analyzing received signal so as to deduce the level of one or more components of the gaseous contents of the container without having to unseal the container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.