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US 2018/0333657 A1Published application
Detection of contents of a sand separator using radiation
AssigneeSable Sand Solutions Inc.
InventorBruce LYON
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods of measuring the level of materials within a sand separator are disclosed. Embodiments include mounting the source and detector on an expandable band to facilitate moving the detector between separators, and embodiments in which the detector is configured to provide a response when the level exceeds a threshold level. The response may include an audio-visual alert or controlling dumping of sand from the separator.
Claims16
A sand separator comprising:
- a body having an upper end, a lower end, a body wall and an inner cavity;
- an inlet pipe having a first and second end and extending through the body wall, wherein the first end is on the outside of the body and the second end extends to within the inner cavity;
- a gas outlet port on the upper end of the body;
- a drain near the lower end of the body;
- a detector comprising:
- a radiation source mounted on the outside of the body;
- a radiation monitor mounted opposed to the source, the radiation monitor configured to detect radiation emitted by the radiation source after it has passed through the inner cavity;
- wherein the detector is configured to monitor the detected radiation and provide a response in reaction to the detected radiation corresponding to a sand level exceeding a predetermined threshold.
5 more elements
A detector for a sand separator, the detector comprising:
- an expandable band configured to surround the perimeter of the sand separator;
- a radiation source mounted on the band;
- a radiation monitor mounted on an opposed point on the band, the radiation monitor configured to detect radiation emitted by the radiation source after it has passed through the sand separator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.