# US 2019/0376649 A1 · A gas cylinder monitoring device

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- Number: US 2019/0376649 A1
- Document ID: US20190376649A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/472,327
- Filed: 2017-12-08
- Published: 2019-12-12
- Earliest claimed: 2016-12-23
- Assignees: Linde Aktiengesellschaft
- Applicants: Linde Aktiengesellschaft
- Inventors: Rigoberto PEREZ DE ALEJO; Dennis REID
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190376649A1

## CPC

- F17C 7/00: Methods or apparatus for discharging liquefied, solidified, or compressed gases from pressure vessels, not covered by another subclass
- F17C 13/026: {having the temperature as the parameter}
- F17C 13/003: {Means for coding or identifying them and/or their contents}
- F17C 13/04: Arrangement or mounting of valves (valves per se F16K {; snap-coupling of nipples F16L37/00})
- G01F 1/6842: {with means for influencing the fluid flow}
- F17C 2221/011: Oxygen
- F17C 2221/013: Carbon dioxide
- F17C 2221/014: Nitrogen
- F17C 2221/016: Noble gases (Ar, Kr, Xe)
- F17C 2221/017: Helium
- F17C 2250/032: using computers
- F17C 2250/034: using wireless transmissions
- F17C 2250/0426: Volume
- F17C 2250/043: Pressure
- F17C 2250/0439: Temperature
- F17C 2250/0443: Flow or movement of content
- F17C 2250/0473: Time or time periods
- F17C 2250/0491: Parameters measured at or inside the vessel
- F17C 2250/0495: the indicated parameter is a converted measured parameter
- F17C 2250/0636: Flow or movement of content
- F17C 2250/077: when empty
- F17C 2260/017: by calculation
- F17C 2265/04: using an independent energy source, e.g. battery
- F17C 2270/02: for medical applications
- F17C: VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES (storing fluids in natural or artificial cavities or chambers in the earth B65G5/00; construction or assembling of bulk storage containers employing civil-engineering techniques E04H7/00; variable-capacity gas-holders F17B; liquefaction or refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25)
- G01F: MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME

## Abstract

A gas cylinder monitoring device (34) for use with a valve (18) for controlling the flow of gas from a cylinder (14). The valve (18) has a valve body (20), and the device comprises an ambient temperature sensor (38) to measure the ambient temperature (TA), a valve body temperature sensor (36) to measure the temperature (TV) of the valve body, and a processor (42). The processor (42) operates to process a compensated temperature (CT) calculated from the difference between the measured valve body temperature (TV) and the ambient temperature (TA) over time (t). A flow-rate (FR) of the flow of gas from the cylinder and/or the pressure (P) on the gas is determined.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A gas cylinder monitoring device (34) for use with a valve (18) for controlling the flow of gas from a cylinder (14), the valve (18) having a valve body (20), the device comprising an ambient temperature sensor (38) to measure the ambient temperature (TA), a valve body temperature sensor (36) to measure the temperature (TV) of the valve body, and a processor (42) operable to process a compensated temperature (CT) calculated from the difference between the measured valve body temperature (TV) and the ambient temperature (TA) over time (t) to determine the flow-rate (FR) of the flow of gas from the cylinder and/or the pressure (P) on the gas.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 1 in which the flow-rate (FR) is determined from the amplitude (A1) of the peak second derivative of the compensated temperature (CT) after the valve (18) has opened.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

A gas cylinder monitoring system according to claim 2 in which the flow-rate (FR) is determined by comparing the amplitude (A1) of the peak second derivative of the compensated temperature (CT) with valve calibration data.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 1 in which the pressure (P) is determined from the amplitude (A2) of the difference between the peak second derivative of compensated temperature (CT) after the valve (18) has opened and the peak second derivative of compensated temperature (CT) when the valve (18) closes.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 4 in which the pressure (P) is determined by comparing the amplitude (A2) of the difference between the peak second derivative of compensated temperature (CT) after the valve (18) has opened and the peak second derivative of compensated temperature (CT) when the valve (18) closes with valve calibration data.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 3 in which the valve calibration data is established for a particular valve type by measuring the compensated temperature (CT) over time (t) for different flow-rates.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 5 in which the valve calibration data is established for a particular valve type by measuring the compensated temperature (CT) over time (t) and the pressure (P) over time (t) for a fixed flow-rate.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 1 in which the processor (42) determines the valve (18) is open when the change in the compensated temperature (CT) is above a threshold value.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 8 in which the threshold value is 1° C.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 1 in which the processor (42) determines the valve (18) is open from the first and/or second temperature derivative.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 1 in which the processor (42) determines the valve (18) is closed when the first compensated temperature derivative is positive and/or reaches a steady state.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 1 in which the processor (42) determines a change in volume of the gas in the cylinder (14) from the determined flow-rate (FR) and the period of time (t) the valve (18) is open.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 1 in which the processor (42) determines a change in volume of the gas in the cylinder (14) from the difference between the determined pressure (P) when the valve (18) was opened and when the valve (18) was closed.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 13 in which the processor (42) compares the difference between the change in volume determined from the determined flow-rate (FR) and the change in volume determined from the determined pressure (P), and compares that difference with a pre-determined difference threshold.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 1 in which the valve body temperature sensor (36) cooperates with the valve body (20) by engagement with the valve body (20).

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 15 further comprising biasing means (40) to bias the valve body temperature sensor (36) into engagement with the valve body (20).

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 1 in which the device (34) is releasably attachable to the valve body (20).

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 1 further comprising a wireless transmitter (44) operable to transmit data (D) associated with the cylinder (14).

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 18 in which the wireless transmitter (44) is operable to be in direct wireless communication with a central computer (14).

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 18 in which the transmitter (42) is a Bluetooth® transmitter and is operable to be in direct wireless communication with one or more hubs and the one or more hubs are in wireless communication with a central computer (14).

### Claim 21 (depends on 1)

A gas cylinder monitoring device according to claim 1 further comprising a filter operable to remove noise from the compensated temperature data.

### Claim 22

A gas cylinder monitoring device (34) for use with a valve (18) for controlling the flow of gas from a cylinder (14), the valve (18) having a valve body (20), the device comprising an ambient temperature sensor to measure the ambient temperature (TA), a valve body temperature sensor (36) to measure the temperature (TV) of the valve body (20), and a wireless transmitter (44) operable to transmit data (D) associated with the cylinder (14).

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

A gas cylinder monitoring system (10) comprising a cylinder monitoring device according to claim 22 and a processor (42) operable to process a compensated temperature (CT) calculated from the difference between the measured valve body temperature (TV) and the ambient temperature (TA) over time (t) to determine the flow-rate (FR) of the flow of gas from the cylinder and/or the pressure (P) on the gas.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

A gas cylinder monitoring system (10) according to claim 23 comprising a central computer (60) in which the processor is part of the central computer.

### Claim 25

A method of determining the flow-rate (FR) of a gas from a cylinder (14) and/or the pressure (P) of the gas comprising the steps of:
measuring the ambient temperature (TA),
measuring the valve body temperature (TV),
processing the difference between the ambient (TA) and valve body (TV) temperature over time (t) to determine the flow-rate (FR) of the flow of gas from the cylinder (14) and/or the pressure (P) on the gas.