Wear sensor
AssigneeSiemens Energy, Inc.
InventorJan Inge Folgerø-Holm
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An intrusive wear sensor (1) comprises one or more optical fibres (22, 122, 222) mounted in an intrusive probe housing (20), one end of the one or more optical fibres being adapted to be directly exposed to a process fluid in use. An electronics module (13) is mounted in the wear sensor and separated from the process fluid flow (14) by a barrier (16). The electronics module (13) comprises a light transmitter (27) to transmit a light beam (23) along the one or more optical fibres to an interface (21, 121, 221) with the process fluid; and a light detector (26) to receive the reflected light (24), whereby a change in length of the one or more optical fibres (22, 122, 222) may be determined from a change in detected time of travel of the light beam (23, 24).
Claims13
An intrusive wear sensor comprising:
- at least two optical fibres (22) mounted in an intrusive probe housing, one end of each of the optical fibres being adapted to protrude into and be directly exposed to a process fluid in use, each fibre having a different length from any other fibre and forming an angled sensor in the process fluid;
- an electronics module mounted in the wear sensor and separated from the process fluid flow by a barrier;
- the electronics module comprising a light transmitter to transmit a light beam along each of the optical fibres to an interface with the process fluid;
- and
- a light detector to receive the reflected light, whereby a change in length of each of the optical fibres may be determined from a change in detected time of travel of the light beam.
A method of detecting wear in an intrusive wear sensor the method comprising:
- installing an intrusive wear sensor in a process fluid pipeline such that one end of each of at least two optical fibres is directly exposed to a process fluid in use each fibre having a different length from any other fibre and forming an angled sensor in the process fluid;
- transmitting a light beam from an electronics module along each of the optical fibres to an interface with the process fluid, receiving light reflected back from the interface with the process fluid at a light detector;
- and,
- determining a change in length of each of the optical fibres from a change in detected time of travel of the light beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.