Void/particulate detector
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorsThomas N. Claytor, Henry B. Karplus
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Voids and particulates are detected in a flowing stream of fluid contained in a pipe by a detector which includes three transducers spaced about the pipe. A first transducer at a first location on the pipe transmits an ultrasonic signal into the stream. A second transducer detects the through-transmission of the signal at a second location and a third transducer at a third location upstream from the first location detects the back-scattering of the signal from any voids or particulates. To differentiate between voids and particulates a fourth transducer is positioned at a fourth location which is also upstream from the first location. The back-scattered signals are normalized with the through-transmission signal to minimize temperature fluctuations.
Claims16
A method of detecting voids and particulates in a flowing stream of fluid contained in a pipe comprising:
- (a) transmitting an ultrasonic signal into the stream at a first location along the pipe;
- (b) detecting the through-transmission of said signal at a second location along the pipe;
- (c) detecting the back-scattering of said signal at a third location along said pipe, upstream from said first location, and
- (d) normalizing the back-scattered signal to the through-transmitted signal, which normalized signal is a measure of the voids and particulates flowing past said first location.
Apparatus for detecting voids and particulates in a flowing stream of fluid contained in a pipe comprising:
- (a) a transducer for transmitting an ultrasonic signal into the stream, coupled to the pipe at a first location;
- (b) a second transducer for detecting the through-transmission of said signal, coupled to the pipe at a second location;
- (c) a third transducer for detecting the back-scattering of said signal, coupled to the pipe at a third location, said third location being upstream from said first location;
- and
- (d) circuit means for normalizing the back-scattered signal from said third transducer to the through-transmitted signal from said second transducer, which normalized signal provides a measure of the voids and particulates flowing past said first location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.