Method for rapid acoustic emission testing of pressure vessels
AssigneeUnion Carbide Corporation
InventorPhilip R. Blackburn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for the rapid acoustic emission testing of pressure vessels wherein the flow rate of the pressurizing fluid is increased while maintaining the velocity of the pressurizing fluid, as it enters the pressure vessel, below the velocity which would cause the generation of flow noise.
Claims24
A method for carrying out acoustic emission testing of a pressure vessel comprising pressurizing the vessel to a target pressure by introducing pressurization fluid into the vessel while substantially continually increasing the pressurization fluid flowrate into the vessel and maintaining the pressurization fluid velocity within plus or minus 25 percent, so as to generate acoustic emission capable of being read by at least one acoustic emission sensor on the vessel.
A method for carrying out acoustic emission testing of a pressure vessel comprising:
- (a) pressurizing the vessel to an interim pressure less than the target pressure by introducing pressurization fluid into the vessel while the fluid velocity into the vessel decreases from the initial velocity to an interim velocity;
- and thereafter
- (b) pressurizing the vessel to the target pressure by passing pressurization fluid into the vessel while, at least once, increasing the pressurization fluid velocity, by increasing the pressurization fluid flow rate into the vessel, to exceed the interim velocity while maintaining the fluid velocity below the velocity which would cause flow noise, so as to generate acoustic emission capable of being read by at least one acoustic emission sensor on the vessel.
A method for carrying out acoustic emission testing of a pressure vessel comprising:
- (a) pressurizing the vessel at an initial flow rate;
- (b) increasing the flow rate to attain a high flow rate which, if decreased, causes the rate of acoustic emission to decrease;
- (c) reducing the flow rate until no further decrease in the rate of acoustic emission occurs;
- and thereafter
- (d) pressurizing the vessel to a target pressure so as to generate acoustic emission capable of being read by at least one acoustic emission sensor on the vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.