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US 8,800,373 B2Granted
Acoustic transducer assembly for a pressure vessel
AssigneeRosemount Inc.
InventorLowell A. Kleven
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A transducer assembly includes an acoustic sensor element and an acoustic waveguide. The acoustic waveguide includes a rotatable acoustic coupler, a tube, and a foot. The foot has a mounting surface that is mountable on a fluid conduit. A circuit assembly couples to acoustic sensor element and provides a diagnostic output.
Claims29
A transducer assembly for diagnosing acoustic noise from a pressure vessel, comprising:
- an acoustic sensor element;
- an acoustic waveguide including a rotatable acoustic coupler coupled to the acoustic sensor element, a tube having a first tube end coupled to the rotatable acoustic coupler and a second tube end coupled to a foot portion which extends parallel with a sealed fluid conduit acoustically couplable to the sealed fluid conduit, wherein the foot portion extends parallel with the sealed fluid conduit along an exterior of the sealed fluid conduit;
- and
- a temperature sensor in the foot portion configured to sense a temperature of the conduit;
- a circuit assembly coupled to the acoustic sensor element and the temperature sensor, the circuit providing a diagnostic output responsive to an acoustic vibration delivered to the acoustic sensor element through the rotatable acoustic coupler and a temperature output from the temperature sensor, wherein the circuit assembly is rotatable about the rotatable acoustic coupler with respect to the foot portion.
2 more elements
A method of sensing acoustic energy at a fluid conduit, comprising:
- providing an acoustic sensor element;
- coupling a first end of a rotatable acoustic coupler to the acoustic sensor element;
- coupling a first end of a tube to a second end of the rotatable acoustic coupler;
- mounting a foot portion coupled to a second end of the tube to the fluid conduit;
- the foot portion extending parallel with the fluid conduit, wherein the foot portion extends parallel with the sealed fluid conduit along an exterior of the sealed fluid conduit;
- delivering an acoustic vibration from a mounting surface of the foot portion to the acoustic sensor element through the foot portion, the tube, and the rotatable acoustic coupler;
- sensing a temperature of the fluid conduit with a temperature sensor in the foot portion configured to thermally couple to the conduit;
- providing a first electrical output representative of the acoustic vibration using the acoustic sensor element
- diagnosing a condition of the fluid conduit based upon the first electrical output and the sensed temperature with an electrical circuit;
- and
- rotating the electrical circuitry about the rotatable acoustic coupler to a desired position with respect to the foot portion.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.