A fully wound gas cylinder with a pre-installed fiber optic sensor and its manufacturing method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a fully wound gas cylinder with a pre - installed optical fiber sensor and its manufacturing method, which includes an inner liner and a valve seat. The valve seat is arranged on the inner liner. One or more layers of impregnated fiber reinforced layers are continuously wound outside the inner liner and the valve seat. One or more layers of optical fiber sensors for temperature detection are continuously wound outside the impregnated fiber reinforced layers. The one or more layers of impregnated fiber reinforced layers and the optical fiber sensors are integrally cured and formed. Reserved joints are arranged at both ends of the optical fiber sensors, signal line interfaces are connected to the ends of the reserved joints, a joint connection protection sleeve is covered outside the reserved joints, and the joint connection protection sleeve is fixedly connected to the inner liner and the valve seat. The present invention realizes the temperature monitoring of the entire surface of the gas cylinder through an optical fiber sensor pre - installed in the winding layer of the gas cylinder. At the same time, a signal line interface communicating with the reserved joint is provided, and a joint connection protection sleeve is integrally injection - molded, which is convenient for connecting the signal transmitting and processing unit and protects the reserved joint and the signal line interface well.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of pressure gas cylinders, and particularly to a fully wound gas cylinder with a pre-installed fiber optic sensor and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] As an important storage container, pressure gas cylinders are widely used in various industries such as energy, transportation, medical, municipal, and industrial. Given the danger posed by their high pressure and the toxic, harmful, flammable, explosive, etc. characteristics of their stored media, their safety has always been the first indicator for evaluating the quality of gas cylinders.

[0003] Common gas cylinders ensure their safety through type tests and annual inspections. In some applications with high safety requirements (such as vehicle-mounted gas cylinders), some gas concentration sensors or anti-leakage devices may be set up to detect the concentration of leaked gas and give treatment. Most of these devices require a gas capture hood (such as CN112393820A) or an additional sealing device (such as CN108679437A, CN111174100A, CN111156420A, CN111156414, CN111174101B, CN111153061A, CN111156423B, CN111156424A, CN111174103B, CN112216852A) to collect the leaked gas and guide it to the gas concentration sensor or anti-leakage device, resulting in waste of the usage space.

[0004] Distributed fiber optic sensors have the characteristics of small size, full distribution, low energy consumption, anti-interference, corrosion resistance, wide temperature tolerance, intrinsic safety, and long-term stability, and are very suitable for sensing and monitoring in dangerous and harsh environment scenarios. Currently, they have been applied to the sensing and monitoring of pressure pipelines, oil and gas storage tanks, tunnels, etc.

[0005] Currently, the installation of distributed fiber optic sensors is usually carried out after the installation and construction of the monitoring object are completed. The installation methods are mainly bonding and hanging, which have the possibilities of poor bonding, poor sensing effect, and accidental damage. Moreover, the existing distributed fiber optic sensors have reserved joints at both ends after winding, which are relatively scattered. When in use, it is inconvenient to connect wires at the construction site, and the exposed ends of the reserved joints are also prone to pollution and damage. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention designs a fully wound gas cylinder with a pre-installed fiber optic sensor and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0007] The present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] A fully-wrapped gas cylinder with a pre-installed fiber optic sensor, comprising an inner liner and a valve seat. The valve seat is arranged on the inner liner. One or more layers of impregnated fiber reinforced layers are continuously wound outside the inner liner and the valve seat. One or more layers of fiber optic sensors for temperature detection are continuously wound outside the impregnated fiber reinforced layers. The one or more layers of impregnated fiber reinforced layers and the fiber optic sensors are integrally cured. Reserved joints are arranged at both ends of the fiber optic sensors. Signal line interfaces are connected to the ends of the reserved joints. A joint connection protective sleeve is sleeved outside the reserved joints. The joint connection protective sleeve is fixedly connected to the inner liner and the valve seat. The signal line interfaces are exposed outside the joint connection protective sleeve and are used to connect a signal transmitting and processing unit. After the impregnated reinforcing fibers and the fiber optic sensors are wound, the whole gas cylinder is put into an oven for curing, so that the inner liner, the reinforcing fibers and the fiber optic sensors are cured into a whole, which is beneficial to protecting the optical fiber from damage and also beneficial to temperature conduction.

[0009] Preferably, each layer of the impregnated fiber reinforced layer includes an impregnated fiber helical winding layer and an impregnated fiber circumferential winding layer. The impregnated fiber helical winding layer is formed by helically winding impregnated reinforcing fibers on the outer surfaces of the inner liner and the valve seat and covering the entire outer surfaces of the inner liner and the valve seat. The impregnated fiber circumferential winding layer is formed by circumferentially winding impregnated reinforcing fibers on the outer surfaces of the inner liner and the valve seat and covering the entire outer surfaces of the inner liner and the valve seat. The impregnated fibers can preferably be carbon fibers.

[0010] Preferably, each layer of the fiber optic sensor includes a fiber optic sensor helical winding layer and a fiber optic sensor circumferential winding layer. The fiber optic sensor helical winding layer is formed by helically winding the fiber optic sensor on the outer surfaces of the inner liner and the valve seat and covering the entire outer surfaces of the inner liner and the valve seat. The fiber optic sensor circumferential winding layer is formed by circumferentially winding the fiber optic sensor on the outer surfaces of the inner liner and the valve seat and covering the entire outer surfaces of the inner liner and the valve seat.

[0011] Preferably, the inner liner is a plastic inner liner and the valve seat is a metal valve seat.

[0012] Preferably, valve seats are fixedly connected to both ends of the inner liner respectively.

[0013] Preferably, a coating sensitive to the storage medium of the gas cylinder is coated on the fiber optic sensor.

[0014] Preferably, one or more layers of impregnated glass fiber protective layers are continuously wound around the optical fiber sensor. Each layer of the impregnated glass fiber protective layer includes a helically wound layer of impregnated glass fiber and a circumferentially wound layer of impregnated glass fiber. The helically wound layer of impregnated glass fiber is formed by helically winding impregnated glass fiber around the outer surfaces of the inner container and the bottle valve seat, covering the entire outer surfaces of the inner container and the bottle valve seat. The circumferentially wound layer of impregnated glass fiber is formed by circumferentially winding impregnated glass fiber around the outer surfaces of the inner container and the bottle valve seat, covering the entire outer surfaces of the inner container and the bottle valve seat. The helical winding can meet the distribution of the optical fiber sensor at the ends of the gas cylinder, and the circumferential winding can strengthen the distribution of the optical fiber sensor in the cylindrical part of the gas cylinder - most gas cylinder leaks occur in the cylindrical part of the gas cylinder. By using the process of winding impregnated reinforcing fibers around the fully wound gas cylinder, the distributed optical fiber sensor for temperature detection is wound around the surface of the gas cylinder; thus forming a continuous and distributed temperature sensor network covering the entire outer surface of the gas cylinder; the density of the network can reach the centimeter level, and when the number of winding layers increases, the network density can reach the millimeter level. The increase in the number of winding layers is beneficial to increasing the density of the optical fiber sensor.

[0015] Preferably, the one or more layers of impregnated glass fiber protective layers are integrally cured and formed. The impregnated glass fiber protective layer is used to protect the internal optical fiber sensor from damage. The impregnated glass fiber layer for protection is cured into a whole with the internal impregnated reinforcing fibers and the optical fiber sensor.

[0016] The manufacturing method of the fully wound gas cylinder with a pre-set optical fiber sensor comprises the following steps:

[0017] 1. Helically wind the impregnated reinforcing fibers around the outer surfaces of the inner container and the bottle valve seat. For each winding, the gas cylinder rotates by an angle and then continues to wind the next circle; after n1 circles, the impregnated reinforcing fibers cover the entire outer surfaces of the inner container and the bottle valve seat, forming a helically wound layer of impregnated fibers.

[0018] 2. Circumferentially wind the impregnated reinforcing fibers around the outer surfaces of the inner container and the bottle valve seat. The impregnated reinforcing fibers are wound from one end for n2 circles to the other end, forming a circumferentially wound layer of impregnated fibers. The helically wound layer of impregnated fibers and the circumferentially wound layer of impregnated fibers form a layer of impregnated fiber reinforcing layer.

[0019] 3. Repeat steps 1-2 to wind and form m1 layers of impregnated fiber reinforcing layers. The values of n1, n2, and m1 are designed and given according to the size of the gas cylinder and the pressure value to be withstood.

[0020] 4. Wind the optical fiber sensor around the outer surface of the impregnated fiber reinforcing layer in the same way as in steps 1 to 3. The winding parameters are designed and given according to the size of the gas cylinder and the network density to be measured; reserved joints are provided at both ends of the optical fiber, with the designed length and protection. The reserved joints are connected with signal line interfaces for connecting the signal transmitting and processing units.

[0021] 5. After positioning the signal line interface and the position of the reserved joint with an injection mold, injection molding is carried out to form a joint connection protective sleeve. The joint connection protective sleeve is injection-molded integrally with the inner liner and the valve seat, and at the same time, the joint connection protective sleeve is injection-molded integrally with the signal line interface and the reserved joint;

[0022] 6. Wind the impregnated glass fiber used as the protective layer on the outer surface of the fiber optic sensor in the manner of Steps 1 to 3. The winding parameters are given by the design according to the size of the gas cylinder;

[0023] 7. Send the gas cylinder completed with the winding in Step 6 into an oven for integral curing and forming; complete the manufacture of the fully wound gas cylinder with a pre-set fiber optic sensor.

[0024] When the fully wound gas cylinder with the pre-set fiber optic sensor is in use, insert the signal line interfaces at both ends of the reserved fiber optic sensor into the connection line of the signal transmitting and processing unit. Through the changes in the scattering and interference of the optical signal with the external environment, the distributed temperature measurement on the surface of the gas cylinder is realized. Any leakage at any position on the surface of the gas cylinder will cause a temperature change of the surrounding material due to the pressure change, and thus be sensed by the nearby fiber optic sensor. The signal processing unit issues a leakage warning by detecting local temperature anomalies.

[0025] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: (1) Through a fiber optic sensor pre-set in the winding layer of the gas cylinder, the temperature monitoring of the entire surface of the gas cylinder is realized, eliminating the gas capture hood or additional sealing device required for collecting leaked gas, simplifying the structure and saving space. When multiple gas cylinders are used together, the fiber optic sensors can also be connected in series to achieve the purpose of monitoring multiple gas cylinders with a set of external signal transmitting and processing units; (2) A signal line interface connecting the reserved joint is provided, and at the same time, a joint connection protective sleeve is injection-molded integrally, which is convenient for connecting the signal transmitting and processing unit and protects the reserved joint and the signal line interface well. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0026] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram when the fiber optic sensor is wound spirally in the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram when the fiber optic sensor is wound circumferentially in the present invention;

[0029] In the figure: 1, inner liner; 2, valve seat; 3, fiber optic sensor; 4, reserved joint; 5, joint connection protective sleeve; 6, signal line interface. Detailed Embodiment

[0030] The technical solution of the present invention will be further specifically described below through specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0031] Embodiment: As shown in the attached Figures 1-3 figures, a fully-wrapped gas cylinder with a pre-set optical fiber sensor includes an inner liner 1 and a valve seat 2. A valve seat is provided on the inner liner, and one or more layers of impregnated fiber reinforced layers are continuously wound outside the inner liner and the valve seat. One or more layers of optical fiber sensors 3 for temperature detection are continuously wound outside the impregnated fiber reinforced layers. The one or more layers of impregnated fiber reinforced layers and the optical fiber sensors are integrally cured. Reserved joints 4 are provided at both ends of the optical fiber sensors. Signal line interfaces 6 are connected to the ends of the reserved joints. A joint connection protective sleeve 5 is provided outside the reserved joints. The joint connection protective sleeve is fixedly connected to the inner liner and the valve seat. The signal line interfaces are exposed outside the joint connection protective sleeve for connecting a signal transmitting and processing unit. After the impregnated reinforcing fibers and the optical fiber sensors are wound, the whole gas cylinder is put into an oven for curing, so that the inner liner, the reinforcing fibers and the optical fiber sensors are cured into a whole, which is beneficial to protecting the optical fiber from damage and also beneficial to temperature conduction.

[0032] Preferably, each layer of the impregnated fiber reinforced layer includes an impregnated fiber helical winding layer and an impregnated fiber circumferential winding layer. The impregnated fiber helical winding layer is formed by helically winding impregnated reinforcing fibers on the outer surfaces of the inner liner and the valve seat and covering the entire outer surfaces of the inner liner and the valve seat. The impregnated fiber circumferential winding layer is formed by circumferentially winding impregnated reinforcing fibers on the outer surfaces of the inner liner and the valve seat and covering the entire outer surfaces of the inner liner and the valve seat. The impregnated fibers can preferably be carbon fibers.

[0033] Preferably, each layer of the optical fiber sensor includes an optical fiber sensor helical winding layer and an optical fiber sensor circumferential winding layer. The optical fiber sensor helical winding layer is formed by helically winding the optical fiber sensor on the outer surfaces of the inner liner and the valve seat and covering the entire outer surfaces of the inner liner and the valve seat. The optical fiber sensor circumferential winding layer is formed by circumferentially winding the optical fiber sensor on the outer surfaces of the inner liner and the valve seat and covering the entire outer surfaces of the inner liner and the valve seat.

[0034] Preferably, the inner liner is a plastic inner liner and the valve seat is a metal valve seat.

[0035] Preferably, the two ends of the inner liner are respectively fixedly connected with valve seats.

[0036] Preferably, a coating sensitive to the storage medium of the gas cylinder is coated on the optical fiber sensor.

[0037] Preferably, one or more layers of impregnated glass fiber protective layers are continuously wound around the fiber optic sensor. Each layer of the impregnated glass fiber protective layer includes a helically wound layer of impregnated glass fiber and a circumferentially wound layer of impregnated glass fiber. The helically wound layer of impregnated glass fiber is formed by helically winding impregnated glass fiber around the outer surfaces of the inner container and the bottle valve seat, covering the entire outer surfaces of the inner container and the bottle valve seat. The circumferentially wound layer of impregnated glass fiber is formed by circumferentially winding impregnated glass fiber around the outer surfaces of the inner container and the bottle valve seat, covering the entire outer surfaces of the inner container and the bottle valve seat. Helical winding can meet the distribution of fiber optic sensors at the ends of the gas cylinder, and circumferential winding can strengthen the distribution of fiber optic sensors in the cylindrical part of the gas cylinder - most gas cylinder leaks occur in the cylindrical part of the gas cylinder. Using the process of winding impregnated reinforcing fibers around the entire gas cylinder, the distributed fiber optic sensor for temperature detection is wound around the surface of the gas cylinder; thus forming a continuous and distributed temperature sensor network covering the entire outer surface of the gas cylinder; the density of the network can reach the centimeter level, and when the number of winding layers increases, the network density can reach the millimeter level. The increase in the number of winding layers is beneficial to increasing the density of fiber optic sensors.

[0038] Preferably, the one or more layers of impregnated glass fiber protective layers are integrally cured and formed. The impregnated glass fiber protective layer is used to protect the internal fiber optic sensor from damage. The impregnated glass fiber layer for protection is cured with the internal impregnated reinforcing fibers and fiber optic sensor into a whole.

[0039] The manufacturing method of the fully wound gas cylinder with a pre-set fiber optic sensor comprises the following steps:

[0040] 1. Helically wind the impregnated reinforcing fibers around the outer surfaces of the inner container and the bottle valve seat. For each winding, the gas cylinder rotates by an angle and then continues to wind the next circle; after n1 circles, the impregnated reinforcing fibers cover the entire outer surfaces of the inner container and the bottle valve seat, forming a helically wound layer of impregnated fibers.

[0041] 2. Circumferentially wind the impregnated reinforcing fibers around the outer surfaces of the inner container and the bottle valve seat. The impregnated reinforcing fibers are wound from one end for n2 circles to the other end, forming a circumferentially wound layer of impregnated fibers. The helically wound layer of impregnated fibers and the circumferentially wound layer of impregnated fibers form a layer of impregnated fiber reinforcing layer.

[0042] 3. Repeat steps 1 - 2 to wind and form m1 layers of impregnated fiber reinforcing layers. The values of n1, n2, and m1 are designed and given according to the size of the gas cylinder and the pressure value to be withstood.

[0043] 4. Wind the fiber optic sensor around the outer surface of the impregnated fiber reinforcing layer in the same manner as in steps 1 to 3. The winding parameters are designed and given according to the size of the gas cylinder and the network density to be measured; reserved joints are provided at both ends of the fiber optic, with the designed length and protection. The reserved joints are connected with signal line interfaces for connecting the signal transmitting and processing units.

[0044] 5. After positioning the signal line interface and the reserved joint position with an injection mold, injection molding is carried out to form a joint connection protection sleeve. The joint connection protection sleeve is injection molded integrally with the inner liner and the bottle valve seat, and at the same time, the joint connection protection sleeve is injection molded integrally with the signal line interface and the reserved joint.

[0045] 6. Wind the impregnated glass fiber used as the protection layer on the outer surface of the fiber optic sensor in the method and manner of Steps 1 to 3. The winding parameters are given by the design according to the size of the gas cylinder.

[0046] 7. Send the gas cylinder completed with the winding in Step 6 into an oven for integral curing and forming; complete the manufacture of the fully wound gas cylinder with a pre - installed fiber optic sensor.

[0047] When the fully wound gas cylinder with the pre - installed fiber optic sensor is in use, insert the signal line interfaces connected to both ends of the reserved fiber optic sensor into the connecting line of the signal transmitting and processing unit. Through the changes in the scattering and interference of the optical signal with the external environment, the distributed temperature measurement on the surface of the gas cylinder is realized. Any leakage at any position on the surface of the gas cylinder will cause a temperature change in the surrounding material due to the pressure change, and thus be sensed by the nearby fiber optic sensors. The signal processing unit issues a leakage warning by detecting abnormal temperature in a local area.

[0048] The above - described embodiments are only a preferred solution of the present invention, and do not impose any form of limitation on the present invention. There are other variations and modifications without exceeding the technical solutions recorded in the claims.

Claims

1. A fully wrapped gas cylinder with a pre-installed optical fiber sensor, comprising an inner liner and a cylinder valve seat, wherein the inner liner is provided with a cylinder valve seat, characterized in that: One or more impregnated fiber reinforcement layers are continuously wrapped around the inner liner and the bottle valve seat, one or more optical fiber sensors for temperature detection are continuously wrapped around the impregnated fiber reinforcement layers, the one or more impregnated fiber reinforcement layers and the optical fiber sensor are integrally solidified, a reserved joint is provided at both ends of the optical fiber sensor, a signal line interface is connected to the end of the reserved joint, the reserved joint is covered with a joint connection protective sleeve, the joint connection protective sleeve is fixedly connected to the inner liner and the bottle valve seat, the signal line interface is exposed outside the joint connection protective sleeve, and is used to connect to the signal transmission and processing unit; Each layer of the impregnated fiber reinforcement layer includes an impregnated fiber spirally wound layer and an impregnated fiber hoop wound layer. The impregnated fiber spirally wound layer is formed by the impregnated reinforcement fiber being spirally wound on the inner liner and the outer surface of the bottle valve seat, and covering the entire outer surface of the inner liner and the bottle valve seat. The impregnated fiber hoop wound layer is formed by the impregnated reinforcement fiber being hoop wound on the inner liner and the outer surface of the bottle valve seat, and covering the entire outer surface of the inner liner and the bottle valve seat. Each layer of the optical fiber sensor includes a helically wound optical fiber sensor layer and a circumferentially wound optical fiber sensor layer. The helically wound optical fiber sensor layer is formed by helically winding the optical fiber sensor around the inner liner and the outer surface of the bottle valve seat, and covering the entire outer surface of the inner liner and the bottle valve seat. The circumferentially wound optical fiber sensor layer is formed by circumferentially winding the optical fiber sensor around the inner liner and the outer surface of the bottle valve seat, and covering the entire outer surface of the inner liner and the bottle valve seat. The optical fiber sensor is continuously wrapped with one or more layers of impregnated glass fiber protective layers, and each layer of the impregnated glass fiber protective layer includes an impregnated glass fiber spirally wound layer and an impregnated glass fiber hoop wound layer. The impregnated glass fiber spirally wound layer is formed by the impregnated glass fiber spirally wound on the inner liner and the outer surface of the bottle valve seat, and covering the entire outer surface of the inner liner and the bottle valve seat. The impregnated glass fiber hoop wound layer is formed by the impregnated glass fiber hoop wound on the inner liner and the outer surface of the bottle valve seat, and covering the entire outer surface of the inner liner and the bottle valve seat.

2. A fully wrapped gas cylinder with a pre-installed optical fiber sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner liner is a plastic inner liner, and the bottle valve seat is a metal bottle valve seat.

3. The fully wrapped gas cylinder with pre-installed optical fiber sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both ends of the inner container are fixedly connected with bottle valve seats.

4. The fully wrapped gas cylinder with pre-installed optical fiber sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical fiber sensor is coated with a coating that is sensitive to the storage medium of the gas cylinder.

5. The fully wrapped gas cylinder with pre-installed optical fiber sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The one or more impregnated glass fiber protective layers are integrally cured and formed.

6. A method for manufacturing a fully wrapped gas cylinder pre-installed with an optical fiber sensor as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the steps are: (1) The impregnated reinforcing fiber is spirally wound on the outer surface of the inner liner and the bottle valve seat. After each winding, the gas cylinder is rotated by an angle to continue the next winding. After n1 turns, the impregnated reinforcing fiber covers the entire inner liner and the outer surface of the bottle valve seat, forming a layer of impregnated fiber spirally wound layer; (2) Wrapping the impregnated reinforcing fiber hoop around the outer surface of the inner liner and the bottle valve seat, the impregnated reinforcing fiber is wound n2 times from one end to the other end to form a layer of impregnated fiber hoop winding layer, the impregnated fiber spiral winding layer and the impregnated fiber hoop winding layer form a layer of impregnated fiber reinforcement layer; (3) Repeat steps 1-2 to form m1 layers of impregnated fiber reinforcement. The values of n1, n2, and m1 are given according to the size of the gas cylinder and the pressure value to be withstood; (4) Wind the optical fiber sensor on the outer surface of the impregnated fiber reinforcement layer in the same manner as in steps 1 to 3. The winding parameters are given by the design according to the size of the gas cylinder and the network density to be measured. Set reserved connectors at both ends of the optical fiber, design the length and protect them well. The reserved connectors are connected to the signal line interface for connecting to the signal transmission and processing unit. (5) After positioning the signal line interface and the reserved joint position with an injection mold, injection molding is performed to form a layer of joint connection protection cover, which is injection-molded into one piece with the inner liner and the bottle valve seat. At the same time, the joint connection protection cover is injection-molded into one piece with the signal line interface and the reserved joint; (6) Winding the impregnated glass fiber used as a protective layer onto the outer surface of the optical fiber sensor according to the method of steps 1 to 3, with the winding parameters given by the design according to the size of the gas cylinder; (7) The gas cylinder wound in step 6 is sent to an oven for overall curing and molding; thus, the manufacture of the fully wound gas cylinder with the pre-installed optical fiber sensor is completed.

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