Viscosity monitoring and adjusting device, system and method

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of liquid viscosity monitoring, in particular to a viscosity monitoring and adjusting device, system and method. The device comprises a measuring unit, a control unit and an adjusting unit. The measuring unit comprises a piston rod, a piston shell, a sensor and a driver; when the tail end of the piston rod is inserted into the piston shell, the measured liquid in the piston shell is discharged; the sensor is used for detecting the time when the piston rod leaves the piston shell and the time when the piston rod moves to the bottom of the piston shell. The control unit calculates the viscosity of the measured liquid based on the time sent by the sensor, and controls the adjusting unit to adjust the viscosity based on a calculation result; the system comprises a display device and the viscosity monitoring and adjusting device. The method comprises the following steps: recording first time when the piston rod exceeds the detection range of the sensor, recording second time when the piston rod is inserted into the piston shell and is in contact with the bottom of the piston shell, and calculating the viscosity of the detected liquid by the control unit based on the first time and the second time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of this specification relate to the field of liquid viscosity monitoring, and in particular to a viscosity monitoring and adjustment device, system and method. Background Art

[0002] Viscosity is a physical quantity used to characterize the magnitude of the internal friction generated along the interface of a fluid due to the existence of intermolecular cohesion when it flows under the action of an external force. In the manufacturing industry, especially in the chemical, food, pharmaceutical, petroleum and coating industries, viscosity is one of the key indicators for evaluating product quality and performance. Monitoring and controlling the viscosity of fluids is crucial for processes such as material performance evaluation, formulation design and optimization of process parameters. The viscosity value cannot be measured directly. The existing practice is generally to measure the physical quantities related to it, and then calculate it based on the relevant physical quantities and related equations. At present, the devices for detecting viscosity are roughly divided into three types: capillary type, rotary type and vibration type. The most widely used in the coating industry is the outflow type viscosity device improved on the capillary viscosity device, such as outflow cup, viscosity cup, outflow funnel, etc.; during the test, the liquid to be tested flows in from the top of these devices, and the time required for the liquid to flow out from the bottom of the device is recorded, and the viscosity of the liquid can be calculated. However, this operation requires the transfer of liquid, which is inconvenient and takes a long time to wait for the liquid to flow. It is impossible to achieve real-time viscosity monitoring during the production process. When the liquid flows, it is easy for the liquid to stick to the wall, which may cause errors in the recorded liquid outflow time, thus affecting the accuracy of the viscosity calculation results. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present specification provide a viscosity monitoring and adjustment device, system and method, which are intended to solve one or more of the above-mentioned problems and other potential problems.

[0004] In order to achieve the above objectives, the following technical solutions are provided: According to the first aspect of the present specification, a viscosity monitoring and adjustment device is provided, comprising a measuring unit, a control unit and an adjustment unit; the measuring unit comprises a piston housing, a piston rod capable of being inserted into the piston housing to perform piston movement, a sensor and a driver connected to the control unit; the piston housing is immersed in the liquid to be measured, and when the driver drives the end of the piston rod to be inserted into the piston housing, the liquid to be measured in the piston housing is discharged; the sensor is used to detect the time when the piston rod leaves the piston housing and the time when the piston rod moves to the bottom of the piston housing; the control unit calculates the viscosity of the liquid to be measured based on the time detected by the sensor, and controls the adjustment unit to adjust the viscosity of the liquid to be measured based on the calculation result.

[0005] In the viscosity monitoring and adjustment device of the disclosed embodiment, the piston housing is directly immersed in the measured liquid, and there is no need to transfer the measured liquid, so the operation is more flexible and convenient; when the piston rod performs continuous piston movement in the piston housing, the viscosity of the measured liquid can be continuously monitored, and the monitoring is more real-time. And being immersed in the measured liquid makes the volume of the measured liquid discharged from the piston housing fixed, which is not affected by factors such as liquid hanging on the wall and incomplete liquid outflow, and the detected viscosity is more accurate. In addition, the discharge speed of the measured liquid depends on the force applied to the piston rod during the insertion of the piston housing, as well as the size of the gap between the piston rod and the piston housing. Compared with viscometers such as outflow cups, the discharge speed of the measured liquid is faster, saving time for the entire viscosity monitoring process.

[0006] In some embodiments, the measuring unit further comprises a movable rod, a distal end of which fixes the piston housing, and the driver further drives the movable rod to move.

[0007] In some embodiments, the measuring unit further comprises a fixing frame, and the piston rod and the movable rod are both movably connected to the fixing frame.

[0008] In some embodiments, the piston rod moves in the piston housing in the direction of gravity.

[0009] In some embodiments, the regulating unit includes a dilution chamber and a solute chamber, the dilution chamber is provided with a dilution valve connected to the control unit, and the solute chamber is provided with a solute valve connected to the control unit, when the dilution valve is opened, the dilution liquid in the dilution chamber flows into the measured liquid, and when the solute valve is opened, the solute in the dilution chamber flows into the measured liquid.

[0010] According to the second aspect of the present specification, a viscosity monitoring and adjustment system is disclosed, which includes a display device and the above-mentioned viscosity monitoring and adjustment device; the display device is provided with a display screen for displaying the viscosity monitoring status of the measured liquid and an operation panel for remotely controlling the viscosity monitoring and adjustment device.

[0011] In some embodiments, the control unit is connected to a stirrer for fully mixing the liquid being tested.

[0012] In some embodiments, the control unit is connected to a heater for heating the measured liquid.

[0013] According to a third aspect of the present specification, a viscosity monitoring and adjustment method is disclosed. The method is implemented based on the above-mentioned viscosity monitoring and adjustment system, and includes: Initializing the positions of various components in the viscosity monitoring and regulating system so that the end of the piston rod is located inside the piston housing; The driver controls the piston rod to withdraw from the piston housing, and when the end of the piston rod exceeds the detection range of the sensor, the piston rod stops moving, and the sensor records the first time and sends it to the control unit; The driver controls the piston rod to stop moving for a period of time and then inserts it into the piston housing again. When the sensor detects that the piston rod is in contact with the bottom of the piston housing, the piston rod stops moving, and the sensor records a second time and sends it to the control unit. The control unit calculates the viscosity of the measured liquid based on the first time, the second time and the residence time of the piston rod. When the control unit determines that the viscosity of the measured liquid exceeds the normal viscosity range, the control unit sends an adjustment instruction to the adjustment unit to control the adjustment unit to adjust the viscosity.

[0014] In some embodiments, when the control unit determines that the viscosity of the measured liquid exceeds the normal viscosity range and reaches the alarm value, an alarm instruction is sent to the display device to control the display device to alarm. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present specification will become readily understood by reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, several embodiments of the present specification are shown by way of example and not limitation.

[0016] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a viscosity monitoring and adjusting device according to an embodiment of this specification is shown; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an interface of a display device according to an embodiment of the present specification is shown; Figure 3 A flow chart of a viscosity monitoring and adjustment method according to an embodiment of this specification is shown.

[0017] 11-piston housing, 12-piston rod, 13-sensor, 14-driver, 15-movable rod, 16-fixed bracket.

[0018] In the various drawings, the same or corresponding reference numerals represent the same or corresponding parts. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The preferred embodiments of the present specification will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the preferred embodiments of the present specification are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present specification can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the present specification more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present specification to those skilled in the art.

[0020] The term "including" and its variations used in this document represent open inclusion, that is, "including but not limited to". Unless otherwise stated, the term "or" means "and / or". The term "based on" means "based at least in part on". The terms "an example embodiment" and "an embodiment" mean "at least one example embodiment". The term "another embodiment" means "at least one other embodiment". Terms such as "upper", "lower", "front", and "rear" indicating placement or positional relationships are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the principles of this specification, and do not indicate or imply that the referred elements must have a specific orientation, be constructed or operate in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limitations on this specification.

[0021] When calculating the viscosity of a liquid, viscosity can be divided into dynamic viscosity, kinematic viscosity and conditional viscosity according to different definitions and measurement methods. Dynamic viscosity indicates the internal friction generated by a liquid layer per unit area under a unit velocity gradient. It is an inherent physical property of the liquid and is related to factors such as the type, temperature and pressure of the liquid, reflecting the ease with which the liquid flows. Kinematic viscosity is the ratio of dynamic viscosity to liquid density, which is a measure of the internal friction when the liquid flows under gravity. It is often used to describe the flow properties of the liquid and calculate the flow rate of the fluid. For example, it is used in the petroleum industry to evaluate the flow properties of fuel and lubricating oil. Conditional viscosity refers to the viscosity value measured under certain conditions using a specific viscometer, which is used for specific applications. The devices, systems and methods of the embodiments of this specification are mainly used to monitor the viscosity of the fluid during the product production process to evaluate the fluid performance and ensure product quality, so the kinematic viscosity is measured.

[0022] A viscosity monitoring and adjustment device, system and method according to an embodiment of the present specification are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Figure 1A structural schematic diagram of a viscosity monitoring and adjusting device according to an embodiment of the present specification is shown. The viscosity monitoring and adjusting device according to the embodiment of the present specification includes a measuring unit, a control unit and an adjusting unit; the measuring unit includes a piston housing 11, a piston rod 12 that can be inserted into the piston housing 11 to perform piston movement, a sensor 13 and a driver 14 connected to the control unit; the piston housing 11 is immersed in the liquid to be measured, and when the driver 14 drives the end of the piston rod 12 to be inserted into the piston housing 11, the liquid to be measured in the piston housing 11 is discharged; the sensor 13 is used to detect the time when the piston rod 12 leaves the piston housing 11 and the time when the piston rod 12 moves to the bottom of the piston housing 11; the control unit calculates the viscosity of the liquid to be measured based on the time detected by the sensor 13, and controls the adjusting unit to adjust the viscosity of the liquid to be measured based on the calculation result. The piston housing 11 and the piston rod 12 cooperate with each other. When the piston rod 12 is inserted into the piston housing 11, the space inside the piston housing 11 is occupied by the piston rod 12, so that the measured liquid flows out from the gap between the piston housing 11 and the piston rod 12. When the end of the piston rod 12 reaches the bottom of the piston housing 11, the volume of the measured liquid discharged from the piston housing 11 is equivalent to the volume of the part of the piston rod 12 entering the piston housing 11. The calculation formula of the kinematic viscosity of the measured liquid is as follows: Wherein, U represents the kinematic viscosity of the measured liquid, C represents the viscometer constant, and T represents the time required for the measured liquid to be discharged from the piston housing; the viscometer constant C is a fixed value, which depends on the shape and size of the viscometer and the properties of the measured liquid, etc. Therefore, the viscosity of the measured liquid is proportional to the time T. The viscosity state of the measured liquid can be monitored by calculating and monitoring the time T.

[0023] In the embodiment of this specification, the sensor 13 detects the time T, specifically, a first time when the piston rod 12 leaves the piston housing 11 and a second time when the piston rod 12 moves to the bottom of the piston housing 11. The time T can be obtained by subtracting the first time from the second time and then subtracting the time when the piston rod 12 stays in the piston housing 11. The sensor 13 can also directly detect the time when the piston rod 12 just enters the piston housing 11 and the time when the piston rod 12 moves to the bottom of the piston housing 11. The time T can be obtained by subtracting the two times.

[0024] The piston housing 11 in the embodiment of this specification is directly immersed in the liquid to be measured, and there is no need to transfer the liquid to be measured, which makes the operation more flexible and convenient. Moreover, when immersed in the liquid to be measured for detection, the volume of the liquid to be measured discharged from the piston housing 11 is fixed, and is not affected by factors such as liquid hanging on the wall and incomplete liquid outflow, and the detected viscosity is more accurate. The discharge speed of the liquid to be measured depends on the force applied to the piston rod 12 during the insertion of the piston housing 11, and the size of the gap between the piston rod 12 and the piston housing 11. The discharge speed of the liquid to be measured is faster than that of a viscometer such as a flow-out cup, which saves time for the entire viscosity monitoring process. When the piston rod 12 performs continuous piston motion in the piston housing 11, continuous monitoring of the viscosity of the liquid to be measured can be achieved, and the real-time performance is relatively strong.

[0025] Specifically, in order to flexibly adjust the position of the piston housing 11 in the measured liquid, the measuring unit further includes a movable rod 15, the end of which fixes the piston housing 11, and the driver 14 also drives the movable rod 15 to move. While realizing the viscosity monitoring of the measured liquid at different positions, the relative position of the piston rod 12 and the piston housing 11 is ensured, so that the piston rod 12 can be smoothly inserted into the piston housing 11. The measuring unit further includes a fixing frame 16, and the piston rod 12 and the movable rod 15 are both movably connected to the fixing frame 16. Specifically, the piston housing 11 is fixed to the side of the end of the movable rod 15, so that the piston housing 11 is easy to cooperate with the piston rod 12 above it. The piston rod 12 and the movable rod 15 can only move up and down along the fixing frame 16, further ensuring that the relative position of the piston rod 12 and the piston housing 11 remains unchanged, ensuring that the piston rod 12 is smoothly inserted into the piston housing 11, and increasing the structural stability of the entire monitoring device. In addition, the piston rod 12 moves in the piston housing 11 along the direction of gravity, so that the process of inserting the piston rod 12 into the piston housing 11 is mainly affected by gravity, which reduces the driving power consumption and reduces the factors affecting viscosity monitoring. The sensor 13 and the driver 14 are both arranged above the fixing frame 16, and the driver 14 is a cylinder or other driving device.

[0026] The regulating unit includes a dilution chamber and a solute chamber. The dilution chamber is provided with a dilution valve connected to the control unit. The solute chamber is provided with a solute valve connected to the control unit. When the dilution valve is opened, the dilution liquid in the dilution chamber flows into the measured liquid. When the solute valve is opened, the solute in the dilution chamber flows into the measured liquid. Wherein, both the dilution valve and the solute valve are electromagnetic valves, which are opened and closed by the electrical signal sent by the control unit. The dilution chamber and the solute chamber are provided with sensing devices for sending signals to the control unit when the dilution liquid and the solute are exhausted, so that the control unit sends an alarm to remind the staff to add manually.

[0027] The embodiment of this specification also discloses a viscosity monitoring and adjustment system, which includes a display device and the above-mentioned viscosity monitoring and adjustment device; the display device is provided with a display screen for displaying the viscosity monitoring status of the measured liquid and an operation panel for remotely controlling the viscosity monitoring and adjustment device. The display device is designed based on the display software FactoryTalk ViewStudio, and displays the viscosity monitoring results of the measured liquid and the operation panel for controlling the viscosity monitoring device in front of the operator, and realizes communication with the control unit through RSlinx communication software. The display screen and the operation panel are as follows: Figure 2 As shown. In order to ensure the uniformity of the measured liquid after adding the diluent or solute, the control unit is connected to a stirrer for fully mixing the measured liquid, so as to fully stir the measured liquid and increase the accuracy of viscosity monitoring. Since some application scenarios of the measured liquid have specific requirements on temperature, and different temperatures also have a certain effect on the viscosity of the measured liquid, the control unit is also connected to a heater for heating the measured liquid. The staff can set the required temperature of the measured liquid through the operation panel, so that the control unit controls the heater to heat the measured liquid to meet specific temperature requirements and reduce the impact of temperature on the accuracy of liquid viscosity monitoring.

[0028] The embodiment of this specification also discloses a viscosity monitoring and adjustment method, which is implemented based on the above-mentioned viscosity monitoring and adjustment system and includes the following steps: S1, initializing the positions of the various components in the viscosity monitoring and adjusting system so that the end of the piston rod 12 is located inside the piston housing 11; S3, the driver 14 controls the piston rod 12 to withdraw from the piston housing 11, and when the end of the piston rod 12 exceeds the detection range of the sensor 13, the piston rod 12 stops moving, and the sensor 13 records the first time and sends it to the control unit; S5, the driver 14 controls the piston rod 12 to stop moving for a period of time, and then inserts it into the piston housing 11 again. When the sensor 13 detects that the piston rod 12 is in contact with the bottom of the piston housing 11, the piston rod 12 stops moving, and the sensor 13 records the second time and sends it to the control unit; S7. The control unit calculates the viscosity of the measured liquid based on the first time, the second time and the residence time of the piston rod 12. When the control unit determines that the viscosity of the measured liquid exceeds the normal viscosity range, the control unit sends an adjustment instruction to the adjustment unit to control the adjustment unit to adjust the viscosity.

[0029] In step S1, the staff can set the initial state of the viscosity monitoring system through the operation panel. In step S3, the driver 14 controls the cylinder to drive the piston rod 12 upward to exit the piston housing 11. When the sensing point on the piston rod 12 leaves the sensing range of the sensor 13, the sensor 13 loses sensing and sends the first time at this time to the control unit. In step S5, the piston rod 12 stops moving for a period of time, the purpose is to wait for the measured liquid to enter the inner cavity of the piston housing 11 through the gap between the piston rod 12 and the piston housing 11, fill the inner cavity, and fully mix the measured liquid inside and outside the piston housing 11, ensure the uniformity of the measured liquid, and increase the viscosity monitoring accuracy. The piston rod 12 can perform periodic continuous piston movement in the piston housing 11. After a detection cycle, the cylinder is deflated, and the piston rod 12 falls due to gravity, so that the measured liquid in the piston housing 11 is discharged. When the piston rod 12 drops to the bottom of the piston housing 11, it enters the sensing range of the sensor and then enters the next detection cycle. Through the continuous piston movement of the piston rod 12, a series of time data T is monitored and obtained, and the viscosity curve diagram of the measured liquid is drawn and displayed through the display device, so that the staff can observe the viscosity change of the measured liquid more intuitively. Specifically, the Control Logix5561 PLC of ROCKWELL is used as the control unit, connected to the computer or the display device via Ethernet, the channel is configured using RSLinx, and the Rslogix5000 logic control ladder diagram software is edited and downloaded to the Control Logix5561 PLC, and the FactoryTalk ViewStudio is used for human-machine interface development. When the control unit determines that the viscosity of the measured liquid exceeds the normal viscosity range and reaches the alarm value, an alarm instruction is sent to the display device to control the display device to alarm. For example: set M as the time corresponding to the target viscosity. When the time T calculated by the control unit is greater than M+0.2s, the dilution valve is controlled to open, and 100ml of dilution liquid is added to the measured liquid. When T is greater than M+0.3s, the display device issues a high viscosity alarm. When T is less than M-0.2s, the solute valve is controlled to open, and solute is added to the measured liquid. When T is less than M-0.3s, the display device issues a low viscosity alarm. The staff performs manual adjustment after receiving the alarm signal.

[0030] Although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of this specification. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in a single implementation in combination. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single implementation may also be implemented in multiple implementations individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0031] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological logical actions, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. On the contrary, the specific features and actions described above are merely example forms of implementing the claims.

[0032] The embodiments of the present specification have been described above, and the above description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and changes will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The selection of terms used herein is intended to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, or technical improvements in the market, or to enable other persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A viscosity monitoring and adjusting device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a measuring unit, a control unit and an adjusting unit; the measuring unit comprises a piston housing (11), a piston rod (12) capable of being inserted into the piston housing (11) to perform piston movement, a sensor (13) and a driver (14) connected to the control unit; the piston housing (11) is immersed in the liquid to be measured, and when the driver (14) drives the end of the piston rod (12) to be inserted into the piston housing (11), the liquid to be measured in the piston housing (11) is discharged; the sensor (13) is used to detect the time when the piston rod (12) leaves the piston housing (11) and the time when the piston rod (12) moves to the bottom of the piston housing (11); the control unit calculates the viscosity of the liquid to be measured based on the time detected by the sensor (13), and controls the adjusting unit to adjust the viscosity of the liquid to be measured based on the calculation result.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The measuring unit further comprises a movable rod (15), the end of which is fixed to the piston housing (11), and the driver (14) further drives the movable rod (15) to move.

3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that The measuring unit further comprises a fixed frame (16), and the piston rod (12) and the movable rod (15) are both movably connected to the fixed frame (16).

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that The piston rod (12) moves in the piston housing (11) along the direction of gravity.

5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The regulating unit comprises a dilution chamber and a solute chamber, the dilution chamber is provided with a dilution valve connected to the control unit, the solute chamber is provided with a solute valve connected to the control unit, when the dilution valve is opened, the dilution liquid in the dilution chamber flows into the measured liquid, and when the solute valve is opened, the solute in the dilution chamber flows into the measured liquid.

6. A viscosity monitoring and adjustment system, characterized in that: It comprises a display device and the viscosity monitoring and adjusting device as claimed in claim 1; the display device is provided with a display screen for displaying the viscosity monitoring status of the measured liquid and an operation panel for remotely controlling the viscosity monitoring and adjusting device.

7. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that The control unit is connected to a stirrer for fully mixing the measured liquid.

8. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that The control unit is connected with a heater for heating the measured liquid.

9. A viscosity monitoring and adjustment method, which is implemented based on the viscosity monitoring and adjustment system according to claim 6, characterized in that: include: Initializing the positions of various components in the viscosity monitoring and regulating system so that the end of the piston rod (12) is located inside the piston housing (11); The driver (14) controls the piston rod (12) to withdraw from the piston housing (11); when the end of the piston rod (12) exceeds the detection range of the sensor (13), the piston rod (12) stops moving, and the sensor (13) records the first time and sends it to the control unit; The driver (14) controls the piston rod (12) to stop moving for a period of time and then inserts the piston rod (12) into the piston housing (11) again. When the sensor (13) detects that the piston rod (12) is in contact with the bottom of the piston housing (11), the piston rod (12) stops moving, and the sensor (13) records a second time and sends it to the control unit. The control unit calculates the viscosity of the measured liquid based on the first time, the second time and the residence time of the piston rod (12); when the control unit determines that the viscosity of the measured liquid exceeds a normal viscosity range, the control unit sends an adjustment instruction to the adjustment unit to control the adjustment unit to adjust the viscosity.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that When the control unit determines that the viscosity of the measured liquid exceeds the normal viscosity range and reaches the alarm value, an alarm instruction is sent to the display device to control the display device to alarm.

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