Positioning methane gas group simulation and monitoring experimental device

Abstract

The application relates to the field of combustible gas monitoring safety, and discloses a positioning type methane gas group simulation and monitoring experimental device, which mainly comprises a dynamic gas distribution system, a gas group restraint system, an environment simulation system, a monitoring and alarming system and a data acquisition system. The dynamic gas distribution system comprises a pressure reducing valve and a mass flow controller, a signal is sent to the mass flow controller through a computer, so that the simulation gas source with different methane concentrations can be accurately proportioned; the gas group restraint system is used for restraining the simulation gas source into a fixed size; and the environment simulation system is used for simulating different natural environment conditions indoors. The experimental device can realize variable flow adjustment of the measured gas, size fixing and simple operation, and has important significance for engineering application.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of combustible gas monitoring and safety, and particularly relates to a location-based methane gas cloud simulation and monitoring experimental device. Background Technology

[0002] Methane, a major component of natural gas transportation and urban gas systems, poses a significant risk during pipeline transport, tank storage, and industrial applications. Its low density causes the leaked gas to rise and disperse rapidly, mixing with air to form a flammable cloud within a short time. Under certain conditions, this cloud can ignite or explode upon encountering an ignition source, posing a serious threat to personnel, equipment, and surrounding areas. Therefore, early monitoring and identification of leaked gas clouds has become a recognized crucial technological direction for ensuring the safe operation of oil and gas storage and transportation systems. In particular, with the development of gas cloud imaging and monitoring technologies such as infrared imaging, laser absorption, and spectral telemetry, the demand for equipment performance verification, sensitivity testing, and monitoring reliability evaluation has rapidly increased.

[0003] Currently, the testing and verification of gas cloud monitoring systems mainly rely on on-site leak tests or artificially constructed similar scenarios. However, these methods are limited by the uncontrollability of environmental wind fields, concentration changes, gas cloud morphology, and diffusion characteristics, making it difficult to provide standardized, repeatable, and comparative experimental data. Furthermore, existing testing methods cannot achieve controllable adjustment of key parameters such as gas cloud size, spatial shape, concentration gradient, and diffusion rate, and also struggle to cover the monitoring distance, detection limits, and response time technical indicators stipulated in the international natural gas transportation industry. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop an experimental device capable of simulating methane leaks and forming gas clouds, and achieving controllable and repeatable gas cloud parameters under environmental conditions. This device would be used to verify the detection capabilities, concentration display accuracy, and response speed of gas cloud imaging monitoring systems under different operating conditions, thereby providing the industry with a calibrable, evaluable, and benchmarkable testing platform. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention proposes an experimental device for simulating gas cloud formation and verifying the performance of a gas cloud imaging monitoring system. This device enables the generation and release of methane gas clouds under controllable concentration, volume, and diffusion conditions, and allows for the testing and evaluation of the detection capabilities of the gas cloud imaging system within a set monitoring distance.

[0005] This invention provides a localized methane puff simulation and monitoring experimental device, comprising the following five systems: 1) Dynamic gas distribution system; 2) Air mass containment system; 3) Environmental simulation system; 4) Monitoring and alarm system; 5) Data acquisition system; The present invention aims to provide a positioning-type methane gas cloud simulation and monitoring experimental device to verify the monitoring accuracy of the gas cloud imaging leak monitoring and alarm system.

[0006] This invention is achieved through the following technical solution: The dynamic gas mixing system includes a methane storage tank (1), an air storage tank (2), a pressure reducing valve (3), a mass flow controller (4), a computer (5), a vacuum gauge (6), a vacuum pump (7), a mixing tank (8), a concentration sensor (9), a flow meter (10), a shut-off valve (11), and a gas filling port (12). The vacuum gauge (6) and the vacuum pump (7) ensure the airtightness of the gas mixing system; the mass flow controller (4) and the computer (5) are connected, and methane and air are mixed in proportion by the pressure reducing valve (3) and the mass flow controller (4), and the uniformity of the simulated gas source concentration is ensured by a settling and premixing time; then the opening of the shut-off valve (11) is manually controlled by observing the flow meter (10); the gas filling port (12) is used to release the simulated gas source; the gas mixing system can output standardized simulated gas sources with different methane volume fractions according to experimental requirements.

[0007] The air mass constraint system includes a balloon (13), a limiting ring (14), an adjustable clamp (15), a fixed support rod (16), a base (17), and a mechanical scale rod (18). Limiting rings (14) of different sizes are fitted onto the outer surface of the balloon (13) to limit the maximum expansion diameter of the balloon and control the air mass volume. The balloon (13), filled with simulated gas, is detachably connected to the fixed support rod (16) using the adjustable clamp (15). The fixed support rod (16) is used to position the balloon (13) at a specified height and orientation in the experimental space. The base (17) provides structural support and stability. The mechanical scale rod (18) is positioned adjacent to the fixed support rod (16) to record the height change of the center position of the balloon (13). The air mass constraint system can form an experimental air mass with controllable volume, controllable spatial position, and repeatable positioning, facilitating performance testing of the gas cloud imaging monitoring system under specified distance conditions, including detection sensitivity, minimum detection limit, and response time.

[0008] The environmental simulation system includes a wind speed controller (19), a temperature controller (20), a humidity controller (21), a wind speed sensor (22), a temperature sensor (23), a humidity sensor (24), a background radiation panel (25), an experimental chamber (26), a light-transmitting window (27), and a computer. All equipment is installed in the experimental chamber (26). The wind speed controller (19), temperature controller (20), humidity controller (21), wind speed sensor (22), temperature sensor (23), and humidity sensor (24) are connected to the computer, which facilitates the control of temperature, humidity, and airflow changes within the chamber through computer signals, as well as real-time monitoring of the experimental environment to ensure stable simulated environmental parameters. The background radiation panel (25) provides controllable infrared background radiation to simulate the radiation background in the actual environment. The light-transmitting window (27) provides a line-of-sight channel for the optical and infrared imaging systems. The environmental simulation system can simulate different natural environmental conditions such as wind speed, temperature, humidity, and background radiation according to experimental requirements to support the experiment.

[0009] The monitoring and alarm system includes a timer (28), a methane leak detector (29), an infrared imager (30), a visible light camera (31), an audible and visual alarm (32), and a computer. The timer (28) records the time when the methane leak detector (29) triggers the audible and visual alarm after detecting a methane concentration exceeding a set threshold. The infrared imager (30) and the visible light camera (31) provide real-time thermal images of the gas source being measured, providing visual images of the gas cloud leak and enhancing leak monitoring. The computer centrally controls all devices, collecting data, triggering alarms, displaying information, and enabling remote monitoring. The monitoring and alarm system integrates multiple devices to ensure rapid monitoring and alarm of methane leaks, providing comprehensive monitoring and real-time feedback for the experimental process, ensuring the safety and stability of the experiment.

[0010] As a further technical solution, the balloon material in the air mass confinement system of the present invention is polyethylene.

[0011] As a further technical solution, the experimental chamber in the environmental simulation system of the present invention is a closed cuboid space with a length of 4m, a width of 2m, and a height of 2m. The main body of the experimental chamber is made of aluminum alloy frame, with a light-transmitting window installed on one side and the rest closed.

[0012] As a further technical solution, the light-transmitting window material in the environmental simulation system described in this invention is calcium fluoride (CaF2).

[0013] As a further technical solution, the methane leak detector in the monitoring and alarm system described in this invention adopts an infrared gas sensor (IR).

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of the present invention has the following technical effects or advantages: The dynamic gas distribution system of this invention utilizes a pressure reducing valve installed on the upper surface of the storage tank to reduce high-pressure gas to a safe working pressure, and uses a computer-operated mass flow meter to configure simulated gas sources with different methane concentrations, which can be adjusted according to experimental requirements, making it flexible and adaptable; a vacuum pump and vacuum gauge connected to the mixing tank are used to detect the airtightness of the gas distribution system to ensure the safe conduct of the experiment; The air mass constraint system of the present invention uses balloons to control the shape, size and position of the simulated air source, and can be adjusted according to the needs of the experiment, making it flexible and versatile.

[0015] The environmental simulation system of the present invention simulates various natural environments by installing wind speed, temperature and humidity control devices in the experimental chamber and controlling them through a computer terminal. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the invention.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a localized methane gas mass simulation and monitoring experimental device.

[0018] Figure 1 In the diagram, 1-Methane storage tank; 2-Air storage tank; 3-Pressure reducing valve; 4-Mass flow controller; 5-Computer; 6-Vacuum gauge; 7-Vacuum pump; 8-Mixing tank; 9-Concentration sensor; 10-Flow meter; 11-Stop valve; 12-Inflation port; 13-Balloon; 14-Limit ring; 15-Adjustable clamp; 16-Fixed support rod; 17-Base; 18-Mechanical scale rod; 19-Wind speed controller; 20-Temperature controller; 21-Humidity controller; 22-Wind speed sensor; 23-Temperature sensor; 24-Humidity sensor; 25-Radiation background plate; 26-Experimental chamber; 27-Transparent window; 28-Timer; 29-Methane leak detector; 30-Infrared imager; 31-Visible light camera; 32-Audible and visual alarm. Detailed Implementation

[0019] It should be noted that the following detailed description is illustrative and intended to provide further explanation of the invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.

[0020] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of exemplary embodiments according to the invention. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0021] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, the positioning methane gas mass simulation and monitoring experimental device of this embodiment includes a dynamic gas distribution system, a gas mass constraint system, an environmental simulation system, a monitoring and alarm system, and a data acquisition system.

[0023] Before the test, keep all pressure reducing valves (3) and shut-off valves (11) closed, evacuate the mixing tank by vacuum pump (7), and premix methane and air into the mixing tank according to the test requirements for at least 24 hours to ensure the uniformity of the mixed gas. Before the test, check the experimental equipment to ensure the sealing of the piping system; To begin the experiment, the pressure reducing valve (3) is opened and a signal is sent to the mass flow controller via the computer (5). According to the experimental requirements, a certain ratio of air and methane is input into the mixing tank (8). After the simulated gas source is configured, the shut-off valve (11) is opened to fill the balloon (13) with gas. After the balloon is filled and fixed in the experimental chamber (26), the computer (5) sends signals to the wind speed controller (19), temperature controller (20), and humidity controller (21) to adjust the environment in the experimental chamber (26). The wind speed sensor (22), temperature sensor (23), and humidity sensor (24) are used to monitor the environmental data in real time. Finally, the timer (28) records the reaction time of the sound and light alarm (32) after the methane leak detector detects the methane gas.

[0024] While the specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, this is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications or variations that can be made by those skilled in the art without creative effort based on the technical solutions of the present invention are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An experimental set-up for positioning methane plume simulation and monitoring, characterized by: It includes a dynamic gas distribution system, an air mass constraint system, an environmental simulation system, and a data monitoring system; the air mass constraint system is characterized by including a balloon (13), a limiting ring (14), an adjustable clamp (15), a fixed support rod (16), a base (17), and a mechanical scale rod (18); the limiting ring (14) is fitted onto the balloon (13) to limit the size of the balloon to meet the specified dimensions; the adjustable clamp (15), the fixed support rod (16), the base (17), and the mechanical scale rod (18) fix the balloon (13) filled with simulated gas source in a specific position.

2. The dynamic air distribution system of claim 1, wherein The system includes a methane storage tank (1), an air storage tank (2), a pressure reducing valve (3), a mass flow controller (4), a computer (5), a vacuum gauge (6), a vacuum pump (7), a mixing tank (8), a concentration sensor (9), a flow meter (10), a shut-off valve (11), and a gas filling port (12). The vacuum pump (7) is connected to the mixing tank (8), and a vacuum gauge (6) is installed between the two. The methane storage tank (1) and the air storage tank (2) are connected to the mixing tank (8) through pipelines. Each pipeline is equipped with a pressure reducing valve (3) and a mass flow controller (4). The computer is used to fill the mixing tank with the two gases in proportion for premixing.

3. The environmental simulation system of claim 1, wherein The system includes a multi-wind speed controller (19), a temperature controller (20), a humidity controller (21), a wind speed sensor (22), a temperature sensor (23), a humidity sensor (24), a background radiation panel (25), an experimental chamber (26), a light-transmitting window (27), and a computer. The experimental chamber (26) is connected to the wind speed controller (19), temperature controller (20), humidity controller (21), wind speed sensor (22), temperature sensor (23), and humidity sensor (24) via a computer to regulate and monitor the real-time environment and ensure the stability of the simulated environmental parameters. The background radiation panel (25) provides controllable infrared background radiation. The light-transmitting window (27) is used to provide a line-of-sight channel for the optical and infrared imaging systems.

4. The positioning type experimental apparatus for simulating and monitoring methane gas clusters according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The following test steps are included: S10. Before the test, check the test equipment to ensure the sealing of the pipeline system; S20. Start the experiment, open the pressure reducing valve (3) and send a signal to the mass flow controller through the computer (5) to input a certain ratio of air and methane into the mixing tank (8) according to the experimental requirements; after the simulated gas source is configured, open the shut-off valve (11) to fill the balloon (13) with gas; S30. After the balloon is inflated and fixed inside the experimental chamber (26), the computer (5) sends signals to the wind speed controller (19), temperature controller (20), and humidity controller (21) to adjust the environment inside the experimental chamber (26). The wind speed sensor (22), temperature sensor (23), and humidity sensor (24) monitor the environmental data in real time. Finally, the timer (28) records the reaction time of the sound and light alarm (32) after the methane leak detector detects methane gas.

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