A hydrostatic liquid level sensor and a method and apparatus for cleaning thereof

Abstract

This application belongs to the field of marine environmental monitoring technology, specifically relating to a hydrostatic liquid level sensor and its cleaning method and apparatus. The hydrostatic liquid level sensor includes: a housing, a pressure-sensing core component, and an acoustic-optical defense array; the front end of the housing has an inwardly recessed, stepped sensing cavity; the pressure-sensing core component is elastically connected to the sensing cavity of the housing via a viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure, forming mechanical and acoustic isolation between it and the housing, and senses pressure through a pressure-sensing diaphragm; the viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure exhibits rigid transmission of hydrostatic pressure signals and high acoustic impedance to ultrasonic cleaning waves; the acoustic-optical defense array is arranged concentrically around the pressure-sensing core component, used for ultraviolet antibacterial treatment and ultrasonic abrasion of the inner wall of the sensing cavity and the pressure-sensing core component. This application's embodiment makes it possible to perform high-power cavitation cleaning without damaging the brittle ceramic diaphragm, significantly extending the equipment's service life.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of marine environmental monitoring technology, specifically relating to a hydrostatic liquid level sensor and its cleaning method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, hydrostatic (or submersible) level sensors are widely used for water level monitoring in marine environments such as nuclear power plant intake pump rooms, seawater desalination plants, and deep-sea ranches. These sensors typically use stainless steel or titanium alloy housings, and their core sensing element is a ceramic capacitor or a pressure-sensitive diaphragm made of diffused silicon. They measure the liquid level by sensing the hydrostatic pressure of the liquid and combining it with a transmitter circuit.

[0003] However, in eutrophic marine environments, seawater contains abundant marine organisms such as diatoms, barnacles, and sea squirts, which readily deposit on the pressure-sensing diaphragm surface of hydrostatic level sensors, forming biofilms. From a physical perspective, biofilm growth not only alters the equivalent mass load on the pressure-sensing diaphragm surface but also introduces additional viscoelastic damping through its secreted mucus. This uncontrollable change in physical parameters causes a continuous nonlinear drift in the zero point output of the hydrostatic level sensor, which is difficult to eliminate using traditional linear temperature compensation algorithms, severely impacting the long-term accuracy of level monitoring. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a hydrostatic level sensor and its cleaning method and apparatus, which solves the problem of nonlinear measurement drift caused by biological adhesion in the marine environment of existing hydrostatic level sensors.

[0005] The technical solution to achieve the purpose of this application is as follows: The first aspect of this application provides a hydrostatic liquid level sensor, which includes: a housing, a pressure-sensing core component, and an acoustic-optical defense array; The front end of the housing is provided with an inwardly recessed stepped sensing cavity; the pressure-sensing core component is elastically connected to the sensing cavity of the housing through a viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure, so that it forms mechanical and acoustic isolation from the housing, and senses pressure through a pressure-sensing diaphragm; the viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure exhibits rigid transmission of hydrostatic pressure signals and high acoustic impedance to ultrasonic cleaning waves. The acoustic and optical defense array is arranged in concentric circles around the pressure-sensing core component and is used to perform ultraviolet antibacterial treatment and ultrasonic stripping on the inner wall of the sensing cavity and the pressure-sensing core component.

[0006] Optionally, the viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure exhibits rigid transmission for signals with frequencies less than 10 Hz and high acoustic impedance for signals with frequencies greater than 28 kHz.

[0007] Optionally, the viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure employs a loss factor tan 1 / 2. Made of materials with a density greater than 0.3.

[0008] Optionally, the viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure is made of fluororubber or polyetheretherketone resin composite material.

[0009] Optionally, the acousto-optic defense array includes: a deep ultraviolet light source module and a piezoelectric transducer component; The deep ultraviolet light source module is encapsulated in a light-transmitting window at the front end of the housing, and the antibacterial light field it projects covers the inner wall of the sensing cavity and the surface of the pressure-sensitive diaphragm. The piezoelectric transducer is mechanically coupled to the inner wall of the housing to generate diagnostic sweep waves and the ultrasonic cleaning waves.

[0010] Optionally, the hydrostatic level sensor further includes: an intelligent control unit; The housing has a sealed electrical dry cavity to house the intelligent control unit; The intelligent control unit integrates a power-harvesting circuit and a supercapacitor module, which is used to accumulate energy in the power supply circuit and release instantaneous pulses through the supercapacitor module to drive the piezoelectric transducer to generate the ultrasonic cleaning wave.

[0011] Optionally, there are multiple piezoelectric transducer components, which are evenly distributed in an array along the circumference.

[0012] Optionally, the piezoelectric transducer is a piezoelectric ceramic sheet.

[0013] A second aspect of this application provides a cleaning method for a hydrostatic level sensor, characterized in that it is applied to any one of the hydrostatic level sensors provided in the first aspect of this application; the method includes: Step S201: Obtain the current hydrostatic pressure value P meas The electromechanical impedance spectrum resonance frequency f of the hydrostatic level sensor meas ; Step S202: Based on the hydrostatic pressure value P meas Determine the theoretical modal frequency shift caused by the current hydrostatic pressure. f(P); Step S203: Based on the theoretical mode frequency shift... f(P) and the electromechanical impedance spectrum resonance frequency f meas The equivalent resonant frequency f is obtained. corr ; Step S204: Based on the equivalent resonant frequency f corr Determine whether there is substantial biological attachment in the hydrostatic liquid level sensor; if it is determined that there is substantial biological attachment, proceed to step S205. Step S205: Drive the acoustic-optical defense array to perform ultrasonic stripping.

[0014] Optionally, step S204 may be followed by: If it is determined that there is no substantial biological attachment, proceed to step S206; Step S206: Drive the acoustic and optical defense array to perform ultraviolet antibacterial action.

[0015] Optionally, step S204 specifically includes: When the equivalent resonance frequency f corr When the difference between the static pressure level sensor and the factory-calibrated clean reference frequency f0 is greater than a first preset threshold, it is determined that there is substantial biological adhesion.

[0016] Optionally, step S201 further includes: Obtain the current impedance amplitude of the hydrostatic level sensor; Therefore, step S204 specifically includes: When the equivalent resonance frequency f corr When the difference between the current impedance amplitude and the factory-calibrated clean reference frequency f0 is greater than the first preset threshold, and the difference between the current impedance amplitude and the factory-calibrated clean impedance amplitude is greater than the second preset threshold, it is determined that there is substantial biological adhesion in the hydrostatic liquid level sensor.

[0017] Optionally, step S202 specifically includes: The theoretical modal shift caused by hydrostatic pressure can be calculated using the following formula. f(P); f(P) = •P meas + •P meas 2 (1) In the formula, is the linear stiffening coefficient, which characterizes the linear response of the material's elastic modulus to pressure; The nonlinear deformation coefficient characterizes the influence of the geometric nonlinear deformation of the shell under deep-water high pressure.

[0018] Optionally, step S205 may be followed by: Return to step S201. If, after repeating steps S201-S205 a preset number of times, it is still determined that the hydrostatic level sensor has substantial biological adhesion, it is determined that the hydrostatic level sensor has stubborn physical damage or irreversible scaling, and a maintenance alarm is sent.

[0019] A third aspect of this application provides a hydrostatic level sensor cleaning device, applicable to any one of the hydrostatic level sensors provided in the first aspect of this application; the device includes: The first acquisition module is used to acquire the current hydrostatic pressure value P. meas The electromechanical impedance spectrum resonance frequency f of the hydrostatic level sensor meas ; The frequency shift determination module is used to determine the frequency shift based on the hydrostatic pressure value P. meas Determine the theoretical modal frequency shift caused by the current hydrostatic pressure. f(P); The second acquisition module is used to obtain the theoretical mode frequency shift. f(P) and the electromechanical impedance spectrum resonance frequency f meas The equivalent resonant frequency f is obtained. corr ; The attachment determination module is used to determine the effective resonant frequency f. corr Determine whether the hydrostatic level sensor has substantial biofouling. The peeling drive module is used to drive the acoustic-optical defense array to perform ultrasonic peeling when the attachment determination module determines that there is substantial biological attachment.

[0020] The fourth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed, implements any one of the hydrostatic liquid level sensor cleaning methods provided in the second aspect of this application.

[0021] A fifth aspect of this application provides a controller, including a memory and a processor; the memory stores a computer program, which, when executed by the processor, implements any one of the hydrostatic liquid level sensor cleaning methods provided in the second aspect of this application.

[0022] The beneficial technical effects of this application are as follows: This application provides a hydrostatic level sensor and its cleaning method and apparatus. The hydrostatic level sensor includes: a housing, a pressure-sensing core component, and an acoustic-optical defense array. The housing has an inwardly recessed, stepped sensing cavity at its front end. The pressure-sensing core component is elastically connected to the sensing cavity of the housing via a viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure, forming mechanical and acoustic isolation between it and the housing. It senses pressure through a pressure-sensing diaphragm. The viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure exhibits rigid transmission of hydrostatic pressure signals and high acoustic impedance to ultrasonic cleaning waves. The acoustic-optical defense array is arranged concentrically around the pressure-sensing core component, used for ultraviolet antibacterial treatment and ultrasonic stripping of the inner wall of the sensing cavity and the pressure-sensing core component. The viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure exhibits rigid transmission of hydrostatic pressure signals, ensuring that the accuracy of level measurement is not affected; it exhibits high acoustic impedance to ultrasonic cleaning waves, attenuating mechanical impact energy by more than 90%, thereby achieving high-power cleaning while protecting the precision pressure-sensing diaphragm. This application's embodiments utilize the frequency response characteristics of materials to achieve physical isolation from high-frequency destructive stress, while retaining high sensitivity to low-frequency liquid level signals. This makes it possible to perform high-power cavitation cleaning without damaging the brittle ceramic diaphragm, significantly extending the equipment's service life. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a hydrostatic liquid level sensor provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic flowchart of a method for cleaning a hydrostatic liquid level sensor provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0024] In the picture: 1-Housing; 2-Pressure-sensing core component; 3-Electrical dry cavity; 4-Sensing cavity; 5-Viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure; 6-Deep ultraviolet light source module; 7-Piezoelectric transducer component; 8-Supercapacitor module. Detailed Implementation

[0025] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described below are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments described in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0026] The inventors of this application discovered in their research that, in eutrophic seawater environments, existing hydrostatic level sensors mainly suffer from the following unresolved technical defects and shortcomings: (1) Nonlinear measurement drift caused by biofilm: Seawater contains a large number of marine organisms such as diatoms, barnacles, and sea squirts, which easily scale and form biofilms on the pressure-sensitive diaphragm surface of the sensor. From a physical perspective, the growth of biofilms not only changes the equivalent mass load on the pressure-sensitive diaphragm surface, but the secreted mucus also introduces additional viscoelastic damping. This uncontrollable change in physical parameters causes a continuous nonlinear drift in the zero point of the sensor output, which is difficult to eliminate using traditional linear temperature compensation algorithms, seriously affecting the long-term accuracy of liquid level monitoring.

[0027] (2) The engineering contradiction between active cleaning and damage to core components: To solve the adhesion problem, existing technologies attempt to introduce mechanical brushing or high-energy ultrasonic cleaning. However, mechanical brushing mechanisms are complex in structure and prone to mechanical jamming during long-term underwater operation. More seriously, existing ultrasonic cleaning technologies usually lack protection mechanisms for precision pressure-sensing components. Ceramic or diffused silicon diaphragms are inherently brittle materials and cannot withstand the impact of microjets generated by high-power ultrasonic cavitation for extended periods. Existing technologies lack effective viscoelastic acoustic decoupling (isolation) structures, leading to a vicious cycle of "the more thorough the cleaning, the higher the risk of sensor damage," resulting in a balance between maintenance and lifespan.

[0028] (3) Risk of "Misdiagnosis" under Complex Environmental Stress Although some high-end instruments have begun to try to introduce electromechanical impedance spectroscopy (EMI) technology for health self-diagnosis, there are significant technical blind spots in deep-water application scenarios (such as water depth > 15m). The huge hydrostatic pressure will cause pre-stress deformation of the sensor housing, resulting in a physical shift (rigidification effect) in its inherent electromechanical mode frequency. Existing technology cannot distinguish between "frequency drift caused by hydrostatic pressure changes" and "frequency drift caused by biological attachment". This strong coupling between environmental stress and fault characteristics makes it very easy for the sensor to misjudge high water pressure as "severe pollution" when the water level fluctuates greatly, thus erroneously triggering cleaning or falsely reporting faults.

[0029] (4) "Passive maintenance" mode lacking status awareness: Most existing liquid level sensors are single-function instruments that can only output liquid level data and do not have the ability to perceive their own health status in real time. Maintenance personnel cannot grasp the actual contamination status of the instruments and can usually only carry out fixed-period hoisting maintenance. This not only wastes manpower, but also increases the safety risks caused by personnel frequently entering and leaving the nuclear power plant pump room control area.

[0030] Therefore, how to develop a liquid level monitoring device that can physically isolate cleaning stress, decouple environmental interference through algorithms, and actively, non-destructively, and efficiently manage biological adhesion is a technical challenge that urgently needs to be solved in the fields of nuclear power plants and marine engineering.

[0031] To address these issues, this application provides a hydrostatic level sensor and its cleaning method and apparatus. It addresses technical problems in existing hydrostatic level sensors in marine environments, such as zero-point drift caused by biofouling, mechanical damage to the pressure-sensing element due to high-energy cleaning, and misjudgment in self-diagnosis under deep-water high-pressure conditions. By introducing a "viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure," the sensor utilizes the frequency response characteristics of materials to physically isolate high-frequency destructive stress while retaining high sensitivity to low-frequency level signals. This makes high-power cavitation cleaning possible without damaging the brittle ceramic diaphragm, significantly extending the equipment's lifespan. Furthermore, the proposed "environmental stress decoupling algorithm" establishes a mapping relationship between hydrostatic pressure and modal frequency, successfully eliminating frequency drift caused by deep-water prestress. Within a water depth range of 0-50m, it effectively prevents misjudging "high water level" as "heavy pollution," ensuring the robustness of the self-diagnosis logic.

[0032] Based on the above, in order to clearly and in detail illustrate the advantages of this application, the specific embodiments of this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0033] See Figure 1 The figure is a schematic diagram of the structure of a hydrostatic liquid level sensor provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0034] This application provides a hydrostatic liquid level sensor, comprising: a housing 1, a pressure-sensing core component 2, and an acoustic-optical defense array; The front end of the housing 1 is provided with an inwardly recessed stepped sensing cavity 4; the pressure sensing core component 2 is elastically connected to the sensing cavity 4 of the housing 1 through a viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure 5, so that it forms mechanical and acoustic isolation from the housing 1, and senses pressure through a pressure sensing diaphragm; the viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure 5 exhibits rigid transmission for hydrostatic pressure signals and high acoustic impedance for ultrasonic cleaning waves. The acoustic and optical defense array is arranged in concentric circles around the pressure-sensing core component 2, and is used to perform ultraviolet antibacterial and ultrasonic stripping on the inner wall of the sensing cavity 4 and the pressure-sensing core component 2.

[0035] In this embodiment, the front end of the housing 1 is designed with an inwardly recessed, stepped sensing cavity 4. This structure not only serves to rectify and prevent turbulence but also provides a physical protective barrier for the acoustic and optical defense array. In practical applications, the material of the housing 1 can be 316L stainless steel resistant to seawater corrosion, TA2 titanium alloy, Hastelloy, Monel alloy, or high-strength corrosion-resistant engineering plastics (such as PPS, PVDF), etc., and is not limited here. The pressure-sensing core component 2 can be a diffused silicon piezoresistive core or a ceramic capacitor core, and its specific pressure measurement method can adopt any existing pressure measurement method, which will not be listed here.

[0036] It should be noted that the pressure-sensing core component 2 is elastically connected to the sensing cavity 4 of the housing 1 through the viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure 5. The viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure 5 constitutes a mechanical low-pass filter—it exhibits rigid transmission for low-frequency hydrostatic pressure signals to ensure the accuracy of liquid level measurement; and it exhibits high acoustic impedance for high-frequency ultrasonic cleaning waves to attenuate the mechanical impact energy transmitted to the pressure-sensing core component 2 to below the safe threshold, thereby achieving compatibility between "cleaning" and "protection" at the physical level.

[0037] In one example, the viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure 5 can exhibit rigid transmission for signals with frequencies less than 10 Hz and high acoustic impedance for signals with frequencies greater than 28 kHz.

[0038] In practical implementation, the viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure 5 can adopt a loss factor of tan Made of materials with a density greater than 0.3.

[0039] As an example, the viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure 5 can be made of fluororubber (FKM) or polyetheretherketone (PEEK) resin composites. For instance, a viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure 5 made of a composite of modified fluororubber (FKM) or polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and nitrile rubber constitutes a "mechanical low-pass filter" in physics. For quasi-static liquid level pressure signals with frequencies f < 10 Hz, the structure exhibits rigid transmission, ensuring that the static pressure transmission loss is less than 0.01%FS, thus guaranteeing the accuracy of liquid level measurement. For high-energy ultrasonic cleaning waves with frequencies f > 28 kHz, due to the viscoelastic hysteresis effect of the internal chain segment motion of the material, it exhibits high acoustic impedance characteristics, attenuating more than 90% of the mechanical impact energy transmitted to the pressure-sensing core component (attenuation rate > 20 dB), thereby achieving compatibility between "cleaning" and "protection" at the physical level.

[0040] It should also be noted that the aforementioned acoustic and optical defense array adopts a purely physical anti-pollution method, with no release of toxic heavy metals, and complies with the green operation standards for nuclear power plants.

[0041] In some possible line-of-sight configurations of the embodiments of this application, the acoustic-optical defense array may include: a deep ultraviolet light source module 6 and a piezoelectric transducer component 7; The deep ultraviolet light source module 6 is encapsulated in the light-transmitting window at the front end of the housing 1. The antibacterial light field it projects covers the inner wall of the sensing cavity 4 and the surface of the pressure-sensitive diaphragm, which can achieve ultraviolet antibacterial effect on the inner wall of the sensing cavity 4 and the surface of the pressure-sensitive diaphragm, thus nipping biological adhesion in the bud during the microscopic film formation period.

[0042] In one example, the deep ultraviolet light source module 6 can be a UVC-LED wafer with a wavelength of 265nm-280nm, packaged in a high-transmittance quartz window.

[0043] The piezoelectric transducer 7 is mechanically coupled to the inner wall of the housing 1 and is used to generate diagnostic sweep waves and the ultrasonic cleaning waves, thereby achieving the cleaning of attached organisms through vibration.

[0044] In another example, there can be multiple piezoelectric transducers 7, evenly distributed in a circumferential array, rigidly coupled to the inner wall of the housing 1 via conductive silver paste. As an example, the piezoelectric transducer 7 can be a piezoelectric ceramic sheet.

[0045] In this embodiment, the synergistic effect of "ultraviolet antibacterial" and "ultrasonic ablation" can nip bioattachment in the bud during the microscopic film formation stage. Experimental data shows that the manual maintenance cycle of the sensor can be extended from the traditional 3 months to more than 18 months. This not only significantly reduces the cost of manual maintenance but also reduces the safety risks and potential misoperations caused by frequent personnel entering and leaving the nuclear power plant pump room control area, thereby improving operational safety.

[0046] In a specific implementation, the hydrostatic liquid level sensor may further include: an intelligent control unit; The housing 1 has a sealed electrical dry cavity 3 inside, which houses the intelligent control unit and achieves physical isolation between the electronic components and seawater; The intelligent control unit integrates a power-harvesting circuit and a supercapacitor module 8, which is used to accumulate energy in the power supply circuit and release instantaneous pulses through the supercapacitor module 8 to drive the piezoelectric transducer component 7 to generate the ultrasonic cleaning wave.

[0047] This application utilizes "supercapacitor energy management" technology to solve the problem of driving high-energy ultrasonic transducers under limited DC24V / 4-20mA two-wire power supply. It enables in-situ powerful cleaning without the need for additional power cables, significantly reducing the cost of intelligent retrofitting of aging pump rooms in nuclear power plants.

[0048] This application provides a hydrostatic liquid level sensor, including: a housing, a pressure-sensing core component, and an acoustic-optical defense array; the front end of the housing has an inwardly recessed, stepped sensing cavity; the pressure-sensing core component is elastically connected to the sensing cavity of the housing through a viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure, forming mechanical and acoustic isolation between it and the housing, and senses pressure through a pressure-sensing diaphragm; the viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure exhibits rigid transmission of hydrostatic pressure signals and high acoustic impedance to ultrasonic cleaning waves; the acoustic-optical defense array is arranged concentrically around the pressure-sensing core component, used for ultraviolet antibacterial treatment and ultrasonic ablation of the inner wall of the sensing cavity and the pressure-sensing core component. The viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure exhibits rigid transmission of hydrostatic pressure signals, ensuring that the liquid level measurement accuracy is not affected; it exhibits high acoustic impedance to ultrasonic cleaning waves, attenuating mechanical impact energy by more than 90%, thereby protecting the precision pressure-sensing diaphragm while achieving high-power cleaning. This application utilizes the frequency response characteristics of materials to achieve physical isolation from high-frequency destructive stress, while retaining high sensitivity to low-frequency liquid level signals. This makes it possible to perform high-power cavitation cleaning without damaging the brittle ceramic diaphragm, significantly extending the service life of the equipment.

[0049] Based on the hydrostatic level sensor provided in the above embodiments, this application also provides a cleaning method for the hydrostatic level sensor, applicable to any one of the hydrostatic level sensors provided in the above embodiments.

[0050] See Figure 2 The figure is a schematic flowchart of a hydrostatic liquid level sensor cleaning method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0051] This application provides a method for cleaning a hydrostatic level sensor, including: Step S201: Obtain the current hydrostatic pressure value P meas The electromechanical impedance spectrum resonance frequency f of the hydrostatic level sensor meas ; In practical implementation, the current hydrostatic pressure value P can be collected through the pressure-sensing core component 2. meas (i.e., real-time liquid level depth); drive the piezoelectric transducer 7 to perform a wideband frequency sweep of 20kHz-50kHz, and use Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to extract the current electromechanical impedance spectrum resonance frequency f. meas .

[0052] Step S202: Based on the hydrostatic pressure value P meas Determine the theoretical modal frequency shift caused by the current hydrostatic pressure. f(P); Because hydrostatic pressure acting on the shell generates prestress, it increases the structural stiffness, thereby causing a physical shift in the resonant frequency (stiffening effect). Step S203: Based on the theoretical modal frequency shift... f(P) and the electromechanical impedance spectrum resonance frequency f meas The equivalent resonant frequency f is obtained. corr ; Step S204: Based on the equivalent resonant frequency f corr Determine whether there is substantial biological attachment in the hydrostatic liquid level sensor; if it is determined that there is substantial biological attachment, proceed to step S205. Step S205: Drive the acoustic-optical defense array to perform ultrasonic stripping.

[0053] Because hydrostatic pressure exerts prestress on the shell, it increases structural stiffness, leading to a physical drift of the resonant frequency (stiffening effect). To eliminate this environmental interference, in this embodiment, based on the hydrostatic pressure value P... meas Determine the theoretical modal frequency shift caused by the current hydrostatic pressure. f(P), based on the theoretical mode frequency shift f(P) and the electromechanical impedance spectrum resonance frequency f meas The equivalent resonant frequency f is obtained. corr By subtracting the theoretical value from the measured frequency, environmental stress interference is eliminated, leaving only the impedance change caused by biological attachment, thus eliminating false alarms caused by water level fluctuations. Due to the presence of the viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure 5, the high-frequency shock wave mainly acts on the hard attachments to detach them without damaging the pressure-sensing core component 2.

[0054] It is understandable that chemical antifouling methods pose a risk of secondary contamination, and traditional timed cleaning can easily cause mechanical fatigue of the diaphragm. This application's embodiment employs a purely physical antifouling method, coupled with an intelligent triggering logic for "on-demand cleaning." There is no release of toxic heavy metals, meeting the green operation standards for nuclear power plants; simultaneously, by avoiding ineffective vibration, the mechanical fatigue of the pressure-sensitive diaphragm is reduced, increasing the overall service life of the unit by more than two times.

[0055] In some possible implementations of the embodiments of this application, step S204 may be followed by: If it is determined that there is no substantial biological attachment, proceed to step S206; Step S206: Drive the acoustic and optical defense array to perform ultraviolet antibacterial action.

[0056] In this embodiment, the synergistic effect of "ultraviolet antibacterial" and "ultrasonic ablation," combined with a closed-loop strategy of "sensing-diagnosis-decision-execution," effectively prevents biofilm formation during the microscopic film-forming stage. Experimental data shows that this method can extend the manual maintenance cycle of sensors from the traditional 3 months to more than 18 months. This not only significantly reduces manual maintenance costs but also reduces the safety risks and potential misoperations caused by frequent personnel entering and leaving the nuclear power plant pump room control area, thereby improving operational safety.

[0057] In one example, step S204 may specifically include: When the equivalent resonance frequency f corr When the difference between the static pressure level sensor and the factory-calibrated clean reference frequency f0 is greater than a first preset threshold, it is determined that there is substantial biological adhesion.

[0058] As an example, the first preset threshold could be 50Hz; no specific limit is imposed here.

[0059] It is understandable that when marine organisms (such as biofilms and barnacles) attach to the sensor, two physical effects occur: first, the mass increases, which leads to a decrease in the resonant frequency, i.e., the equivalent resonant frequency f. corr A frequency shift occurs between the clean reference frequency f0 specified at the factory and the standard frequency. Secondly, the damping increases; the biofilm, being viscoelastic, absorbs vibrational energy, resulting in a "flattening" of the resonance peak, meaning a significant decrease in the impedance amplitude at resonance. Therefore, in another example, step S201 may further include: Obtain the current impedance amplitude of the hydrostatic liquid level sensor; Therefore, step S204 specifically includes: When the equivalent resonance frequency f corr When the difference between the current impedance amplitude and the factory-calibrated clean reference frequency f0 is greater than the first preset threshold, and the difference between the current impedance amplitude and the factory-calibrated clean impedance amplitude is greater than the second preset threshold, it is determined that there is substantial biological adhesion in the hydrostatic liquid level sensor.

[0060] In practical implementation, the impedance amplitude can be calculated in real time by synchronously measuring the voltage and current signals during the wideband sweep of the driving piezoelectric transducer 7, which will not be elaborated here.

[0061] In some possible implementations of the embodiments of this application, step S202 may specifically include: The theoretical modal shift caused by hydrostatic pressure is calculated using the following formula (1). f(P); f(P) = •P meas + •P meas 2 (1) In the formula, is the linear stiffening coefficient, which characterizes the linear response of the material's elastic modulus to pressure; is the nonlinear deformation coefficient, which characterizes the influence of the geometric nonlinear deformation of the shell 1 under deep-water high pressure.

[0062] In practical applications, the sensor can be calibrated using an autoclave before leaving the factory. and Specifically, in a clean water environment, the pressure is increased from 0 to the upper limit of the range in steps of 0.5 MPa, and the frequency shift at each pressure point is recorded. The result is obtained by fitting using the least squares method, which will not be elaborated here.

[0063] In some possible implementations of the embodiments of this application, step S205 may be followed by: Return to step S201. If, after repeating steps S201-S205 a preset number of times, it is still determined that the hydrostatic level sensor has substantial biological adhesion, it is determined that the hydrostatic level sensor has stubborn physical damage or irreversible scaling, and a maintenance alarm is sent.

[0064] In practice, the preset number of repetitions can be 3. If the equivalent resonance frequency f... corr Returning to the baseline range, if no substantial biological attachment is detected, the system determines that the sensor has completed 'self-healing,' automatically resets the alarm flag, and resumes normal monitoring mode; if the equivalent resonant frequency f is within the range after 3 cycles of cleaning... corr If the level still fails to return to the baseline range, it is determined that the hydrostatic level sensor has persistent physical damage or irreversible scaling, at which point the system proactively reports a maintenance alarm. This mechanism represents a leap from 'passive maintenance' to 'autonomous health management'. The following example illustrates in detail the practical effect of a hydrostatic liquid level sensor cleaning method provided in this application.

[0065] To verify the effectiveness of the hydrostatic level sensor and its cleaning method provided in this application, a comparative test was conducted for 6 months in a nuclear power plant circulating water environment simulating diatoms and barnacle larvae and a water pressure of 0.5 MPa.

[0066] Control group (traditional level gauge): After 45 days of operation, the pressure-sensing diaphragm of the pressure-sensing core component 2 was completely covered by the biofilm, and the zero-point drift exceeded 2.5%FS. Moreover, due to its inability to detect this, it output erroneous data.

[0067] Experimental group (i.e., using a hydrostatic liquid level sensor and its cleaning method provided in the embodiments of this application): Self-diagnostic accuracy: Through the environmental stress decoupling algorithm, under the condition of a water level change of 10m, it successfully avoided 12 "false cleaning" operations caused by water pressure changes.

[0068] Cleaning effect: Three secondary cleanings were triggered within 6 months, and the electromechanical modal frequencies recovered to within ±0.5% of the initial values ​​after each cleaning.

[0069] Equipment health status: Disassembly and testing showed that the surface of the pressure-sensing core component 2 was as clean as new, and no micro-cracks caused by ultrasonic cleaning were found.

[0070] In summary, the hydrostatic level sensor and its cleaning method provided in this application, through the decoupling of the physical structure and the algorithm model, truly achieve long-term, high-precision, and maintenance-free operation of the hydrostatic level gauge in complex marine environments.

[0071] This application provides a cleaning method for a hydrostatic level sensor. Addressing the issue of misjudgment in existing impedance diagnostic techniques during water level fluctuations, the proposed "environmental stress decoupling algorithm" utilizes real-time hydrostatic pressure data and a mathematical model to correct the characteristic frequencies of the electromechanical impedance spectrum to determine the biofouling status. Various polynomial fitting or neural network compensation algorithms based on this logic can be employed. This application establishes a mapping relationship between hydrostatic pressure and modal frequencies, successfully eliminating frequency drift caused by deep-water prestress. Within a water depth range of 0-50m, it effectively prevents misjudging "high water level" as "heavy pollution," ensuring the robustness of the self-diagnostic logic.

[0072] Based on the hydrostatic level sensor and its cleaning method provided in the above embodiments, this application also provides a hydrostatic level sensor cleaning device, which can be applied to any one of the hydrostatic level sensors provided in the above embodiments.

[0073] This application provides a hydrostatic liquid level sensor cleaning device, comprising: The first acquisition module is used to acquire the current hydrostatic pressure value P. meas The electromechanical impedance spectrum resonance frequency f of the hydrostatic level sensor meas ; The frequency shift determination module is used to determine the frequency shift based on the hydrostatic pressure value P. meas Determine the theoretical modal frequency shift caused by the current hydrostatic pressure. f(P); The second acquisition module is used to obtain the theoretical mode frequency shift. f(P) and the electromechanical impedance spectrum resonance frequency f meas The equivalent resonant frequency f is obtained. corr ; The attachment determination module is used to determine the effective resonant frequency f. corr Determine whether the hydrostatic level sensor has substantial biofouling. The peeling drive module is used to drive the acoustic-optical defense array to perform ultrasonic peeling when the attachment determination module determines that there is substantial biological attachment.

[0074] In one example, the device may further include: The ultraviolet antibacterial module is used to drive the acoustic and optical defense array to perform ultraviolet antibacterial when the attachment judgment module determines that there is no substantial biological attachment.

[0075] In another example, the attachment determination module can be specifically used for: When the equivalent resonance frequency f corr When the difference between the static pressure level sensor and the factory-calibrated clean reference frequency f0 is greater than a first preset threshold, it is determined that there is substantial biological adhesion.

[0076] In some possible implementations of the embodiments of this application, the first acquisition module can also be used to acquire the current impedance amplitude of the hydrostatic liquid level sensor; Then, the attachment judgment module is specifically used when the equivalent resonant frequency f corr When the difference between the current impedance amplitude and the factory-calibrated clean reference frequency f0 is greater than the first preset threshold, and the difference between the current impedance amplitude and the factory-calibrated clean impedance amplitude is greater than the second preset threshold, it is determined that there is substantial biological adhesion in the hydrostatic liquid level sensor.

[0077] In some possible implementations of the embodiments of this application, the frequency shift determination module may specifically be used for: The theoretical modal shift caused by hydrostatic pressure is calculated using the following formula (1). f(P); f(P) = •P meas + •P meas 2 (1) In the formula, is the linear stiffening coefficient, which characterizes the linear response of the material's elastic modulus to pressure; is the nonlinear deformation coefficient, which characterizes the influence of the geometric nonlinear deformation of the shell 1 under deep-water high pressure.

[0078] In one example, the device may further include: The trigger module is used to trigger the first acquisition module after the stripping drive module drives the acoustic-optical defense array to perform ultrasonic stripping; The maintenance alarm module is used to determine that the hydrostatic level sensor has stubborn physical damage or irreversible scaling when the adhesion judgment module still determines that the hydrostatic level sensor has substantial biological adhesion after the peeling drive module has been triggered a preset number of times, and then sends a maintenance alarm.

[0079] This application provides a hydrostatic level sensor cleaning device. Addressing the issue of misjudgment in existing impedance diagnostic techniques during water level fluctuations, it proposes an "environmental stress decoupling algorithm." This algorithm utilizes real-time hydrostatic pressure data and a mathematical model to correct the characteristic frequencies of the electromechanical impedance spectrum to determine the biofouling status. Various polynomial fitting or neural network compensation algorithms based on this logic can be employed. This application establishes a mapping relationship between hydrostatic pressure and modal frequencies, successfully eliminating frequency drift caused by deep-water prestress. Within a water depth range of 0-50m, it effectively prevents misjudging "high water level" as "heavy pollution," ensuring the robustness of the self-diagnostic logic.

[0080] Based on the hydrostatic liquid level sensor and its cleaning method and apparatus provided in the above embodiments, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon. When the computer program is executed, it implements any one of the hydrostatic liquid level sensor cleaning methods provided in the above embodiments.

[0081] Based on the hydrostatic liquid level sensor and its cleaning method and apparatus provided in the above embodiments, this application also provides a controller, including: a memory and a processor; the memory stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements any one of the hydrostatic liquid level sensor cleaning methods provided in the above embodiments.

[0082] The present application has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. However, the present application is not limited to the above embodiments. Within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art, various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present application. All content not described in detail in this application can be derived from existing technology.

Claims

1. A hydrostatic liquid level sensor, characterized in that, The hydrostatic liquid level sensor includes: a housing (1), a pressure-sensing core component (2), and an acoustic and optical defense array; The front end of the housing (1) is provided with an inwardly recessed stepped sensing cavity (4); the pressure sensing core component (2) is elastically connected to the sensing cavity (4) of the housing (1) through a viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure (5), so that it forms mechanical and acoustic isolation from the housing (1), and senses pressure through a pressure sensing diaphragm; the viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure (5) exhibits rigid transmission for hydrostatic pressure signals and high acoustic impedance for ultrasonic cleaning waves; The acoustic and optical defense array is arranged in concentric circles around the pressure-sensing core component (2) and is used to perform ultraviolet antibacterial and ultrasonic stripping on the inner wall of the sensing cavity (4) and the pressure-sensing core component (2).

2. The hydrostatic liquid level sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure (5) exhibits rigid transmission for signals with frequencies less than 10 Hz and high acoustic impedance for signals with frequencies greater than 28 kHz.

3. The hydrostatic liquid level sensor according to claim 2, characterized in that, The viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure (5) uses a loss factor tan Made of materials with a density greater than 0.

3.

4. The hydrostatic liquid level sensor according to claim 3, characterized in that, The viscoelastic acoustic decoupling structure (5) is made of fluororubber or polyether ether ketone resin composite material.

5. The hydrostatic liquid level sensor according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The acoustic and optical defense array includes: a deep ultraviolet light source module (6) and a piezoelectric transducer (7). The deep ultraviolet light source module (6) is encapsulated in the light-transmitting window at the front end of the housing (1), and the antibacterial light field it projects covers the inner wall of the sensing cavity (4) and the surface of the pressure-sensitive diaphragm. The piezoelectric transducer (7) is mechanically coupled to the inner wall of the housing (1) to generate diagnostic sweep waves and the ultrasonic cleaning waves.

6. The hydrostatic liquid level sensor according to claim 5, characterized in that, The hydrostatic liquid level sensor also includes: an intelligent control unit; The housing (1) has a sealed electrical dry cavity (3) inside, which houses the intelligent control unit; The intelligent control unit integrates a power-collecting circuit and a supercapacitor module (8) to accumulate energy in the power supply circuit and release instantaneous pulses through the supercapacitor module (8) to drive the piezoelectric transducer component (7) to generate the ultrasonic cleaning wave.

7. The hydrostatic liquid level sensor according to claim 5, characterized in that, There are multiple piezoelectric transducer components (7), which are evenly distributed in an array along the circumference.

8. The hydrostatic liquid level sensor according to claim 5, characterized in that, The piezoelectric transducer (7) is a piezoelectric ceramic sheet.

9. A method for cleaning a hydrostatic liquid level sensor, characterized in that, Applied to the hydrostatic level sensor according to any one of claims 1-8; the method includes: Step S201: Obtain the current hydrostatic pressure value P meas The electromechanical impedance spectrum resonance frequency f of the hydrostatic level sensor meas ; Step S202: Based on the hydrostatic pressure value P meas Determine the theoretical modal frequency shift caused by the current hydrostatic pressure. f(P); Step S203: Based on the theoretical mode frequency shift... f(P) and the electromechanical impedance spectrum resonance frequency f meas The equivalent resonant frequency f is obtained. corr ; Step S204: Based on the equivalent resonant frequency f corr Determine whether there is substantial biological attachment in the hydrostatic liquid level sensor; if it is determined that there is substantial biological attachment, proceed to step S205. Step S205: Drive the acoustic-optical defense array to perform ultrasonic stripping.

10. The cleaning method for a hydrostatic liquid level sensor according to claim 9, characterized in that, Step S204 is followed by: If it is determined that there is no substantial biological attachment, proceed to step S206; Step S206: Drive the acoustic and optical defense array to perform ultraviolet antibacterial action.

11. The cleaning method for a hydrostatic liquid level sensor according to claim 9, characterized in that, Step S204 specifically includes: When the equivalent resonance frequency f corr When the difference between the static pressure level sensor and the factory-calibrated clean reference frequency f0 is greater than a first preset threshold, it is determined that there is substantial biological adhesion.

12. The cleaning method for a hydrostatic liquid level sensor according to claim 11, characterized in that, Step S201 further includes: Obtain the current impedance amplitude of the hydrostatic liquid level sensor; Therefore, step S204 specifically includes: When the equivalent resonance frequency f corr When the difference between the current impedance amplitude and the factory-calibrated clean reference frequency f0 is greater than the first preset threshold, and the difference between the current impedance amplitude and the factory-calibrated clean impedance amplitude is greater than the second preset threshold, it is determined that there is substantial biological adhesion in the hydrostatic liquid level sensor.

13. The cleaning method for a hydrostatic liquid level sensor according to any one of claims 9-12, characterized in that, Step S202 specifically includes: The theoretical modal shift caused by hydrostatic pressure is calculated using the following formula (1). f(P); f(P)= •P meas + •P meas 2 (1) In the formula, is the linear stiffening coefficient, which characterizes the linear response of the material's elastic modulus to pressure; is the nonlinear deformation coefficient, which characterizes the influence of the geometric nonlinear deformation of the shell (1) under deep water and high pressure.

14. The cleaning method for a hydrostatic liquid level sensor according to any one of claims 9-12, characterized in that, Step S205 is followed by: Return to step S201. If, after repeating steps S201-S205 a preset number of times, it is still determined that the hydrostatic level sensor has substantial biological adhesion, it is determined that the hydrostatic level sensor has stubborn physical damage or irreversible scaling, and a maintenance alarm is sent.

15. A hydrostatic liquid level sensor cleaning device, characterized in that, The device is applied to the hydrostatic level sensor according to any one of claims 1-8; the device comprises: The first acquisition module is used to acquire the current hydrostatic pressure value P. meas The electromechanical impedance spectrum resonance frequency f of the hydrostatic level sensor meas ; The frequency shift determination module is used to determine the frequency shift based on the hydrostatic pressure value P. meas Determine the theoretical modal frequency shift caused by the current hydrostatic pressure. f(P); The second acquisition module is used to obtain the theoretical mode frequency shift. f(P) and the electromechanical impedance spectrum resonance frequency f meas The equivalent resonant frequency f is obtained. corr ; The attachment determination module is used to determine the effective resonant frequency f. corr Determine whether the hydrostatic level sensor has substantial biofouling. The peeling drive module is used to drive the acoustic-optical defense array to perform ultrasonic peeling when the attachment determination module determines that there is substantial biological attachment.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It stores a computer program that, when executed, implements the hydrostatic liquid level sensor cleaning method as described in any one of claims 9-14.

17. A controller, characterized in that, include: A memory and a processor; the memory stores a computer program that, when executed by the processor, implements the hydrostatic level sensor cleaning method as described in any one of claims 9-14.

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