Apparatus and method for measuring material distribution

Abstract

To provide a substance distribution measurement device which enables evaluation of a substance distribution of substances adhered to an inner surface of a jacket of a substance processing device.SOLUTION: A substance distribution measurement device is provided, comprising boundary wave generation means for generating a boundary wave in such a way that the boundary wave propagates along a jacket of a substance processing device, multiple sets of reception means for receiving the boundary wave propagating along the jacket, and a computation unit configured to derive a substance distribution of substances adhered to an inner surface of the jacket on the basis of data on the boundary wave received by the multiple sets of reception means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substance distribution measuring device and a substance distribution measuring method. [Background technology]

[0002] In material processing equipment such as pipes and reaction tanks used in factories, etc., materials having fluidity are transported and various processes are performed, and even though they are operated continuously for a long period of time, they are managed by regular maintenance work. The materials having fluidity are slurries, liquids, powders, etc., and when they are transported or various processes are performed inside the material processing equipment, adhesion may occur on the inner walls of the material processing equipment.

[0003] For example, methods for evaluating the thickness of deposits on piping have been studied in the past. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for measuring scale on boiler tubes, which is characterized by closing the bottom end of a boiler tube, filling the tube with an emergency hot fluid that has a temperature different from room temperature, and determining the state of scale deposition by determining the difference between the temperature of the emergency hot fluid filled in the tube and the temperature of the outer wall of the tube after a predetermined time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-175529 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Depending on the extent of the deposits formed on the inner walls of a material treatment device, they may hinder stable operation of the device. For this reason, it is necessary to measure the distribution of the substances deposited on the inner surface of the outer casing of the material treatment device and to perform maintenance work at an appropriate time, and there has been a demand for a material distribution measuring device that can evaluate the distribution of the substances deposited on the inner surface of the outer casing of a material treatment device.

[0006] In view of the problems associated with the above-mentioned conventional techniques, an object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a material distribution measuring device capable of evaluating the material distribution of a material adhering to the inner surface of an outer casing of a material processing device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, a boundary wave generating means for generating a boundary wave to propagate along an outer casing of the material processing device; a plurality of receiving means for receiving the boundary waves propagated along the outer cover; A calculation unit that calculates a material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the outer jacket based on the data of the boundary waves received by the plurality of receiving means. death, The calculation unit compares a dispersion curve calculated from the boundary wave data received by the multiple receiving means with a theoretical dispersion curve calculated based on a predicted pattern of the material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the outer jacket, and obtains the material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the outer jacket. A material distribution measuring device is provided. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a material distribution measuring device capable of evaluating the material distribution of a material adhering to the inner surface of an outer casing of a material processing device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a substance distribution measuring device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a top view of a substance distribution measuring device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] Theoretical dispersion curve for the A0 mode of Lamb waves in a steel plate. [Figure 4] Theoretical dispersion curve for the A0 mode of Lamb waves in a lead plate. [Diagram 5] Measurement results and theoretical dispersion curve for a 4mm thick steel plate. [Figure 6] Measurement results and theoretical dispersion curve for a 6mm thick steel plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the form for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the following embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. [Matter distribution measuring device] An example of the configuration of a material processing device of this embodiment is shown in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view taken along a plane passing through material distribution measuring device 10 of this embodiment in a state in which material distribution measuring device 10 is attached to material processing device 100. Figure 2 is a top view of material distribution measuring device 10 in Figure 1 as viewed along block arrow A, with illustration of calculation unit 13 and wiring omitted.

[0011] First, a material processing apparatus to which the material distribution measuring apparatus of this embodiment and a material distribution measuring method to be described later can be suitably applied will be described. (1) Material treatment equipment The material processing device 100 may be any device or pipe that transports or processes various materials having fluidity such as slurry, liquid, powder, etc., and examples thereof include reaction tanks used in factories, various processing devices, and piping.

[0012] The material processing device 100 can have an outer covering 101 and an inner region 102 surrounded by the outer covering 101. The material of the outer covering 101 is not particularly limited, but according to the material distribution measuring device 10 of this embodiment, even if the outer covering 101 is made of a material with high hardness, the material distribution of a material attached to the inner surface of the outer covering 101 can be measured. For this reason, the outer covering 101 can include one or more types of material selected from, for example, metal and resin, and the outer covering 101 can also be made of metal or resin.

[0013] Then, by transporting, processing, etc., a material having fluidity within the internal region 102 surrounded by the outer jacket 101, a substance 103, which is a deposit such as scale, is generated and adheres to the inner surface of the outer jacket 101. According to the substance distribution measuring device 10 of this embodiment, it is possible to measure the substance distribution, such as the thickness, of the substance 103 adhered to the inner surface of the outer jacket 101. The inner surface of the outer jacket 101 here refers to the surface on the side of the internal region 102 surrounded by the outer jacket 101, and means the surface on the side where various materials are transported and processed in the material processing device 100. (2)Matter distribution measuring device The inventors of the present invention have investigated a material distribution measuring device capable of measuring the distribution of a material adhering to the inner surface of the outer casing of a material processing device. In the course of their investigation, they have focused on elastic waves, which allow for non-destructive measurement.

[0014] A body wave is one type of elastic wave. However, the outer casing of a material processing device is usually made of metal or the like, and the speed at which the body wave propagates through the outer casing made of metal or the like is very fast. For this reason, it is difficult for the receiving means to receive the body wave that has propagated through the outer casing of the material processing device, and it has been difficult to create a material distribution measuring device using the body wave.

[0015] The inventors of the present invention then conducted further research and discovered that by using boundary waves, a type of elastic wave, it is possible to measure the material distribution of material adhering to the inner surface of the outer casing of a material processing device, and thus completed the present invention.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, a substance distribution measuring device 10 of this embodiment can have a boundary wave generating means 11, a receiving means 12, and a calculation unit 13.

[0017] Hereinafter, each member of the substance distribution measuring device of this embodiment will be described. (2-1) Boundary wave generating means The boundary wave generating means 11 is capable of generating a boundary wave to propagate along the outer casing of the material processing device.

[0018] The configuration of the boundary wave generating means 11 is not particularly limited as long as it is a means capable of generating a predetermined boundary wave, and examples of such means include a hammer, a piezoelectric element, etc. The boundary wave generating means 11 can generate a boundary wave that propagates along the outer casing 101 of the material treatment device 100, for example, by applying vibration or impact to the outer casing 101 of the material treatment device 100.

[0019] In addition, the boundary wave generating means 11 can also be connected to a calculation unit 13 or a separately provided control device in order to control the timing of generating the boundary wave and the timing of receiving the boundary wave that has propagated through the outer sheath by the receiving means 12.

[0020] Boundary waves propagate along the boundaries between solids and gases or solids and liquids, and have dispersive properties that propagate at different speeds for each frequency. The type of boundary wave used by the material distribution measuring device of this embodiment is not particularly limited. However, the outer casing of a material processing device is usually plate-shaped, and the material adhering to the outer casing is also formed to fit the outer casing. Since the measurement target is thus a plate-shaped body, from the viewpoint of improving measurement accuracy, it is preferable that the boundary wave be, for example, a Lamb wave, which is a type of plate wave.

[0021] The frequency of the boundary wave generated by the boundary wave generating means 11 is not particularly limited and can be selected according to the thickness of the object to be measured, the mode of the boundary wave used in the measurement, etc. The frequency of the boundary wave generated by the boundary wave generating means 11 is preferably 200 Hz or more and 3000 Hz or less, and more preferably 500 Hz or more and 2000 Hz or less. (2-2) Receiving means The material distribution measuring device 10 of this embodiment can have a plurality of receiving means 12 that receives the boundary wave generated by the boundary wave generating means 11 and propagated along the outer casing 101 of the material processing device 100 .

[0022] The receiving means 12 may be any means capable of receiving boundary waves, and may be, for example, a seismometer or an optical fiber sensor (Distributed Acoustic Sensing: DAS).

[0023] The boundary wave has a dispersive property that the propagation speed differs for each frequency. For this reason, it is preferable to provide a plurality of receiving means 12 on the outer casing 101 of the material processing device 100 so that the propagation speed of the boundary wave of each frequency can be measured.

[0024] Specifically, it is preferable to arrange the multiple receiving means 12 so that the distance from the boundary wave generating means 11 to each receiving means 12 is different, and for example, it is preferable to arrange the multiple receiving means 12 in a line on the surface of the outer casing 101 of the material treatment device 100. Specifically, for example, as shown in Fig. 2, the multiple receiving means 12 can be arranged on a straight line L.

[0025] Distance L between the multiple receiving means 12 12 is not particularly limited, and can be selected according to the sampling frequency of the receiving means 12, the frequency range of the boundary wave to be used, and the like.

[0026] As will be described later, a theoretical dispersion curve of the boundary wave can be calculated from the material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the housing 101 of the material treatment device 100. Then, by comparing the dispersion curve of the boundary wave calculated from the propagation speed of the boundary wave of each frequency measured by the receiving means 12 with the above-mentioned theoretical dispersion curve, the material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the housing 101 of the material treatment device 100 can be obtained.

[0027] For this reason, the receiving means 12 is preferably arranged so as to include a region on the surface of the housing 101 of the material processing device 100 where the material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the housing 101 is required to be measured.

[0028] The receiving means 12 is preferably configured to be connected to the calculation unit 13 so as to be able to supply the measured data. As will be described later, the calculation unit 13 creates a dispersion curve based on the data received by the receiving means 12, and compares it with a theoretical dispersion curve to determine the material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the jacket 101. (2-3) Arithmetic section The calculation unit 13 can obtain the material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the jacket 101 based on the boundary wave data received by the multiple receiving means 12 .

[0029] Here, for example, Lamb waves are expressed by the Rayleigh-Lamb frequency equations in the following equations (1-1) and (1-2).

[0030]

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[0031]

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[0032]

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[0033]

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[0034] Equations (1-1) and (1-2) are the dispersion relations for the symmetric mode and the antisymmetric mode, respectively. There are multiple k's that satisfy these equations at the same frequency, which correspond to different order modes of Lamb waves.

[0035] Here, in Figure 3, the elastic wave velocity of typical iron, V P = 6000m / s, V S= 3000m / s. The A0 mode is the dispersion curve corresponding to the fundamental mode of the antisymmetric mode derived from the solution of equation (1-2). Theoretical values ​​were calculated for each thickness of the steel plate shown in the legend in Figure 3. As can be seen from Figure 3, the thicker the plate, the faster the phase velocity at the same frequency, and the thinner the plate, the slower the phase velocity.

[0036] Figure 4 also shows the elastic wave velocity of typical lead, V P = 2000 m / s, V S The theoretical dispersion curve for the A0 mode of Lamb waves calculated assuming a velocity of 700 m / s is shown in Fig. 3. Comparing Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, V P , V S It can be seen that the faster the velocity of the Lamb wave, the faster the phase velocity of the Lamb wave.

[0037] As described above, the theoretical dispersion curve changes depending on the elastic wave velocity and thickness of the material. Therefore, the material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the jacket 101 can be obtained based on the boundary wave data received by the receiving means 12. Specifically, by comparing the boundary wave measurement data by the receiving means with, for example, a theoretical dispersion curve for a material thought to be adhering to the inner surface of the jacket 101, the material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the jacket 101 can be obtained.

[0038] Specific comparative examples are shown in Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 shows the results of measurement of a 4 mm thick iron plate using the material distribution measurement device of this embodiment. Figure 6 shows the results of measurement of a 6 mm thick iron plate using the material distribution measurement device of this embodiment.

[0039] In Figures 5 and 6, the signal magnitude is shown in black and white color maps, with the whiter the color, the larger the signal. The black dots are the points with the largest signal for each frequency. Figures 5 and 6 also show the theoretical dispersion curves for each steel plate thickness indicated in the legend.

[0040] It can be seen that the maximum value of the measured signal for each frequency in Fig. 5 almost coincides with the theoretical dispersion curve of an iron plate with a thickness of 4 mm. It can be seen that the maximum value of the measured signal for each frequency in Fig. 6 almost coincides with the theoretical dispersion curve of an iron plate with a thickness of 6 mm. In other words, it was confirmed that the material distribution of the material attached to the inner surface of the outer casing 101 can be obtained by comparing the measurement data of the boundary wave at the receiving means with the theoretical dispersion curve for the material thought to be attached to the inner surface of the outer casing 101.

[0041] Here, an example is shown in which the object to be measured is measured directly, without going through the jacket, but even if the measurement is made through the jacket, the material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the jacket can be obtained by comparing the measurement data with the theoretical dispersion curve in the same way.

[0042] For this reason, the calculation unit 13 compares the dispersion curve calculated from the boundary wave data received by the multiple receiving means 12 with a theoretical dispersion curve calculated based on a predicted pattern of the material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the outer sheath 101, and determines the material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the outer sheath 101.

[0043] Note that, although the A0 mode of Lamb waves has been used as an example, the present invention is not limited to the A0 mode, and it is also possible to predict the material distribution of materials adhering to the inner surface of the outer jacket in other modes by changing the frequency band of the boundary wave used.

[0044] The configuration of the calculation unit 13 is not particularly limited, but may have a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a main memory device, an auxiliary memory device, an input / output interface, etc. so as to process data of the boundary wave received by the receiving means 12 as described above, and to communicate with the receiving means 12, etc.

[0045] Examples of the main storage device include a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), and examples of the auxiliary storage device include a SSD (Solid State Drive) and a HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Examples of the input / output interface include a communication interface for exchanging control signals and data with the boundary wave generating means 11 and the receiving means 12. The type of communication interface is not particularly limited, and examples include a wired LAN (Local Area Network) and a wireless LAN.

[0046] According to the material distribution measuring device of this embodiment described above, the material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the outer casing of the material processing device can be evaluated. [Matter distribution measurement method] Next, the material distribution measurement method of this embodiment will be described. Note that the material distribution measurement inspection method of this embodiment can be suitably carried out using the material distribution measurement device already described. Therefore, some of the matters already described will not be described.

[0047] Moreover, the material processing apparatus to which the material distribution measuring method of this embodiment is applied has already been described in the material distribution measuring apparatus, and therefore description thereof will be omitted here.

[0048] The material distribution measuring method of the present embodiment can include a boundary wave generating step, a receiving step, and a calculating step.

[0049] Each step is explained below. (1) Boundary wave generation process The boundary wave generating step can include generating a boundary wave by boundary wave generating means so as to propagate along the outer casing of the material processing device.

[0050] The structure of the boundary wave generating means is not particularly limited as long as it is a means capable of generating a predetermined boundary wave, and examples thereof include a hammer and a piezoelectric element.

[0051] Although the type of boundary wave used in the material distribution measuring method of the present embodiment is not particularly limited, it is preferable that the boundary wave is, for example, a Lamb wave.

[0052] There is no particular limitation on the frequency of the boundary wave generated by the boundary wave generating means 11. For example, the frequency of the boundary wave generated by the boundary wave generating means 11 is preferably in the range of 200 Hz or more and 3000 Hz or less, and more preferably in the range of 500 Hz or more and 2000 Hz or less. (2) Receiving process The receiving step can receive the boundary wave propagated along the outer cover by a plurality of receiving means.

[0053] The boundary wave has a dispersive property that the wave propagates at a different speed for each frequency. Therefore, in the receiving step, it is preferable to provide a plurality of receiving means 12 on the outer casing 101 of the material processing device 100 so that the propagation speed of the boundary wave of each frequency can be measured.

[0054] Specifically, it is preferable to arrange the multiple receiving means 12 so that the distance from the boundary wave generating means 11 to each receiving means 12 is different, and for example, it is preferable to arrange the multiple receiving means 12 in a line on the surface of the outer casing 101 of the material treatment device 100. Specifically, for example, as shown in Fig. 2, the multiple receiving means 12 can be arranged on a straight line L. (3) Calculation process The calculation step can obtain a material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the jacket based on the boundary wave data received by the multiple receiving means.

[0055] In the calculation process, the dispersion curve calculated from the boundary wave data received by the multiple receiving means 12 is compared with a theoretical dispersion curve calculated based on a predicted pattern of material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the outer jacket, thereby determining the material distribution of the material adhering inside the outer jacket.

[0056] According to the substance distribution measuring method of this embodiment described above, the substance distribution of the substance adhering to the inner surface of the outer casing of the substance processing device can be evaluated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10 Material distribution measuring device 11 Boundary wave generating means 12 Receiving means 13 Arithmetic section 100 Material Processing Equipment 101 Outer cover 102 Internal area

Claims

1. a boundary wave generating means for generating a boundary wave to propagate along an outer casing of the material processing device; a plurality of receiving means for receiving the boundary waves propagated along the outer cover; a calculation unit that calculates a material distribution of a material adhering to the inner surface of the jacket based on the data of the boundary wave received by the plurality of receiving means, The calculation unit compares a dispersion curve calculated from the boundary wave data received by the multiple receiving means with a theoretical dispersion curve calculated based on a predicted pattern of material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the outer jacket, thereby determining the material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the outer jacket.

2. 2. The substance distribution measuring device according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of receiving means are arranged in a line on the surface of said housing.

3. 3. The substance distribution measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the boundary wave is a Lamb wave.

4. 4. The substance distribution measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of the boundary wave generated by the boundary wave generating means is 500 Hz or more and 2000 Hz or less.

5. The substance distribution measuring device according to claim 1 , wherein the outer cover includes at least one material selected from the group consisting of metal and resin.

6. a boundary wave generating step of generating a boundary wave by a boundary wave generating means so as to propagate along an outer casing of the material processing device; a receiving step of receiving the boundary wave propagated along the outer jacket by a plurality of receiving means; and a calculation step of calculating a material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the jacket based on the data of the boundary wave received by the plurality of receiving means, The calculation step compares a dispersion curve calculated from the boundary wave data received by the multiple receiving means with a theoretical dispersion curve calculated based on a predicted pattern of material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the outer sheath, thereby determining the material distribution of the material adhering to the inner surface of the outer sheath.

7. 7. The method for measuring a substance distribution according to claim 6, wherein said plurality of receiving means are arranged in a line on the surface of said envelope.

8. 8. The method for measuring a substance distribution according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the boundary wave is a Lamb wave.

9. 9. The method for measuring a material distribution according to claim 6, wherein the frequency of the boundary wave generated by the boundary wave generating means is 500 Hz or more and 2000 Hz or less.

10. The method for measuring a substance distribution according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the coating includes at least one material selected from the group consisting of metal and resin.

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