Portable device and method for estimating a parameter of a polymer material

Abstract

This invention relates to a portable device for estimating at least one parameter characteristic of a polymer material, characterized in that: the device includes at least one infrared light source, each infrared light source capable of emitting a spectral line representing the maximum emission energy toward the polymer material, the line being selected from one of wavelengths of 10 micrometers, 9.5 micrometers, 7.2 micrometers, 6 micrometers, 3.5 micrometers, and 2.7 micrometers or one of wavenumbers of 1000 cm⁻¹, 1050 cm⁻¹, 1350 cm⁻¹, 1700 cm⁻¹, 2900 cm⁻¹, and 3700 cm⁻¹; at least one infrared detector capable of receiving infrared radiation reflected by the polymer material in response to the spectral line; and a unit for determining the parameter characteristic of the polymer material based on the energy of the spectral line appearing in the infrared radiation reflected by the polymer material and received by the infrared detector.

Description

[Technical Field] This invention relates to an apparatus for estimating parameters of polymer materials. The application of this invention relates to polymers used as coatings, particularly in nuclear power plants used for power generation, on walls or pipes. This invention relates to measuring one or more parameters on a material, which, in a non-limiting manner, may be: - a polymer coating, typically a paint that constitutes a paint, - a polymer component, such as a conduit for conveying fluid, - a cable. Such coatings or components are common in industrial environments, such as nuclear power plant sites where these coatings and components must withstand harsh temperature and humidity conditions. Safety regulations applicable to nuclear power plants require the sealing properties of surface coatings, such as polymer coatings applied to the internal concrete walls forming the reactor building shell to withstand harsh temperature and humidity conditions. Delamination or peeling of such coatings can obstruct and clog the emergency sprinkler circuitry (EAS) within the reactor building shell, which uses sprayed water droplets. This could occur during operational testing or in unexpected situations, leading to the release of hot water and a substantial increase in pressure and temperature within the shell originating from coating delamination. The dimensions of the EAS system are thus determined. These requirements are more generally applicable to all polymer-based materials, such as so-called high-density polymer tubing or conduits, where the circulating fluid may be at high temperatures. In this case, the inner surface of the tubing must be inspected. Another example requiring monitoring is cables, also made of polymer compositions, where degradation is synonymous with loss of electrical insulation. [Previous Technology] Operators are required to monitor the condition of components such as paint surface coatings and conduits and cables, in accordance with regulations and safety standards for various industries. Due to their polymer structures, appropriate control methods must be implemented. In cases such as coatings applied to nuclear power plants, the interior walls of the plant buildings must maintain a sealing function. It is well known that visual inspection cannot estimate the true state of aging parameters, such as cracking or blistering, regarding the required criteria. In fact, the appearance of cracking or blistering immediately indicates a diagnosis of deep degradation, or these symptoms may not appear and the operator cannot determine their presence. Even if degradation is not visible to the naked eye, it may have already begun in the thin microstructure of the coating, equivalent to a loss of protective features such as a seal. This indicates that in these situations, even if the coating appears robust, it may not withstand the effects of a substantial, temporary increase in temperature and humidity, potentially rendering the additional coating a hazardous waste for the operator. Therefore, the challenge is to anticipate such situations through relevant assessments of aging conditions, even before embrittlement begins to occur. In this way, operators expect a method for measuring degradation that anticipates maintenance needs based on previously defined degradation criteria and previously established maintenance procedures. To control the coating, it is known to produce model briquettes during the paint production stage. The model briquettes are coated with a polymer coating and then stored in boxes inside the relevant building. This method is based on the assumption that the aging of the briquettes is representative of the aging of the protective coating. The model briquettes are controlled in a programmed manner in an analytical laboratory. This involves the periodic transport (round trip) of the model briquettes between their storage location and the analytical laboratory. Several disadvantages exist: Bricks can sometimes be lost or damaged during transport. To replace model bricks, core sampling of cement is necessary, such as for the walls of nuclear power plant buildings. This operation requires substantial maintenance, as the holes created by the core sampling must be refilled and re-coated. The aging state of the brick coating is not entirely representative of the entire building. Furthermore, another issue that may need to be addressed is checking the presence of the identified polymer. For example, in environments as described above, the objective may be to check, in reactor buildings in the aforementioned or other environments, and more generally, in other buildings with industrial characteristics in various environments, whether the products forming, for example, joints, actually constitute the polymer material specified in the specifications. [Summary of the Invention] The present invention aims to overcome the disadvantages of prior art and solve the above-mentioned problems of estimating polymer material parameters with an apparatus and method that is simple to implement and suitable for systematically detecting aging tracers of polymer materials. To this end, a first objective of the present invention is an apparatus for estimating at least one parameter of a polymer material, characterized in that the apparatus comprises: at least one infrared light source capable of emitting first infrared radiation toward the polymer material, the first infrared radiation having at least one emission spectral line having at least one predetermined wavelength, the at least one predetermined wavelength corresponding to the detection of at least one aging tracer of the polymer material; at least one infrared detector capable of receiving second infrared radiation, the second infrared radiation being reflected by the polymer material in response to the emission of the first infrared radiation; and a unit for determining the parameter of the polymer material based on the presence of at least one line of the predetermined wavelength in the second infrared radiation. According to a specific embodiment, a portable device for estimating at least one parameter characteristic of a polymer material is provided, characterized in that the device comprises: at least one infrared light source, each infrared light source capable of emitting a spectral line representing the maximum emission energy toward the polymer material, the line being selected from one of wavelengths of 10 micrometers, 9.5 micrometers, 7.2 micrometers, 6 micrometers, 3.5 micrometers, and 2.7 micrometers or wavenumbers of 1000 cm⁻¹, 1050 cm⁻¹, 1350 cm⁻¹, 1700 cm⁻¹, 2900 cm⁻¹, and 3700 cm⁻¹; at least one infrared detector capable of receiving infrared radiation emitted by the at least one infrared light source and reflected by the polymer material in response to the spectral line; and a determination unit for determining the parameter characteristic of the polymer material based on the energy of the spectral line appearing in the infrared radiation, the infrared radiation being reflected by the polymer material and received by the infrared detector. The selected wavelength and wavenumber were determined by the inventors when detecting an aging tracer of a polymer material by emitting a line with the maximum energy at one of these values. Therefore, the present invention enables the determination of polymer parameters based on the detection of aging tracers, and this can be done using a portable device that is very simple to implement. Therefore, the device of the present invention avoids irradiating polymer materials with all wavelengths of the infrared spectrum, but instead irradiates them with only one or more wavelengths of interest located in one or more of the above wavelengths or wavenumbers, so as to avoid having to use a spectrometer to select one or more wavelengths that are received by the infrared detector. According to one specific embodiment, there may be several infrared light sources. According to one specific embodiment, there may be several spectral lines. According to one specific embodiment, each infrared light source is capable of emitting a unique spectral line toward the polymer material, as described above. Hereinafter, the infrared radiation reflected by the polymer material and received by the infrared detector in response to the infrared light source(s) emitting the aforementioned spectral line(s) is also referred to as second infrared radiation. According to one specific embodiment, the spectral line is a narrow transmission frequency band. According to one specific embodiment, the parameter characteristic of the polymer material is the presence and / or content of at least one aging tracer in the polymer material. According to one specific embodiment, this parameter characteristic of the polymer material is an identifier of the polymer. According to one specific embodiment, each infrared light source is capable of emitting the spectral line toward the polymer material in the form of one or more time pulses. According to one specific embodiment, the time pulse is rectangular. According to one embodiment, a plurality of control components are provided for activating at least one infrared detector in sync with a time pulse (s). According to one embodiment, the device includes a control member for acquiring a plurality of first measurements of the infrared radiation during a first predetermined time width that is included in or equal to at least one of the pulses, to calculate an estimate of a first value representing one of the first measurements, the parameter being calculated at least from the first value. According to one embodiment, the device includes a control member for acquiring a plurality of second measurements of the second infrared radiation during a second predetermined time width that is included in or equal to the time width between two successive pulses, to calculate an estimate of a second value representing one of the second measurements, the parameter being calculated at least from the difference between the first value and the second value. According to one embodiment, the device further includes at least one manual control component for triggering the emission of the spectral line by the at least one infrared light source. According to one specific embodiment, the at least one infrared light source is at least one infrared light-emitting diode or at least one laser light source. According to one specific embodiment, the at least one infrared detector is a photodiode or photoconductor type and is capable of generating an electrical photocurrent based on the infrared radiation it receives. According to one specific embodiment, at least two infrared light sources are provided as infrared light sources, each capable of emitting two different spectral lines representing maximum emission energy toward the polymer material. These spectral lines are each selected from two different wavelengths of 10 μm, 9.5 μm, 7.2 μm, 6 μm, 3.5 μm, and 2.7 μm, or two different wavenumbers of 1000 cm⁻¹, 1050 cm⁻¹, 1350 cm⁻¹, 1700 cm⁻¹, 2900 cm⁻¹, and 3700 cm⁻¹. According to one specific embodiment, the half-width at half maximum (WHM) of the spectral line of the at least one infrared light source is less than or equal to 1 micrometer. According to one specific embodiment, the unit for determining the parameter characteristic of the polymer material includes at least one filter or circuit or filtering unit for suppressing or attenuating a continuous component in a signal provided by the infrared detector from the infrared radiation. According to one specific embodiment, the unit for determining the parameter characteristic of the polymer material includes an amplifier for amplifying a filtered signal downstream of the filter or circuit or filtering unit, an analog-to-digital converter downstream of the amplifier, and components for processing and storing data to determine the parameter characteristic of the polymer material from the digital signal(s) provided by the analog-to-digital converter. According to one specific embodiment of the present invention, the determination unit is configured to calculate the parameter characteristics of the polymer material based at least on the amplitude of a detection signal obtained from the detection signal from the infrared detector and from the infrared radiation received at the at least one wavelength corresponding to the at least one spectral line. According to one specific embodiment of the present invention, the determination unit is configured to calculate the parametric characteristics of the polymer material based on the amplitude of a detection signal and the amplitude of an emission signal, the detection signal being obtained from the infrared detector and from infrared radiation received at least one wavelength corresponding to the at least one line, and the emission signal being used to control the at least one infrared light source to emit the at least one spectral line. According to one specific embodiment of the present invention, the device includes a cooling module for cooling the at least one infrared detector and / or a cooling module for cooling the at least one infrared light source. According to one specific embodiment of the present invention, the device includes a thermostat and an electronic unit connected to the cooling module for automatic temperature stabilization, which is used to maintain the at least one infrared detector and / or the at least one infrared light source at a temperature specified by the thermostat. According to one specific embodiment of the present invention, the device has the shape of a pistol and includes a grip handle attached to an aiming module. The aiming module includes at least one infrared light source and at least one infrared detector at a front end remote from the handle. The pistol includes at least one manual control member for triggering the at least one infrared light source to emit the at least one spectral line, wherein the manual control member is located in the pistol near a region where the handle is connected to the aiming module. According to one specific embodiment of the present invention, the at least one light source and / or the at least one infrared detector is covered by at least one external block, the at least one light source is capable of emitting the at least one spectral line and the at least one infrared detector is capable of receiving the infrared radiation through the external block that is transparent to the polymer material and turned toward it. According to one specific embodiment of the invention, the device includes a support shield abutting the polymer material, the outer block having an outer distal side that is simultaneously facing the polymer material and retracted relative to one of the outer distal sides of the shield that is also turned toward the surface of the polymer material. A second objective of the present invention is a method for estimating at least one parameter of a polymer material, characterized in that: a first infrared radiation characterized by having at least one emission spectral line of at least one predetermined wavelength is emitted toward the polymer material by at least one infrared light source, the at least one predetermined wavelength corresponding to the detection of at least one aging tracer of the polymer material; a second infrared radiation emitted in response to the first infrared radiation and reflected by the polymer material is received by at least one infrared detector; and a determination unit determines the parameter of the polymer material based on the at least one spectral line of the predetermined wavelength in the second infrared radiation. According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, a method for estimating at least one parameter characteristic of a polymer material is provided, characterized in that: at least one infrared light source emits at least one emission spectral line representing the maximum emission energy toward the polymer material, the emission line being selected from at least one wavelength of 10 micrometers, 9.5 micrometers, 7.2 micrometers, 6 micrometers, 3.5 micrometers, and 2.7 micrometers, or one wavenumber of 1000 cm⁻¹, 1050 cm⁻¹, 1350 cm⁻¹, 1700 cm⁻¹, 2900 cm⁻¹, and 3700 cm⁻¹; at least one infrared detector receives infrared radiation reflected by the polymer material in response to the spectral line emitted by the at least one infrared light source; and a determination unit determines the parameter characteristic of the polymer material based on the energy of the at least one spectral line appearing in the second infrared radiation reflected by the polymer material and received by the infrared detector.

Implementation Method

Claims

1. A portable device for estimating at least one parameter property of a polymer material, characterized in that the device comprises: at least one infrared light source, each infrared light source being capable of emitting a spectral line representing the maximum emission energy toward the polymer material, the line being selected from one of wavelengths of 10 μm, 9.5 μm, 7.2 μm, 6 μm, 3.5 μm, and 2.7 μm or wavenumbers of 1000 cm⁻¹, 1050 cm⁻¹, 1350 cm⁻¹, 1700 cm⁻¹, 2900 cm⁻¹, and 3700 cm⁻¹; and at least one infrared detector capable of receiving the spectral line, the spectral line responding to... A determination unit determines the parameter characteristics of the polymer material based on the energy appearing in the spectral line emitted by the at least one infrared light source and reflected by the polymer material. The spectral line is reflected by the polymer material in response to the spectral line emitted by the at least one infrared light source and received by the infrared detector. The half-width at half maximum (WHM) of the spectral line of the at least one infrared light source is less than or equal to 1 micrometer. The half-width at half maximum (WHM) of the spectral line reflected by the polymer material in response to the spectral line emitted by the at least one infrared light source and received by the infrared detector is less than or equal to 1 micrometer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, characterized in that: the spectral line is a narrow-band emission.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, characterized in that: the parameter characteristic of the polymer material is the presence and / or content of at least one aging tracer in the polymer material.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, characterized in that: the parameter characteristic of the polymer material is an identifier of the polymer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, characterized in that: each infrared light source is capable of emitting the spectral line toward the polymer material in the form of one or more time pulses.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, characterized in that: the time pulse is rectangular.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: a plurality of control components are provided for activating the at least one infrared detector in sync with the time pulse(s).

8. The apparatus of claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: the apparatus includes a control member for acquiring a plurality of first measurements of the spectral line during a first predetermined time width to calculate an estimate of a first value representing one of the first measurements, the first predetermined time width being included in or equal to an individual time width of at least one of the pulses, the spectral line being reflected by the polymer material in response to the spectral line emitted by the at least one infrared light source, the parameter being calculated at least from the first value.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, characterized in that: the apparatus includes a control member for acquiring a plurality of second measurements of the spectral line during a second predetermined time width to calculate an estimate of a second value representing one of the second measurements, the second predetermined time width being included in or equal to one individual time width between two successive pulses, the spectral line being reflected by the polymer material in response to the spectral line emitted by the at least one infrared light source, the parameter being calculated at least from the difference between the first value and the second value.

10. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: the apparatus further comprises at least one manual control member for triggering the emission of the spectral line by the at least one infrared light source.

11. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: the at least one infrared light source is at least one infrared light-emitting diode or at least one laser light source.

12. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: the at least one infrared detector is a photodiode or photoconductor type and is capable of generating an electro-photocurrent based on the spectral line it receives that has been reflected by the polymer material in response to the spectral line emitted by the at least one infrared light source.

13. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: at least two infrared light sources are provided as infrared light sources, each capable of emitting two different spectral lines representing a maximum emission energy toward the polymer material, the spectral lines being selected from two different wavelengths of 10 micrometers, 9.5 micrometers, 7.2 micrometers, 6 micrometers, 3.5 micrometers, and 2.7 micrometers, or from two different wavenumbers of 1000 cm⁻¹, 1050 cm⁻¹, 1350 cm⁻¹, 1700 cm⁻¹, 2900 cm⁻¹, and 3700 cm⁻¹.

14. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: the unit for determining the parameter characteristic of the polymer material comprises at least one filter or circuit or filtering unit for suppressing or attenuating a continuous component of a signal provided by the infrared detector from one of the spectral lines reflected by the polymer material in response to the spectral lines emitted by the at least one infrared light source.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, characterized in that: the unit for determining the parametric characteristic of the polymer material includes an amplifier for amplifying a filtered signal downstream of the filter or circuit or filtering unit, an analog-to-digital converter downstream of the amplifier, and components for processing and storing data to determine the parametric characteristic of the polymer material from the digital signal(e.g.) provided by the analog-to-digital converter.

16. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: the determining unit is configured to calculate the parametric characteristic of the polymer material based at least on the amplitude of a detection signal obtained from the infrared detector and from the spectral line that has been reflected by the polymer material in response to the spectral line emitted by the at least one infrared light source and received by the infrared detector.

17. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: the determining unit is configured to calculate the parametric characteristic of the polymer material based on the amplitude of a detection signal obtained from the infrared detector and from the spectral line reflected by the polymer material and received by the infrared detector in response to the spectral line emitted by the at least one infrared light source, the amplitude being relative to the amplitude of an emission signal used to control the at least one infrared light source to emit the at least one spectral line.

18. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: the apparatus comprises a cooling module for cooling the at least one infrared detector and / or a cooling module for cooling the at least one infrared light source.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, characterized in that: the apparatus includes a thermostat and an electronic unit connected to the cooling module for automatic temperature stabilization, which is used to maintain the at least one infrared detector and / or the at least one infrared light source at a temperature specified by the thermostat.

20. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: the apparatus has the shape of a pistol, including a grip handle attached to a aiming module, the aiming module including the at least one infrared light source and the at least one infrared detector at a front end remote from the handle, the pistol including at least one manual control member for triggering the emission of the at least one spectral line by the at least one infrared light source, wherein, The manual control component is located in the pistol near an area that connects the handle to the aiming module.

21. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: the at least one light source and / or the at least one infrared detector is covered by at least one external block, the at least one light source is capable of emitting the at least one spectral line and the at least one infrared detector is capable of receiving, through the external block, the spectral line reflected by the polymer material in response to the spectral line emitted by the at least one infrared light source, the external block being transparent to the spectral line and directed toward the polymer material.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, characterized in that: the apparatus includes a support shield abutting against the polymer material, the outer block having an outer distal side that is simultaneously oriented toward the polymer material and retracted relative to one of the outer distal sides of the shield, and also turned toward the surface of the polymer material.

23. A method for estimating at least one parameter property of a polymer material, characterized in that: at least one emission spectral line representing the maximum emission energy is emitted toward the polymer material by at least one infrared light source, the emission line being selected from at least one wavelength of 10 μm, 9.5 μm, 7.2 μm, 6 μm, 3.5 μm, 2.7 μm or one wavenumber of 1000 cm⁻¹, 1050 cm⁻¹, 1350 cm⁻¹, 1700 cm⁻¹, 2900 cm⁻¹, 3700 cm⁻¹; the spectral line is received by at least one infrared detector, the spectral line responding to the emission of at least one infrared light source. The spectral line emitted by the infrared light source is reflected by the polymer material. A determination unit determines the parameter characteristics of the polymer material based on the energy appearing in the at least one spectral line. The at least one spectral line is in response to the spectral line emitted by the at least one infrared light source, reflected by the polymer material, and received by the infrared detector. The half-width at half maximum (WHM) of the spectral line of the at least one infrared light source is less than or equal to 1 micrometer. The half-width at half maximum (WHM) of the spectral line that is in response to the spectral line emitted by the at least one infrared light source, reflected by the polymer material, and received by the infrared detector is less than or equal to 1 micrometer.

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