Canister Inspection Light Source for Plugged Cleaner Cone Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydrocyclone cleaners require manual inspection of hundreds of cleaner cones to identify plugged cones, which is cumbersome and time-consuming, leading to production losses and inefficient maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A canister design equipped with an inspection light source that illuminates the innermost compartment, allowing for the detection of plugged cleaner cones without removing them, using either transparent covers or optical fibers with laser light to indicate cone status.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual inspection of each cleaner cone is performed to identify plugged cones, then detection accuracy is improved, but inspection time and device complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical inspection with an optical inspection system. A light source illuminates the innermost compartment and cleaner cones, allowing operators to visually detect plugged cones through transparent covers without manually examining each cone. This substitution of mechanical inspection with optical detection significantly reduces inspection time while maintaining detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates visual copies of the cleaner cone internal states through light transmission. The illumination system produces visible light patterns that replicate the presence or absence of plugs in each cleaner cone, allowing remote detection without direct contact or disassembly. This visual copying enables rapid assessment of all cleaner cones simultaneously.
2Reliability
If all cleaner cones are removed for inspection and cleaning, then thorough maintenance is achieved, but production losses increase due to extended shutdown time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables preliminary detection of plugged cleaner cones during operation or during brief shutdowns using the light source inspection system. By identifying which specific cones are plugged beforehand, operators can perform targeted cleaning only on affected cones rather than removing all cones, thereby reducing shutdown time and production losses while maintaining adequate maintenance quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial inspection and partial cleaning actions. Instead of removing and inspecting all cleaner cones, the system allows inspection of the entire array through illumination, followed by selective removal and cleaning only of the subset of cones that are actually plugged. This partial action approach maintains reliability by addressing all problematic cones while minimizing production losses through reduced downtime.
3Ease of operation
If transparent covers are used on cleaner cones for light transmission, then detection ease is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies transparent material quality specifically to the covers of cleaner cones that require inspection, while other parts of the canister and cleaner cones can use standard opaque materials. This localized application of transparent covers minimizes the overall manufacturing complexity impact while achieving the detection ease benefit in the specific areas where inspection is needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables efficient detection of plugged cleaner cones during shut-downs, reducing manual inspection time and minimizing production losses by allowing for targeted cleaning without stopping the process.
Implementation Method 1
a light source configured to provide a visible indication of status of a cleaner cone of the canister in view of possible plug in the cleaner cone
Implementation Method 2
optical fibers with laser light to indicate cone status
Data Source
AI summary
A canister which has a substantially cylindrical form and comprises an innermost compartment located around an imaginary center axis of the cylindrical form and extending longitudinally in axial direction of the canister. The canister comprises cleaner cones, which have a substantially cone-like form with a hollow inside and which cleaner cones are removably mounted to the canister and located in the canister such, that narrow ends of cone form of the cleaner cones extend to the innermost compartment and wide ends of the cone form of the cleaner cones extend to the cylindrical circumference of the canister. The cleaner cones comprise covers and the cleaner cones are mounted such that cover of the cleaner cone is outside the canister. The canister further comprises an inspection light source configured to provide a visible indication of status of a cleaner cone of the canister in view of possible plug in the cleaner cone, when the light source is in operation.