Inline Sensor Housing for Pressure Surge Detection in Fluid Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fluid line systems often suffer from undetectable pressure surges, leading to damage, as existing technologies lack effective monitoring mechanisms, resulting in symptomatic detection during maintenance.
Innovation Solution
An inline sensor integrated into fluid lines, equipped with a housing and transducers to detect both primary fluid measurands and pressure surges, utilizing additional transducers like pressure, acceleration, or strain sensors to register pressure surges without requiring separate sensors, leveraging existing measurement infrastructure for simple installation and retrofitting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate pressure sensors are installed to detect pressure surges, then pressure surge detection capability is improved, but device complexity and installation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines pressure surge detection functionality with existing inline sensors that monitor primary fluid parameters. The housing of the inline sensor serves as the mounting structure for additional transducers (acceleration, strain, or pressure sensors), merging multiple sensing functions into a single integrated device. This eliminates the need for separate pressure surge sensor installations and reduces system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The inline sensor housing is designed to accommodate multiple types of transducers, enabling a single device to perform both primary fluid parameter measurement and pressure surge detection. This multi-functional approach allows the same sensor infrastructure to serve multiple purposes, reducing the need for additional dedicated pressure surge monitoring equipment.
2Reliability
If additional transducers are integrated into existing inline sensors, then pressure surge monitoring is enabled, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sensor system into modular components: the existing inline sensor housing serves as the base structure, and additional transducers are integrated as separate but compatible modules. This segmentation allows manufacturers to produce the housing and transducer components independently, then assemble them through standardized mounting interfaces, reducing overall manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The inline sensor housing acts as an intermediary structure that facilitates the integration of additional transducers. It provides mechanical support, electrical connections, and signal routing between the new transducers and the existing sensor electronics, simplifying the manufacturing process by using the existing housing as the integration platform rather than requiring a completely new sensor design.
3Reliability
If pressure surge detection is added to existing sensor infrastructure, then early detection and prevention capability is improved, but measurement precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic transducers (acceleration sensors or strain gauges) that respond to rapid pressure surge events. These transducers are designed to capture transient dynamic characteristics of pressure surges, providing sufficient precision for detection and early warning without requiring the continuous high-precision measurement capabilities of dedicated pressure sensors. The dynamic nature of the measurement matches the transient nature of pressure surges.
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
Enables real-time monitoring and registration of pressure surges, reducing damage by utilizing existing infrastructure, allowing for early detection and prevention of malfunctions, and facilitating maintenance scheduling based on surge data.
Implementation Method 1
The second transducer is an acceleration sensor arranged in the housing and serving to detect housing oscillations
Implementation Method 2
The second transducer is a strain gauge arranged on the housing and serving to detect housing deformations
Implementation Method 3
The second transducer is a pressure sensor arranged in a chamber formed in the housing and serving to detect pressure surges
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to an inline sensor including a housing fixable in a wall of a fluid line or a process container. A first transducer for detecting a primary measurand of a medium contained in the fluid line or the process container is integrated into the housing and designed to generate first measurement signals dependent on the primary measurand. A sensor electronics is connected to the first transducer for detecting the first measurement signals and designed to process the first measurement signals. The inline sensor is additionally designed to detect pressure surges occurring in the process container.