Intrinsically-Safe Sensor System with Modular Acoustic Window
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Solution Overview
Problem
The oil and gas industry faces challenges in monitoring hazardous zones due to the need for multiple certified sensing devices, which can be burdensome and difficult to locate, especially when incorporating microphones that meet safety standards to prevent explosive conditions.
Innovation Solution
An intrinsically-safe sensor system with a suite of onboard and expandable sensors, including microphones, pressure, temperature, and motion sensors, housed in a water-resistant enclosure with a connector for expanding capabilities, and a novel microphone installation method using elastomer tubing and metal fasteners to maintain acoustic coupling while preventing potting material obstruction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple different types of sensing devices are used to monitor all conditions of interest in hazardous zones, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and difficulty of locating certified devices increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensing capabilities (acoustic, pressure, temperature, motion, vibration) into a single integrated intrinsically-safe sensor system. The system includes a microphone for acoustic monitoring, pressure sensors for pressure detection, temperature sensors for thermal monitoring, and motion/vibration sensors for mechanical condition assessment, all housed in one enclosure that can be certified for hazardous zone operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system is designed as a universal platform that can monitor multiple conditions of interest simultaneously through different sensor types. The system provides multi-functionality by detecting sound, pressure, temperature, motion, and vibration, allowing a single device to replace multiple specialized sensing devices while maintaining comprehensive monitoring capability in hazardous zones.
2Adaptability or versatility
If microphones are incorporated into intrinsically-safe sensor systems, then acoustic monitoring capability is improved, but reliability decreases due to potential obstruction by potting material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the microphone port from the general potting material encapsulation by creating a dedicated acoustic window or opening in the enclosure. This allows the microphone to maintain its acoustic coupling with the environment while the rest of the internal components remain encapsulated in potting material for intrinsic safety. The acoustic window is specifically designed to allow sound transmission without compromising the protective enclosure.
Solution Approach 2:
The enclosure is designed with different properties in different regions: the majority of the enclosure maintains the protective potting material encapsulation for intrinsic safety, while a specific local region (the acoustic window area) has modified properties to allow acoustic transmission. This local quality differentiation enables the microphone to function reliably while maintaining the overall safety integrity of the system.
3Device complexity
If a fixed sensor system is used, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability decreases when additional monitoring capabilities are needed
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system is segmented into modular components with standardized interfaces, allowing individual sensor types (acoustic, pressure, temperature, motion, vibration) to be added or removed based on specific monitoring needs. The system architecture enables flexible configuration where users can select and combine only the necessary sensor modules, maintaining relatively simple device complexity while achieving high adaptability for different hazardous zone applications.
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
The system allows for comprehensive monitoring of conditions in hazardous zones with a single, flexible sensor system that meets safety standards, effectively incorporating microphones and other sensors to detect sound and other parameters while preventing explosive risks.
Implementation Method 1
an elastomer tubing is compressed between an opening within a wall of the enclosure and the through hole within the circuit board to prevent the port of the microphone from being obstructed by the potting material
Implementation Method 2
the port of the microphone is acoustically coupled to the source via a metal fastener that extends through the opening within the wall of the enclosure, through the elastomer tubing, and within proximity to the through hole within the circuit board
Data Source
AI summary
An intrinsically-safe sensor system, as well as a method for assembling the intrinsically-safe sensor system and a method for monitoring sound corresponding to a source using the intrinsically-safe sensor system, are provided herein. The intrinsically-safe sensor system includes a number of sensors, including a microphone, as well as a processor for processing sensor data obtained from the sensors. The intrinsically-safe sensor system also includes a memory component for storing the sensor data obtained from the sensors, a power source, a communication connection for communicably coupling the intrinsically-safe sensor system to a remote computing system, and a connector including internal and external connection regions for internally and/or externally connecting one or more additional devices to the intrinsically-safe sensor system on demand. The intrinsically-safe sensor system further includes an enclosure, as well as potting material for encapsulating an internal region of the intrinsically-safe sensor system that resides within the enclosure.