Flush-Mounted Measuring Tube for Hygienic Sensor Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
In sterile process engineering, existing measuring devices with sensors integrated into measuring tubes often create gaps or dead spaces that can harbor harmful germs and are difficult to clean, violating hygiene standards such as those set by ASME, 3-A, and EHEDG.
Innovation Solution
A measuring tube design with a tubular body integrated into a pipeline section, where the inner wall is adapted to be planar around the opening, allowing a sensor component to be flush-mounted without gaps, ensuring a gap-free and dead-space-free transition, and compatible with various manufacturing processes including 3D printing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sensors are integrated into measuring tubes using conventional methods (form-fitting, force-fit, welding, or bonding), then the sensor can be securely mounted, but gaps, joints, and dead spaces are created that harbor germs and are difficult to clean
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor component and measuring tube are merged into a single integrated unit where the sensor is directly formed as part of the measuring tube structure. This eliminates separate mounting interfaces that would create gaps, achieving both secure mounting and gap-free design required for hygienic applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The measuring tube is designed with a universal planar wall structure that can accommodate different sensor types and configurations. The planar opening design serves multiple functions: it provides a gap-free surface for hygiene compliance, a secure mounting interface for sensors, and a cleanable surface that meets pharmaceutical and food industry standards.
2Shape
If the wall around the opening is curved to match the pipe section cross-section, then the overall pipe geometry is maintained, but gaps and dead spaces form at the transition between the wall and sensor component
Solution Approach 1:
The wall structure is designed with different geometries in different locations: the overall pipe maintains its curved cross-sectional shape, but the local region around the sensor opening features a planar wall surface. This local planarization eliminates dead spaces at the sensor interface while preserving the global pipe geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The wall structure is segmented into distinct functional zones: the main curved wall maintaining pipe geometry, and a localized planar section at the opening providing gap-free sensor mounting. This segmentation allows each zone to optimize its geometry for its specific function without compromising the other.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a planar wall design is used around the opening, then gap-free sensor mounting is achieved, but the pipe section cross-sectional area is modified
Solution Approach 1:
The planar wall design is applied locally only at the sensor opening region where it is needed for hygienic purposes, while the rest of the pipe cross-section maintains its original curved geometry. This localized approach achieves gap-free mounting without significantly altering the overall pipe cross-sectional area.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If complex designs are used to prevent gaps (such as flush-mounted sensors with adapted geometry), then hygiene requirements are met, but the device complexity increases and manufacturing becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the sensor and measuring tube into a single integrated component, the design eliminates the need for complex separate mounting mechanisms. The sensor is directly formed as part of the tube structure, simplifying both the device geometry and manufacturing processes while achieving gap-free design.
Solution Approach 2:
The planar wall design with integrated sensor serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides gap-free surfaces for hygiene compliance, simplified manufacturing compared to traditional mounting methods, and a universal interface that can accommodate different sensor types without requiring complex adaptations.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2d
Figure 3a~3d
AI summary
The invention relates to a measuring tube (7) for conducting a medium, comprising at least one pipeline section (8) and at least one tubular body (9) for receiving at least one component (4) of a measuring device (1). The tubular body (9) is arranged in a first end region at or in an opening (8c) in a wall along a longitudinal axis (L) of the pipeline section (8). According to the invention, all the points of at least one first sub-region (11) of the wall, in particular the inner wall, of the pipeline section (8) which define the opening (8c) are located on one plane. Furthermore, the invention relates to an assembly (10) for detecting and/or monitoring at least one process variable of a medium in a pipeline, at least comprising a measuring device (1) and a measuring tube (7) according to the invention.