Optical Window Pressure Vessel for External Piston Position Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pressure vessels without a piston rod extending outside pose challenges in monitoring piston position, which is crucial for safety and energy feedback, especially in accumulators, as existing designs often require electronic equipment inside the high-pressure environment or rely on piston rod detection methods that are not applicable.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an optical window in the pressure vessel end cap to allow an external optical sensor arrangement to emit and receive light, enabling the detection of piston position without the need for internal electronic equipment or piston rod extension, and ensuring the optical window can withstand high pressures and fatigue cycles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If an optical window is added to the pressure vessel end cap to enable external optical sensing, then piston position detectability is improved, but structural complexity and potential pressure integrity are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
An optical window is introduced as an intermediary component that mediates between the high-pressure internal environment and the external optical sensing system. The optical window allows light transmission for piston position detection while maintaining the pressure boundary, enabling measurement without direct electronic component exposure to the high-pressure environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical sensing approaches (such as piston rod extensions or internal electronic sensors) with an optical sensing system. Light serves as the measurement medium instead of mechanical contact or electrical fields, allowing non-contact piston position measurement through the optical window.
2Measurement precision
If electronic equipment is placed inside the high-pressure environment for piston detection, then measurement capability is improved, but reliability and safety are worsened due to potential failure under high pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing function is extracted from the high-pressure environment and placed outside the pressure vessel. The optical window serves as the interface, allowing the sensing system to operate in the safe external environment while still measuring internal piston position, thereby eliminating reliability concerns associated with placing electronics in high-pressure zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical window acts as an intermediary that transmits optical information from the high-pressure internal environment to the external sensing system without requiring physical or electrical connection between the two environments, thus protecting sensitive electronic equipment from high-pressure exposure.
3Reliability
If the optical window is designed to withstand high pressure and fatigue cycles, then pressure integrity is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The optical window is constructed from composite or specialized materials that simultaneously provide optical transparency and high-pressure resistance. These materials enable the window to withstand fatigue testing at specified pressure levels while maintaining optical properties for piston position detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical window design incorporates specific geometric parameters (such as thickness, curvature, and mounting configuration) that optimize both pressure resistance and optical transmission. By carefully controlling these parameters, the window achieves the required fatigue resistance while minimizing manufacturing complexity.
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 reliable piston position monitoring and energy feedback in pressure vessels, including accumulators, by maintaining structural integrity and preventing leaks, even under high-pressure conditions, thus enhancing safety and performance.
Implementation Method 1
an emitter for emitting light through the optical window and into the interior region and receiving for receiving light reflected from the piston
Data Source
AI summary
A pressure vessel arrangement includes a pressure vessel and an optical sensor arrangement. The pressure vessel includes: a cylinder construction having a cylinder wall extending from a cylinder wall first end to a cylinder wall second end, and having an internal surface forming an interior region; a first end cap closing the cylinder wall first end and having an optical window located therein to permit passage of light therethough and into the interior region; a second end cap closing the cylinder wall second end; and a piston constructed to slide within the cylinder construction interior region along a direction between the cylinder all first end and the cylinder wall second end and along the cylinder construction internal surface to separate the interior region into a first end interior region and a second end interior region. The pressure vessel is constructed to withstand a fatigue test of one million cycles at 5,000 psi without failure. The optical sensor arrangement is located outside of the optical window and includes an emitter for emitting light through the optical window and into the interior region and receiving for receiving light reflected from the piston. Also included is a method for providing a piston position feedback in a pressure vessel.