Position Detection in High-Pressure Chambers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for determining the position of objects in high-pressure chambers face challenges such as insulation damage due to gas diffusion and pressure differentials, and are prone to thermal changes and vibration transmission, which affect measurement accuracy and durability.
Innovation Solution
A device with a detection unit and a carrier unit designed as a dip tube, featuring a flexible area that allows sensor lines to be mechanically flexible, reducing pressure and thermal influence, and incorporating a spiral guide tube for elastic structure and vibration compensation, ensuring precise position detection without altering the sensor's absolute position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a flexible line with stranded wire and insulator is used in a high-pressure space, then the position of the object can be determined, but gas penetrates into the cavities due to diffusion processes causing pressure equalization and potential insulation damage
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible line is divided into multiple sealed sections or chambers along its length. Each section maintains its internal vacuum or pressure differential independently, preventing gas penetration from affecting the entire line. This segmentation allows the flexible line to maintain its pressure barrier function while still providing the necessary flexibility for position detection in high-pressure environments.
Solution Approach 2:
A barrier layer or membrane is introduced between the flexible line and the high-pressure gas environment. This intermediary layer prevents gas diffusion into the cavities while allowing the flexible line to transmit mechanical movements for position detection. The barrier acts as a protective interface that maintains the pressure differential.
2Reliability
If the pressure in the high-pressure space drops, then the gas pressure in the cavities drops very slowly based on diffusion, but this differential pressure can damage the insulation of the flexible line
Solution Approach 1:
Reinforcement elements or protective layers are pre-installed on the insulation of the flexible line to withstand pressure differentials. These cushioning structures are designed to absorb and distribute the stress caused by pressure differences, preventing damage to the insulation even when significant pressure gradients exist between the high-pressure space and the cavities.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible line uses composite material construction combining multiple layers with different properties - including pressure-resistant outer layers, flexible intermediate layers, and insulated inner layers. This composite structure provides both the necessary flexibility for position detection and the strength to withstand pressure differential stresses without damaging the insulation.
3Measurement precision
If the carrier unit is made rigid to maintain sensor position, then measurement accuracy is maintained, but thermal changes and vibrations affect the sensor and housing
Solution Approach 1:
Different sections of the carrier unit have different mechanical properties - the section holding the sensor is made rigid to maintain precise positioning, while the connection section to the housing is made flexible or vibration-dampening. This local differentiation allows the sensor to maintain its absolute position for accurate measurement while isolating it from thermal expansions and vibrations transmitted through the housing.
Solution Approach 2:
A vibration-dampening or thermally isolating intermediary layer is introduced between the sensor carrier and the housing. This intermediary acts as a buffer that reduces the transmission of harmful thermal changes and vibrations from the housing to the sensor, while still allowing the sensor to maintain its precise absolute position for accurate position detection.
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 device enables precise and durable measurement of an object's absolute position in a high-pressure chamber by minimizing insulation damage, thermal influence, and vibration transmission, while allowing for easy assembly and disassembly without additional openings.
Implementation Method 1
The flexible area compensates for changes in length, in particular for thermal changes in length, of the carrier unit
Implementation Method 2
a sensor for detecting a position of the object and for outputting a position signal which signals the position of the object
Implementation Method 3
The sensor line is arranged in the flexible area and is led out of the housing via the third area
Implementation Method 4
incorporating a spiral guide tube for elastic structure and vibration compensation
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device (1) for determining a position of an object (2) that is movable in a high-pressure chamber (H). The invention further relates to a use of the device (1) for determining a position of a magnetically mounted shaft which is rotatable in a high-pressure chamber (H).