Pressure Instrument Cavity Cleaning With Solvent Phase Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pressure measurement instruments face contamination issues due to impurities in fluid systems, leading to accuracy problems and safety hazards, especially with newer, more environmentally friendly but volatile solvents that are costly and difficult to use effectively for cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A system that controls pressure and temperature to maintain solvents in a liquid state for cleaning, using a combination of vacuum and positive pressure to clean instruments, with a distillation system to recycle and purify the solvent for reuse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional vacuum and fill method is used with newer solvents, then the cleaning process becomes simpler, but the solvent evaporates quickly and cleaning effectiveness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system controls temperature and pressure parameters to maintain the solvent in a liquid state during the cleaning process. By regulating these parameters, the solvent remains liquid despite its naturally low boiling point, ensuring effective cleaning while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system manages phase transitions of the solvent by controlling temperature and pressure. The solvent is maintained in liquid phase during cleaning, and phase change is controlled to prevent premature evaporation, thus balancing ease of operation with cleaning effectiveness.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If volatile solvents are used for environmentally friendly cleaning, then environmental impact is reduced, but solvent loss and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system recovers and recycles the volatile solvent through controlled evaporation and condensation. The solvent that would otherwise be lost is captured and reused, reducing both environmental impact and operational costs while maintaining the benefits of using environmentally friendly solvents.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes controlled phase transitions to recover the solvent. By controlling evaporation and condensation processes, the solvent is recovered in liquid form and reused, minimizing loss while maintaining environmental benefits.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If low boiling point solvents are used, then environmental compatibility improves, but the solvent exists as gas at room temperature making traditional cleaning impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the temperature and pressure parameters to maintain the low boiling point solvent in a liquid state. This allows traditional cleaning methodologies to be used with environmentally friendly solvents, reconciling environmental compatibility with system compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system controls phase transitions to keep the solvent in liquid form during cleaning operations. By managing the phase state through temperature and pressure control, the system makes low boiling point solvents compatible with traditional cleaning equipment and methods.
4Manufacturing precision
If multiple cleaning iterations are performed to achieve high cleanliness standards, then cleanliness level improves, but time and solvent consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses controlled phase transitions to enhance cleaning efficiency. By managing evaporation and condensation cycles, the system achieves high cleanliness standards in fewer iterations, reducing both time and solvent consumption while maintaining precision.
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
Effectively cleans pressure measurement instruments to high cleanliness standards while reducing solvent waste and costs, ensuring safety and maintaining instrument accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
Before the cleaning procedure, a vacuum is drawn in at least a portion of the system by one or more pumps
Implementation Method 2
a distillation system configured to distill the spent solvent drawn from the agitation unit for storage in a distilled solvent tank
Data Source
AI summary
An enclosed automated cleaning system for internal cavities of pressure instruments is disclosed. The new computer-controlled fluid flow system enables various cleaning fluids to clean the internal cavities of pressure instruments. Various pressure instruments, including complex shapes such as Bourdon Tube gauges, are accommodated. The system can utilize a computerized cleaning cycle selection and can use nonflammable, non-ozone-depleting solvents while generating minimal waste fluids. The used solvents can be continuously or intermittently recycled to be used in the next cleaning cycles. A servo-controlled agitation system allows for the filling, evacuation, and drying of solvents to clean general-purpose pressure gauges and maintain an oxygen-clean cleanliness level. In some embodiments, the system can include automated or manual inspection ports for inspection of the spent and/or distilled solvent for quality control.