Integrated acoustic emission transducer apparatus and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10978035-B2
Application number	US-201916447528-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2019
Priority date	Sep 20, 2017
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

Integrated acoustic emission transducer apparatus and methods are described. An example integrated external preamplifier device includes a data extractor, a process variable determiner, a status indication determiner, and a presentation device. The integrated external preamplifier device receives an acoustic emission signal generated via an acoustic emission sensor operatively coupled to the integrated external preamplifier device. The data extractor extracts signal data from the acoustic emission signal. The process variable determiner determines process variable data based on the extracted signal data. The process variable data includes at least one of flow rate data, flow capacity data, flow area data, flow velocity data, mass accumulation data, or volume accumulation data. The status indication determiner determines status indication data based on the process variable data. The presentation device presents at least one of the process variable data or the status indication data at the integrated external preamplifier device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
an integrated external preamplifier device including a preamplifier, a data extractor, a process variable determiner, a status indication determiner, and a presentation device, the integrated external preamplifier device to receive an acoustic emission signal generated via an acoustic emission sensor operatively coupled to the integrated external preamplifier device, the data extractor to extract signal data from the acoustic emission signal, the process variable determiner to determine process variable data based on the extracted signal data, the process variable data including at least one of flow rate data, flow capacity data, flow area data, flow velocity data, mass accumulation data, or volume accumulation data, the status indication determiner to determine status indication data based on the process variable data, the presentation device to present at least one of the process variable data or the status indication data at the integrated external preamplifier device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the extracted signal data includes at least one of root mean square data associated with the acoustic emission signal, average signal level data associated with the acoustic emission signal, spectral content data associated with the acoustic emission signal, or transient data associated with the acoustic emission signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the status indication data includes at least one of valve health data, valve wear data, or fugitive emissions data.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the integrated external preamplifier device further includes a transmitter to transmit at least one of the process variable data or the status indication data from the integrated external preamplifier device to another external device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the integrated external preamplifier device further includes signal conditioning circuitry to condition the acoustic emission signal, the signal conditioning circuitry including the preamplifier.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the data extractor or the process variable determiner is integrated within the preamplifier of the integrated external preamplifier device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the presentation device is to present the at least one of the process variable data or the status indication data at the integrated external preamplifier device in real time.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the presentation device is to present the status indication data at the integrated external preamplifier device as a percentage type.

9. A method, comprising:
extracting signal data at an integrated external preamplifier device from an acoustic emission signal received at the integrated external preamplifier device, the acoustic emission signal being generated via an acoustic emission sensor operatively coupled to the integrated external preamplifier device;
determining process variable data at the integrated external preamplifier device based on the extracted signal data, the process variable data including at least one of flow rate data, flow capacity data, flow area data, flow velocity data, mass accumulation data, or volume accumulation data;
determining status indication data at the integrated external preamplifier device based on the process variable data; and
presenting at least one of the process variable data or the status indication data at the integrated external preamplifier device.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the extracted signal data includes at least one of root mean square data associated with the acoustic emission signal, average signal level data associated with the acoustic emission signal, spectral content data associated with the acoustic emission signal, or transient data associated with the acoustic emission signal.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the status indication data includes at least one of valve health data, valve wear data, or fugitive emissions data.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising transmitting at least one of the process variable data or the status indication data from the integrated external preamplifier device to another external device.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the presenting of the at least one of the process variable data or the status indication data at the integrated external preamplifier device is in real time.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the status indication data is presented at the integrated external preamplifier device as a percentage type.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to at least:
extract signal data at an integrated external preamplifier device from an acoustic emission signal received at the integrated external preamplifier device, the acoustic emission signal being generated via an acoustic emission sensor operatively coupled to the integrated external preamplifier device;
determine process variable data at the integrated external preamplifier device based on the extracted signal data, the process variable data including at least one of flow rate data, flow capacity data, flow area data, flow velocity data, mass accumulation data, or volume accumulation data;
determine status indication data at the integrated external preamplifier device based on the process variable data; and
present at least one of the process variable data or the status indication data at the integrated external preamplifier device.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the extracted signal data includes at least one of root mean square data associated with the acoustic emission signal, average signal level data associated with the acoustic emission signal, spectral content data associated with the acoustic emission signal, or transient data associated with the acoustic emission signal.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the status indication data includes at least one of valve health data, valve wear data, or fugitive emissions data.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to instruct a transmitter of the integrated external preamplifier device to transmit at least one of the process variable data or the status indication data from the integrated external preamplifier device to another external device.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to present the at least one of the process variable data or the status indication data at the integrated external preamplifier device in real time.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the status indication data is to be presented at the integrated external preamplifier device as a percentage type.

Assignees

• Fisher Controls Int Llc

Inventors

• Dahme Bret Anthony
• Anderson Shawn

Classifications

• G01N29/14 Primary

  using acoustic emission techniques {(echo of particles G01N29/046; measuring mechanical vibrations or acoustic waves in solids in general G01H1/00)} · CPC title

• G01N29/44

  Processing the detected response signal {, e.g. electronic circuits specially adapted therefor (digital signal processing per se G06F17/00)} · CPC title

• G01F1/20

  by detection of dynamic effects of the flow · CPC title

• G01H11/08

  using piezoelectric devices · CPC title

• G01H1/00

  Measuring {characteristics of} vibrations in solids by using direct conduction to the detector (G01H9/00, G01H11/00 take precedence) · CPC title