Guided wave radar for consumable particle monitoring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11221406-B2
Application number	US-201715590504-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2017
Priority date	May 9, 2017
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

Method and apparatus for monitoring amounts of submerged solid consumable. A GWR (Guided Wave Radar) component can provide a measurement of a reflection at a fixed position in a particle bed. The reflection represents aggregate dielectric properties in a vessel. The measurement includes hydrocarbon and solid consumable properties of a mixture in the vessel, wherein a measurement value is indicative of a greater amount of the solid consumable in the mixture in the vessel. If data is measured by the GWR component indicating that the measurement value is approaching the measurement value of the hydrocarbon, this data is indicative that the material (e.g., solid consumable such as salt) in the vessel should be replenished.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for monitoring amounts of submerged solid consumable, said method comprising:
identifying an echo from an end of a GWR (Guided Wave Radar) component located at a position n×L, wherein n comprises an effective refractive index and L comprises a length of said GWR component;
measuring with the GWR component, a measurement of a reflection at a fixed position in a particle bed such that said reflection represents an aggregate dielectric constant in a vessel, wherein said measurement involves determining when the effective refractive index measured is approaching a refractive index of hydrocarbon in a liquid mixture of the hydrocarbon and a solid consumable, wherein the measurement includes the effective refractive index of the liquid mixture that includes the hydrocarbon and the solid consumable which is supported on a screen located above a lower portion of said vessel, and said fixed position of said GWR component is placed above said screen; and
calculating an amount of said solid consumable in said vessel based on properties of said hydrocarbon and said solid consumable and based on said n and said L.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said hydrocarbon comprises at least one of kerosene, diesel, naphtha, and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas).

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said vessel comprises a salt dryer.

4. The method in claim 1 wherein said solid consumable comprises salt containing sodium chloride, calcium chloride, or lithium chloride, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said hydrocarbon comprises at least one of butane, propane, or alkylates and said mixture comprises at least one of potassium hydroxide or calcium hydroxide.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a measurement value measured by said GWR component approaches a predetermined measurement value, said data is indicative that a material in said vessel should be replenished.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said GWR component includes a GWR probe, a GWR transmitter, and transmitter firmware associated with said GWR transmitter, wherein said transmitter firmware identifies said echo.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically maintaining an amount of solid consumable in said vessel above a predetermined level using a monitoring and control system.

9. An apparatus for monitoring amounts of submerged solid consumable, said apparatus comprising:
a GWR (Guided Wave Radar) component that provides a measurement of a reflection at a fixed position in a particle bed such that said reflection represents aggregate dielectric constant in a vessel, wherein said measurement wherein said measurement involves determining when the effective refractive index measured is approaching an effective refractive index of a hydrocarbon in liquid mixture of the hydrocarbon and a solid consumable, and wherein said measurement includes the effective refractive index of said liquid mixture that includes the hydrocarbon and the solid consumable which is supported on a screen located above a lower portion of said vessel, and said fixed position of said GWR component is placed above said screen, and wherein a measurement value of said measurement is indicative of the amount of said solid consumable in said mixture in said vessel; and
wherein an echo is identified from an end of said GWR component located at a position n×L, wherein n comprises an effective refractive index and L comprises a length of said GWR component and wherein an amount of said solid consumable is calculated in said vessel based on properties of said hydrocarbon and said solid consumable based on and said n and said L.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said hydrocarbon comprises at least one of kerosene, diesel, naphtha, and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas).

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said vessel comprises a salt dryer.

12. The apparatus in claim 9 wherein said solid consumable comprises salt containing sodium chloride, calcium chloride, or lithium chloride, or a combination thereof.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said hydrocarbon comprises at least one of butane, propane, or alkylates and said mixture comprises at least one of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, or calcium hydroxide.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein if data is measured by said GWR component indicating that said measurement value approaches a measurement value of said hydrocarbon, said data is indicative that a material in said vessel should be replenished.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said GWR component includes a transmitter and transmitter firmware associated with said transmitter, wherein said transmitter firmware identifies said echo.

16. A system for monitoring amounts of submerged solid consumable, said system comprising:
a GWR (Guided Wave Radar) component that provides a measurement of a reflection at a fixed position in a particle bed such that said reflection represents aggregate dielectric constant in a vessel, wherein said measurement determines when the effective refractive index measured is approaching an effective refractive index of a hydrocarbon in a liquid mixture that includes the hydrocarbon and a solid consumable, and wherein said measurement includes the effective refractive index of the liquid mixture that includes the hydrocarbon and the solid consumable which is supported on a screen located above a lower portion of said vessel, and said fixed position of said GWR component is placed above said screen, wherein a measurement value of said measurement is indicative of the amount of said solid consumable in said mixture in said vessel, and wherein if data is measured by said GWR component indicating that said measurement value approaches a measurement value of said hydrocarbon, said data is indicative that a material in said vessel should be replenished;
a monitoring and control system for automatically maintaining an amount of solid consumable in said vessel above a predetermined level based on said measurement; and
wherein an echo is identified from an end of said GWR component located at a position n×L, wherein n comprises an effective refractive index and L comprises a length of said GWR component, and
wherein an amount of said solid consumable is calculated in said vessel based on properties of said hydrocarbon and said solid consumable and based on said n and said L.

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Hughes Michael Kon Yew
• Papoutsis Daliah
• Tertel Jonathan Andrew
• Holt Randall E

Classifications

• G01S7/411

  Identification of targets based on measurements of radar reflectivity (G01S7/415 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01F23/284

  Electromagnetic waves · CPC title

• G01S13/10

  using transmission of interrupted, pulse modulated waves (determination of distance by phase measurement G01S13/32) · CPC title

• G01N33/2823

  Raw oil, drilling fluid or polyphasic mixtures · CPC title

• G01S13/88 Primary

  Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications (electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00) · CPC title