X-ray mass flow rate sensors for high pressure processes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11629984-B2
Application number	US-201917046073-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2019
Priority date	Apr 9, 2018
Publication date	Apr 18, 2023
Grant date	Apr 18, 2023

Abstract

An x-ray mass flow rate sensor uses a low density polymer pipe, an x-ray source, and an x-ray detector. The polymer pipe has a low density (less than 2.8 SG) and a high pressure rating (greater than 5 ksi). By using a low density polymer pipe, the sensor is able to use an x-ray source that does not require a linear accelerator and is less than or equal to 450 kV. The x-ray source and the x-ray detector are mounted on opposite sides of the polymer pipe to form a detection area that passes through the polymer pipe. A real-time calibration of the sensor is performed by detecting gray level values in a calibration region of the detection area for two reference materials placed in the detection area. The sensor may additionally include a mechanical flow rate sensor with a plurality of pistons with springs of varying spring constants.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An x-ray mass flow rate sensor, comprising:
a pipe having a density less than 2.8 SG;
an x-ray source coupled to the pipe and configured to emit an x-ray beam therethrough;
an x-ray detector coupled to the pipe and arranged to detect x-rays from the x-ray beam after having passed through the pipe, the x-ray detector configured to produce a measure of intensity of x-rays received from the x-ray source; and
a calibration rod coupled to the pipe and arranged within a path of the x ray beam, the calibration rod comprising two materials of known density.

2. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a flow rate mechanism coupled to the pipe, the flow rate mechanism comprising a piston and a spring, wherein the piston of the flow rate mechanism is arranged within a path of the x-ray beam.

3. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 2 , wherein the piston is configured to be displaced along a displacement path and compress the spring proportional to a mass flow rate of a fluid through the pipe.

4. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 2 , wherein the flow rate mechanism comprises a plurality of pistons with a respective plurality of springs, each of the pistons are arranged within a path of the x-ray beam.

5. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray beam is a polychromatic x-ray beam.

6. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 1 , wherein the pipe is a polymer pipe and has a density between 1.3-1.7 SG and a pressure rating of greater than or equal to 7500 psi.

7. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray source is less than or equal to 450 kV and the x-ray source draws less than or equal to 6000 W.

8. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 1 , wherein the calibration rod extends for a length equal to the diameter of the pipe.

9. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 8 , wherein the calibration rod comprises a rod of a first of the two materials of known density surrounded by a ring of a second of the two materials of known density.

10. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 9 , wherein a diameter of a first end of the calibration rod is smaller than a diameter of a second end of the calibration rod.

11. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray detector is configured to produce the measure of intensity of x-rays received from the x-ray source at a frequency of 1 Hz.

12. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray detector is a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor or a photomultiplier tube (PMT).

13. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a processor configured to receive the measure of intensity of x-rays received from the x-ray source produced by the x-ray detector.

14. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured to produce an average gray level (GL) value of indicative of an average intensity of x-rays received from the x-ray source in each of a plurality of regions of a detection area.

15. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of regions comprise a calibration region, a density measurement region, and a flow rate region.

16. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 15 , wherein the calibration region comprises a first area that measures x-ray attenuation through a first of the two materials of known density to produce a reference high GL value and a second area that measures x-ray attenuation through a second of the two materials of known density to produce a reference low GL value.

17. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 16 , wherein the processor is configured to determine a density of a material flowing through the pipe based on a density GL value determined from the density measurement region.

18. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 17 , wherein the processor is configured to determine a mass flow rate of the material flowing through the pipe based upon the density and a flow rate determined based on a flow rate GL value determined from the flow rate region.

19. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 18 , wherein the density GL value and the flow rate GL value are calibrated based on the reference high GL value and the reference low GL value.

20. The x-ray mass flow rate sensor of claim 15 , wherein the processor is configured to process the x-rays received from the x-ray source in the flow rate region of the detection area to determine a velocity of a tracer material traversing the flow rate region.

Assignees

• Univ Texas

Inventors

• Singhal Vivek
• Van Oort Eric
• Ashok Pradeepkumar

Classifications

• G01N2223/423

  multispectral imaging-multiple energy imaging · CPC title

• G01N23/12

  the material being a flowing fluid or a flowing granular solid · CPC title

• G01F1/28

  by drag-force, e.g. vane type or impact flowmeter · CPC title

• G01F1/7086

  using optical detecting arrangements · CPC title

• G01F1/74 Primary

  Devices for measuring flow of a fluid or flow of a fluent solid material in suspension in another fluid · CPC title