Cidra Corporation

Weatherford/lamb, Inc.

Cidra Concrete Systems Inc.

Expro Meters, Inc.

Carrier Corporation

Otis Elevator Company

Other

Cidra Corporate Services Inc.

Breed Technologies, Inc.

Charles Winston

Daniel L Gysling

Alan D Kersey

Michael A Davis

Douglas H Loose

David Vincent Newton

Allen R Davis

Rebecca S McGuinn

Patrick Curry

Michael A Sapack

Rebecca M Bryant

John M Faustino

John A Moon

James R Dunphy

James M Sullivan

Joseph Francis Pinto

Robert N Brucato

James S Sirkis

Walter J Wiegand, Jr

Paul Dolan

John Biesak

Ralph W Jones

Christopher Chestnut

Rebecca S Bryant

Wayde R Schmidt

Mark R Fernald

Timothy J Bailey

James C Dunphy

Michael Winter

David Fournier

David A Condit

Robert H Bullis

Timothy N Obee

James L Swindal

Bruce E Zepke

Sunita Satyapal

Robert G Morgan

Willard H Sutton

David R Fournier

Mark R Myers

Richard R Grzybowski

David Sirag

Antonio Rinaldi

Edward Beeloo

Taeyoung Park

Earl D Hasselmark

Merrill R Lucia

Christopher M Pater

David Bellemore

James Sirkis

Ralph Jones

Michael Sapack

Rebecca S Mcguinn

A system features an acoustic sensor configured to mount on a wall of a mixing drum, sense an acoustic characteristic of a mixture of a slurry, including concrete, contained in a mixing drum when rotating, and provide acoustic sensor signaling containing information about the acoustic characteristic sensed; and a signal processor configured to receive the acoustic sensor signaling, and determine corresponding signaling containing information about a slump characteristic of the mixture of concrete contained in the mixing drum, based upon the signaling received.

Techniques for monitoring slump characteristic of concrete in a rotating container or drum

A system for sensing the volume and/or viscosity of a slurry (e.g., like concrete) contained in a rotating container or drum, having a sensor and a signal processor. The sensor is configured to attach inside a rotating container or drum having a known geometry, sense angular positions of the sensor and also sense associated entry and exit points when the sensor enters and exits the slurry, including concrete, contained in the rotating container or drum, and provide signaling containing information about the angular positions and the associated entry and exit points. The signal processor receives the signaling, and determines corresponding signaling containing information about a volumetric amount, or a viscosity, or both, of the slurry in the rotating container or drum, based upon the signaling received.

Techniques for sensing the viscosity of concrete in a rotating container

Techniques for sensing the volume and/or viscosity of concrete in a rotating container

An apparatus and method for sensing a fluid flow passing within a pipe, which fluid flow comprises at least a first fluid phase. The apparatus includes a flow meter having an array of sensors and at least one processing unit, which flow meter is adapted to sense the fluid flow passing within the pipe as it travels past the array of sensors and produce signals indicative of the presence of vortical structures convecting with the fluid flow. The at least one processing unit is adapted to: (a) produce a k-&#x3c9; plot using the signals indicative of the presence of vortical structures convecting with the fluid flow, and determine a k-&#x3c9; plot quality parameter that indicates the presence or absence of a second fluid phase within a fluid flow passing within a pipe; or (b) determine a shape factor parameter indicative of a presence or absence of a second fluid phase within a fluid flow passing within a pipe; or (c) both (a) and (b).

Methodology and apparatus for distinguishing single phase fluid flows from multiphase fluid flows using a flow meter

According to the present invention, a method is provided for sensing a fluid flow within a pipe having a lengthwise axis to determine a parameter of the fluid flow. The method includes the following steps: a) providing an array of more than two ultrasonic sensors, each sensor having a transmitter and a receiver; b) disposing the transmitter and receiver of each sensor orthogonally relative to the lengthwise axis of the pipe; c) receiving ultrasonic signals using the receivers, which received signals result from initial signals transmitted from the transmitters of the ultrasonic sensors; d) processing the received signals from each sensor by projecting the received signals against a sine function and a cosine function, high pass filtering the projected signals, and using the high pass filtered projections to create an arrival vector within a complex plane, wherein the high pass filtered arrival vector is a rectified frequency doubled signal; and e) determining the parameter of the fluid flow using the arrival vector.

Method for quantifying varying propagation characteristics of normal incident ultrasonic signals as used in correlation based flow measurement

An apparatus for use in an industrial process for measuring a velocity of a fluid moving in a pipe includes a probe disposed in said fluid flow. The probe includes a tube and an array of at least two sensors disposed at different axial locations along the tube. Each sensor measures inhomogeneous pressure disturbances at respective axial locations. Each sensor further provides a pressure signal. The apparatus also includes a signal processor, responsive to the pressure signals, to provide a signal indicative of the velocity of the fluid. In one embodiment, the sensors filter out wavelengths above a predetermined wavelength. At least one of the sensors comprises a strain gage disposed on a surface of the pipe. In one embodiment, the strain gage comprises a fiber optic strain gage. The apparatus may be configured to detect the velocity of any desired inhomogeneous pressure field in the flow.

Flow rate measurement for industrial sensing applications using unsteady pressures

An optical channel monitor is provided that sequentially or selectively filters an optical channel(s)of light from a (WDM) optical input signaland senses predetermined parameters of the each filtered optical signal (e.g., channel power, channel presence, signal-noise-ratio). The OCMis a free-space optical device that includes a collimator assembly, a diffraction gratingand a mirror. A launch pigtail emits into free space the input signal through the collimator assemblyand onto the diffraction grating, which separates spatially each of the optical channelsof the collimated light, and reflects the separated channels of light onto the mirror. A &#x3bb;/4 plateis disposed between the mirrorand the diffraction grating. The mirror reflects the separated light back through the &#x3bb;/4 plateto the diffraction grating, which reflects the channels of light back through the collimating lens. The lensfocuses each separated channel of light (&#x3bb;-&#x3bb;) at a different focal point in space. One of the optical channelsis focused onto a receive pigtail, which then propagates to a photodetector. A pivoting mechanismpivots the diffraction gratingor mirrorabout a pivot pointto sequentially or selectively focus each optical channelto the receive pigtail. A position sensordetects the displacement of the diffraction gratingor mirror.

Optical channel monitor

A portable flow measuring apparatus includes an array of pressure sensors used to measure the acoustic and convective pressure variations in the flow to determine a desired parameter. A portable processing instrument processes the signals provided by the sensing array to provide an output signal indicative of a parameter of the fluid flow. The portable processing instrument includes a processor having appropriate processing algorithms to determine the desired or selected parameter(s) of the process flowThe portable processing instrument has a user interface to permit the user to select the parameters to be measured in the process flow, and/or more importantly, to enable the user to modify particular parameters or functions in the processorand/or processing algorithms. The user interfacealso enables a user to modify the code of the algorithm via a graphic user interface (GUI), keyboard and/or user input signal

Portable flow measurement apparatus having an array of sensors

Flow rate measurement system includes two measurement regionslocated an average axial distance &#x394;X apart along the pipe, the first measurement regionhaving two unsteady pressure sensors, located a distance Xapart, and the second measurement region, having two other unsteady pressure sensors, located a distance Xapart, each capable of measuring the unsteady pressure in the pipe. Signals from each pair of pressure sensorsandare differenced by summers, respectively, to form spatial wavelength filters, respectively. Each spatial filterfilters out acoustic pressure disturbances Pand other long wavelength pressure disturbances in the pipeand passes short-wavelength low-frequency vortical pressure disturbances Passociated with the vortical flow field. The spatial filtersprovide signals P,Pto band pass filtersthat filter out high frequency signals. The P-dominated filtered signals P,Pfrom the two regionsare cross-correlated by Cross-Correlation Logicto determine a time delay &#x3c4; between the two sensing locationswhich is divided into the distance &#x394;X to obtain a convection velocity U(t) that is related to an average flow rate of the fluid (i.e., one or more liquids and/or gases) flowing in the pipe. The invention may also be configured to detect the velocity of any desired inhomogeneous pressure field in the flow. The invention may also be combined with an instrument, an opto-electronic converter and a controller in an industrial process control system.

An optical spectrum analyzer (OSA)sequentially or selectively samples (or filters) a spectral band(s)of light from a broadband optical input signaland measures predetermined optical parameters of the optical signal (e.g., spectral profile) of the input light. The OSAis a free-space optical device that includes a collimator assembly, a diffraction gratingand a mirror. A launch pigtail emits into free space the input signal through the collimator assemblyand onto the diffraction grating, which separates or spreads spatially the collimated input light, and reflects the dispersed light onto the mirror. A &#x3bb;/4 plateis disposed between the mirrorand the diffraction grating. The mirror reflects the separated light back through the &#x3bb;/4 plateto the diffraction grating, which reflects the light back through the collimating lens. The lensfocuses spectral bands of light (&#x3bb;&#x2013;&#x3bb;) at different focal points in space. One of the spectral bandsis focused onto a receive pigtail, which then propagates to a photodetector. A pivoting mechanismpivots the diffraction gratingor mirrorabout a pivot pointto sequentially or selectively focus each spectral bandto the receive pigtail. A position sensordetects the displacement of the diffraction gratingor mirror.

Optical spectrum analyzer

A portable flow measuring apparatus measures the speed of sound and/or vortical disturbances propagating in a fluid flow to determine a parameter of the flow propagating through a pipe. The apparatus includes a sensing device that includes an array of pressure sensors, which may be removable, used to measure the acoustic and convective pressure variations in the flow to determine a desired parameter. A portable processing instrument processes the signals provided by the sensing array to provide an output signal indicative of a parameter of the fluid flow. The portable processing instrument includes a processor having appropriate processing algorithms to determine the desired or selected parameter(s) of the process flow. The portable processing instrument has a user interface to permit the user to select the parameters to be measured in the process flow, and/or more importantly, to enable the user to modify particular parameters or functions in the processorand/or processing algorithms. The user interfacealso enables a user to modify the code of the algorithm via a graphic user interface (GUI), keyboard and/or user input signal.

A fiber optic pressure sensor for measuring unsteady pressures within a pipe include at least one optical fiber disposed circumferentially around a portion of a circumference of the pipe, which provides an optical signal indicative of the length of the optical fiber. An optical instrument measures the change in length of the optical fiber to determine the unsteady pressure within the pipe. The pressure sensor may include a plurality of optical fiber sections disposed circumferentially around a portion of the circumference of the pipe that are optically connected together by optical fiber sections disposed axially along the pipe. The optical fiber sections may include fiber Bragg gratings having substantially the same or different reflection wavelengths to permit for example the sensors to be axially distributed along the fiber using wavelength division multiplexing and/or time division multiplexing.

Apparatus and method having an optical fiber disposed circumferentially around the pipe for measuring unsteady pressure within a pipe

Growing community of inventors

Glastonbury, CT, United States of America

Charles Winston