The Babcock & Wilcox Company

Eugene Skuratovsky

James K Knudsen

Jane E Smith

Victor J Budan

Gary S Thomas

Allen C Koller

David J Wroblewski

Michael L Sturdevant

A pressure transducer utilizes a diaphragm made, for example, of ceramic or the like having upper and lower surfaces. One surface of the diaphragm receives an elongated thick film resistor. Circuitry is connected to the resistor for measuring any changes in resistance due to strains or forces applied to the resistor. Pressures applied perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of elongation of the resistor produces high outputs in the form of changes in resistance which can be used to calculate strains in the longitudinal and transverse directions as well.

Pressure transducer using thick film resistor

Jaws of microbend sensor have corrugations and hold an optical fiber therebetween. One jaw is movable with respect to the other for squeezing and bending the optical fiber between the corrugations. The amount of bending modulates light passing through the fiber which can be a measurement of the relative movement between the jaws. The relative movement can be a mechanical input of a microbend sensor for sensing a process variable, for example a flow rate in a vortex shedding flowmeter. According to the invention, the corrugations of each jaw comprise flat areas lying in a common plane for each jaw extending perpendicularly to the displacement direction of the jaws, and projections extending parallel to the displacement direction of the jaws and positioned between the flat areas. The projections of each jaw are positioned to face the flat area of the other jaw with the optical fiber being held between the projections. Upon receiving an overload which tends to press the jaws together, the projections of one jaw press bends of the optical fiber against flat areas of the other jaw.

Overload protection for fiber optic microbend sensor

A dual cantilever beam member for aligning optical fiber cables is disclosed. A first optical fiber cable is received through and attached to one end of the beam member while a second optical fiber cable is received through and attached to the other end of the beam member causing the ends of the optical fiber cables to be in close proximity to one another. The dual cantilever construction of the beam member allows relative displacement of the one optical fiber cable with respect to the other optical fiber cable along only one co-ordinate axis and prevents relative displacement of the optical fiber cables along the other co-ordinate axes. A chord shaped portion on the end of each optical fiber cable is blocked to define the transmission area between the cable ends and to increase displacement sensitivity of the device.

Method and apparatus for aligning fiber optic cables

A sensor arrangement for a vortex shedding flowmeter having a flowmeter housing which is exposed to a flowing fluid in a fluid space on one side of the housing, comprises a sensor housing which is connected to the flowmeter housing and which defines an internal sensor space. A sensor beam is connected to the housing and has a first portion extending into the sensor space with a second portion extending through the flowmeter housing into the fluid space. A diaphragm resiliently carries the beam for movement in response to the passage of vortices in the fluid space. A mounting bracket is detachably connected to the sensor housing and carries a sensor element. The sensor element is operatively connected to the first portion of the sensor beam and can be easily engaged and disengaged thereto when the mounting bracket is to be removed. In this way if the sensor element fails, it can be replaced without stopping the flow of fluid or disturbing the sensor beam.

On-line replacement sensor assembly for a vortex shedding flowmeter

A pressure transducer (10) in which a sensor beam (14) is connected to a diaphragm (18) by a shaft assembly (120) which is made up of a sensor post (122) attached to the sensor beam (14), an overpressure stop member (124) attached to the diaphragm (18), and a rigidifying material (126) connecting the sensor beam (14) to the overpressure stop member (24) is disclosed. The overpressure stop member (124) is formed with an extended hollow cylindrical portion (125) that surrounds the sensor post (122), and the rigidifying material (126) fills the space between them.

Growing community of inventors

Mayfield Heights, OH, United States of America

Eugene Skuratovsky