The Babcock & Wilcox Company

James K Knudsen

Eugene Skuratovsky

Marion A Keyes, Iv

Jane E Smith

Victor J Budan

Gary S Thomas

Allen C Koller

David J Wroblewski

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 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.

Adhesive joint for diaphragm to sensor connection in pressure transducers

A fiber optic device senses the generation of vortices by measuring the torsional displacement of a bluff body mounted for rotation about its center of inertia within a fluid conduit. An internally toothed member is fixed to the outside of the fluid conduit, and an externally toothed member is fixed to the bluff body for rotation therewith and is in partial meshing relation to the externally toothed member. An optical fiber is entrained between the toothed members and has one end exposed to a light source and the opposite end connected to a detector which is operable to detect changes in the intensity of the light transmitted through the fiber. As the bluff body vibrates, the toothed members are displaced relative to one another causing changes in the radius of curvature of the segments of the optical fiber received between the teeth, thus changing the intensity of light transmitted through the fiber in proportion to the changes in the radius of curvature.

Growing community of inventors

South Euclid, OH, United States of America

James K Knudsen