Abb Schweiz Ag

Miklos Lenner

Frank Kassubek

Detlef Pape

Tobias Kaufmann

Stefano Marano

Christof Bernhard

Gerrit Held

Philipp Nenninger

A transducer for non-invasive measurement includes: a piezoelectric element; a base plate; and driver electronics. The piezoelectric element is mounted to a first face of the base plate. A second face of the base plate is mountable to a wall of a vessel that holds a liquid. The driver electronics drive the piezoelectric element at a plurality of activation frequencies. When the second face of the base plate is mounted to the wall of the vessel, the transducer when activated excites acoustic waves in the base plate and to launch an acoustic wave into the liquid. The transducer is designed such that an angular divergence of the acoustic wave launched into the liquid varies as a function of at least the activation frequency and a dimension of an emitter.

Transducer for non-invasive measurement

A method of determining a mixing state of a medium in a container includes: transmitting a plurality of acoustic signals at least partly through the medium and receiving the plurality of acoustic signals after at least partly traversing the medium; determining at least one propagation value of at least one propagation quantity for each of the plurality of received acoustic signals to provide determined propagation values, each at least one propagation quantity being indicative of an interaction of the acoustic signals with the medium; determining at least one fluctuation value of at least one fluctuation quantity based on the determined propagation values to provide a determined at least one fluctuation value, each at least one fluctuation quantity being indicative of and/or correlating with a variance of the determined propagation values and/or with a state of a mixture; and determining the mixing state of the medium.

Non-invasive monitoring of a mixing process in a container

A measurement system for determining a density ρ or a compressibility κ of a liquid medium in a vessel includes: at least one pressure sensor for measuring a hydrostatic pressure Δp of the liquid medium as a measured hydrostatic pressure Δp; at least one ultrasound sensor for measuring a first time of flight talong a first propagation path comprising a point at a level surface of the liquid medium, and for measuring a second time of flight talong a second propagation path, which is different from the first propagation path; and a control unit for determining the density ρ or the compressibility κ of the liquid medium based on the measured hydrostatic pressure Δp, the first time of flight t, and the second time of flight t.

Measurement system for determining liquid properties in a vessel

A transducer for non-invasive measurement includes: at least one first piezoelectric element; a second piezoelectric element; and a base material mountable to a wall of a vessel that contains a liquid. The base material has a planar portion and an angular shaped portion. The angular shaped portion has a plurality of outer faces, a first face of the plurality of outer faces of the angular shaped portion being connected to (or part of) a first face of the planar portion, a second face of the planar portion opposite to the first face of the planar portion being mountable to the wall of the vessel, at least one second face of the plurality of outer faces of the angular shaped portion being angled to the first face of the angular shaped portion at an angle less than an angle of 90 degrees internal to the base material.

A signal processing unit configured to: cause a first ultrasound emitter, when attached to a wall of a vessel, to emit a first ultrasound test signal; receive, from at least one ultrasound receiver, when attached to the wall of the vessel, the first ultrasound test signal; detect a time of flight of the received first ultrasound test signal; and determine that an acoustic coupling of the first ultrasound emitter and a first ultrasound receiver of the at least one ultrasound receiver to the wall of the vessel is intact if the detected time of flight corresponds to a length of a path in the wall of the vessel from the first ultrasound emitter to the at least one ultrasound receiver.

Integrity detection system for an ultrasound transducer

A measurement system for measuring an inhomogeneity of a medium in a vessel includes: a first ultrasound emitter for sending a first ultrasound signal along a first path; a second ultrasound emitter for sending a second ultrasound signal along a second path different from the first path; a first ultrasound receiver for receiving the first ultrasound signal and measuring a first measurement parameter pof the received first ultrasound signal; a second ultrasound receiver for receiving the second ultrasound signal and measuring a second measurement parameter pof the received second ultrasound signal; and a control unit: receives the first measurement parameter pfrom the first ultrasound receiver, receives the second measurement parameter pfrom the second ultrasound receiver, and determines a ratio p/pof the first measurement parameter pto the second measurement parameter p

System for measuring an inhomogeneity of a medium

An ultrasonic Lamb wave transducer for non-invasive measurement and for emitting and/or receiving an ultrasonic Lamb wave pulse, an emission and a reception of the ultrasonic Lamb wave having an emission direction and a reception direction, respectively, the ultrasonic Lamb wave pulse being defined by at least one parameter, includes: at least one piezocomposite actuator for controlling the emission direction of the ultrasonic Lamb wave by emitting acoustic radiation at frequencies that are appropriate for generating ultrasonic Lamb waves.

Ultrasonic transducer for non-invasive measurement

A transducer for non-invasive measurement includes: a shear-type piezoelectric element; and a host material. The shear-type piezoelectric element is mounted to a first face of the host material. A second face of the host material is mountable to a wall of a vessel that holds a liquid. When the second face of the host material is mounted to the wall of the vessel, the transducer when activated at an activation frequency launches a Lamb wave into the wall of the vessel. The transducer is designed such that a phase velocity of the Lamb wave in the wall of the vessel is greater than a speed of sound in the liquid held by the vessel.

An apparatus for measuring a flow velocity of a fluid in a pipe includes: a housing in which a first ultrasonic transducer and a second ultrasonic transducer are arranged at a predefined distance to each other, the first ultrasonic transducer including a first sound transmitting element and a transmitter/receiver unit mounted thereto which emit first ultrasonic pulses at different angles, the second ultrasonic transducer receiving the first ultrasonic pulses and generating a first electronic output signal, the second ultrasonic transducer including a second sound transmitting element and a transmitter/receiver unit mounted thereto which emit second ultrasonic pulses at different angles, the first ultrasonic transducer receiving the second ultrasonic pulses and generating a second electronic output signal; and a control and evaluation unit electrically coupled to the first and second transducers, the control and evaluation unit tuning the first transducer to generate a first electronic output signal of a maximum amplitude.

Apparatus and method for measuring the flow velocity of a fluid in a pipe

A system and a method for measuring a speed of sound in a liquid contained in a vessel or in a gaseous medium contained in the same vessel above the surface of the liquid. The method comprises: transmitting a first acoustic signal into the vessel to travel inside a first travelling plane. Emitting a second acoustic signal into the wall of the vessel to travel inside the wall of the vessel along a perimeter of the first travelling plane until it is received and obtaining a first time of flight of the first acoustic signal and a second time of flight of the second acoustic signal and obtaining a speed of sound in the vessel wall from a data memory. Determining the speed of sound in the liquid or in the gaseous medium from the length of the travelling path of the first acoustic signal and from the first time of flight.

System and method for measuring a speed of sound in a liquid or gaseous medium

A system and a method for measuring a signal propagation speed in a liquid contained in a vessel or in a gaseous medium contained in the same vessel above the surface of the liquid are proposed. A transmitter transmits a first signal in a first direction which is at an acute or right angle to a first reflective surface, wherein the first reflective surface reflects the first signal so that it travels in a second direction is received by a first acoustic or electromagnetic receiver. The transmitter transmits a second signal in a predetermined third direction which is at an acute angle to the first direction, where the first or a second reflective surface reflects the second signal so that it travels in a predetermined and angular fourth direction with respect to the first or second reflective surface and is received by the first or a second acoustic or electromagnetic receiver. The speed of sound is then determined under the assumption that both the first and the second signals travel at the same average speed.

System and method for measuring a signal propagation speed in a liquid or gaseous medium

An application relates to a system and a method for non-intrusive and continuous level measurement in a cylindrical vessel. The system comprises an ultrasonic transducer for generating an ultrasound wave and for emitting it into the vessel wall, and an electronic control and data processing unit (ECDP) for controlling operation of the transducer and for determining the liquid level from a time of flight of the ultrasound wave. The transducer emits the ultrasound wave as a primary Lamb wave into the vessel wall so that a part of the primary Lamb wave leaks into the liquid. The ECDP changes the ultrasonic frequency of the transducer until the transducer receives a reflection of the emitted ultrasound wave in form of a reflection of the pressure wave, determine the corresponding time of flight, and determine the liquid level from the time of flight and from parameters of the ultrasound waves.

System and method for non-intrusive and continuous level measurement in a cylindrical vessel

A system and a method for non-intrusive and continuous level measurement of a liquid enclosed by a solid wall of a vessel. The system comprises an ultrasonic transmitter for generating an ultrasound wave and for emitting it into the vessel wall, an ultrasonic receiver for receiving the ultrasound wave, and an electronic control and data processing unit (ECDU) for controlling operation of the transmitter and of the receiver and for determining the liquid level. The transmitter is able to emit the ultrasound wave as a primary Lamb wave into the vessel wall so that a part of the primary Lamb wave leaks from the vessel wall into the liquid in form of a pressure wave. The ECDU is adapted to repeatedly determine the time of flight of the pressure wave, change the ultrasonic frequency of the transmitter until the determined time of flight reaches a minimum, and determine the liquid level.

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Baden-Dättwil, Switzerland

Miklos Lenner