Patent Application
20250216270
This disclosure is generally directed to an apparatus and a method for assembling a non-invasive temperature measuring device to a tubing or pipeline wall to derive the temperature of a fluid flowing within the tube or pipeline.
Currently, there are few accurate solutions known for measuring the temperature of the outer wall of a tube or pipeline in order to measure the temperature of a fluid flowing in the tube or pipeline. This approach of measuring the outer wall is considered non-invasive because it does not require any aperture or port to be defined in the tube or pipeline wall and therefore, such non-intrusive approaches can be deployed at virtually any location along the tubing or pipeline. One known methodology for doing so is using clamping type device, which snaps on, or clips over, the exterior wall of a tube or pipeline. These devices suffer from issues of low accuracy due to poor heat transfer between tube or pipeline outer wall and the temperature-measuring element mounted to the device. Other implementations that clamp a heat sensitive element to a tube or pipe also suffer from difficult installations and/or poor temperature sensitivity. Such as for example, poor temperature accuracy due to low heat transfer and thermal losses induced by the absorption of heat into the surrounding tubing or pipeline wall where the heat sensitive element is mounted.
This disclosure relates to an apparatus and a method for assembling a temperature measuring device to a tubing or pipeline wall to derive the temperature of a fluid within the tube or pipeline.
In a first embodiment an apparatus for measuring the temperature of a fluid contained in a passage enclosed by a wall is disclosed. The apparatus is comprised of a clamping body configured to attach to the wall and a protrusion arranged to cause a depression in the wall that dilates the wall and locates the protrusion within the passage when the clamping body is attached to the wall. A sensor capsule housed in the protrusion measures the temperature of the dilated wall.
In a second embodiment a method for assembling an apparatus that measures the temperature of a fluid contained in a passage enclosed by a wall is disclosed. The method comprises engaging a clamping body to the wall and causing a depression in the wall using a protrusion attached to the clamping body that dilates the wall and locates the protrusion within the passage. The method further includes installing a sensor capsule in the protrusion that measures the temperature of the dilated wall.
In a third embodiment a non-invasive temperature measuring device for measuring the temperature of a fluid in a pipeline passage enclosed by a wall is disclosed. The temperature measuring device comprises a clamping body having a probe receptacle extending from a first portion of the clamping body and a temperature measuring probe installed in the probe receptacle. The temperature measuring probe includes a sensor capsule located in a protrusion that extends from the first portion of the clamping body. A second portion of the clamping body is rotatably mounted to the first portion. The first portion of the clamping body is installed on a wall section of the pipeline after the wall section has been heated. The second portion of the clamping body is then rotated to engage the first portion and drive the protrusion to contact the heated wall section and cause the wall section to dilate and locate the dilated wall and the protrusion in the pipeline passage where the sensor capsule measures the temperature of the dilated wall.
Other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.
For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The figures discussed below, and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present invention in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the invention may be implemented in any type of suitably arranged device or system.
With reference to
The first body portion 16 further includes a planar shelf 13 that extends along a peripheral edge of the first body portion 16 on an opposing side from the living hinge 18. The shelf 13 includes a plurality of flexible latch arms 44. Each arm of the plurality of arms 44 having a first end attached to and extending from a bottom surface of the shelf 13 and a second end terminating in a tooth 45. A plurality of latch holes 48 extend through a planar shelf 15 located along a peripheral edge of the second body portion 18 on an opposing side from the living hinge 14. Each latch arm 44 and tooth 45 are sized and located to be received into a respective latch hole 48 when the second body portion 18 is rotated to engage the first body portion 16 and arranged to couple the second body portion 18 to the first body portion 16 when the clamping device 12 is clamped onto the pipeline 30.
The probe receptacle 40 extends from the first body portion 16. The probe receptacle 40 includes a stepped cylindrical receptacle body 42 extending from an exterior surface of the first body portion 16 on a first end to a generally cylindrical top hat portion 43 on a second end. The top hat portion 43 including a crenellated wall 46 extending about the periphery of the top hat 43. The probe receptacle 40 is integrally attached to the first clamping body 16 and molded from the same material comprising the clamping body 12. It should be noted that the present embodiment illustrates the probe receptacle 40 extending from the first body portion 16 at an acute angle of approximately 30 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the clamping body 12. The acute angle provides a space saving feature to the device 10. However, in other embodiments other various angular directions such as 90, 45 and 30 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the clamping body 12 may be used.
A protrusion 60 extends from a bottom surface 62 of the first body portion 16 below the probe receptacle 40. The protrusion 60 is generally elliptical in cross-section and includes an exterior wall 64 defining an interior cavity 66, The cavity 66 best seen at
A temperature measuring probe 50 includes a temperature sensing capsule 52 located at the tip of a probe shaft 54 that extends from a bottom portion of a probe body 56. Electrical leads 51 and 53 are electrically connected to the temperature sensing capsule 52 and extend along the probe shaft 54, through the probe body 56 to a connector portion 55 extending from a top surface of the probe body 56. Electrical leads 51 and 53 connect to electrical terminals housed within a connector cavity 57 of the connector portion 55. The connector cavity 57 is arranged to accept a suitable terminal connector (not shown) through the connector opening 57 and to electrically connect the temperature sensing capsule 52 to an external electrical circuit. The electrical leads 51 and 53 form a circuit for transmitting current changes representing the temperature sensed by temperature sensing capsule 52 to the terminals in the connector opening 57. The circuit formed by electrical leads 51 and 53 transmit the current changes as an output signal to the external electrical circuit through the terminal connector connected to the electrical terminals in the connector cavity 57.
After the clamping body 12 is installed on the pipeline 30 and the protrusion 60 forms the depression 35 in wall 31, the temperature measuring probe 50 is installed into the probe receptacle 40. The probe receptacle 40 includes an internal annular cavity 72 that extends from a top surface 74 of the top hat 43 through the receptacle body 42 to the chamber 66 located at a distal end of the receptacle body 42, defined by the protrusion 60. The probe shaft 54 with the electrical leads 51 and 53 (only 53 is shown) are placed in the cavity 72 with sensing capsule 52 positioned in chamber 66 resting on the wall 31 of depression 35 through opening 68. A floor 58 on the probe body 56 rests on top surface 74 of the top hat 43. The floor 58 includes a recess along its periphery that accepts an elastomeric sealing device 80 therein, such as for example an O-ring. The sealing device 80 is used to seal and protect the sensor capsule 52 from dust, dirt or water that may be present in the location of the installation of the device 10. The crenellated walls 46 extending from the top hat 43 include hooks 47 that engage via a snap-fit engagement external surfaces of probe body 56. The hooks 47 capture and retain the temperature measuring probe 50 to the probe receptacle 40. To aid in sensing and measuring the temperature of wall 31 and by inference the temperature of the fluid flowing in fluid passage 33, a heat transfer paste may be applied into the chamber 66 before installing the temperature measuring probe 50 into probe receptacle 40. The heat transfer paste aids in the transfer of heat from wall 31 to the temperature sensing capsule 52.
It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document. The term “communicate,” as well as derivatives thereof, encompasses both direct and indirect communication. The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrase “associated with,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, have a relationship to or with, or the like. The phrase “at least one of,” when used with a list of items, means that different combinations of one or more of the listed items may be used, and only one item in the list may be needed. For example, “at least one of: A, B, and C” includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and A and B and C.
The description in the present application should not be read as implying that any particular element, step, or function is an essential or critical element that must be included in the claim scope. The scope of patented subject matter is defined only by the allowed claims. Moreover, none of the claims is intended to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112 (f) with respect to any of the appended claims or claim elements unless the exact words “means for” or “step for” are explicitly used in the particular claim, followed by a participle phrase identifying a function. Use of terms such as (but not limited to) “mechanism,” “module,” “device,” “unit,” “component,” “element,” “member,” “apparatus,” “machine,” “system,” or “controller” within a claim is understood and intended to refer to structures known to those skilled in the relevant art, as further modified or enhanced by the features of the claims themselves and is not intended to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112 (f).
While this disclosure has described certain embodiments and generally associated methods, alterations and permutations of these embodiments and methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the above description of example embodiments does not define or constrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure, as defined by the following claims.
