Non-Intrusive Monitoring System for Particles Traveling in a Pipe
Many industrial processes are plagued by particulate materials traveling through enclosures such as pipes and machines. Solutions to Erosion-based sand management have historically employed an intrusive inserted sensor into the pipe’s flow-stream. However, more recent solutions have employed acoustic-based techniques to measure sand production by monitoring the sand’s impaction with the pipe wall. Current acoustic-based systems rely heavily on extensive data manipulations to filter flow noise and estimate relative sand production. However, this method of estimation provides an opportunity for measurement error, the deleterious effects of which are compounded by real-time continuous measurement. Fortunately, researchers at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) have developed a novel acoustic monitoring system that employs a differential acoustic system for empirical measurement and subtraction of flow noise from sand impaction. Thus, this technology offers an empirical approach to acoustic-based particle monitoring with distinct performance advantages over other acoustic-based commercial system.
