Yuan Zheng, Wu Xiaoyu, Li Zhikang, Yuan Jiawei, Zhao Yihe, Li Zixuan, Qin Shaohui, Ma Qi, Shi Xuan, Zhao Zilong, Li Jiazhu, Zhang Shiwang, Jing Weixuan, Wang Xiaozhang, Zhao Libo
State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, International Joint Laboratory for Micro/Nano Manufacturing and Measurement Technologies, Xi'an Jiaotong University (Yantai) Research Institute for Intelligent Sensing Technology and System, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049 China.
School of Mechanical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049 China.
Microsyst Nanoeng. 2024 Aug 16;10:111. doi: 10.1038/s41378-024-00734-0. eCollection 2024.
Pipe contaminant detection holds considerable importance within various industries, such as the aviation, maritime, medicine, and other pertinent fields. This capability is beneficial for forecasting equipment potential failures, ascertaining operational situations, timely maintenance, and lifespan prediction. However, the majority of existing methods operate offline, and the detectable parameters online are relatively singular. This constraint hampers real-time on-site detection and comprehensive assessments of equipment status. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a sensing method that integrates an ultrasonic unit and an electromagnetic inductive unit for the real-time detection of diverse contaminants and flow rates within a pipeline. The ultrasonic unit comprises a flexible transducer patch fabricated through micromachining technology, which can not only make installation easier but also focus the sound field. Moreover, the sensing unit incorporates three symmetrical solenoid coils. Through a comprehensive analysis of ultrasonic and induction signals, the proposed method can be used to effectively discriminate magnetic metal particles (e.g., iron), nonmagnetic metal particles (e.g., copper), nonmetallic particles (e.g., ceramics), and bubbles. This inclusive categorization encompasses nearly all types of contaminants that may be present in a pipeline. Furthermore, the fluid velocity can be determined through the ultrasonic Doppler frequency shift. The efficacy of the proposed detection principle has been validated by mathematical models and finite element simulations. Various contaminants with diverse velocities were systematically tested within a 14 mm diameter pipe. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed sensor can effectively detect contaminants within the 0.5-3 mm range, accurately distinguish contaminant types, and measure flow velocity.
管道污染物检测在航空、航海、医学及其他相关领域等众多行业中具有相当重要的意义。这种能力有助于预测设备潜在故障、确定运行状况、及时进行维护以及预测使用寿命。然而，现有的大多数方法都是离线运行的，在线可检测参数相对单一。这一限制阻碍了对设备状态的实时现场检测和全面评估。为应对这些挑战，本文提出了一种传感方法，该方法集成了超声单元和电磁感应单元，用于实时检测管道内的各种污染物和流速。超声单元包括一个通过微加工技术制造的柔性换能器贴片，它不仅安装更方便，还能聚焦声场。此外，传感单元包含三个对称的螺线管线圈。通过对超声和感应信号的综合分析，所提出的方法可用于有效区分磁性金属颗粒（如铁）、非磁性金属颗粒（如铜）、非金属颗粒（如陶瓷）和气泡。这种全面的分类涵盖了管道中可能存在的几乎所有类型的污染物。此外，流体速度可通过超声多普勒频移来确定。所提出的检测原理的有效性已通过数学模型和有限元模拟得到验证。在直径为14毫米的管道内对各种不同速度的污染物进行了系统测试。实验结果表明，所提出的传感器能够有效检测0.5 - 3毫米范围内 的污染物，准确区分污染物类型，并测量流速。
