US 12,458,986 B2
Detection of cyclone wear or damage using individual cyclone overflow measurement
Dylan Cirulis, Salt Lake City, UT (US); Robert J. Maron, Middletown, CT (US); Christian V. O'Keefe, Durham, CT (US); Paul J. Rothman, Windsor, CT (US); David V. Newton, Madison, CT (US); Joseph Mercuri, Wallingford, CT (US); and Juan F. Medina, West Jordan, UT (US)
Assigned to CIDRA CORPORATE SERVICES INC., Wallingford, CT (US)
Appl. No. 15/541,787
Filed by CiDRA Corporate Services Inc., Wallingford, CT (US)
PCT Filed Jan. 28, 2016, PCT No. PCT/US2016/015334
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 6, 2017,
PCT Pub. No. WO2016/123323, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 4, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/108,689, filed on Jan. 28, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2018/0272362 A1, Sep. 27, 2018
Int. Cl. B04C 11/00 (2006.01); G01N 15/00 (2024.01); G01N 15/02 (2024.01); G01N 15/10 (2024.01)
CPC B04C 11/00 (2013.01) [G01N 15/02 (2013.01); G01N 15/10 (2013.01); G01N 2015/0053 (2013.01); G01N 2015/1029 (2024.01)] 29 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. Apparatus having a cyclone, comprising:
a probe mounted or arranged inside a part of a cyclone, and configured to measure an acoustic noise profile generated by a slurry flowing in the part of the cyclone and hitting the probe, and provide signaling containing information about the acoustic noise profile generated; and
a signal processor or signal processing module configured to:
receive the signaling; and
provide corresponding signaling containing information about the status of the part of the cyclone by correlating statistical fluctuations in the acoustic noise profile measured and generated of the slurry hitting the probe in real time, based upon the signaling received;
wherein a correlation of the statistical fluctuations is based on associated statistical fluctuations in an associated acoustic noise profile of a worn or damaged part of the cyclone having higher or less stable statistical fluctuations in probe measurements, and corresponding statistical fluctuations in a corresponding noise profile of a non-worn or non-damaged part of the cyclone having lower or more stable statistical fluctuations in the probe measurements than the associated acoustic noise profile of the worn or damaged part of the cyclone.