Method and apparatus for detecting deposits in a pipe system of an apparatus

US11579098B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• BASF SE

Inventors

• Gerrit Waters · Karlsruhe, DE
• Ingolf Hennig · Neulußheim, DE
• Steffen Wagloehner · Ludwigshafen am Rhein, DE
• Eric Jenne · Ludwigshafen am Rhein, DE
• Heinrich Laib · Ludwigshafen am Rhein, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 3, 2017
• Grant date: Feb 14, 2023
• Expiry date: Feb 15, 2040

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S13/42
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method for detecting deposits in a pipe system of an apparatus is proposed, the apparatus being flowed through by a fluid. In the method it is provided that at least one microwave probe is introduced into the pipe system in such a way that the fluid flows against a window (102) of the microwave probe that is transparent to microwave radiation, and that microwaves are coupled into the pipe system by way of at least one microwave probe,wherein a reflection measurement is carried out with one or two microwave probes, and/or at least two microwave probes are introduced into the pipe system at a distance from one another and a transmission measurement is carried out,wherein a comparison of measurement data with a reference or a previous measurement is used to deduce a constriction in the pipe system segment and the free cross-section at the constriction is determined, the detection of a constriction being used to deduce the presence of deposits.Further aspects of the invention relate to a microwave probe for coupling microwave radiation into the pipe system of an apparatus and to a measuring device for carrying out the method that comprises at least one such microwave probe.