Apparatus and method for determining the internal cleanliness of a tube
US8534144B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 4, 2010 |
| Grant date | Sep 17, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 19, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2291/044
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A system to measure the internal state of a bundle of tubes by injecting a signal into each tube of the bundle, receiving reflections from the tube due to anomalies within the tube, then analyzing the reflections to determine the type or characteristics about the anomalies. The analyzed information is stored in database to be used for statistical processing. Further, the device can be used in the performance of a cleaning process by conducting an initial assessment of the tubes in a bundle of tubes, comparing the stored data and estimating the number of cleaning cycles that will be required, and re-conducting the evaluation of the state of the tubes after every cleaning cycle or after every few cleaning cycles.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.