DK177213B1 - Optical-electronic in-situ detection of correct operation and / or wear-out of rotating devices - Google Patents

Abstract

The system is based on an optical-electronically surveillance/detection system, which is located outside the processing tank to ensure non-contact to the medical, food, or drug, which is under production within the tank. The system consists of an optical transmitter, which emits an optical signal, which is feed into the cleaning fluid and illuminate the rotating inner part of the cleaning nozzle. An optical detector situated together with the transmitter outside the processing tank to inspect the optical signal coming from the cleaning nozzles. Due to the behavior of the reflected optical signal the optical detector can decide whether the cleaning nozzle is rotating or not, sec Figure 3. Furthermore the revolution speed of the cleaning nozzle can be determined from the optical signal. The level ofwear-out of the cleaning nozzle can be estimated or determined from the revolution speed, so pro-active maintenance/change of cleaning nozzle can be performed in connection with normal periodical maintenance.

Description

DK 177213 B1

Field of the invention

The invention is related to surveillance of autonomous rotating components within the process industry.

By continuous, in-situ surveillance it is possible to detect and/or document the quality 5 of the components function. The rotating components could be, but is not limited to, rotating cleaning nozzles for use within medical, food, drug, chemical, and petrochemical processing and production facilities.

Background of the invention 10 Cleaning and quality of cleaning are essential properties with regard to the process industry. Especially within medical, food, and drug production the quality of the products are of very important matter.

Typically the production takes place in sealed stainless steel tanks to ensure the quality of the production.

15 At the same time production optimization, reduction of cleaning time, reduction of cleaning fluids (water, soap/lye- and acid solutions) has lead to development of rotating cleaning nozzles instead of using traditional non-rotating cleaning nozzles. Use of rotating cleaning nozzles has given a remarkable reduction of the above mentioned fluids and cleaning time. In these rotating cleaning nozzles the rotation are generally 20 based on the pressure at which the fluids are lead to the nozzles.

In case of wear out or processing residues blocking the nozzle no alarm or detection of failure is present. In this case the cleaning of the processing facilities will not be sufficient.

To ensure a worldwide use of rotating cleaning nozzles it should be possible to monitor 25 and detect failure in the operation of the cleaning nozzle.

The invention is a method to make continuous, in-situ and non-contact detection of rotation based on an optical inspection system, which uses the cleaning fluid within the tube, which serve as supply line for the cleaning nozzle, as a two-way transparent media 30 for transport of an optical signal. The system ensures a non-contact to the product DK 177213 B1 during processing and is placed outside the processing tank, which is of very high importance due to validation of the production facility.

Previous suggested methods (fx. Patent JP 2006-150243 A) have described systems, 5 where the surveillance/detection system are established though an inspection glass, which is in contact with and thereby can be contaminated of the product inside the tank.

These systems have been observed to be unreliable (do not give a unique surveillance of the rotating cleaning nozzle) and can therefore not be accepted as a measure for the quality of the washing/cleaning process and cannot be used for quality assurance/quality 10 control.

The unique about the present invention is that the optical signals are carried in 2 directions in the conduit, while it is supplying cleaning fluid to the nozzle.

Summary of the invention 15 The system is based on an optical-electronically surveillance/detection system, which is located outside the processing tank (1.3) to ensure non-contact to the medical, food, or drug, which is under production within the tank. The system consists of an optical transmitter (2.1) driven by an electronic driver (2.9). The optical transmitter emits an optical signal, which is feed into the cleaning fluid and illuminate the rotating inner part 20 (2.6) of the cleaning nozzle (2.7). The cleaning fluid (2.3) can be any kind of liquid fluids, which is transparent for the wavelength of the light used for detection. The liquid fluids can fx be, but is not limited to, water, demineralized water, acid- or alkali-water solutions or solvents.

An optical detector (2.2) situated together with the transmitter outside the processing 25 tank to inspect the optical signal coming from the cleaning nozzle. The signal from the detector (2.2) is feed to an analogue signal processing unit (2.10). Due to the behavior of the reflected optical signal, the optical detector can give information whether the cleaning nozzle is rotating or not. Furthermore the revolution speed of the cleaning nozzle can be determined from the optical signal. The level of wear-out of the cleaning 30 nozzle can be estimated or determined from the revolution speed, so pro-active maintenance/change of cleaning nozzle can be performed in connection with normal periodical maintenance.

DK 177213 B1

The optical detection system can be based on a simple optical detection system, which only measures the total light being reflected from the inner part of the cleaning nozzle, or it can be based on a camera detection system, which fx. by correlation analysis 5 (picture by picture) can determine the rotation of the cleaning nozzle.

At the rotating inner part of the cleaning nozzle the optical reflected signal can, but is not limited to, be generated by a pattern as illustrated (4). On the rotating inner part a non-reflecting (4.2) fill 2 out of 4 equal size fields, the other two fields being reflective 10 (4.1).

Just above the reflector (4), a non-rotating masking disc (5.2) is placed with 2 transparent fields/holes (5.1) diagonal on a line. This setup reflects only an optical signal when the reflecting fields of the rotating part is in line of the transparent fields/holes in the masking disc. In this way the detector on top of the plug, will detect 2 15 optical pulses for every revolution of the cleaning nozzle.

Furthermore the detection system can be based on fluorescence, where the wavelength of the optical transmitter is in the Ultra-Violet range, the inner part of the cleaning nozzle is equipped with a fluorescent material (4.1), which converts the transmitters 20 optical ultra-violet signal to a signal different in wavelength from the transmitter. The detection system could then be based on a narrow wavelength detector, which only detects the fluorescent light, and thereby gives isolation between the light from the transmitter and the detector.

Table of figures: 25 _ _ ___ IFigure no7_ Reference_ Text_ 1 The figure shows an example of an application of rotating cleaning nozzle, as it is used today, without ___detection._ 1.1 Cleaning fluids (water, lye or acid) __L2__Rotating cleaning nozzle DK 177213 B1 __L3__Processing tank_ 2 The figure shows our new idea to the setup for detecting the rotation of the ___cleaning nozzles._ __2T__Optical transmitter_ 2.2 Detector 2.3 Cleaning fluid ~ 2.4 ~ Tee __22)__Feed pipe_ __216__Reflector_ __2/7__Rotating cleaning nozzle 3 The figure shows how the optical system is ___constructed._ __3T__Optical transmitter_ 3.2 Detector 3.3 "Plug ~ __3A__Lenses_ __32)__Cleaning fluid_ 3.6 Tee __327__Radiated light_ __T8__Reflected light_ 3.9 Tank-top __3,10__Feed-pipe_ __3,11__Disc (see figure 5)_ __3,12__Reflector (see figure 4)_ 3.13 Cleaning nozzle 4 Pattern on the rotating reflector, inside the cleaning nozzle.

___(see figure 3,12)_ __4T__Reflecting field_ 4.2 Absorbing field 5 The disc placed just above the reflector. The disc is stationary (not rotating) (see figure 3.11) 5.1 "Hole ~ 5.2 Disc

Claims (5)

A contactless surveillance system for rotary motion based on optical detection comprising an optical transmitter (2.1), an optical detector (2.2) and a partially reflective disk (4) rotating together with a cleaning nozzle to be monitored. Characterized in that the cleaning nozzle (1.2) to be monitored is located inside a tank (1.3) and a pipe (1.1) leading from the outside of the tank to the cleaning nozzle is used simultaneously for respectively. supplying the cleaning fluid to the cleaning nozzle and to two-way transmission of the optical signal used for monitoring the cleaning nozzle. A system according to claim 1, wherein the optical detector (2.2) is based on an optical detector diode, either photodiode, PIN photodiode or avalanche photodiode. A system according to claim 1, wherein the detection is based on a camera technology and with a relevant image correlation analysis. A system according to claim 1, wherein the detection is based on fluorescence. Characterized in that the light source (2.1) is based on an ultraviolet source, the reflecting part (4.1) of the partially reflecting disk (4) is based on a fluorescent material, the detector (2.2) is based on a detector having a wavelength-narrow sensitivity where the center wavelength is different from the wavelength of the transmitter and coincides with the fluorescence wavelength of the fluorescent material. A system according to claim 1, claim 3 and claim 4, wherein the detection is based on fluorescence, wherein the light source (2.1) is based on an ultraviolet source, the reflecting portion (4.1) of the partially reflecting disk (4) being based on a fluorescent material and the detector (2.2) is based on a camera technology, wherein the spectral sensitivity of the camera is different from the transmitter and coincides with the fluorescence wavelength of the fluorescent material. 11 DK 177213 B1 1.1 n? 'L · ·' 1.3 Figure 1 2.9 - -> 2.10 2.1 'Mil · 2.2 2.3 = | I 1 r— 2A | - |. '2.5 2.6 - Fol l I · - 2.7 2.8 Figure 2 DK 177213 B1, / 3V · 2 uu 3.3 ^ 3'4 i' Ί | _: i 3.5 3.6 -> 3.7 \> <} 3.8 3.9 <- 3.10 - -3.11 --3.13 O Figure 3 r ^ 4.2 Figure 4 DK 177213 B1 ^ ► 5.1 ^ ► 5.2 Figure 5