HYGIENIC TUBE ADAPTER

Abstract

A tube adapter for a pipeline for conveying a medium includes a pipeline section having a tubular, first channel for inserting the pipeline section into the pipeline, and a tubular, second channel, which is arranged at a first predeterminable angle to the first channel and connected with the first channel. In a transition region between a wall of the first and a wall of the second channel, at least one hollow is present in a wall of the first and/or second channel. The present disclosure further includes an arrangement having a measuring device and a tube adapter according to the present disclosure as well as to a method for producing a tube adapter according to the present disclosure.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A tube adapter for a pipeline adapted for conveying a medium, the tube adapter comprising: a pipeline section including a tubular, first channel configured to be introduced into the pipeline; a tubular, second channel, which is arranged at a first predetermined angle relative to the first channel and connected with the first channel; and at least one hollow defined in a wall of the first channel and/or a wall of the second channel in a transition region between the wall of the first channel and the wall of the second channel.

17. The tube adapter of claim 16, wherein a volume and/or a geometry of the at least one hollow is configured as a function of a diameter of the first channel and/or the second channel.

18. The tube adapter of claim 16, further comprising a tubular, third channel, which is arranged at a second predetermined angle relative to the first channel and is connected with the first channel.

19. The tube adapter of claim 16, wherein the at least one hollow includes at least two hollows into the transition region between the walls of the first channel and second channel.

20. The tube adapter of claim 19, wherein the at least two hollows are arranged opposite each other across a cross-sectional area of the second channel.

21. The tube adapter of claim 19, wherein a volume of a first hollow of the at least two hollows and a volume of a second hollow the at least two hollows are different, wherein in the transition region a first increase of a diameter of the first channel due to the first hollow and a second increase of a diameter of the first channel due to the second hollow are different.

22. The tube adapter of claim 16, wherein the at least one hollow has a sickle-shaped geometry.

23. The tube adapter of claim 16, wherein at least in a margin of the at least one hollow an extension region adjoins the at least one hollow tangentially.

24. An arrangement for determining and/or monitoring at least one process variable of a medium in a pipeline, the arrangement comprising: a device configured to determine and/or monitor the at least one process variable; and a tube adapter according to claim 16.

25. The arrangement of claim 24, wherein a transition between the tube adapter and the device is essentially free of a gap and/or dead space near or at the first channel.

26. A method for producing a tube adapter, the method comprising: providing a pipeline section having a tubular first channel and a tubular second channel, which is arranged at a first predetermined angle to the first channel and connected with the first channel; and milling at least one hollow in a wall of the first channel and/or second channel in a transition region between the wall of the first channel and the wall of the second channel.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein a spherical milling cutter and/or a circular segment milling cutter is used for the milling.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein, for milling the at least one hollow, a tool is introduced into an internal volume of the tube adapter through a first opening and/or a second opening of the first channel or through an opening of the second channel.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein, for manufacturing the at least one hollow, an imaginary guide curve is defined having two, symmetric, straight line sections, which are connected by a curved section.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one hollow includes at least two hollows, which are milled into the pipeline section.

Description

[0045] The invention will now be explained in greater detail based on the appended drawing, the figures of which show as follows:

[0046] FIG. 1 a schematic view of a capacitive and/or conductive sensor for flush installation, according to the state of the art;

[0047] FIG. 2 a tube adapter according to the state of the art;

[0048] FIG. 3 three possible embodiments of a tube adapter of the invention with two hollows;

[0049] FIG. 4 two sectional views of a tube adapter without (a) and with (b) hollows for illustrating the effect of the hollows;

[0050] FIG. 5 an embodiment of the tube adapter of the invention having second and third channels;

[0051] FIG. 6 a schematic view of the production method by means of a milling procedure along an imaginary guide curve; and

[0052] FIG. 7 a possible embodiment of a tube adapter of the invention with two hollows and two connection regions.

[0053] The invention is usable with a wide variety of sensors 1. Without intending to limit the generality of the invention, the following description concerns, for purposes of simplification, the case of a flush installed, capacitive and/or conductive sensor 1, such as shown schematically in FIG. 1. Furthermore, the invention is usable for a large number of different embodiments, for example, geometries, for the tube adapter 7. Likewise, without intending to limit the general applicability of the invention, the following description concerns, for purposes of simplification, exclusively a T-shaped tube adapter 7. The considerations can be applied analogously for other measuring devices 1 and other embodiments of the tube adapter 7.

[0054] The measuring methods underpinning a capacitive and/or conductive measuring device, for example, a fill level measuring device, are known per se in the state of the art. Corresponding field devices are produced and sold by the applicant, for example, under the mark, LIQUIPOINT. A schematic view of a corresponding measuring device 1 is shown in FIG. 1. Sensor 1 includes a sensor unit 2, which, when the field device 1 is introduced into a pipeline, terminates essentially flush in the pipeline, as well as an electronics unit 3, which is connectable releasably via a connection cable 3a, for example, with an external unit (not shown).

[0055] Sensor unit 2 is essentially coaxially embodied and includes an electrode assembly 4, which in the illustrated example comprises a measuring electrode 5a, a guard electrode 5b and a ground electrode 5c. There can be, however, also electrode assemblies 4 with less than or more than electrodes 5a-5c. Following on the electrode assembly 4 is a housing 6, in which is arranged, among others, the electronics unit 3. Furthermore, the process connector 6a serves for releasable securing of the sensor 1 to a process connector or a tube adapter 7, such as shown in FIGS. 2 to 7.

[0056] FIG. 2 shows a tube adapter 7 for a pipeline (not shown) with a pipeline section 8 according to the state of the art. The tube adapter 7 has a tubular, first channel K1 for inserting the pipeline section 8 into the pipeline and a tubular, second channel K2, which is arranged perpendicularly to the first channel K1 and which is connected with the first channel K1. FIG. 2a shows a perspective view and FIG. 2b a sectional view of the tube adapter 7. FIG. 2c shows the same tube adapter 7 with a measuring device 1 such as shown in FIG. 1 introduced into the second channel K2.

[0057] The two channels K1 and K2 have circular cross-sectional areas. A line of intersection between the first K1 and second channels K2 in the region of the opening O1 is correspondingly curved. If a sensor 1 such as shown in FIG. 1 is secured in the second channel K2, dead spaces can arise in the transition region between the surface of the electrode assembly 4 facing the medium M and the wall of the first channel K1. The electrode assembly 4 introduced into the opening O1 has namely, as a rule, a geometry other than that of the part of the wall of the first channel K1 surrounding the opening O1. As a result, deposits and/or media residues can easily form within the tube adapter 7, especially in the transition region 9 between the end surface of the electrode assembly 4 of the sensor 1 and the wall of the first channel K1. An application of an assembly of this type in the field of sterile processes, in which a product is made from a raw or starting material by the application of chemical, physical or biological procedures, is correspondingly not directly possible.

[0058] In order to avoid this problem, there is provided according to the invention in a transition region between the wall of the first K1 and the wall of the second channel K2 at least one hollow 10a, 10b in a wall of the first K1 and/or second channels K2, such as shown in FIG. 3-FIG. 7.

[0059] A tube adapter 7 with two hollows 10a and 10b is shown in FIG. 3. As in the case of FIG. 2, shown is a perspective (a), a section and a view with sensor 1 (c) introduced into the second channel K2. In contrast with the variant fora tube adapter 7 shown in FIG. 2, two hollows 10a and 10b are provided for the tube adapter 7 of FIG. 3 in the transition region 9 between the first K1 and second channels K2.

[0060] The volumes V1, V2 and/or geometries of the hollows 10a, 10b can be selected as a function of a diameter d1 of the first K1 and/or a diameter d2 of the second channel K2. Preferably especially an adjusting of the volumes V1 and V2 and/or geometries occurs for the case in which the two diameters d1 and d2 of the two channels are of different size, such as shown, by way of example, in the embodiment of FIGS. 3d and 3e. For the shown variant, a diameter d1 of the first channel K1 is less than a diameter d2 of the second channel K2. In order also for this case to be able to assure an essentially flush installed device (not shown) for determining and/or monitoring a process variable, one can proceed as follows: the ratio between the volumes V1 and V2 and a cross-sectional area of the first channel K1 is selected greater, the smaller the diameter d1 and/or the greater the ratio of the diameters d1 and d2 of the two channels K1, K2.

[0061] Another option is to choose the volumes V1 and V2 of the two hollows 10a and 10b such that they are of different size, such as shown in FIGS. 3f and 3g. The two shown views concern the case of a horizontal installation of the particular sensor. For this case, this manner of proceeding prevents the forming of a trap.

[0062] The volumes V1 and V2 are so selected that a first increase Δd1 of the diameter d1 of the first channel K1 due to the first hollow 10a and a second increase Δd2 of the diameter d1 of the first channel K1 due to the second hollow 10b are of different size, especially in the transition region 9. In this way there occurs in the transition region 9 between the first K1 and second channels K2 a parallel displacement of a horizontal axis B (which extends through the center M of the first diameter d1) relative to a central, horizontal axis A of the second channel K2. Horizontal means in this connection that the particular axis is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the second channel.

[0063] For the shown variant, the volume V1 of the first hollow 10a extending in the lower region of the second channel K2 is less than the volume V2 of the second hollow 10b extending above the second channel K2. In this way, a deepening of the lower wall of the second channel K2, thus, the wall in the region of the first hollow 10a, relative to the parts of the lower wall of the second channel K2 arranged outside of the transition region field 9 can be prevented and, as a result, the forming of a trap in the lower transition region 9 is prevented. Such a trap, or the presence of medium M in the trap, can lead namely to errors in the case of registering the particular process variable by means of a measuring device installed in the second channel K2. This can be prevented by the asymmetric embodiment of the two hollows 10a, 10b.

[0064] In all embodiments shown in FIG. 3, the hollows 10a and 10b assure that deposits cannot accumulate in the transition regions 9. This effect is illustrated further in FIG. 4.

[0065] FIG. 4 shows another sectional view of a tube adapter 7 without (a) and with (b) the two hollows 10a and 10b, corresponding thus to the situations shown in FIG. 2 (a) and FIG. 3 (b). In the case of FIG. 4a, dead spaces 11 result in the transition region 9 due to the different geometries of the tube adapter 7 in the transition region and the sensor 1 in the region of the electrode assembly 4. In the case of FIG. 4b, in contrast, the two sickle-shaped hollows 10a and 10b provide an essentially gap and dead space free transition region 9.

[0066] It is to be noted here that the invention is, however, not limited to embodiments with two hollows 10a and 10b. Rather, numerous embodiments with different numbers of, however, at least one, hollows 10 are likewise within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the invention is also not limited to the geometries of the hollows 10 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Other geometries can be used and fall within the scope of the invention.

[0067] FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of a tube adapter of the invention 7, which has a second K2 and a third channel K3. The second K2 and third K3 channels are arranged mutually opposite one another and align with one another. The inner surfaces of the second K2 and third K3 channels, furthermore, bear internal threads 12a and 12b, which serve for securing sensors 1 in the channels K2 and K3. Furthermore, the embodiment of FIG. 5 corresponds to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 with two hollows 10a and 10b each for the second channel K2 and the third channel K3.

[0068] FIG. 6 shows the production of the two hollows 10a and 10b. The, tool, especially a cutting or chip removing tool, employed in each case, is introduced into the tube adapter 7 through one of the openings O2a, O2b. The tool is guided in such a manner that the surface of each of the two hollows 10a and 10b follows guide curves L. If a spherical milling cutter is used for the milling of the hollows 10a and 10b then, for example, a sickle-shaped geometry of the hollows 10a and 10b results in simple manner. However, also other geometries for the hollows 10a and 10b are possible and manufacturable, for example, likewise by establishing a guide curve L.

[0069] FIG. 7 shows, finally, yet another embodiment of a tube adapter 7 of the invention with two hollows 10a and 10b, wherein two extension regions 13a and 13b adjoin the two hollows 10a and 10b arranged in the margins of the two hollows 10a and 10b. Because of this measure, the character of the transition region field 9 can be improved still further as regards fulfillment of hygiene requirements.

[0070] Finally, it is to be noted that the lengths of the channels K1-K3 can vary, depending on application. Thus, for some applications, it is desirable to minimize the length of at least some of the channels K1-K3. Also, the lengths of the channels K1-K3 can vary as a function of the manner, in which the tube adapter 7 is secured into the pipeline. For securing the tube adapter 7 into a pipeline in the region of the two openings O2a and O2b of the first channel, in such case, all securements, especially clamping connections, known to those skilled in the art can be used and fall within the scope of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0071] 1 capacitive/conductive sensor [0072] 2 sensor unit [0073] 3 electronics unit [0074] 4 electrode assembly [0075] 5a-5c electrodes [0076] 6 housing [0077] 6a process connector [0078] 7 tube adapter [0079] 8 pipeline section [0080] 9 transition region [0081] 10, 10a, 10b hollows [0082] 11 dead spaces [0083] 12, 12a, 12b screw thread [0084] 13, 13a, 13b connection region [0085] K1,K2,K3 channels [0086] O1,O2,O3 openings [0087] L guide curve [0088] M medium