ULTRASONIC WAVEGUIDE FOR IMPROVED ULTRASONIC THERMOMETRY

Abstract

An improved ultrasonic waveguide for an ultrasonic thermometry system is provided. The waveguide includes a series of sensing zones, each of which is tuned to a specific narrow frequency band. The waveguide is acoustically coupled to a transducer, which launches a longitudinal elastic wave of desired waveform and frequency. The wave propagates down the waveguide, and is reflected from the sensing zone that is tuned to that frequency. Each sensing zone is designed to be highly reflective to a narrow frequency band while being transparent to other frequencies.

Claims

1. A waveguide comprising: an elongated body; a proximal sensing zone disposed along a first portion of the elongated body; and a distal sensing zone disposed along a second portion of the elongated body, wherein the proximal sensing zone and the distal sensing zone each include alternating layers having a dissimilar acoustic impedance, and wherein the proximal sensing zone defines a first frequency band rejection response and the distal sensing zone has a second frequency band rejection response different from the first frequency band rejection response.

2. The waveguide of claim 1 wherein: the alternating layers in the proximal sensing zone include an axial width equal to a quarter-wavelength of a first interrogation frequency; and the alternating layers in the distal sensing zone include an axial width equal to a quarter-wavelength of a second interrogation frequency.

3. The waveguide of claim 1 wherein the alternating layers include alternating layers of a first material and a second material different from the first material.

4. The waveguide of claim 3 wherein the elongated body is formed from a third material different from the first and second materials.

5. The waveguide of claim 3 wherein the elongated body is formed from the first material and wherein the alternating layers of the first material are integrally joined to the elongated body.

6. The waveguide of claim 3 wherein each of alternating layers of the first material and the second material is fused to an adjacent one of the alternating layers.

7. The waveguide of claim 3 wherein the first material includes a first metal and wherein the second material includes a second metal.

8. The waveguide of claim 1 wherein the alternating layers define a first outer diameter and a second outer diameter different from the first outer diameter.

9. An ultrasonic thermometry system comprising: a waveguide including an elongated body having a proximal sensing zone and a distal sensing zone, wherein the proximal sensing zone and the distal sensing zone each include alternating layers having a dissimilar acoustic impedance; and a transducer acoustically coupled to the waveguide, the transducer being configured to propagate a first ultrasonic signal through the waveguide for substantial reflection at the proximal sensing zone and configured to propagate a second ultrasonic signal through the waveguide for substantial reflection at the distal sensing zone, wherein the proximal sensing zone is substantially transmissive of the second ultrasonic signal.

10. The ultrasonic thermometry system of claim 9 wherein the proximal and distal sensing zones are spatially distributed along the elongated body.

11. The ultrasonic thermometry system of claim 9 wherein the alternating layers include alternating layers of a first material and a second material different from the first material.

12. The ultrasonic thermometry system of claim 9 wherein the alternating layers define a first outer diameter and a second outer diameter different from the first outer diameter.

13. A method comprising: providing an ultrasonic waveguide including an elongated body having a proximal sensing zone and a distal sensing zone, wherein the proximal sensing zone and the distal sensing zone each include alternating layers having a dissimilar acoustic impedance; propagating a first ultrasonic signal through the ultrasonic waveguide for substantial reflection at the proximal sensing zone; propagating a second ultrasonic signal through the ultrasonic waveguide for substantial reflection at the distal sensing zone, wherein the proximal sensing zone is substantially transmissive of the second ultrasonic signal; and analyzing ultrasonic signals reflected from the proximal and distal sensing zones and determining a temperature at a plurality of points along the ultrasonic waveguide.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the alternating layers include alternating layers of a first material and a second material different from the first material.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the alternating layers define a first outer diameter and a second outer diameter different from the first outer diameter.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the first material includes a first metal and wherein the second material includes a second metal.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the elongated body is formed of a third metal different from the first metal and the second metal.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the proximal and distal sensing zones are spatially distributed along the elongated body.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the first ultrasonic signal and the second ultrasonic signal include a frequency of at least 100 kHz.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein analyzing ultrasonic signals reflected from the proximal and distal sensing zones includes determining a time-of-flight difference between reflected pulses from within the proximal sensing zone and determining a time-of-flight difference between reflected pulses from within the distal sensing zone.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 is a prior art waveguide including multiple sensing zones that are tuned to a common frequency band.

[0017] FIG. 2 is an illustration of an ultrasonic thermometry system including an ultrasonic waveguide in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 3 is an illustration of an ultrasonic thermometry system including an ultrasonic waveguide in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 4 is an illustration of an ultrasonic thermometry system including an ultrasonic waveguide in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the variation of acoustic impedance as a function of axial waveguide position.

[0021] FIG. 6 includes a graph (top) illustrating the transmittance of the sensing zone as a function of interrogation frequency and a graph (bottom) illustrating the time-domain response of the reflector at the design frequency of 500 kHz.

[0022] FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of an ultrasonic thermometry system for detecting temperature at multiple sensing zones.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENT EMBODIMENTS

[0023] As discussed herein, the current embodiments include ultrasonic waveguides having a series of sensing zones. Each sensing zone is designed to be highly reflective to a narrow frequency band while being transparent to other frequencies. A transducer launches a longitudinal elastic wave of desired waveform and frequency. The wave propagates down the waveguide, and is reflected from the sensing zone that is tuned to that frequency. By detecting arrival time differences between reflected waves from adjacent reflection features that are separated by a known distance, the temperature at each sensing zone can be accurately determined.

I. Sensing Zones of Dissimilar Materials

[0024] Referring now to FIG. 2, an ultrasonic waveguide is illustrated and generally designated 10. The waveguide 10 is coupled at a proximal end 12 to an ultrasonic transducer 14. A conical transition coupling 16 can be used to focus the ultrasonic energy. The waveguide 10, the transducer 14, and the transition coupling 16 collectively form an ultrasonic temperature sensor 18. As also shown in FIG. 2, a controller 20 is coupled to the transducer 14 to control the emission and detection of ultrasonic energy in the form of longitudinal elastic waves by the transducer 14. Some embodiments may also include a sheath along all or a portion of the waveguide 10 to protect the waveguide from damage, for example in nuclear applications.

[0025] The ultrasonic waveguide 10 includes an elongated body 22, optionally 10 m in length or more, having a plurality of spatially distributed sensing zones, including at least a proximal sensing zone 24 and a distal sensing zone 26. Though two sensing zones are shown, other embodiments can include a greater number of sensing zones. The sensing zones 24, 26 are spatially distributed along the elongated body 22. Each sensing zone includes a tuned band-rejection response, such that each sensing zone is optimized for its own interrogation frequency. For example, the transducer 14 propagates a first ultrasonic signal (A.sub.1 sin(.sub.1t)) for reflection at the proximal sensing zone 24 and propagates a second ultrasonic signal (A.sub.2 sin(.sub.2t)) for reflection at the distal sensing zone 26. Each sensing zone 24, 26 is selected to be highly reflective of the corresponding ultrasonic signal, while being transmissive of other ultrasonic signals.

[0026] The measurement of temperature at each sensing zone 24, 26 is based on the arrival time difference t of reflected waves from reflection features within respective sensing zones, the reflection features being separated by a known distance. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the reflection features are achieved with fused alternating materials, with each reflection features being a boundary between dissimilar materials. The fused alternating materials optionally have a thickness of approximately one-quarter wavelength at the frequency of interrogation (.sub.1, .sub.2 . . . .sub.N) to be reflected, causing the reflective waves at each boundary to interfere constructively. The thickness of the alternating materials creates a critical phase lag between the incident and reflective waves, leading to constructive (or destructive) interference depending on the frequency of interrogation.

[0027] The structure and function of each sensing zone 24, 26 will now be described. Each sensing zone includes fused alternating materials comprising a first material and a second material, each having a different acoustic impedance. The acoustic impedance of each material is defined as Z=c, where is the density of the medium and c is the acoustic wave velocity. At each boundary between dissimilar materials (i.e., materials having a different acoustic impedance), an acoustic wave in an incident material is partially transmitted through the boundary into the transmissive material and partially reflected back into the incident material.

[0028] More particularly, each sensing zone 24, 26 includes alternating first and second layers of dissimilar material to provide ultrasonic reflection features that are separated by a known distance. The fused alternating layers 28, 30 constitute edge filters due to an abrupt change in acoustic impedance between a region of rejection and a region of transmission. The proximal sensing zone 24 of FIG. 2 includes a first multilayer stack and a second multi-layer stack. The first multi-layer stack includes an alternating arrangement of four layers of the primary material 28 and four layers of the secondary material 30. Here, the number of layers is arbitrary, and can be different from one design to another. It is primarily determined by the ratio of acoustic impedances of these layers. Having a higher number of layers improves rejection performance. The second multi-layer stack includes an alternating arrangement of four layers of the primary material 28 and four layers of the secondary material 30. The second multi-layer stack is axially separated from the first multi-layer stack by an intermediate section 25 of the base material. Each layer 28, 30 defines a uniform outer diameter.

[0029] Like the proximal sensing zone 24, the distal sensing zone 26 includes a first multilayer stack and a second multi-layer stack. The first multi-layer stack includes an alternating arrangement of four layers of the primary material 28 and four layers of the secondary material 30. The second multi-layer stack includes an alternating arrangement of four layers of the primary material 28 and four layers of the secondary material 30. The second multi-layer stack is axially separated from the first multi-layer stack by an intermediate section 25 of the base material. By adding additional layers of material, reflection is maximized and transmission minimized.

[0030] The proximal sensing zone 24 is tuned to a higher design frequency of the distal sensing zone 26, such that f.sub.1>f.sub.2> . . . f.sub.N. Within the proximal sensing zone 24, each layer of the primary material 28, 28 includes a first axial width d.sub.1, and each layer of the secondary material 30, 30 includes a second axial width d.sub.2. The first axial width d.sub.1 is selected to be equal to a quarter wavelength of the first interrogation frequency f.sub.1, and the second axial width d.sub.2 is also selected to be equal to a quarter wavelength of the first interrogation frequency f.sub.1. Because acoustic velocity is material-dependent, the first axial width d.sub.1 is generally not equal to the second axial width d.sub.2. Within the distal sensing zone 26, each layer of the primary material 28, 28 includes a third axial width d.sub.3, and each layer of the secondary material 30, 30 includes a fourth width d.sub.4. The third axial width d.sub.3 is selected to be equal to a quarter wavelength of the second interrogation frequency f.sub.2, and the fourth axial width d.sub.4 is also selected to be equal to a quarter wavelength of the second interrogation frequency f.sub.2. Again because acoustic velocity is material-dependent, the third axial width d.sub.3 is generally not equal to the fourth axial width d.sub.4. In addition, the third axial width d.sub.3 is greater than the first axial width d.sub.1, and the fourth axial width d.sub.4 is greater than the second axial width d.sub.2 for the case f.sub.1>f.sub.2. Each layer 28, 30 defines a uniform outer diameter as shown in the inset in FIG. 2.

[0031] At each boundary between layers of difference acoustic impedance, a wave is partially transmitted through the boundary and partially reflected. The size of the reflected and transmitted acoustic waves depend on the specific acoustic impedance of the materials comprising the incident layer and the transmissive layer. The characteristic-specific acoustic impedance in a medium of cross-sectional area A is defined as Z.sub.0=c/A. The reflection coefficient .sub.12 at this interface is defined by equation (1) below, and the transmission coefficient T.sub.12 at this interface is defined by equation (2) below:

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}{}_{12}=\frac{Z_{02}-Z_{01}}{Z_{02}+Z_{01}}& \left(1\right)\\ T_{12}=\frac{2.Math.Z_{02}}{Z_{01}+Z_{02}}& \left(2\right)\end{array}$

By setting the thickness of the transmissive layer at a quarter wavelength of the frequency of interrogation, the second reflected acoustic wave experiences a quarter-wave phase shift due to the time delay traveling through the transmissive layer one time. The reflection at the second interface is determined according to equation (1) above, and the net result is that two left-propagating waves in the incident material constructively interfere. The foregoing constructive interference manifests if transmissive layer acoustic impedance is greater than or less than the incident layer acoustic impedance, e.g., if Z.sub.02>Z.sub.01 and if Z.sub.02<Z.sub.01. In either instance, the alternating first and second layers have an overall reflective nature; that is, the waves keep reflecting and transmitting in both directions in the transmissive layer with diminishing amplitudes and all the net reflections back into the incident layer constructively interfere.

[0032] As noted above, the amplitudes of the reflected and transmitted waves depend on the relative specific acoustic impedance of the layers. In one example, the waveguide body 22 is formed from stainless steel, while the alternating layers within each sensing zone 24, 26 are formed from titanium and nickel-based alloys, respectively. Relevant properties for the forging materials are depicted in the table below. By selecting the thickness of each material in the proximal sensing zone 24 as being a quarter wavelength of the frequency of interrogation of a first signal, the proximal sensing zone 24 will strongly reflect a first interrogation signal at 200 kHz (with nearly 100% reflection) while transmitting a second interrogation signal at 400 kHz (with approximately 95% transmission). Here, 200 kHz and 400 kHz are example design and interrogation frequencies. Similarly, by selecting the thickness of each material in the distal sensing zone 26 as being a quarter wavelength of the frequency of interrogation of a second signal, the distal sensing zone 26 will strongly reflect a second interrogation signal at 400 kHz (with nearly 100% reflection).

TABLE-US-00001 Young's Wave Acoustic Material Density CTE Modulus velocity Impedance (at 500 C.) (kg/m.sup.3) (m/m C.) (GPa) (m/s) (kg/m.sup.2s) SS HT9 7,870 12.1 192 4,940 3.89E7 Titanium 4,540 9.7 110 4,920 2.23E7 Alloy Nickel 8,280 12.6 172 4,990 4.14E7 Alloy

[0033] The alternating layers 28, 30 can be disc-shaped layers in some embodiments, extending around a narrow portion of the waveguide body 22. The alternating layers 28, 30 can be joined to each other, and to the waveguide body 22, according to solid state joining techniques, including for example diffusion bonding. Other bonding techniques can include cladding fusion bonding, electron beam welding, or laser welding, for example. The waveguide body 22 and the alternating layers 28, 30 can be formed according to additive manufacturing techniques. In addition, the waveguide body 22 and the alternating layers 28, 30 are shown as being cylindrical in shape, however the waveguide body 22 and the alternating layers 28, 30 can include other configurations, including rectangular cross-sectional geometry and other non-standard geometric shapes. In addition, components of an existing system, for example nuclear reactor systems or other industrial process systems, can be modified to include alternating layers of different acoustic impedance to provide spatially distributed temperature sensing as set forth herein.

[0034] Because the sensing zones 24, 26 also provide strong reflection at all odd multiples of the corresponding frequency of interrogation, the acoustic impedance of the fused alternating layers 28, 30 can be varied sinusoidally instead of sharp quarter-wavelength-thick steps. For example, there can be seven cycles of a sinusoidal variation of acoustic impedance as a function of axial waveguide position. In each cycle, the ideal sinusoidal variation of acoustic impedance is approximately 20 steps as illustrated in FIG. 5. The periodic structure according to this embodiment now reflects strongly in a narrow band around the design frequency of 500 kHz and transmits almost entirely frequencies from about 600 kHz to greater than 5 MHz, as shown in FIG. 6, providing a wide frequency band to allow other sensing zones to be placed along the waveguide for distributed temperature sensing.

[0035] As alternatively shown in FIG. 3, the sensing zones can include alternating layers of the waveguide base material. For example, the waveguide body 22 can be formed from titanium, while the alternating layers 28, 28 within each sensing zone can be formed from molybdenum. In this embodiment, the waveguide 10 includes N-number of sensing zones, including a first sensing zone 24 and a second sensing zone 26. Each sensing zone includes two reflection features separated by a known distance L. For example, the first reflection feature includes two quarter-wavelength layers 28 of molybdenum separated by a quarter-wavelength layer of titanium, and the second reflection feature includes four quarter-wavelength layers 28 of molybdenum separated by three quarter-wavelength layers of titanium. The first reflection feature in this example 60% transmissive and 40% reflective of the design frequency, and the second reflection feature is nearly 100 reflective of the design frequency. That is, the first reflection feature is partially reflective of the desired elastic wave (having two alternating layers 28), while the second reflection feature (having four alternating layers 28) is fully reflective of the desired elastic wave. By measuring the difference in time-of-arrival of reflected acoustic waves from the first reflection feature and the second reflection feature, which are separated by a known distance L, the elastic modulus and therefore the temperature in the intermediate section 25 of the waveguide body can be determined.

II. Sensing Zones of Geometric Discontinuities

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4, the sensing zones can include layers of alternating cross-sectional area, sometimes referred to as a step-down or corrugated waveguide. Because the cross-sectional area is inversely proportional to characteristic-specific acoustic impedance according to Z.sub.0=c/A, the change in cross-sectional area causes change in the one-dimensional acoustic impedance of the waveguide 10. One method uses thicknesses for each layer that equals one-quarter wavelength for the material and the geometry at the center design frequency. This causes reflected waves at each boundary that are out of phase with the incoming wave. The result is full reflection of incoming waveform within a narrow frequency band around the design frequency. If the incoming wave frequency is outside the band, this condition is no longer satisfied, and the waveform is mostly (ideally fully) transmitted. This design approach leads to a repeated notch-filter behavior where the same wave rejection is observed at odd-numbered harmonics of the center frequency. In an alternative approach, the notch filter is created by varying thicknesses that yield a sinusoidally changing acoustic impedance. In this approach, the spurious rejections can be greatly reduced and rejections at odd-number harmonics are virtually eliminated. Alternatively, other geometric arrangements can be employed using forward- and inverse-physics solutions and implementing an optimization method, such as generic algorithms to yield a narrow and more refined rejection.

[0037] As further shown in FIG. 4, the waveguide 10 according to this embodiment includes N-number of sensing zones, including a first sensing zone 24 and a second sensing zone 26. Each sensing zone 24, 26 includes two reflection points separated by a known distance L. The first reflection feature includes alternating quarter-wavelength layers 36 of diameter 0 and quarter-wavelength layers 34 of diameter .sub.1, where .sub.0>.sub.1. The axial width of the stepped-down quarter-wavelength layers 34 is greater than the axial width of the stepped-up quarter-wavelength layers 36, owing to the fact that the acoustic velocity is greater through the stepped-down quarter-wavelength layers 34. The second reflection feature is axially displaced from the first reflection feature by an intermediate region 25 of the waveguide body. The second reflection feature (within the first sensing zone) includes alternating quarter-wavelength layers 36 of diameter .sub.0 and quarter-wavelength layers 34 of diameter .sub.1. By measuring the difference in time-of-arrival of reflected acoustic waves from the first reflection feature and the second reflection feature (within each sensing zone), which are separated by a known distance L, the elastic modulus and therefore the temperature in the intermediate section 25 of the waveguide body can be determined. In addition, the first reflection feature is generally partially reflective of the desired elastic wave, while the second feature point is fully reflective of the desired elastic wave. As a result, each sensing zone includes a band rejection response that is a function of the quarter-wavelength axial width of alternating sections of different diameter. Alternatively, each reflection feature within a sensing zone can be designed to have a close but slightly different frequency response where the first reflection feature allows a partial transmission while the second reflection feature fully reflects at the design frequency. If the partial reflection from the first reflection feature is about 40%, the reflected waves from the first and the second feature have similar amplitudes.

III. Signal Generation and Processing

[0038] In operation, a transducer 14 is coupled to a waveguide 10 through a transition coupling 16. The transducer 14 is a piezoelectric transducer in the present embodiment, but can include a magneto-restrictive transducer or an electromagnetic acoustic transducer in other embodiments. The waveguide 10 is compressed as the piezoelectric transducer 14 (or other probe signal source) oscillates at the design frequency. Referring to the functional block diagram of FIG. 7, the magnitude of elastic displacement is determined by the amplitude (A.sub.1, A.sub.2 . . . A.sub.N) of the probe signal source 14. The longitudinal wave launched at a given frequency of interrogation (.sub.1, .sub.2 . . . .sub.N) propagates along the waveguide, and the reflected wave causes compression and rarefaction of the piezoelectric crystal, creating an electrical signal. Signal processing is performed by a time of flight module 40 (within controller 20) in the time domain. Time domain interrogation relies on the time-of-flight differences (t.sub.1, t.sub.2 . . . t.sub.N) between reflected pulses from adjacent reflection points within each sensing zone. A time-of-flight processing module 42 (within controller 20) then determines the temperature (T.sub.1, T.sub.2 . . . T.sub.N) within each sensing zone for a material of a given density and modulus of elasticity based on the output of the time of flight module (t.sub.1, t.sub.2 . . . t.sub.N). Because each sensing zone 24, 26 is selected to be highly reflective of only the corresponding ultrasonic signal of a specific design frequency, providing a band rejection response, the ultrasonic waveguide 10 is able to accurately measure temperature at multiple locations in a nuclear reactor core, or in other environments, thereby enhancing the reliable operation of protective functions and achieving the highest operational efficiency possible.

[0039] The above description is that of current embodiments of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. Any reference to elements in the singular, for example, using the articles a, an, the, or said, is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.