Radiometric Measuring Device and Radiometric Measurement System

Abstract

A radiometric measuring device for measuring a property of a substance, wherein the substance is contained in a hollow body, the radiometric measuring device includes: a bundle of a plurality of scintillator fibers, wherein the bundle is embodied for a longitudinally extending arrangement of the scintillator fibers along the hollow body, a plurality of optoelectronic sensors, wherein the optoelectronic sensors are optically coupled to associated scintillator fibers of the bundle and embodied to convert a light pulse produced by the optically coupled scintillator fiber into an associated electrical sensor signal, and an evaluation unit. The evaluation unit is electrically coupled to the optoelectronic sensors and embodied to sum the sensor signals or signals obtained therefrom by further processing to form a summed signal and embodied to determine the property on the basis of the summed signal.

Claims

1. A radiometric measuring device for measuring a property of a substance, wherein the substance is contained in a hollow body, the radiometric measuring device comprising: a bundle of a plurality of scintillator fibers, wherein the bundle is configured for a longitudinally extending arrangement of the scintillator fibers along the hollow body; a plurality of optoelectronic sensors, wherein the optoelectronic sensors are optically coupled to associated scintillator fibers of the bundle and configured to convert a light pulse produced by the optically coupled scintillator fiber into an associated electrical sensor signal; and an evaluation unit, wherein the evaluation unit is electrically coupled to the optoelectronic sensors and configured to sum the sensor signals or signals obtained therefrom by further processing to form a summed signal and configured to determine the property on the basis of the summed signal.

2. The radiometric measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the bundle is configured for the longitudinally extending arrangement of the scintillator fibers along the hollow body to be over a length of at least 1 m.

3. The radiometric measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the optoelectronic sensors are configured to convert the light pulse produced by the optically coupled scintillator fiber into an associated digital electric sensor signal.

4. The radiometric measuring device according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the optoelectronic sensors comprises an array of photodiodes.

5. The radiometric measuring device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the scintillator fibers has a cross-sectional area of at most 5 mm.sup.2.

6. The radiometric measuring device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the scintillator fibers comprises polyvinyl toluene and/or polystyrene.

7. The radiometric measuring device according to claim 1, wherein one or both of: the bundle of the plurality of scintillator fibers comprises at least 50 scintillator fibers; or the plurality of optoelectronic sensors comprises at least 50 optoelectronic sensors.

8. The radiometric measuring device according to claim 1, wherein each of the optoelectronic sensors is optically coupled to only a single one of the scintillator fibers of the bundle.

9. The radiometric measuring device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the optoelectronic sensors is directly optically coupled to one of the scintillator fibers of the bundle.

10. The radiometric measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising: at least one light guide, wherein one of the optoelectronic sensors is optically coupled to one of the scintillator fibers of the bundle via the light guide.

11. The radiometric measuring device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the scintillator fibers is mirrored at one end.

12. The radiometric measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising: at least one mechanical binding element, wherein the at least one mechanical binding element mechanically binds together the plurality of scintillator fibers to form the bundle.

13. The radiometric measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit comprises an assessment unit, wherein the assessment unit is configured to assess a respective sensor signal or a signal obtained therefrom by further processing as having or not having an error, and the evaluation unit is configured to sum the error-free sensor signals or error-free signals obtained therefrom by further processing to form the summed signal and to form the property of the substance taking account of an error compensation.

14. The radiometric measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising: a common housing, wherein the plurality of optoelectronic sensors and the evaluation unit are arranged within the common housing.

15. A radiometric measurement system for measuring a property of a substance contained in a hollow body, said radiometric measurement system comprising: a radiometric measuring device according to claim 1; and at least one radiation source.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a radiometric measurement system according to an embodiment of the invention comprising a radiometric measuring device according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0032] FIG. 2 shows a bundle of a plurality of scintillator fibers and a plurality of optoelectronic sensors, which are directly optically coupled, of the measuring device of FIG. 1.

[0033] FIG. 3 shows a cross section through one of the scintillator fibers of FIG. 1.

[0034] FIG. 4 shows a cross section through one of the sensors of FIG. 1.

[0035] FIG. 5 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a scintillator fiber and a sensor, which are optically coupled by means of a light guide, of a radiometric measuring device according to the invention of a radiometric measurement system according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] FIG. 1 shows a radiometric measurement system 1 for measuring a property MW of a substance 51. The substance 51 is contained in a hollow body 50. The radiometric measurement system 1 comprises a radiometric measuring device 2.

[0037] The radiometric measuring device 2 for measuring the property MW of the substance 51, wherein the substance 51 is contained in the hollow body 50, comprises: a bundle 3 of a plurality of scintillator fibers 4, a plurality of optoelectronic sensors 10 and an evaluation unit 20. The bundle 3 is embodied for the longitudinally extending arrangement, in particular straight-line arrangement, of the scintillator fibers 4 along the hollow body 50. In the shown exemplary embodiment, the scintillator fibers 4 are arranged at the hollow body 50 and extend from top to bottom in FIG. 1 along the hollow body 50, in particular parallel to one another. The optoelectronic sensors 10 are optically coupled to associated scintillator fibers 4 of the bundle 3 and are embodied to convert a light pulse LI produced by the optically coupled scintillator fiber 4 into an associated electrical sensor signal Sa, Sb, Sc, as can be identified in FIG. 2. The evaluation unit 20 is electrically coupled to the optoelectronic sensors 10, as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 1, and said evaluation unit is embodied to sum the sensor signals Sa, Sb, Sc or signals obtained therefrom by further processing to form a summed signal SUM and to determine the property MW on the basis of the summed signal SUM.

[0038] In detail, the bundle 3 or its scintillator fibers 4 extends/extend along the hollow body over a length L of at least 2 m. In alternative exemplary embodiments, the bundle can be embodied for the longitudinally extending arrangement of the scintillator fibers along the hollow body to be over a length of at least 1 m.

[0039] Moreover, the radiometric measurement system 1 comprises at least one radiation source 45 in the form of a gamma radiation source. In the shown exemplary embodiment, the radiometric measurement system 1 comprises only a single radiation source 45. In alternative exemplary embodiments, the radiometric measurement system can comprise at least two, in particular at least three, particularly at least four, in particular at least five, radiation sources.

[0040] In detail, the radiation source 45 is embodied for arrangement in the region of the hollow body 50. In the shown exemplary embodiment, the radiation source 45 is arranged at one side 52 of the hollow body 50, to the left in FIG. 1. Moreover, the radiation source 45 is embodied to emit radiation 46 in the form of gamma radiation, in particular through the hollow body 50 with the substance 51, as indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 1.

[0041] In the shown exemplary embodiment, the bundle 3 of the plurality of scintillator fibers 4 is arranged at an opposite side 53 of the hollow body 50, to the right in FIG. 1.

[0042] The emitted radiation 46 can interact with the substance 51 in the hollow body 50 and can be received by the scintillator fibers 4. From the received radiation 46, the scintillator fibers 4 can produce the light pulses LI, as can be identified in FIG. 2.

[0043] In the shown exemplary embodiment, the property MW of the substance 51 is a fill level of the substance 51 in the hollow body 50.

[0044] In detail, the evaluation unit 20 has a summation unit 26, which is embodied to sum the sensor signals Sa, Sb, Sc or signals obtained therefrom by further processing to form the summed signal SUM. Further, the evaluation unit 20 comprises a conversion unit 27 which is embodied to determine the property MW on the basis of the summed signal SUM, in particular to convert the summed signal SUM into the property MW or a value or an absolute value of the property MW into the fill level in the shown exemplary embodiment.

[0045] In the shown exemplary embodiment, the radiometric measuring device 2 comprises only a single bundle 3. In alternative exemplary embodiments, the measuring device can comprise at least two, in particular at least three, bundles.

[0046] Moreover, the radiometric measuring device 2 comprises at least one mechanical binding element 7. In the shown exemplary embodiment, the measuring device 2 comprises only a single binding element 7 in the form of a tube. In alternative exemplary embodiments, the measuring device can comprise at least two, in particular at least three, mechanical binding elements. The at least one mechanical binding element 7 mechanically binds together the plurality of scintillator fibers 4 to form the bundle 3.

[0047] In detail, the bundle 3 of the plurality of scintillator fibers 4 comprises at least 400 scintillator fibers 4, with only three scintillator fibers 4 being shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In alternative exemplary embodiments, the bundle of the plurality of scintillator fibers can comprise at least 50 scintillator fibers.

[0048] Moreover, the plurality of optoelectronic sensors 10 comprises at least 400 optoelectronic sensors 10, with only three sensors 10 being shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In alternative exemplary embodiments, the plurality of sensors can comprise at least 50 sensors.

[0049] In detail, each of the optoelectronic sensors 10 is optically coupled to only a single one of the scintillator fibers 4 of the bundle 3 or each of the scintillator fibers 4 is coupled to only a single one of the sensors 10. Expressed differently: the plurality of scintillator fibers 4 corresponds to, or equals, the plurality of sensors 10.

[0050] At least one, in particular all, of the scintillator fibers 4 in each case has/have a cross-sectional area A, as shown in FIG. 3, of at most 1 mm.sup.2. In alternative exemplary embodiments, at least one of the scintillator fibers can have a cross-sectional area of at most 5 mm.sup.2. In the shown exemplary embodiment, the cross-sectional area A has a polygonal, in particular square, form. In alternative exemplary embodiments, the cross-sectional area can have a round, in particular circular, form. In the shown exemplary embodiment, a cross-sectional area of an associated optoelectronic sensor 10 is matched to the cross-sectional area A of the scintillator fiber 4, as can be identified in FIGS. 2 and 4.

[0051] At least one, in particular all, of the scintillator fibers 4 comprises a polyvinyl toluene and/or polystyrene.

[0052] As can be identified from FIG. 2, the radiation 46 in the form of a single gamma quantum interacts with one of the scintillator fibers 4, the latter producing the light pulse LI as a consequence thereof. The light remains in this scintillator fiber 4 and it is guided by total-internal reflection to the ends 6, 9 of said fiber.

[0053] At least one, in particular all, of the scintillator fibers 4 is/are mirrored at one end 6 in each case. The associated optoelectronic sensor 10 is optically coupled to the scintillator fiber 4 at another, opposite end 9 in each case.

[0054] In the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, at least one, in particular all, of the sensors 10 is/are directly optically coupled to one of the scintillator fibers 4 of the bundle 3.

[0055] In another exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the radiometric measuring device 2 comprises at least one light guide 30. One of the optoelectronic sensors 10 is optically coupled to one of the scintillator fibers 4 of the bundle 3 by means of the light guide 30.

[0056] At least one, in particular all, of the optoelectronic sensors 10 has/have an array 11 of photodiodes 12 in the form of a SiPM in each case, as can be identified in FIG. 4. In the shown exemplary embodiment, the array 11 has sixteen photodiodes 12. In alternative exemplary embodiments, the array can comprise at least 4 photodiodes, in particular at least 10, in particular at least 50, in particular at least 100.

[0057] Moreover, the optoelectronic sensors 10 are embodied to convert the light pulse LI produced by the optically coupled scintillator fiber 4 into an associated digital electrical sensor signal Sa, Sb, Sc in the form of a count rate. In detail, the sensor 10 comprises sensor electronics. The sensor electronics comprise an amplifier 13, a discriminator 14 and a counter 15. In alternative exemplary embodiments, the electrical sensor signal can be an analogue electrical sensor signal, for example in the form of a voltage pulse.

[0058] In the shown exemplary embodiment, the evaluation unit 20 or the summation unit 26 thereof is embodied to digitally sum the digital electrical sensor signals Sa, Sb, Sc, in particular to form an overall count rate.

[0059] Further, the evaluation unit 20 comprises an assessment unit 25. The assessment unit 25 is embodied to assess a respective sensor signal Sa, Sb, Sc or a signal obtained therefrom by further processing as having or not having an error. Furthermore, the evaluation unit 20 or the summation unit 26 thereof is embodied to sum the error-free sensor signals Sa, Sb, Sc or error-free signals obtained therefrom by further processing to form the summed signal SUM. Moreover, the evaluation unit 20 or the summation unit 26 thereof and/or the conversion unit 27 thereof is embodied to form the property MW of the substance 51 taking account of an error compensation.

[0060] Moreover, the radiometric measuring device 2 comprises a common housing 40 in the form of an explosion-protected housing. The plurality of optoelectronic sensors 10 and the evaluation unit 20 are arranged within the common housing 40.

[0061] As the shown exemplary embodiments explained above make clear, the invention provides an advantageous radiometric measuring device that has improved properties in relation to the prior art, in particular easy transportation and easy assembly and at the same time a high measurement sensitivity and a long measurement region, and a radiometric measurement system including such a radiometric measuring device.

[0062] The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.