Patent Landscape - quantastic-solutions/Steel-Projects GitHub Wiki

Patent Landscape

This page surveys key patents covering acoustic sensing in steel furnaces and related technologies.

Acoustic Thermometry Patents

  • Mark Friedman's Accusteel Patents (e.g., EP1086361A1):

    • Describe a non-contact acoustic pyrometer for metal furnaces
    • Establish empirical formulas linking furnace temperature T, sound frequency (centroid f_c), and process parameters
    • Use sound "jets" from injected gas or arc/melt interactions to infer bath temperature continuously

  • Combustion Specialists (US6039472A/EP0995088B1):

    • Earlier acoustic pyrometer patents for power-plant boilers
    • Demonstrate principles applicable to harsh high-temperature environments

Slag Monitoring Patents

  • EP1918703A1 (Crudgington, 2008):

    • Controls slag height in an oxygen furnace using a microphone-based "audiometer system"
    • Describes an acoustic probe with a tapered waveguide and dust filter
    • Notes that sound level "measured through the slag can be utilized as a control of the slag height and/or composition"
    • Includes designs (FIG.1) of a probe with an elongated channel and microphone mount

  • EP-A-0 637 634 (cited by Crudgington):

    • Discloses using off-gas sound emissions to detect slag foam in an EAF

Acoustic Sensor Patents

  • University of Salford's WO2016046569A1:

    • Covers acoustic thermometry using waveguide sensors and time-delay techniques

  • Various Acoustic Emission (AE) Probe Patents:

    • Include designs for sapphire waveguides for hot environments
    • Not specific to steel but applicable to high-temperature sensing

Patent Themes

The IP landscape confirms several established approaches:

  1. Using robust microphones (often piezo or condenser) in steelmaking
  2. Employing protective enclosures and waveguides to protect sensors
  3. Applying digital signal processing techniques to acoustic data
  4. Replacing fragile thermocouples or optical pyrometers with acoustic methods
  5. Combining microphones, waveguides, and spectral analysis for furnace monitoring

Patent Search Resources

  • Google Patents
  • USPTO
  • European Patent Office
  • World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Related Topics