Measuring fluid and slurry density and solids concentration non-invasively.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Acoustic Engineering
• Chemical Process Monitoring

Background:

• Accurate real-time monitoring of liquid and slurry properties is crucial for industrial processes.
• Existing sensors can be invasive, require frequent calibration, or lack sensitivity for dilute solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a highly sensitive, non-invasive, self-calibrating on-line sensor for measuring liquid and slurry properties.
• To utilize multiple reflections within a pipeline wall for enhanced acoustic measurements.
• To adapt the sensor for both dilute and concentrated slurries.

Main Methods:

• Developed a sensor with transducers mounted directly on the pipeline wall.
• Employed multiple reflections within the pipeline wall to determine acoustic impedance (density x speed of sound).
• Utilized attenuation measurements for dilute slurries and simple transmission for concentrated slurries.

Main Results:

• The sensor is self-calibrating, as measurements are independent of pulser voltage, ensuring stability.
• High sensitivity was achieved for dilute slurries (≤1% solids) using multi-path attenuation.
• Sufficient sensitivity was obtained for concentrated slurries via simple transmission.
• Demonstrated probe performance with kaolin clay slurries at various concentrations.

Conclusions:

• The developed sensor offers a stable, sensitive, and non-invasive method for on-line acoustic property measurement of liquids and slurries.
• The self-calibrating nature significantly reduces maintenance and calibration time.
• The technology is adaptable for diverse industrial applications involving fluid and slurry monitoring.