Measuring fluid and slurry density and solids concentration non-invasively

Staff at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed a highly sensitive, non-invasive, self-calibrating, on-line sensor to measure the density, speed of sound, and attenuation of ultrasound for a liquid or slurry flowing through a pipeline; the approach can also be applied for measurements made in vessels. The sensor transducers are mounted directly upon the stainless steel wall and the pipeline wall becomes part of the measurement system. Multiple reflections within the stainless steel wall are used to determine the acoustic impedance of the liquid, where the acoustic impedance is defined as the product of the density and the speed of sound. The probe becomes self-calibrating because variations in the pulser voltage do not affect the measurements. This feature leads to the stability of the measurements and the instrument requires much less time and effort to calibrate. Further, the calibration remains constant in time, because it does not depend upon the pulser voltage remaining at a given value. By basing the measurement upon multiple reflections, the sensitivity of the measurement is significantly increased. For slurries with wt% solids concentration of 1% or less, high sensitivity is gained by analyzing attenuation measurements obtained from multiple paths through the slurry. For slurries with higher concentrations of solids, sufficient sensitivity is obtained by analyzing data from a simple transmission. Data are presented that show probe performance for each of these cases: very dilute and highly concentrated kaolin clay slurries.     

A mobile one-sided NMR sensor with a homogeneous magnetic field: the NMR-MOLE

A new portable NMR sensor with a novel one-sided access magnet design, termed NMR-MOLE (MObile Lateral Explorer), has been characterised in terms of sensitivity and depth penetration. The magnet has been designed to be portable and create a volume with a relatively homogeneous magnetic field, 15,000 ppm over a region from 4 to 16 mm away from the probe, with maximum sensitivity at a depth of 10 mm. The proton NMR frequency is 3.3 MHz. We have demonstrated that with this approach a highly sensitive, portable, unilateral NMR sensor can be built. Such a design is especially suited for the characterisation of liquids in situations where unilateral or portable access is required.     

Using ultrasonic attenuation to monitor slurry mixing in real time

Staff at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed and applied a simple ultrasonic attenuation measurement to measure slurry concentration in real time during suspension of solids settled in a large tank. This paper presents a simple single frequency ultrasonic measurement technique that demonstrates the ability of ultrasonic sensors to measure slurry concentration. Sensor calibration data show that in this attenuation regime ultrasonic signal attenuation is proportional to the applied frequency and to the slurry volume fraction. Real-time measurements of ultrasonic signal attenuation were used to track the process of slurry mixing using single sensors and sensor arrays. Results from two experiments show the use of real-time measurements of ultrasonic signal attenuation to track the process of slurry mixing in situ and to track the ability to maintain a well-mixed steady state condition. Comparison of concentration means of the ultrasonic measurements with concentration means obtained from discrete extractive measurements show that the distributions overlap and cannot be statistically distinguished. The real-time ultrasonic sensor can be used as a primary measurement method or to reduce reliance upon extractive methods to measure slurry density and solids concentration.     

Design and performance of a plastic optical fiber leakage sensor

In this article design and operation of a plastic optical fiber (POF) sensor based on the unconventional light leakage from one fiber to another one causing intensity modulation are presented. The dominant loss mechanism was found to be the evanescent loss and based on this phenomenon the optical fiber sensor was designed. The penetration depth of evanescent wave as a function of different refractive index of cladding was calculated. Operation of this sensor was tested as a liquid level sensor for different liquids and the experimental results are compared. The dry (air interface layer) and wet output (liquid interface layer) signals for this probe were measured for a series of measurements and important factors concerning sensor operation are described. The precision of measured values, reproducibility of the results (1.35% error), and the stability of sensing operation as a function of time at different launching powers are also reported (0.85% error). The reported results for this design are promising and verify the successful operation of such a device as a liquid level probe and also as an on/off level switch.     

Investigation of dual-channel fiber-optic surface plasmon resonance sensing for biological applications

A dual-channel fiber-optic sensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) for self-referencing refractive-index measurements has been proposed. Most applications of fiber-optic SPR sensors are designed to measure the refractive index of a liquid or gas sample by measuring the signal from a single surface, the sensitivity and stability of which is easily affected by the fluctuation of external environmental conditions. We have designed a dual-channel fiber-optic surface sensor with two independent SPR signals from two areas of the same probe. A prototype sensor was fabricated and characterized. The preliminary experimental results demonstrate the characteristic responses of both SPR signals from two channels that independently correspond to the refractive index changes in the liquid samples with which they are in contact. The design could be extended to a multichannel sensor with further developments. The experimental results confirmed that one channel can be used as a reference sensor that could compensate for unexpected changes in bulk refraction or temperature and develop this sensor as a practicable high-sensitivity biosensing device.     

悬浮进样探针原子化石墨炉原子吸收法测定地质样品中铍的研究

本应用探针恒温原子化技术，系统研究了铍的分析性能，比较了不同类型石墨管和探针材料的测定效果。应用固体悬浮进样，直接测定了地质样品中的痕量铍，方法的ＲＳＤ为３．３￣５．２％，检测限为５．１×１０＾－１２ｇ铍。     

契形结构光纤表面等离子体共振传感器研究

提出了一种契形端面结构的光纤表面等离子体共振(SPR)传感器激励模型. 采用时域有限差分法对契形SPR波导的共振模型进行数值模拟, 通过在光纤出射端抛磨契形角度并进行敏感膜修饰, 制出具有契形端面结构的类Kretschmann微棱镜式光纤SPR传感器, 实现激发SPR的光波调制.结果表明, 在1.3330–1.4215折射率范围内, 制备的契形光纤SPR传感器相对于常规光纤SPR传感器, 其平均灵敏度提高了近1–6倍, 1倍和6倍分别出现在小角度结构(15° 契形) 传感器和大角度结构(60°契形) 传感器, 且仍保持 10^-5 等级的分辨率. 该类型结构的传感器具有契形端面激励模式, 设计灵活性高、制备工艺简单、可微量检测样本等优点, 能够很好地适应于不同环境和测量条件的实际生化检测、环境监测需求. 关键词： 光纤传感器 表面等离子体共振 契形端面结构 折射率灵敏度     

Design and operation of an evanescent optical fiber sensor

Design and operation of an optical fiber sensor based on the intensity modulation is reported in this article. Two distinct mechanisms are considered for the optical power loss and the sensor operation is explained in terms of these effects. The dominant loss mechanism is found to be the evanescent loss and based on this phenomenon the optical fiber sensor is designed. Performance of this sensor is tested as a liquid level sensor for water and the experimental results are reported. The dry and wet signals for this probe are measured for a series of measurements and important factors concerning the design and operation of sensor are described. The precision of measured values, reproducibility of the results, and the stability of sensing operation as a function of time are reported. Variation of the output reading of the sensor system for different launching power is also investigated. The output signal of an optical fiber sensor in general is nonlinear, but both the signal difference (dry minus wet) and diff/dry signal ratio for the reported sensor show linear dependence with the launching power at intensities below threshold. The reported results are promising and verify the successful operation of such a device as an on/off level switch and also as a liquid level sensor.     

基于激光诱导击穿光谱技术的土壤泥浆中Pb元素检测

激光诱导击穿光谱(LIBS)作为一种新兴的元素分析技术,具有实时在线、非接触、多元素同时探测等渚多优点.将LIBS技术引入土壤泥浆重金属污染的检测分析,力图发展一种针对泥浆重金属污染监测的原位传感技术.实验选择Pb作为探测元素,Mn为内标元素;采用重复频率10 Hz的Nd:YAG调Q激光器的二倍频(532 nm)输出作为激发光源,OCD收集信号,对实验室配制的不同浓度Pb泥浆样品的LIBS信号进行了探测分析.获得了各种浓度下Pb泥浆样品在Pb 405.78 nm和Mn 403.07 nm处的原子线强度比IPb/IMn及其随浓度变化的规律.结果显示IPb/IMn与样品的含铅浓度有着很好的线性关系,线性拟合相关系数R2达到0.994 9.初步证实了采用内标法对土壤泥浆中重金属Pb进行LIBS检测分析的可行性.文章还对泥浆重金属LIBS检测的影响因素进行了讨论.     

Near-field acoustic intensity measurements using an accelerometer-based underwater intensity vector sensor

An accelerometer-based underwater acoustic intensity vector sensor is used to measure the acoustic nearfield of a single spherical source, and a pair of sources that vibrate in or out of phase with each other. The intensity sensor consists of co-located pressure and inertial sensors within a neutrally buoyant probe body. The design of this probe has been published previously. The measurements were performed in a large tank at a frequency of 5 kHz for two sources of different sizes, corresponding to ka values of 0.7 and 1.2 respectively, where k is acoustic wavenumber and a is the source radius. By way of validation, the acoustic intensity field from two closely spaced, interacting spherical radiators is predicted using the exact theory of the translational addition theorem for spherical wave functions. The predictions using this theory compare favorably well with the measured intensity field. Beam pattern and calibration data obtained for the intensity sensor suggest that underwater acoustic intensity generated by simple and complex sources can be measured to an accuracy of ±1 dB provided that ka is less than approximately 0.2.     

Lossy mode resonance-based uniform core tapered fiber optic sensor for sensitivity enhancement

A lossy mode resonance (LMR)-supported fiber optic sensor in which a uniform fiber core is placed among two identical tapered regions, is investigated numerically. Indium tin oxide (ITO) and aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) are considered as LMR active materials used to excite several lossy modes and gold and silver are used as surface plasmon resonance (SPR) active materials. In this probe design, a central uniform core coated with ITO/AZO is the active sensing region, whereas tapered regions are meant for bringing the incident angle close to the critical angle. The sensitivity of the present fiber optic bio-sensor is evaluated for first two LMRs utilizing both ITO and AZO separately, along with its variation with the taper ratio (TR). For ITO, the maximum sensitivity values are observed to be 18.425 μm RIU⁻¹ (refractive index unit) and 0.825 μm RIU⁻¹, corresponding to the first and second LMRs, respectively, at a TR of 1.6 and for AZO, equivalent values are 0.79 μm RIU⁻¹ and 0.35 μm RIU⁻¹, respectively, at a TR of 2.0. The results illustrate that the first LMR is more sensitive than the second LMR and the ITO-coated probe possesses greater sensitivity than the AZO-coated probe for both LMRs. Similarly, for the fiber optic SPR sensor, the maximum value of sensitivity is 5.6425 μm RIU⁻¹, in the case of gold and 5.0615 μm RIU⁻¹ in the case of silver, at a TR of 1.6. Hence, the result shows that the sensor with the present fiber optic probe design has around a 3-fold enhancement in sensitivity compared with conventional SPR sensors. This study will have applications in many sensing schemes where the requirement of large sensitivity is vital.     

Fibre optic target reflectivity sensor

This paper reports the principle of operation, the design aspects, experimentation and performance of a fibre optic target reflectivity sensor to examine the correlation between the detector output, variation in material type and the reflectivity properties of the materials tested. The device consists of a fibre optic transmitter, a fibre optic probe, target and a photodiode detector. The fibre optic probe consists of two well-polished PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) fibres cemented together along some distance over the length. The principle of fibre optic lever displacement sensors is applied. Material effects are examined by preparing a variety of samples namely gold coated mirror, copper, brass, aluminium, steel and galvanized iron using the same polishing techniques. It is found that the response of the sensor changes with change of target surface. The results show that the fibre optic probe is capable of discriminating between materials. With the use of commercially available fibre, source and detector, the set-up proves to be simple, highly sensitive, low cost and versatile one, which can be adopted for on-line measurement or inspection of test components.     

激光位移传感器传感探头微小型光学系统设计

光斑质量直接影响激光位移传感器测量的精度。为了提高激光位移传感器传感探头光学系统的成像质量,设计了传感探头四片式微小型光学系统。本文在理想成像基础上,分析光束在光学系统中能量传递的变化规律,对比光电探测器的感光能力,利用光学设计软件(ZEMAX)实现了激光位移传感器传感探头微小型光学系统的设计。通过理论计算分析,严格控制传感探头孔径光阑的大小,对光学系统进行优化处理,成像最大弥散斑半径低于3. 3μm,空间分辨率120lp/mm以下的传递函数MTF(Modulation Transfer Function)值大于0. 5,光线扇形图的最大像差小于5μm,畸变量低于0. 1859%。该光学系统具有良好的成像效果,可以满足激光位移传感器探测系统对成像系统成像光斑质量的要求,以保证传感器的测量精确度优于5μm。     

Measurement of viscosity and shear wave velocity of a liquid or slurry for on-line process control

An on-line sensor to measure the density of a liquid or slurry, based on longitudinal wave reflection at the solid-fluid interface, has been developed by the staff at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The objective of this research is to employ shear wave reflection at the solid-fluid interface to provide an on-line measurement of viscosity as well. Both measurements are of great interest for process control in many industries. Shear wave reflection measurements were conducted for a variety of liquids. By analyzing multiple reflections within the solid (only 0.63 cm thick-similar to pipe wall thickness) we increased the sensitivity of the measurement. At the sixth echo, sensitivity was increased sufficiently and this echo was used for fluid interrogation. Shear wave propagation of ultrasound in liquids is dependent upon the viscosity and the shear modulus. The data are analyzed using the theory for light liquids (such as water and sugar water solutions) and also using the theory for highly viscous liquids (such as silicone oils). The results show that, for light liquids, the shear wave reflection measurements interrogate the viscosity. However, for highly viscous liquids, it is the shear wave modulus that dominates the shear wave reflection. Since the density is known, the shear wave velocity in the liquid can be determined from the shear wave modulus. The results show that shear wave velocities in silicone oils are very small and range from 315 to 2389 cm/s. Shear wave reflection measurements are perhaps the only way that shear wave velocity in liquids can be determined, because the shear waves in liquids are highly attenuated. These results show that, depending on the fluid characteristics, either the viscosity or the shear wave velocity can be used for process control. There are several novel features of this sensor: (1) The sensor can be mounted as part of the wall of a pipeline or tank or submerged in a tank. (2) The sensor is very compact and can be located within the process stream. (3) The sensor can interrogate and characterize very attenuative liquids or slurries because the sensor operation depends upon reflection at the interface between the solid and the fluid, rather than on transmission through a liquid. (4) The sensor performance is not affected by fluid flow rate, entrained air, or vibration.     

Auxiliary probe design adaptable to existing probes for remote detection NMR, MRI, and time-of-flight tracing

A versatile, detection-only probe design is presented that can be adapted to any existing NMR or MRI probe with the purpose of making the remote detection concept generally applicable. Remote detection suggests freeing the NMR experiment from the confinement of using the same radio frequency (RF) coil and magnetic field for both information encoding and signal detection. Information is stored during the encoding step onto a fluid sensor medium whose magnetization is later measured in a different location. The choice of an RF probe and magnetic field for encoding can be made based solely on the size and characteristics of the sample and the desired information quality without considering detection sensitivity, as this aspect is dealt with by a separate detector. While early experiments required building probes that included two resonant circuits, one for encoding and one for detection, a modular approach with a detection-only probe as presented here can be used along with any existing NMR probe of choice for encoding. The design of two different detection-only probes is presented, one with a saddle coil for milliliter-sized detection volumes, and the other one with a microsolenoid coil for sub-microliter fluid quantities. As example applications, we present time-of-flight (TOF) tracing of hyperpolarized (129)Xe spins in a gas mixture through coiled tubing using the microsolenoid coil detector and TOF flow imaging through a nested glass container where the gas flow changes its direction twice between inlet and outlet using the saddle coil detector.     

Measurement of the viscosity-density product using multiple reflections of ultrasonic shear horizontal waves

We have developed an on-line computer-controlled sensor, based on ultrasound reflection measurements, to determine the product of the viscosity and density of a liquid or slurry for Newtonian fluids and the shear impedance of the liquid for non-Newtonian fluids. A 14 MHz shear wave transducer is bonded to one side of a 45-90 degrees fused silica wedge and the base is in contract with the liquid. Twenty-eight echoes were observed due to the multiple reflections of an ultrasonic shear horizontal (SH) wave within the wedge. The fast Fourier transform of each echo was obtained for a liquid and for water, which serves as the calibration fluid, and the reflection coefficient at the solid-liquid interface was obtained. Data were obtained for 11 sugar water solutions ranging in concentration from 10% to 66% by weight. The viscosity values are shown to be in good agreement with those obtained independently using a laboratory viscometer. The data acquisition time is 14s and this can be reduced by judicious selection of the echoes for determining the reflection coefficient. The measurement of the density results in a determination of the viscosity for Newtonian fluids or the shear wave velocity for non-Newtonian fluids. The sensor can be deployed for process control in a pipeline, with the base of the wedge as part of the pipeline wall, or immersed in a tank.     

Analysis of refractometric fiber optic state-of-charge (SOC) monitoring sensor for lead acid battery

In situ monitoring of the state of charge (SOC) of lead acid battery is important to understand the residual electrical energy. Usage of battery reduces the charge content of the active electrolyte which in turn changes its refractive index. This paper reports refractometric fiber optic sensor developed for on-line monitoring of SOC. The SOC is monitored during discharging phases of the battery using the developed fiber optic sensor probe along with terminal voltage, temperature and depth of discharge using a LABVIEW based data acquisition system. The paper gives the working principle, design and construction details, results and calibration of the fiber optic sensor (FOS) probe. The in situ monitoring capability of the developed FOS is demonstrated in comparison with the contemporary off-line methods of specific gravity and terminal voltage measurements.     

空间光学遥感器环境适应性设计与试验研究

为适应空间光学遥感技术的迅速发展及对空间光学遥感器需求的不断增长,在追求高高空间分辨率、高光谱分辨率、高辐射分辨率性能及轻量化的同时,必须考虑空间光学遥感器对恶劣的发射运载力学环境及在轨真空热环境的适应性问题。本文概述了国内外空间光学遥感器环境适应性设计的现状与进展,阐述了空间环境因素对空间光学遥感器性能的影响,尤其是在力学及真空热环境作用下的环境效应,探讨了环境效应的作用机理;在对任务需求和环境效应分析的基础上,提出了空间光学遥感器环境适应性设计的要求、准则以及适应性设计要点。在空间光学遥感器设计的早期设计阶段,统筹考虑对未来可能遇到的各种环境的适应性问题,并开展以质量特性、动力学特性及热光学特性为主的适应性设计分析迭代。在工程实施阶段,进行相应的特征试验以及环境模拟试验,实地考核空间光学遥感器的力学及热光学特性以及在各种模拟环境条件下功能和性能的有效性和正确性,确保对未来各种恶劣环境条的适应性。本文对设计分析迭代过程中以及试验过程中对环境适应性的评价方法及其相关的地面试验内容和方法也进行了论述。     

悬浮进样探针原子化石墨炉原子吸收法测定地质样品中的铬

本文应用探针恒温原子化技术 ,系统研究了铬的分析性能 ,应用固体悬浮进样 ,直接测定了地质样品中的痕量铬 ,方法的 RSD为 3.0 %～ 6 .5 % ,检测限为 5 .1× 10 - 1 2 g铬 ,标准物质的测定结果满意     

Development of an accelerometer-based underwater acoustic intensity sensor

An underwater acoustic intensity sensor is described. This sensor derives acoustic intensity from simultaneous, co-located measurement of the acoustic pressure and one component of the acoustic particle acceleration vector. The sensor consists of a pressure transducer in the form of a hollow piezoceramic cylinder and a pair of miniature accelerometers mounted inside the cylinder. Since this sensor derives acoustic intensity from measurement of acoustic pressure and acoustic particle acceleration, it is called a p-a intensity probe. The sensor is ballasted to be nearly neutrally buoyant. It is desirable for the accelerometers to measure only the rigid body motion of the assembled probe and for the effective centers of the pressure sensor and accelerometer to be coincident. This is achieved by symmetric disposition of a pair of accelerometers inside the ceramic cylinder. The response of the intensity probe is determined by comparison with a reference hydrophone in a predominantly reactive acoustic field.