Radiant energy – Invisible radiant energy responsive electric signalling – Infrared responsive
Patent
1996-11-15
1998-07-21
Wong, Don
Radiant energy
Invisible radiant energy responsive electric signalling
Infrared responsive
2503411, G01J 306
Patent
active
057838267
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to methods and instruments used for analysis of the phases of a multi-phase mixture, that allow in particular the detection and measurement as a function of time of nascent destabilization or demixtion phenomena in the mixture, these phenomena being sedimentations, of emulsions or suspensions for example. In particular, the areas of application of the invention include the chemical and para-chemical industries, and more broadly in the areas for which it is necessary to analyze the structure as well as the stability of a multi-phase mixture or to determine the structure of a mixture.
2. Description of Related Art
The prior art discusses a device used for the determination of the number of phases of a partially liquid mixture. This device includes a vertical parallelepiped cell in which one places the mixture and subjects it to optical radiation. An optical sensor that is placed opposite the optical transmitter allows one to detect the radiation transmitted by the mixture. The movement of the transmitter and the sensor along the height of the cell allows one to count the phases present in the mixture by the measurement variations of the optical transmission in each phase and at the interface of the phases.
Such a device, which uses only optical transmission through the mixture, allows applications that are limited to transparent mixtures or mixtures having only slight turbidity. It also allows analyses that only determine the number of phases of the mixture. In addition, the use of a parallelepiped cell does not allow good filling for a highly viscous mixture, and it does not allow good homogeneity of the mixture through intermingling.
The prior art also discusses a device that allows one to partially overcome these disadvantages. This device utilizes a sensor of the radiation which is diffused by the mixture and thereby allows one to determine, because of the turbidity differences of the mixture, different phases that are contained in the latter.
This device only allows applications to mixtures having average turbidity. This is the reason for the principle of detecting diffused radiation that requires a certain transparency of the mixture. Therefore, this device does not allow one to study opaque or highly turbid mixtures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention essentially allows one to overcome these disadvantages. More particularly, it consists of a method of analyzing phases of a multi-phase mixture containing at least the following stages:
placing the mixture in a tubular measurement cell with cylindrical cross section;
to transmit electromagnetic radiation in the direction of the measurement cell, characterized in that the method consists in:
detecting electromagnetic radiation which is back scattered by the mixture in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tubular measurement cell, the longitudinal axis being arranged vertically, and the measurement cell being transparent;
to carry out a plurality of detections of the back scattered electromagnetic radiation, according to a predetermined step on the total length of the longitudinal axis of the said tubular measurement cell, the said number of detections constituting a measurement cycle of the said mixture.
The method in accordance with the invention allows an analysis of a mixture that has great turbidity or is opaque, dividing the mixture up into measurement sections which are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cell, by means of detection by back scattering of the electromagnetic radiation, while allowing one to obtain a homogeneous mixture in the cell at the time of mixing through the intermediary of the use of a measurement cell which houses a mixture in a tubular part of the cylindrical section of the cell, preferably a part with circular cross section. The scanning of the cell through determinations which are made at a predetermined rate allows one to thereby obtain a cycle of measurements that produces a phase profile of the mixtur
REFERENCES:
patent: 4099871 (1978-07-01), Sunahara et al.
patent: 4975581 (1990-12-01), Robinson
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