Non-Invasive Determination of the Mass Flow Rate for Particulate Solids Using Microwaves

Abstract

This paper presents a novel technique for the mass flow rate determination of particulate solids called the “Sliding Mass Technique”. The mass flow rate is a measure of the mass of a substance that passes through a given cross-sectional area per unit time. Its calculation requires simultaneous detection of the concentration and velocity of the Material Under Test. A novel measurement technique is designed for determining the concentration of the mass flow without the necessity for density evaluation. The mass flow rate is determined by fusing the established concentration results with velocity results obtained from “Microwave Spatial Filtering Velocimetry”. A new metamaterial-based mass flow sensor for particulate solids was designed, realized and measured in an industrial environment. A Software-Defined Radio (Ettus Research™’s USRP B210) was utilized as a sensor electronic system for DAQ purposes. A MATLAB app was developed to operate the SDR. Measurements were carried out on-site using a state-of-the-art wood pellet heating system with wood pellets with different moisture contents. The measurement results were found to be in very good agreement with the expected results, which strengthens the feasibility of this newly proposed measurement technique.