Ultrasonic apparatus and methods for the monitoring of melting, mixing and chemical reaction processes
US7080556B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 12, 2003 |
| Grant date | Jul 25, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 3, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2291/02881
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Ultrasonic apparatus and associated methods for the in-line monitoring of melting, mixing and chemical reaction processes of materials inside an enclosed chamber having rotating elements associated therewith are presented. The chamber may be heated and the rotating elements may be blades and/or screws. The chamber may be a heating barrel and the materials may be polymer and polymer composites pellets, metal pellets and chemical compounds. Ultrasonic sensors, which are preferably coupled to a wall of the chamber, may be high temperature ultrasonic transducers attached to the external surface of the chamber or ultrasonic buffer rods embedded into the chamber and coupled to cooled ultrasonic transducers. These sensors are operated in the reflection mode and are placed over the rotating elements. The number and locations of the sensors depend on applications. The synchronization of the transmission of the ultrasonic signals and the associated data acquisition with the position of the rotating element may be accomplished by using a high speed multiple-record data acquisition system. The ultrasonic speed and attenuation in the material being processed, or the traveling time in the materi…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.