Detecting hazardous materials in containers utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance based measurements
US9575019B2 · kind B2 · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 2, 2012 |
| Grant date | Feb 21, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 22, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01R33/4616
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method of detecting hazardous materials in containers utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology. The presence of precursors (e.g., H202) and/or nitrogen in the liquid in the container is determined by placing the container in a static magnetic field, exciting the container with electromagnetic pulses having a frequency corresponding to proton NMR and 14N NMR, and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals through a probe. The excitation pulses are configured to enable detection of the presence of precursors and nitrogen in the container, and may comprise a sequence of short RF pulses. The presence of nitrogen and/or explosive precursors is determined by detecting and evaluating NMR measurement signal amplitudes and relaxation times from the received RF signals. An apparatus comprising a magnet that generates a magnetic field and a probe that generates RF pulses and receives NMR measurement signals from the sampled container in accordance with the aforementioned method.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.