On-line mass flow measurement of pneumatically conveyed particles using radiometric sensors

On-line continuous mass flow measurement of pneumatically conveyed particles has been found to be an intractable problem worldwide for many years due to the difficult nature of particles in a suspension and the variability of pneumatic conveying conditions. This paper describes the design and experimental evaluation of a novel radiometric sensor system that has been recently developed for the measurement of velocity, concentration and mass flow rate of particles in a pneumatic pipeline. The system employs a novel multi-beam, micro-sensing field interrogating the entire pipe cross section to accommodate the irregularity of the particle velocity profile and inhomogeneity of the particle distribution within the pipeline. Experimental results obtained on a pneumatic conveyer circulating ilmenite powder have demonstrated that the system is capable of detecting various velocity profiles and particle distributions across the pipe section and providing an absolute mass flow rate of particles within a close agreement to the reference reading from a load cell.