Baker Hughes Corporation

Thermedics Inc.

Union Tank Car Company

Baker Hughes Incorporate

Buford R Jean

Gary L Warren

F Lynn Whitehead

Tom Lee Erb

Frederick Lynn Whitehead

Thomas H Dalrymple

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for the measurement of, for example, the moisture in a material or, more generally, for the measurement of any material parameter which may be inferred by measuring the electromagnetic properties of the material under investigation. The electromagnetic properties of use in the present invention are complex electrical permittivity or the magnetic permeability of the material. The meter apparatus of the present invention comprises a controllable source of electromagnetic energy having stable selectable frequency. The controllable source of electromagnetic energy is coupled to a material measurement chamber by means of probes, loops, antennas, apertures or other structures so as to establish an electromagnetic wave inside the measurement chamber thereby causing the wave to interact with the material contained in the chamber. Its preferred structure comprises coupling of microwave energy from a coaxial transmission line to the measurement chamber over a multi-octave bandwidth via an intermediate microstrip to slotline coupling circuit.

Meter and method for in situ measurement of the electromagnetic

An apparatus and method for the measurement of, for example, the moisture in a material or, more generally, for the measurement of any material parameter which may be inferred by measuring the electromagnetic properties of the material under investigation. The meter apparatus comprises a controllable source of electromagnetic energy having stable selectable frequency. The controllable source of electromagnetic energy is coupled to a material measurement chamber by means of probes, loops, antennas, apertures or other structures so as to establish an electromagnetic field inside the measurement chamber thereby causing the field to interact with the material contained in the chamber. The method includes passing the process material through a frequency sensitive measurement cell. Exposing the process material to electromagnetic energy produced by a multi-frequency source. Generating an output signal having a distinctive frequency response characteristic. Detecting and amplifying an output signal by a receiving means and converting the signal to a digital representation. Analyzing the digital representation of the signal by the computer to determine the cutoff frequency. Determining the sharpness of the cutoff characteristic by mathematical algorithms in the computer. From the measured cutoff frequency and the sharpness of the cutoff characteristic, determining the dielectric constant and the conductivity of the material. Using stored calibration data or equations in the computer, computing and displaying the desired material property, e.g., the material's moisture content. And further, using the passband attenuation to determine the density of the material.

A microwave apparatus and method for ullage measurement of agitated materials is provided. The apparatus and method utilize a transformation of the reflected time domain signal into a frequency domain signal. The frequency domain signal is averaged using the natural, inherent weighting associated with the transformation to achieve a unique corrected result. The average frequency domain signal is then used to calculate the average distance for determining the ullage measurement.

Microwave apparatus and method for ullage measurement of agitated fluids

A method and system for monitoring the level of flowable material contained in a transportable vessel that utilizes microwave gauging technology. The system includes a microwave lens/seal assembly, a microwave transceiver assembly, a controller/processor assembly and a computer. The lens/seal assembly is permanently secured to the vessel. The microwave transceiver assembly is adapted to be releasably attached to the vessel. The controller/processor assembly and the computer may be located at a loading/unloading facility.

Method and apparatus for monitoring a flowable material in a

A microwave process seal and method is provided for use, for example, in the detection of ullage level and flow in a vessel or conduit by detecting the presence of a solid or liquid material in proximity to a microwave detector. Particularly, a horn design is provided in conjunction with, the microwave process seal of the present invention which fits in the mouth of the horn. The microwave process seal is kept as thin as possible to meet pressure requirements. The surface of the seal is oriented at or near the Brewster angle. The Brewster angle is that angle for which there is total transmission across a dielectric boundary for energy that strikes the boundary with a linear polarization.

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Round Rock, TX, United States of America

Buford R Jean