Ab Bonnierforetagen

Mt. Fury Company, Inc.

Eur-control M&d, U.s.a., Inc.

Daniel F Pope

Goran Tidstam

Christopher S Miller

Krister Lundberg

Jon V Hokanson

An apparatus and method for continuously measuring the settling rate, compaction, and clarity of a liquid. A liquid sample containing suspended solids is pumped into the bottom of a reservoir, and clarified liquid is allowed to overflow the top of the reservoir. Settling rate is measured by adjusting the pumping speed to maintain the interface between the clarified and unclarified portions of the suspension at a constant level. The slowing of this measured settling rate as solids accumulate in the test chamber is used to determine the percent ultimate compaction. Clarity is measured by allowing a sample to settle completely in the test chambers, at intervals that are provided by the need to occasionally remove the accumulated solids from the test chamber.

Method and apparatus for measuring settling rate, compaction, and

Method and apparatus for measuring the content of suspended substances

A sample box is provided for selectively receiving, retaining and discharging samples of particulate material during a plurality of successive measurement cycles. A data processor receives a plurality of input signals representing the measured weight of the sample box and the measured temperature, conductivity, and moisture (based on electrical impedance) of each sample. Using supplier-related data stored in a memory and entered through a keyboard and display, the data processor determines, for each sample, its wet bulk density, its electronic oven dry percentage from the moisture based on electrical impedance, and its density oven dry percentage from the wet bulk density. From the density and electronic oven dry percentages and the temperature of the sample, the data processor determines if the sample contains frozen moisture and also determines if the electronic and density oven dry percentages are based on valid input data. If both oven dry percentages are based on valid input data and if the sample does not contain frozen moisture, the data processor selects an average of the density and electronic oven dry percentages as a verified oven dry percentage. If both oven dry percentages are valid and frozen moisture is detected, the data processor determines a degree of frozenness factor for the sample from the density and electronic oven dry percentages, and selects a quantity equal to the density oven dry percentage, modified by the degree of frozenness, factor as the verified oven dry percentage. If one of the oven dry percentages is invalid and the other is valid, the data processor selects the valid oven dry percentage as the verified oven dry percentage. Through a printer, an output indication is made of at least the verified oven dry percentage for each sample. The user may, through the keyboard and display, indicate the identity of a load, or shipment, from the supplier, whereupon the data processor stores statistics data for all samples of that load in the memory for later printout. The user may also indicate to the data processor that the electronic and density oven dry percentages for a given sample are to be stored in the memory so that the supplier-related data can be corrected by the data processor upon the subsequent entry of an oven test oven dry percentage by the user. The data processor also causes a printout to be made, for each sample, of the mode by which the verified oven dry percentage was selected, and also provides a printout of warning messages when both oven dry percentages for a sample are invalid.

Method and apparatus for determining the moisture content of particulate

Growing community of inventors

Issaquah, WA, United States of America

Daniel F Pope