Microwave Process Monitoring: From Concept to Field-Qualified Technology
Abstract
Microwave sensing systems and methodologies have been demonstrated to address critical challenges in industrial measurements and process monitoring. The utility of microwave measurement techniques for multiphase mixture characterization and liquid flow metering date back to early 1970s and 1980s. Over the past 50 years, many multiphase metering technologies and liquid flow sensors based on microwave measurements alone or combined with other methods were developed and commercialized. Microwave techniques are particularly promising for multi-phase component fraction measurements. In fact, they have been proposed and utilized most prominently to realize water-cut monitors (“microwave analyzers”) since late 1980s. Realizing the critical need for efficient methods to detect contaminants and measure their concentrations in natural gas flows, a real-time and highly sensitive microwave-based measurement system was recently developed and piloted in the Middle East and North America. This device has been methodically advanced through the Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) from concept to field piloting. The presentation highlights the design, functionality, certification, application, and qualification of this intrinsically safe system. While the developed technology was demonstrated in certain applications, it finds utility in a wide range of sectors. These applications will be also overviewed in the presentation along with prospects of the technology. The talk will be structured as follows:
Microwaves in Flow Monitoring (succinct overview and recent advancements)
Key Principles (Dielectric interactions, time- and frequency-domain techniques)
