Patent ID: 7220229
Filing Date: 2007-05-22
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. A system for monitoring fluid in a fluid processing system comprising: at least one ultrasound probe comprised of an emitting transducer and a receiving transducer; a signal processing unit attached to said at least one ultrasound probe, said unit comprised of at least a function generator, a dual channel analog-to-digital converter, and an interface processor; a computing system adjacent to said signal processing unit, said computing system receiving digitized signal information from said signal processing unit; and a thermistor attached to said signal processing unit to measure the temperature of said fluid; wherein, said function generator generates a power signal to activate said emitting transducer to emit an ultrasound wave of specific frequency over a specific time period repeatedly through said fluid to be received as a receiving signal by said receiving transducer; wherein, said analog-to-digital converter digitizes said power signal as an excitation signal at a specific sampling frequency; wherein, said analog-to-digital converter digitizes said receiving signal received by said receiving transducer at a specific sampling frequency; wherein, said computing system computes transmission time and phase shift between said excitation and receiving signals; and wherein, said computing system uses said phase shift measurement to compute sound velocity, density, compressibility, and solute concentration measurements of the fluid at a measured temperature.