Patent ID: 8746091

Claim:
A probe assembly adapted to be mounted adjacent to a flowing material under test residing within a test chamber that includes an access orifice, comprising: (a) a housing, the housing further comprising: (i) an integrally formed substantially rectangular channel, the channel being open at an upper region; and (ii) a substantially planar bottom, the bottom being substantially parallel to the upper region; (b) an antenna element, the antenna element being suspended within the housing; and (c) a process seal, the process seal comprising: (i) a substantially planar outer surface; (ii) a substantially planar inner surface; (iii) an antenna access groove, the antenna access groove being formed so as to be substantially orthogonal to the substantially planar inner surface and the substantially planar outer surface, the antenna access groove being suitably dimensioned to substantially surround most of a longest linear portion of the antenna element, the longest linear portion of the antenna element being substantially parallel to the substantially planar outer surface of the process seal, the antenna access groove having a depth sufficient to permit the longest linear portion of the antenna element to be within four millimeters of the flowing material under test within the test chamber, wherein the process seal is affixed to the substantially planar bottom of the housing, the substantially planar outer surface being adapted to substantially fill the access orifice so as to create a substantially continuous surface contour within the test chamber, the process seal isolating the antenna element from the flowing material under test; (iv) a circumferential gasket retaining groove; (v) a lip, the lip being defined by the circumferential gasket retaining groove such that the lip resides between the circumferential gasket retaining groove and the outer surface of the process seal; and (vi) a gasket, the gasket being supported by the lip, the gasket being in a substantially continuous abutting relationship with the circumferential gasket retaining groove, the gasket comprising a substantially t-shaped cross section, the substantially t-shaped cross section further comprising: (a) an inner lobe, the inner lobe residing within the circumferential gasket retaining groove; (b) an outer lobe, the outer lobe forming an abutting seal with the access orifice; and (c) a relatively narrower portion, the relatively narrower portion further comprising: (i) an orthogonal sidewall, the orthogonal sidewall being substantially orthogonal to the substantially planar outer surface; the orthogonal sidewall being adapted to abut a portion of the test chamber adjacent to the access orifice; and (ii) an inclined sidewall, the inclined sidewall being adapted to abut the lip.