A measuring method for the mass flow determination in a pneumatic conveying system

In this contribution a novel measuring concept for the mass flow determination of pneumatic conveyed particles is presented. Therefore, the so-called pseudo transmission measurement concept was adapted for the simultaneous determination of the volume fraction and velocity of particle flow within a pneumatic conveying tube. The substitution of two ultra broadband 80 GHz FMCW radar systems increases the measuring accuracy and is used for measurements on a continuous particle flow. Therefore, an experimental pneumatic conveying system is introduced. Flow simulations of the conveying pipe and 3D electromagnetic simulations of the measurement method illustrate the flow behavior inside the conveying tube and the rf-measuring performance, respectively. Measurement results concerning the volume fraction determination, as well as the velocity determination will be presented and discussed in detail.