Ultrasonic separation monitoring by near-infrared light scattering

Ultrasonic radiation force produced by standing wave fields has been used in many different applications such as removal of solid particles from liquids, separation of lipids from blood, and separation of oil-water emulsions. The monitoring of separation effectiveness has been done separately after the application of ultrasound. The objective of this work is to apply ultrasonic waves during the real-time analysis using a commercial near-infrared light scattering equipment to evaluate the main characteristics of this phenomenon according to the parameters settings. For this purpose it is designed an ultrasonic transducer to be used in the sample chamber of the light scattering analyzer. Experimental tests with cornstarch suspensions are conducted in order to evaluate the sedimentation enhancement due to the presence of ultrasonic radiation force.