Helix-shaped CRLH-mass flow detector for the cross-sectional detection of inhomogeneous distributed pneumatic conveyed pulverized solids

This paper presents an application of a Composite Right/Left-Handed (CRLH) Transmission Line resonator for a compact mass flow detector with increased sensitivity compared to a conventional microwave mass flow detector. In this concept series capacitors and shunt inductors are used to synthesize a medium with simultaneously negative permeability and permittivity - the so called metamaterial. The simultaneous detection of the velocity and solids/air concentration from a single measurement, ensures a true mass flow detector. The rearrangement of two CRLH-TL resonators to a helix shape opens the possibility to detect the cross-sectional flow distribution of the fed material in order to increase the accuracy of the detector. A prototype was realized and tested in a dedicated measurement setup to prove the concept. The application areas of this sensor are gas/solids, gas/liquid and liquid/solids flows in various industrial monitoring applications.