Monitoring mass flow

In today s industrial applications, Coriolis mass flowmeters are widely used by process engineers to monitor mass flow rate. This meter measures the Coriolis force that depends on the mass momentum of the flow, and, in principle, it can be applied to both single- and mixed-phase flows. Magnetic or optical detectors are generally used to detect mass-flow-related Coriolis acceleration. A brief description of the Coriolis flowmeter will be presented because it is widely used in industrial processes. 

For calculation of the volumetric flow rate only the cross section area of the pipe is to be known. In order to give flow under standard conditions the temperature and pressure must be measured, and for conversion to mass flow the composition or density of the gas must be determined. These process parameters are often monitored by calibrated instrumentation. 

The monitoring of pollutant concentration or mass flow of pollutants is of interest to both plant owners and control agencies. Industry uses such measurements to keep a record of process operations and emissions for its own use and to meet regulatory requirements. Control officials use the... 

Monitoring of air emissions should be done on a continuous basis when the mass flow of toxic substances exceeds 0.5 kg per hour. Otherwise, it can be done annually. 

The catalytic reforming of CH4 by CO2 was carried out in a conventional fixed bed reactor system. Flow rates of reactants were controlled by mass flow controllers [Bronkhorst HI-TEC Co.]. The reactor, with an inner diameter of 0.007 m, was heated in an electric furnace. The reaction temperatoe was controlled by a PID temperature controller and was monitored by a separated thermocouple placed in the catalyst bed. The effluent gases were analyzed by an online GC [Hewlett Packard Co., HP-6890 Series II] equipped with a thermal conductivity detector (TCD) and carbosphere column (0.0032 m O.D. and 2.5 m length, 80/100 meshes), and identified by a GC/MS [Hewlett Packard Co., 5890/5971] equipped with an HP-1 capillary column (0.0002 m O.D. and 50 m length). 

The catalysts were tested for their CO oxidation activity in an automated microreactor apparatus. The catalysts were tested at space velocities of 7,000 -60,000 hr . A small quantity of catalyst (typically 0.1 - 0.5 g.) was supported on a frit in a quartz microreactor. The composition of the gases to the inlet of the reactor was controlled by mass flow controllers and was CO = 50 ppm, CO2 = 0, or 7,000 ppm, HjO = 40% relative humidity (at 25°C), balance air. These conditions are typical of conditions found in spacecraft cabin atmospheres. The temperature of the catalyst bed was measured with a thermocouple placed half way into the catalyst bed, and controlled using a temperature controller. The inlet and outlet CO/CO2 concentrations were measured by non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) monitors. 

P Ij The liquid volume flow to the micro reactor is controlled by an HPLC pump [38]. The gas flow was set by mass flow controllers. Temperature was monitored by resistance thermometers. 

Experiments were carried out in a U-type quartz reactor. The sample (0.025-0.2 g) was held between plugs of quartz wool and the temperature was monitored through a WET 4000 or Eurotherm 2408 temperature controllers. Reactant gases were fed from mass flow controllers (Brooks 5850TR). 

Rn-222 is produced from a dry Ra-226 source with an activity of about 2 mCi housed in a lead shield. Radon is carried from the source by means of compressed air with a regulated flow rate of 200 cnr/min. The test chamber is operated with a 75 1/min air pump located downstream (Figure 1XDroullard, et al., 1984) that exhausts to the outside of the building. The flow rate of this air pump is monitored by a mass flow transducer whose signals are converted to volumetric flow rates. 

The fluidization and the feeder gas flow were controlled by two Brooks 5850S mass flow controllers. The temperature in both the pyrolysis compartment and in the catalyst compartment was monitored by K-type thermo couples and logged to a computer. 

Chase [2.32] presents an alternative method to monitor and control the freeze drying process by measuring the flow of nitrogen to keep the operation control pressure, pc, constant. The Mass Flow Controller (FMC) consists of a proportional valve, an integral flow meter and a capacitance manometer (CA). The CA measures the total pressure in the plant, the valve opens, if the pressure gets below the preset value and vice versa. The flow of... 

Chase, D., R. Monitoring and control of the lyophilization process using a mass flow controller. Pharmaceutical engineering, p. 92-98, Jan.lFeb. 1998... 

Catalysts were tested for oxidations of carbon monoxide and toluene. The tests were carried out in a differential reactor shown in Fig. 12.7-1 and analyzed by an online gas chromatograph (HP 6890) equipped with thermal conductivity and flame ionization detectors. Gases including dry air and carbon monoxide were feed to the reactor by mass flow controllers, while the liquid reactant, toluene was delivered by a syringe pump. Thermocouple was used to monitor the catalyst temperature. Catalyst screening and optimization identified the best catalyst formulation with a conversion rate for carbon monoxide and toluene at room temperature of 1 and 0.25 mmolc g min1. Carbon monoxide and water were the only products of the reactions. 

Continuous Flow Isotope Ratio Monitoring Mass Spectrometers... 

Between the early 1950s, when the dual viscous-flow mass spectrometer was introduced by Nier and the mid 1980s only minor modifications have been made on the hardware of commercial mass spectrometers. Special efforts have been undertaken in the past years to reduce the sample size for isotope measurements. This has led to a modification of the classic dual inlet technique to the continuous-flow isotope ratio monitoring mass spectrometer in which the gas to be analyzed is a trace gas in a stream of carrier gas, which achieves viscous-flow conditions. Today, the majority of gas mass spectrometers are sold with the continuous flow system, instead of the dual inlet system. 

The feed gas flow rate was monitored and controlled by mass flow controllers. Product gases were fed through heated stainless steel lines to a sample loop in an automated gas chromatograph. The GC analysis was performed using two isothermal columns (80°C) in series, a Porapak T and a Molecular Sieve 5A column. When necessary, a second GC analysis using a temperature programmed Hayesep R column was used to separate and detect small hydnx arbons (such as ethylene and ethane) and H2O. 

One class of flow measurement which is becoming of increasing importance (particularly in the form of sensors for control systems) is the monitoring of mass flow. This is rapidly superseding the measurement of volumetric flow—especially where it is required to determine accurately the transfer of large quantities of gas and liquid in the oil, gas and water industries. Two principal approaches are employed to measure mass flow. One is indirect and uses a combination of volumetric flow and density and the other is direct in that it involves the measurement of properties which are sensitive to variations in the mass rate of flow itself. 

The results of these studies differ from those observed by Schroder and co-workers that observed the disappearance of PFOS and PFOA from waste-water under anaerobic conditions [49,50]. In these studies, either PFOS or PFOA were spiked into a bioreactor containing wastewater and aqueous PFOS concentrations were monitored by flow injection analysis-mass spectrometry (FIA-MS) and by LC-MS. Under aerobic conditions, no losses of PFOS or PFOA were observed in aqueous samples collected from the bioreactors. Under anaerobic conditions, PFOS concentrations decreased rapidly within 2 days to below the detection limit. PFOA also decreased but at a slower rate and was not detectable after 25 days. After 2 days, the PFOS concentrations in water decreased to less than the detection limit. However, no evidence of mineralization of either PFOS or PFOA was observed in that degrada-... 

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