title: In-line mixing states monitoring of suspensions using ultrasonic reflection technique.
abstract: Based on the measurement of echo signal changes caused by different concentration distributions in the mixing process, a simple ultrasonic reflection technique is proposed for in-line monitoring of the mixing states of suspensions in an agitated tank in this study. The relation between the echo signals and the concentration of suspensions is studied, and the mixing process of suspensions is tracked by in-line measurement of ultrasonic echo signals using two ultrasonic sensors. Through the analysis of echo signals over time, the mixing states of suspensions are obtained, and the homogeneity of suspensions is quantified. With the proposed technique, the effects of impeller diameter and agitation speed on the mixing process are studied, and the optimal agitation speed and the minimum mixing time to achieve the maximum homogeneity are acquired under different operating conditions and design parameters. The proposed technique is stable and feasible and shows great potential for in-line monitoring of mixing states of suspensions.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Xiaobin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Yili
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Dajun
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Jiaqi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Luyi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Tielin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China. Electronic address: xiwenli@hust.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiwen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
keywords: Homogeneity; Mixing state; Solid–liquid mixing; Suspensions; Ultrasonic