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Development of a novel non‐contact proximity gauge for thickness measurement of soft deposits and its application in fouling studies
Author(s) -
Tuladhar T. R.,
Paterson W. R.,
Macleod N.,
Wilson D. I.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
the canadian journal of chemical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1939-019X
pISSN - 0008-4034
DOI - 10.1002/cjce.5450780511
Subject(s) - fouling , biofouling , materials science , calibration , measure (data warehouse) , gauge (firearms) , liquid metal , composite material , metallurgy , computer science , chemistry , membrane , mathematics , data mining , biochemistry , statistics
This paper describes the development of a novel proximity gauging technique for soft deposits, exploiting a siphon effect. This non‐contact technique has the capability to measure the thickness of soft deposits on a surface in situ and in real time. A theoretical model of performance has been developed and its validity demonstrated by calibration experiments. Local thickness measurements of soft deposits such as whey protein deposit, supermarket butter and sticky foam on metal surfaces had an accuracy of ±20 μm for a deposit thickness of 500 to 1000 μm. The potential of this technique for on‐line monitoring of fouling and cleaning processes in liquid environments is demonstrated by preliminary studies of alkali (NaOH) cleaning of whey protein deposits from stainless steel surfaces.