US 11,674,878 B2
Differential emissivity based evaporable particle measurement
Tim Garrett, Salt Lake City, UT (US); Dhiraj Kumar Singh, Salt Lake City, UT (US); Karlie Rees, Salt Lake City, UT (US); and Eric Pardyjak, Salt Lake City, UT (US)
Assigned to University of Utah Research Foundation, Salt Lake City, UT (US)
Filed by University of Utah Research Foundation, Salt Lake City, UT (US)
Filed on Nov. 27, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/106,031.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/941,665, filed on Nov. 27, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0172855 A1, Jun. 10, 2021
Int. Cl. G01N 15/14 (2006.01); G01N 9/02 (2006.01); G01N 15/10 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 15/1429 (2013.01) [G01N 9/02 (2013.01); G01N 2015/1043 (2013.01); G01N 2015/1087 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A differential emissivity imaging device for measuring evaporable particle properties, comprising:
a) a heated plate with an upper surface oriented to receive falling evaporable particles, the evaporable particles having a particle emissivity and the upper surface having a plate surface emissivity;
b) a thermal camera oriented to produce a thermal image of the upper surface;
c) at least one memory device including instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the imaging device to:
i. identify individual evaporable particles from the thermal image by identifying differences between the particle emissivity and the plate surface emissivity,
ii. determine a plate surface radiative temperature and a droplet radiative temperature as a function of a time until the droplet is evaporated,
iii. determine a surface area of the droplet, and
iv. calculate a mass of the individual evaporable particle via heat conduction using the surface area and the time; and
d) an output interface to communicate the evaporable particle properties including the mass to an output device.