Methods and systems for computing a particle size distribution of small partcles in a process

A method for measuring change of particle size of small particles dispersed in a fluid medium constituting a sample colloid, said method comprising:

• providing a reference matrix of pre-computed or pre-measured reference vectors, each said reference vector representing a discrete particle size of a particle size distribution of particles contained in a dilute colloid, each said reference vector representing a reference extinction spectrum over a predetermined wavelength range;
• real time measuring a measurement vector representing a measured extinction spectrum of the small particles of the sample colloid, by spectrophotometry over the wavelength range;
• and
• determining at least one of a particle size, the particle size distribution, and at least one particle concentration of the particles in the sample colloid, using said reference matrix, said measurement vector and linear equations.

A system for measuring small particle size distributions of sample particles in a process stream comprising a sample dilute colloid, said system comprising:

• a processor;
• a reference matrix of pre-computed or pre-measured reference vectors stored in memory that is accessible by said processor, each reference vector representing a discrete particle size of a particle size distribution of particles in a dilute colloid, each said reference vector representing a reference extinction spectrum over a predetermined wavelength range;
• and
• programming configured to be run by said processor, when the system is provided with a measurement vector representing a measured extinction spectrum of the sample particles in the sample colloid, wherein the measured extinction spectrum has been spectrophotometrically measured, to cause said processor to perform operations comprising:
• determining at least one of a particle size, the particle size distribution, and at least one particle concentration of the particles in the sample colloid, using the reference matrix, the measurement vector and linear equations.

A computer readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for computing small particle size distributions of sample particles in a process stream, the sample particles provided in a sample colloid, and wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform a process comprising:

• receiving a reference matrix of pre-computed or pre-measured reference vectors, each reference vector representing a discrete particle size or particle size range of a particle size distribution of particles in a dilute colloid, each said reference vector representing a reference extinction spectrum over a predetermined wavelength range;
• receiving a measurement vector representing a measured extinction spectrum of the sample particles in the sample colloid, wherein said measured extinction spectrum has been spectrophotometrically measured;
• and
• determining at least one of a particle size, the particle size distribution, and at least one particle concentration of the particles in the sample colloid, using said reference matrix, said measurement vector and linear equations.