Residue concentration measurement technology

A method of analyzing dissolved non-volatile residue and particulate non-volatile residue in a colloidal suspension, comprising the steps of:

• a. forming an aerosol containing droplets from the colloidal suspension and isolating small, uniformly sized droplets less than 10 um. in diameter from the droplets by:
• i. inputting the suspension to a mixing zone,
• ii. inputting pressurized gas to the mixing zone,
• iii. restricting output from the mixing zone to generate a backpressure in opposition to input of the suspension and the pressurized gas, whereby the kinetic energy of mixing increases and decreases the size of small droplets leaving the mixing zone, and
• iv. forming a thin essentially hemispherical flow path of droplets leaving the mixing zone whereby droplets equal to or larger than 10 um in diameter leave the flow path and are impacted and removed;
• b. removing liquid from the small, uniformly sized droplets less than 10 um. in diameter by evaporating them to a predetermined dryness to form dissolved residue particles separate and distinct from particulate residue particles;
• c. analyzing residual particles by counting and sizing to measure the relative concentrations of the dissolved and particulate residues and to measure the particle size distribution of the particulate residue particles;
• and
• d. determining the liquid volumetric inspection rate by inputting a colloidal suspension with a known volumetric concentration of particulate residue and measuring the volumetric concentration of particulate residue in the aerosol produced by steps a-c of the method.

A method for analyzing dissolved and particulate residues in a liquid, comprising the steps of:

• a. forming an aerosol containing droplets from the liquid, by the steps of:
• i. inputting the liquid to a mixing zone,
• ii. inputting pressurized gas to the mixing zone;
• and
• iii. restricting output from the mixing zone togenerate a backpressure in opposition to input of the liquid and the pressurized gas,
• whereby the kinetic energy of mixing increases and decreases the size of droplets leaving the mixing zone,
• b. isolating uniformly sized droplets from the droplets,
• c. removing liquid from the uniformly sized droplets to form dissolved residue particles and particulate residue particles, and
• d. analyzing dissolved and particulate residue particles by counting and sizing.

A method for analyzing dissolved and particulate residues in a liquid, comprising the steps of:

• a. forming an aerosol containing droplets from the liquid,
• b. isolating small, uniformly sized droplets less than 10 um in diameter from the droplets, by forming a thin, essentially hemispherical flow path of the aerosol droplets whereby large droplets equal to or greater than 10 um in diameter leave the flow path and are impacted and removed,
• c. removing liquid from the uniformly sized droplets to form dissolved residue particles and particulate residue particles, and
• d. analyzing dissolved and particulate residue particles by counting and sizing.