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Millimeter wave rheometry: theory and experiment

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Abstract

A novel millimeter wave (MMW) rheometry is developed to determine the viscosity of fluids based on an unsteady film flow on an inclined plane. The method measures fringes due to MMW interference between the front and back surfaces of a fluid flowing across the field of view of a ceramic wave guide coupled to a MMW receiver operating at 137 GHz. With knowledge of the dielectric constant, the interference fringe spacing is used to calculate the thickness of the fluid layer. This thickness is then transformed into the viscosity by means of a simple hydrodynamic theory. Our results show that the MMW rheometry can practically distinguish between the 30, 100, and 200 Pa·s silicone oils. The geometry of the method allows for potential industrial applications such as measuring viscosity of the flowing slag down the walls of coal gasifiers. The MMW rheometry with simple modifications can be easily extended to measure important non-Newtonian fluid characteristics such as yield stress.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge useful discussions with Dr. Paul P. Woskov, Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The authors also acknowledge support from Energy Conversion Initiative (ECI) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for partial support. PNNL is a multi-program national laboratory operated by Battelle Memorial Institute for the United States Department of Energy under DE-AC06-76RLO 1830.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA

    Jaehun Chun, John S. McCloy & Jarrod V. Crum

  2. Alfred University, Alfred, NY, 14802, USA

    Shanmugavelayutham K. Sundaram

Authors
  1. Jaehun Chun
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  2. John S. McCloy
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  3. Jarrod V. Crum
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  4. Shanmugavelayutham K. Sundaram
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Correspondence to Shanmugavelayutham K. Sundaram.

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Chun, J., McCloy, J.S., Crum, J.V. et al. Millimeter wave rheometry: theory and experiment. Rheol Acta 50, 125–130 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00397-010-0522-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00397-010-0522-1

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