Measurement of the radar characteristics of clinker in X band for volumetric analysis in silos

The methodology used to develop a technique for measuring the level of clinker in cement silos is presented. Using radar, it is possible to carry out sampling of the surface in order to define the contours and calculate the quantity of material present. Firstly, a study of the electrical behaviour of clinker is carried out in order to characterises the material. Then the effective radar surface per unit of surface area, the defining characteristic of the radar response of the surface, is measured and the results are presented. Finally, a method for calculating the level of clinker is proposed which allows error minimisation in volume calculation.