Density monitoring in circulating fluidized beds using a microwave sensor

Due do the relatively new technology of solid fluidized bed reactors in chemical engineering there is a demand for new noninvasive measuring techniques. In this paper a technique for measuring concentrations of solids inside fluidized beds with microwaves is presented. The measuring system utilizes a microwave reflectometer with only one access to the reactor to determine the density distribution inside the reactor. A penetration depth up to several meters with an axial resolution up to about 1 cm is possible.