US3786251A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Bulk material nuclear moisture gauging system
Assignee: Republic Steel Corp
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Filing: 1972-02-02
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Granted: 1974-01-15
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Expires: 1992-02-02
Abstract
Abstract An improvement on a moisture gauging system of the type disclosed in Stone et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,431,415, issued Mar. 4, 1969, in which slow neutrons are sensed to provide an indication of the moisture and other neutron interacting material content of an irradiation volume of a substance. A compensation circuit is provided to counteract the effect of neutron interacting material in the substance under test.
Inventors
- 👤 D Kylin
- 👤 T Reim
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 18:23
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N23/00; G01N23/02; G01N23/06; G01N23/09; G01N23/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
171 words
A moisture gauging system for irradiation of a crosssectional volume of a bulk substance, slow neutron responsive means responsive to slow neutrons from said cross-sectional volume irradiated by neutrons for deriving a first electrical control energy varying with the moisture and other neutron interacting material content of an irradiation volume of said substance, gamma responsive means positioned for irradiation by gamma radiation for deriving a second electrical control energy varying with the mass of said substance in an irradiation volume thereof, means jointly responsive to said first and second electrical control energies for obtaining the ratio existing between said first and second control energies and for generating an output signal proportional to the weight percentage moisture content of said substance sustantially independently of the geometry of the material in the stream of material being gauged, and means for compensating for the presence of neutron interacting material besides water in said bulk substance comprising a compensation circuit responsive to said gamma responsive means and selectively connectable to said slow neutron responsive means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
171 words
A moisture gauging system for irradiation of a crosssectional volume of a bulk substance, slow neutron responsive means responsive to slow neutrons from said cross-sectional volume irradiated by neutrons for deriving a first electrical control energy varying with the moisture and other neutron interacting material content of an irradiation volume of said substance, gamma responsive means positioned for irradiation by gamma radiation for deriving a second electrical control energy varying with the mass of said substance in an irradiation volume thereof, means jointly responsive to said first and second electrical control energies for obtaining the ratio existing between said first and second control energies and for generating an output signal proportional to the weight percentage moisture content of said substance sustantially independently of the geometry of the material in the stream of material being gauged, and means for compensating for the presence of neutron interacting material besides water in said bulk substance comprising a compensation circuit responsive to said gamma responsive means and selectively connectable to said slow neutron responsive means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
A system according to claim 1 in which said compensating means comprises a voltage divider network for providing a compensating signal sufficient to compensate for the error component of the signal from said slow neutron responsive means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
42 words
A system according to claim 2, further including a plurality of resistors, a source of positive potential, a source of negative potential, and means providing an output signal which varies selectively more toward one polarity as the mass of the substance increases.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
116 words
In a moisture gauging system for irradiation of a cross-sectional volume of a bulk substance, and including slow neutron responsivE means responsive to slow neutrons from said cross-sectional volume irradiated by neutrons for deriving a first signal varying with the moisture and other neutron interacting material content of an irradiation volume of said substance, the combination therewith of gamma responsive means positioned for and responsive to irradiation by gamma radiation for deriving a second signal varying substantially only in accordance with the mass of said substance in an irradiation volume thereof, and means for summing said first and second signals to produce a composite signal representative substantially only of the moisture content of said irradiation volume.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
116 words
In a moisture gauging system for irradiation of a cross-sectional volume of a bulk substance, and including slow neutron responsivE means responsive to slow neutrons from said cross-sectional volume irradiated by neutrons for deriving a first signal varying with the moisture and other neutron interacting material content of an irradiation volume of said substance, the combination therewith of gamma responsive means positioned for and responsive to irradiation by gamma radiation for deriving a second signal varying substantially only in accordance with the mass of said substance in an irradiation volume thereof, and means for summing said first and second signals to produce a composite signal representative substantially only of the moisture content of said irradiation volume.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
41 words
A system according to claim 4, in which the second signal is made to vary in a sense to reduce the composite signal for changes in said second signal respresenting increases in the mass of said substance of said irradiation volume.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
A system according to claim 4, in which said substance is carbonaceous material, and said gamma responsive means is responsive to the presence of carbon in said carbonaceous material.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3435217A
Cited
US3529160A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-01-14 | 1977-07-16 | 1978-01-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-01-14 | 1981-07-16 | 1982-01-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-01-14 | 1985-07-16 | 1986-01-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |