Quartz resonator fluid density and viscosity monitor

• US 5,741,961 A
• Filed: 08/18/1993
• Issued: 04/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sandia Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sandia Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Wiczer, James J., Gebert, Charles T., Cernosek, Richard W., Mitchell, Mary A., Casaus, Leonard, Martin, Stephen J., Frye, Gregory C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Oda, Christine K.
• Application Number:
  US08/108,397
• Time in Patent Office: 1,707 Days
• Field of Search: 73/290 R, 73/290 V, 73/32 R, 73/30.04, 331/116 R, 331/65, 331/158, 810/316
• US Class Current: 73/32.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 11/16 by measuring damping effect upon oscillatory body
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0258 Structural degradation, e.g. fatigue of composites, ageing of oils
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02818 Density, viscosity
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0421 Longitudinal waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0422 Shear waves, transverse waves, horizontally polarised waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/022 Fluid sensors based on microsensors, e.g. quartz crystal-microbalance [QCM], surface acoustic wave [SAW] devices, tuning forks, cantilevers, flexural plate wave [FPW] devices microdevices per se B81B
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 9/002 using variation of the resonant frequency of an element vibrating in contact with the material submitted to analysis G01N9/34 takes precedence

Abstract

A pair of thickness-shear mode resonators, one smooth and one with a textured surface, allows fluid density and viscosity to be independently resolved. A textured surface, either randomly rough or regularly patterned, leads to trapping of liquid at the device surface. The synchronous motion of this trapped liquid with the oscillating device surface allows the device to weigh the liquid; this leads to an additional response that depends on liquid density. This additional response enables a pair of devices, one smooth and one textured, to independently resolve liquid density and viscosity; the difference in responses determines the density while the smooth device determines the density-viscosity product, and thus, the pair determines both density and viscosity.

Claims

1. An apparatus for real-time in situ measurement of fluid density and viscosity comprising:

a first resonator comprising a smooth surface;

a second resonator comprising a textured surface;

first measuring means connected to at least one of the first and second resonators for measuring density of a fluid disposed on said resonators; and

second measuring means connected to at least one of the first and second resonators for measuring viscosity of the fluid disposed on said resonators.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first resonator comprises means for providing a product of density and viscosity of the fluid.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second resonator comprises means for providing a sum of a product of density and viscosity of the fluid plus a quantity which is proportional to density and effective thickness of the trapped fluid.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first measuring means comprises means for comparing outputs of said resonators.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said means for comparing outputs of said resonators comprises means for eliminating viscosity dependence.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said second measuring means comprises said first measuring means and an output of said first resonator.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein second measuring means comprises said first measuring means and an output of said second resonator.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second measuring means comprises means for measuring electrical responses of first and second resonators.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said means for measuring electrical responses comprises means for measuring resonant frequencies (f).

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said means for measuring electrical responses comprises means for measuring crystal damping (Δ

R_m).

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said means for measuring electrical responses comprises means for measuring electrical responses selected from the group consisting of admittance, impedance, reflection, and combinations thereof.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said means for measuring electrical responses comprises oscillator means.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said means for measuring electrical responses comprises means for measuring changes in said electrical responses in a calibrating medium and upon disposition of the fluid.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first resonator comprises a surface to minimize fluid trapping.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first resonator comprises a surface whereby an effective thickness of the trapped fluid is lass than a liquid decay length (h<

δ

) of the fluid.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second resonator comprises a surface that traps a fixed quantity of the fluid.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second resonator comprises means for texturing said textured surface to optimize an output of said second resonator.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second resonator comprises means for orienting ridges perpendicular to a direction of surface shear displacement.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second resonator comprises a uniformly textured surface.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said uniformly textured surface comprises photolithographic means.

21. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for measuring a temperature of the fluid.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for preventing contamination buildup on said resonator surfaces.

23. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said resonators comprise piezoelectric substrate means operating in a thickness shear mode.

24. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a monolithic structure.

25. A method for real-time in situ measurement of fluid density and viscosity, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing a first resonator comprising a smooth surface;

b) providing a second resonator comprising a textured surface;

c) measuring density of a fluid disposed on the resonators; and

d) measuring viscosity of the fluid disposed on the resonators.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of providing a first resonator comprises the resonator providing a product of density and viscosity of the fluid.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of providing a second resonator comprises the resonator providing a sum of a product of density and viscosity of the fluid plus a quantity which is proportional to density and effective thickness of trapped fluid.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of measuring density comprises comparing the outputs of the resonators.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the step of comparing outputs of the resonators comprises eliminating viscosity dependence.

30. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of measuring viscosity comprises measuring density and an output of the first resonator.

31. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of measuring viscosity comprises measuring density and an output of the second resonator.

32. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of measuring density and viscosity comprises measuring electrical responses of the resonators.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the step of measuring electrical responses comprises measuring resonant frequencies (f).

34. The method of claim 32 wherein the step of measuring electrical responses comprises measuring crystal damping (Δ

R_m).

35. The method of claim 32 wherein the step of measuring electrical responses comprises measuring electrical responses selected from the group consisting of admittance, impedance, reflection, and combinations thereof.

36. The method of claim 32 wherein the step of measuring electrical responses comprises providing oscillators.

37. The method of claim 32 wherein the step of measuring electrical responses comprises measuring changes in the electrical responses in a calibrating medium and upon disposition of the fluid.

38. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of providing a first resonator comprises providing a surface to minimize fluid trapping.

39. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of providing a first resonator comprises providing a surface whereby an effective thickness of the trapped fluid is less than a liquid decay length (h<

δ

) of the fluid.

40. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of providing a second resonator comprises providing a surface that traps a fixed quantity of the fluid.

41. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of providing a second resonator comprises texturing the textured surface to optimize an output of the second resonator.

42. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of providing a second resonator comprises orienting ridges perpendicular to the direction of surface shear displacement.

43. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of providing a resonator comprises providing a uniformly textured surface.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein the step of providing a uniformly textured surface comprises utilizing a photolithographic process.

45. The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of measuring a temperature of the fluid.

46. The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of preventing contamination buildup on the resonator surfaces.

47. The method of claim 25 wherein the steps of providing resonators comprise providing a piezoelectric substrate operating in a thickness shear mode.

48. The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of providing a monolithic apparatus.