Ultrasonic measurement of solids concentration in an autoclave reactor at high temperature

An ultrasonic technique was developed to measure the slurry concentration in an autoclave reactor. Preliminary measurements were conducted on slurries consisting of molten FT-200 wax, glass beads, and nitrogen bubbles at a typical Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis temperature of 265 °C. The data show that the velocity and attenuation of the sound are well-defined functions of the solid and gas concentrations in the molten FT-200 wax. The results suggest possibilities for directly measuring solids concentration during operation of a three-phase slurry reactor under the reaction temperature and with molten FT-200 wax.