A system and method for determining when a sand separator should be purged to remove solids from the sand separator. The system can include an acoustic sensor which detects the frequency of audible sound coming from the inner chamber of the vessel and generate a signature signal representative of the frequency of audible sound. There is a processor connected to the acoustic sensor and configured to compare the signature signal with a set frequency range of audible sound which in turn generates a signal indicating when the signature frequency and the set frequency are in overlapping relationship.

A method for determining antifreeze content in a fluid of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system includes receiving, in a processor, measurement data of the fluid, the measurement data comprising a measured temperature of the fluid and a measured speed of sound in the fluid, calculating, in the processor, for each of a plurality of antifreeze concentration values a fitting parameter, using the measurement data and one or more of previous measurement data or previous antifreeze concentration data, and determining, in the processor, an antifreeze concentration in the fluid by selecting the antifreeze concentration value with an optimal fitting parameter.

The present disclosure provides an ultrasonic transceiver capable of stably measuring a fluid of high temperature and high humidity for a long period, and provides an ultrasonic flowmeter, an ultrasonic flow velocimeter, and an ultrasonic densitometer each including the ultrasonic transceiver. An ultrasonic transceiver (1) comprises a piezoelectric body (3) and an acoustic matching body (2) disposed in one face of the piezoelectric body (3), wherein the acoustic matching body (2) includes: a top plate, a bottom plate, and a side wall that define a closed space; and a perpendicular partition wall formed substantially perpendicular to the bottom plate and adhering to the top plate and the bottom plate, thereby dividing a closed space.

Techniques include flowing a multiphase fluid from a hydrocarbon production well through a conduit; measuring, with an ultrasonic tomographic multiphase flow meter (UMM), ultrasonic waveforms generated by the UMM from the multiphase fluid; measuring properties of the multiphase fluid with fluid measurement sensors coupled to the conduit; identifying the ultrasonic waveforms and the properties with a machine-learning control system; determining multiphase fractions of the multiphase fluid from the one or more ultrasonic waveforms with a first ML model; determining a total flow rate of the multiphase fluid from the measured properties of the multiphase fluid with a second ML model; and determining a volumetric flow rate of a liquid phase or a gas phase based on the determined multiphase fraction and the determined total flow rate.

An odor is detected with high accuracy. A sensing system includes: a sensor apparatus including a filter to remove an odor-causing substance contained in air and a sensor unit including one or more detection elements to detect an amount of the odor-causing substance contained in air; and an information processing apparatus including a difference calculation unit to calculate a difference between a detection value of each of the one or more detection elements, the detection value indicating an amount of the odor-causing substance contained in air that has passed through the filter and a detection value of each of the one or more detection elements, the detection value indicating an amount of the odor-causing substance contained in air that has not passed through the filter, and a determination unit to determine an odor of air based on the calculated difference.

A method and system are described for processing tissues according to particular processing protocols that are established based on time-of-flight measurements as a processing fluid is diffused into a tissue sample. In one embodiment, measurement of the time it takes about 70% ethanol to diffuse into a tissue sample is used to predict the time it will take to diffuse other processing fluids into the same or similar tissue samples. Advantageously, the disclosed method and system can reduce overall processing times and help ensure that only samples that require similar processing conditions are batched together.

A multi-path acoustic signal apparatus, system, and apparatus for use in material detection are provided. The method includes transmitting at least one acoustic signal from each of a plurality of acoustic transceivers positioned along a first portion of the fluid container. The at least one transmitted acoustic signal is received with at least one additional acoustic transceiver positioned along a second portion of the fluid container, wherein the second portion is substantially opposite the first portion of the fluid container. A composition of the physical material within the fluid container is determined based on the at least one received acoustic signal.

Methods, systems, devices, and products for evaluating a downhole fluid in a borehole intersecting an earth formation. Methods include using ultrasonic irradiation to produce sonoluminescence from cavitation in a volume of the fluid; obtaining spectral information from measurement of the sonoluminescence with a light-responsive device; and estimating a parameter of interest of the fluid from the spectral information. The parameter may be a composition of the fluid or concentration of: i) at least one chemical element in the volume; i) at least one molecular element in the volume. Methods include deconvolving a response spectrum by using one or more separately determined standard spectra, or estimating the parameter of interest using spectral lines represented by the spectral information. Methods may include using an optically transparent ultrasonic transducer to produce the cavitation at the interface of the transducer, with optically transparent ultrasonic transducer between the interface and the light-responsive device.

An acoustic sensor detects binding of a nucleic acid analyte in an impure liquid sample by measurement of the energy of the acoustic wave resulting from the binding of the nucleic acid target to the sensor surface. The analysis may be preceded by carrying out a nucleic acid amplification procedure in situ on a crude or impure biological sample and the analysis is tolerant of the presence of reagents or by-products of the amplification procedure, and also materials present from the initial biological sample.

A respiratory flow therapy apparatus including a sensor module can measure a flow rate of gases or gases concentration provided to a patient. The sensor module can be located after a blower and/or mixer. The sensor module can include at least an ultrasonic transmitter, a receiver, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a humidity sensor and/or a flow rate sensor. The receivers can be immersed in the gases flow path. The receivers can cancel delays in the transmitters and improve accuracy of measurements of characteristics of the gases flow. The receivers can allow for detection of a fault condition in a blower motor of the apparatus.