A method and system for grading pistons with deposits is disclosed. In an embodiment, a piston with deposits is three dimensionally scanned and compared to a reference model to detect the location and geometry of the deposits. The location and geometry of the deposits are recorded and used to grade the pistons.

A vapor and/or gas concentration and temperature sensor includes a resonating structure having a first side with a functionalized surface and a second side opposite the first side, a first resonant frequency of a first vibration mode, and a second resonating frequency of a second vibration mode. Drive and sensing electrodes face the second side of the resonating structure. A direct current bias source is coupled to the resonating structure. A first AC voltage source provides the resonating structure with a first voltage having a frequency corresponding to the first resonant frequency. A second AC voltage source provides the resonating structure with a second voltage having a frequency corresponding to the second resonant frequency. A read-out circuit determines a vapor and/or gas concentration based on a difference between the frequency of the first voltage and a first read-out frequency and determines a temperature based on a difference between the frequency of the second voltage and a second read-out frequency.

A method for dynamically evaluating sag of a fluid by providing a test volume of the fluid into an angled sample chamber, wherein the angled sample chamber has a central axis, and wherein the central axis of the angled sample chamber is angled relative to horizontal, rotating the sample chamber about the central axis for a test period, and determining a sag density, wherein the sag density is a density of a fluid sample taken at a sample location within a stratum of the test volume of the fluid present in the angled sample chamber.

An instrumented coupling for pipe joints is described herein. The instrumented coupling includes a first threaded end configured to thread to a first pipe joint and a second threaded end configured to thread to a second pipe joint. The instrumented coupling also includes a sensor configured to obtain a measurement of a parameter of a well and a communications device configured to communicate to a receiving device outside of the well. The instrumented coupling further includes a processor configured to execute instructions in a data store. The instructions direct the processor to read the measurement from the sensor, compare the measurement from the sensor to a preset limit, and generate a signal within the communications device based, at least in part, on the measurement.

An improved ultrasonic waveguide for an ultrasonic thermometry system is provided. The waveguide includes a series of sensing zones, each of which is tuned to a specific narrow frequency band. The waveguide is acoustically coupled to a transducer, which launches a longitudinal elastic wave of desired waveform and frequency. The wave propagates down the waveguide, and is reflected from the sensing zone that is tuned to that frequency. Each sensing zone is designed to be highly reflective to a narrow frequency band while being transparent to other frequencies.

A method for determining at least one parameter of interest of a material comprises directing, using a radio frequency (RF) applicator, one or more RF energy pulses into a region of interest, the region of interest comprising a material having a parameter of interest and at least one reference, the material and the reference separated by at least one boundary; detecting, using an acoustic receiver, at least one multi-polar acoustic signal generated in the region of interest in response to the RF energy pulses; processing the at least one multi-polar acoustic signal to determine an electric field strength at the boundary; calculating a voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) of the one or more RF energy pulses; and determining the at least one parameter of interest of the material based at least on the determined electric field strength and the VSWR.

Disclosed are devices, systems and methods for touch, force and/or thermal sensing by an ultrasonic transceiver chip. In some aspects, an ultrasonic transceiver sensor device includes a semiconductor substrate; a CMOS layer attached to the substrate; an array of piezoelectric transducers coupled to the CMOS layer to generate ultrasonic pulses; and a contact layer attached to the substrate on a side opposite the substrate for providing a surface for contact with an object, where an ultrasonic pulse generated by a piezoelectric transducer propagates through the substrate and the contact layer, such that when the object is in contact with the surface of the contact layer, a reflected ultrasonic pulse is produced and propagates through the contact layer and the substrate to be received at the array of piezoelectric transducers, and the CMOS layer receive and process outputs from the piezoelectric transducers produced in response to the received reflected ultrasonic pulses.

A gas analyzer uses continuous sonic signals through a conduit to determine the composition of a gas in the conduit. A transmitting transducer drives sonic signals at a fixed frequency and a second transducer receives the sonic signals. The phase shift between two signals corresponds to the speed of sound through the gas and is related to the composition of the gas. The electronic versions of these signals are processed by lowering, or dividing, the fixed frequency which expands the range of phase shift measurement and allows the determination of an expanded range for the gas composition. In an ozone generation system, the gas analyzer is highly suitable for determining the composition of gases derived from air as a gas of known composition and a calibration point.

A measurement system for measuring an inhomogeneity of a medium in a vessel includes: a first ultrasound emitter for sending a first ultrasound signal along a first path; a second ultrasound emitter for sending a second ultrasound signal along a second path different from the first path; a first ultrasound receiver for receiving the first ultrasound signal and measuring a first measurement parameter p1 of the received first ultrasound signal; a second ultrasound receiver for receiving the second ultrasound signal and measuring a second measurement parameter p2 of the received second ultrasound signal; and a control unit: receives the first measurement parameter p1 from the first ultrasound receiver, receives the second measurement parameter p2 from the second ultrasound receiver, and determines a ratio p1/p2 of the first measurement parameter p1 to the second measurement parameter p2.

A combined vapor and/or gas concentration sensor and switch includes a resonating structure having a first side with a functionalized surface and a second side opposite the first side, a first resonant frequency of a first vibration mode, and a third resonant frequency of a third vibration mode. A direct current bias source is coupled to the resonating structure. A first AC voltage source is coupled to the drive electrode and provides the resonating structure, via the drive electrode, with a first voltage having an amplitude causing the first vibration mode of the resonating structure to exhibit a pull-in band and having a frequency adjacent the pull-in band of the first mode. A second AC voltage source is coupled to the drive electrode and provides the resonating structure, via the drive electrode, with a second voltage having a frequency corresponding to the third resonant frequency. A read-out circuit is coupled to the sensing electrode and is configured to determine a vapor and/or gas concentration based on a difference between the frequency of the second voltage supplied by the second AC voltage source and a frequency obtained by the read-out circuit.