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Particle detection by a light-scattering technique

1972

Instrument measures concentration of small particles in aqueous medium in terms of amount of light scattered and degree to which light transmission is attenuated. Sensitivity to small particles is optimized because both scattered and transmitted illumination levels are detected by photodiodes.

Brief 72-10160 1972 NASA TECH BRIEF • -4 A mes Research Center NASA Tech Briefs announce now technology derived from the U.S. space program. They are issued to encourage commercial application. Tech Briefs are available on a subscription basis from the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22151. Requests for individual copies or questions relating to the Tech Brief program may be directed to the Technology Utilization Office, NASA, Code KT, Washington, D.C. 20546. Particle Detection by a Light-Scattering Technique A spherical quartz window allows a divergent light beam to pass into the test chamber and through the medium contained in it to a concave spherical mirror at the far end. When no particles are present in the An improved instrument measures the concentration of small particles in an aqueous medium in terms of the amount of light scattered and the degree to which light transmission is attenuated. Sensitivity to Flat Quartz Wall with Spherical Window Sample Entry j Test Chamber Light Source Far Pinhole I Spherical Mirror Near Pinhole fl \ fl \I1 Window - - - ' Transmission Detector of Unscattered Light Source Intensity Detector /( Scatter Detector small particles is optimized because both scattered and transmitted illumination levels are detected by photodiodes. The light source, the optical system, and the test chamber are integrated into a single mechanical unit with an internal volume of 1.0 cm 3 and external dimensions 8.8 x 2.5 x 1.9 cm; the walls of the test chamber are highly polished. The light source indicated in the figure is a small 5-V tungsten filament bulb mounted in a blackened lamp housing equipped with a condenser. Light from the lamp passes through two knife-edge pinholes in series, the one at the near face and the other at the far face of a second blackbody. housing coincident with the focused image of the tungsten filament. Highly Polished Reflective Surfaces test chamber, light is reflected directly back through the quartz window and the pinholes, and is removed from the test cell. However, if there are any particles in the test chamber, the light scattered by the particles is reflected many times by the polished walls of the test cell and eventually caused to pass through the flat quartz wall at the near end of the chamber, where it impinges on the annular photodiode used as a scatter detector. 'As in all similar particle detecting devices, the output signal of the diode is a measure of particle density; however the multiple internal reflections which occur within the test chamber in this improved instrument increase the sensitivity of detection. A sample of the (continued overleaf) El This document was prepared under the sponsorship of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Neither the United States Government nor any person acting on behalf of the United States Government assumes any liability resulting from the use of the information contained in this document, or warrants that such use will be free from privately owned rights. light transmitted by the contents of the test cell is measured by a photodiode behind a small clear window in the center of the spherical mirror. A third photodiode located adjacent to the light source acts as a sensing element for an electronic servo loop which maintains constant illumination and provides a reference level for quantitative measurements of scatter and transmission. Notes: 1. This instrument was proposed for use as a lifedetecting device on a Mars-landing space vehicle. For this purpose, a stirring device is to be used to maintain soil samples in suspension in nutrient media. An increase in turbidity would then indicate the presence of microbial life. The same optical arrangement should be useful on earth for studies of turbidity and the light-scattering characteristics of various liquids. Brief 72-10160 2. Reflections at the quartz/water interface are, held to a low level (about 0.2% in each direction) and remain in the transmitted light cone because the light strikes the interface perpendicularly. 3. Requests for further information may be directed to: Technology Utilization Officer Ames Research Center Moffett Field, California 94035 Reference: TSP 72-10160 Patent status: No patent action is contemplated by NASA. Source: S. Kormanyos and J . Mastroeni of Bendix Aerospace Systems under contract to Ames Research Center (ARC-10384) Category 03