Identification of Liquid Mixture using RF Pulses

This project involves the development of a prototype circuit that determines the ratio of glycol to water in an aircraft deicing fluid mixture. The prototype circuit consists of a wave guide probe that is submerged into a fluid mixture and a transceiver that transmits and receives ultra-short pulse signals. As different ratios of glycol to water will result in different values of relative permittivity, pulse signals will be reflected back to the transceiver and they will experience amplitude and phase variations. With assistance from Titan Logix Corp., the response of the ultra-short pulse signals to different concentrations of glycol will be collected. An analysis will then be carried out to develop a mathematical model that will predict the ratio of glycol to water. Results obtained from this project will result in the availability of highly accurate information on the concentration of glycol within an aircraft deicing fluid, resulting in lower cost to the aircraft owner and less environmental contamination.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Kambiz Moez

Student:

Su-Tarn Lim

Partner:

Titan Logix Corp

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Aerospace and defense

University:

University of Alberta