Attenuation Measurement Method to Control Clay Slurries: Application of Dams Water

Abstract

We propose to study the behavior of diluated suspensions of clay and non colloidal particles by a combination of experiments. We plan to study these diluate particulate systems by changing the masse fraction of clay. We have developed a technique based on the ultrasound, by measuring ultrasonic attenuation waves in clay slurries. This technique makes it possible to control in real time the presence of the clay grains whose dimension is about 10 micron, using an interface conceived under Labview program. The slurries with different weight of clay were controlled. The detection of weak amount of clay's grains and colloid were provided by the transducer 30Mhz. High sensitivity is obtained by analyzing the attenuation measurements founded from multiple paths through the slurry. The experimental results obtained show that the attenuation of waves due to particles varies linearly with mass fraction and the frequency of transducers. Therefore, such measures of the attenuation at a given frequency give the concentration of clay in the suspension. These frequency charts will be used for the quality control of the dam's water. General Terms0.N.E.P: Office National de l'eau Potable, (National office of drinking water).FFT: Fast Fourier Transform.