9414802 McCarthy The award is for research aimed at a new technique for in-line measurement of the shear viscosity over a wide range of shear rates. Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging will be used to determine either the velocity profile or the velocity spectrum of a fluid flowing through a tube. The velocity profile is combined with an auxiliary measurement, such as pressure drop, to calculate the viscosity as a function of shear rate. The velocity profile technique will be used to determine the shear viscosity of a wide range of materials. The researchers will also work with an equipment manufacturer to develop a prototype instrument based on the velocity spectrum method. The instrument developed will have an advantage over commercially available equipment which either make measurements over a single shear rate, require considerable time to make measurements at multiple shear rates, and/or cannot generally handle filled systems. The work to be performed here is important for process control and product analysis of materials like thermoplastics, both filled and unfilled, dense slurries and foodstuffs.
