SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING SUBSTANCES AND REACTIONS

摘要

A system and method for monitoring conditions in a fluid me- dium. A stream of the fluid medium is flowed through a fluid con- tainer which is electrically configured as a transmission line segment and which is electrically connected to load a UHF or microwave os- cillator. The oscillator is not isolated from the load, and is operated free-running, at a starting frequency which is chosen to provide a particularly strong shift in permittivity of the fluid medium, as the chemical reaction progresses. Preferably the frequency and insertion loss of the oscillator are monitored, to gauge the progress of the reac- tion.