Transputer instrumentation for particle flow measurements

Mills, E., 1989. Transputer instrumentation for particle flow measurements. PhD, Nottingham Trent University.

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Abstract

This project concerns a pulsed charge injection technique for particle flow measurements in 14 mm diameter pipes. A parallel processing system containing 6 transputers was designed and built in order to study this technique.

Transputers offer significant advantages as single chip microprocessors, including the hardware logic for internal parallel processing as well as 4 high speed communication links for multiprocessor parallel processing environments.

This thesis covers work from 68000 multiprocessor designs to the final instrument incorporating 6 transputers. Pictorially the transputer system can be visualised as an octahedral structure composed of a data acquisition unit connected to a processing array of 4 transputers which in turn is connect to a controlling transputer.

The data acquisition unit consists of 8 analogue input channels which are multiplexed into an adaptive quantization unit producing an 8-bit answer and gain in 3 μs/channel. This application uses only four of these channels and the data from them is distributed by the acquisition unit to four separate transputers for signal processing. The results from these processors are returned to a final transputer which controls the entire system.

This system offers a powerful, (60 MIPS), compact, cost-effective solution giving simultaneous data capture and processing. The use of this system has led to the generation of an empirical model for the measurement of mass flow rates in the range of 0.2 gs-1 to 6 gs-1, with a wide range of velocities, from 3.5 ms-1 to 14.0 ms-1, giving an accuracy of ±15% of full scale in each of three sub-regions.

Analysis of the results obtained show the distinct possibility of being able to expand the system into the realm of particle size distribution determination. With further work it is felt that this and a closed loop paint spraying/control system could be achieved.

Item Type:	Thesis
Creators:	Mills, E.
Date:	1989
ISBN:	9781369313543
Identifiers:	Number Type PQ10183062 Other
Rights:	This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with its author and that no quotation from the thesis and no information derived from it may be published without the author's prior written consent.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	17 Sep 2020 10:57
Last Modified:	28 Jun 2023 09:46
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/40757

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