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How do you determine the contents
of an artillery shell without opening it, especially if you suspect that
it may contain chemical warfare (CW) agents. You can use the DSA520, a portable
acoustic device based on the principle of Swept Frequency Acoustic Interferometry
(SFAI). The DSA520 uses broadband ultrasound sensors to excite a target
through a range of frequencies while looking for resonance points. By some
clever processing of the resonance data it is possible to accurately determine
acoustic properties of the fluid inside the container.
Parameters such as the speed of sound, attenuation of sound vs. frequency,
and density can be used to identify the nature of the fluid. One application
of this technique is in monitoring for compliance with chemical weapons
treaties. Indus is currently helping a client (Nick Electronics, Houston,
TX) to finish the development and with production of of the DSA520 for
delivery to Los Alamos National Labs.
You may be wondering why the names of two well known soft drinks are
in the title. The SFAI technique is not limited to detection of chemical
warfare agents but has many uses in food processing, pharmaceuticals,
biological measurements, and industrial applications. It has been successfully
shown to distinguish coke from pepsi (without a taste test!) and also
to determine the octane ratings of gasoline.
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