Fluid bulk velocity and attenuation measurements in non-Newtonian liquids using a dipstick sensor

This paper reports an evaluation of a method to measure acoustic fluid bulk properties in order to characterize the fluid. The method is based on a 'dipstick' that is inserted into the liquid of interest; a propagating interface wave, called the quasi-Scholte mode, is used to extract the necessary information. Quasi-Scholte mode measurements on four different silica-suspensions are compared to experiments in a conventional ultrasonic test cell. The results show that the liquid bulk velocity can accurately be retrieved by means of the new approach and errors range within the uncertainties imposed by the experimental setup (0.5%). Further bulk velocity measurements on distilled water and a 5% ethanol-distilled-water mixture over a range of temperatures illustrate that the method can successfully monitor small changes in velocity. The values of fluid attenuation measured by the two techniques agree well in their qualitative trends but quantitative differences of up to 20% are encountered. Errors in the measurements are believed to be mainly due to geometrical features of the current setup.