R&d and Technology Transfer Needs to Enhance the Market Position for Uk Mpf Technologies

5.1.1.1. Sensor Design There are misperceptions in the power industry that the measurement technologies for suspended flow have reached a mature state. Despite the considerable effort in recent years there is still a great deal to be done to advance the technologies. There are presently no systems that can provide absolute measurement of coal mass flow rate and particle sizing distribution. Installations of prototype meters on coal-fired power stations do not necessarily imply that the meters have met the actual requirements of the end users. If there is anything complacent in terms of development, the coal velocity measurement using electrostatic sensors combined with cross correlation algorithms has been achieved. However, although good repeatability has been achieved under steady flow conditions, the measured correlation velocity is not necessarily the actual coal velocity in the presence of irregular velocity profiles and inhomogeneous solids distribution. Nevertheless, the primary challenges in the field still lie in the absolute concentration measurement (hence the absolute mass flow rate) and particle sizing of pulverised coal.