Abstract: A method for remote analysis of a mixture of materials where one of the components has thermal characteristics different from the other components. In a preferred embodiment, tar sands on a moving belt or dropping into a hopper are irradiated with infrared radiation and the radiant thermal flux of the heated tar sands is remotely detected and measured to determine bitumen content.

Abstract: Sand containing bitumen and like materials containing organic matter is analyzed quantitatively for its hydrocarbon content by use of a remote infrared sensor. In a preferred embodiment the bitumen is on a conveyor to further processing and if found unacceptable for processing by the method of the invention, the sand is automatically diverted. The invention also embodies the apparatus used for the analysis.

Abstract: A method for measuring the viscosity of a lubricant fluid under very high pressures by placing a sample of lubricant containing one or more ruby crystals (.about.10.mu.m diameter) in a diamond anvil cell illuminated with a point source of visible light radiation, and observing by means of appropriate optics the rate of change of band width of the ruby emission spectra at given temperatures and pressures as a measure of the viscosity of the fluid.

Abstract: A spectroscopic system for measuring the discontinuous far infrared radiation emitted by a semi-transparent material, and including compensation for background, graybody, emitted radiation.In a first embodiment, a system is disclosed for measuring the far infrared radiation emitted by a lubricant in contact with a steel ball under high pressure. The lubricant is coated on a small diamond disc mounted as a window in a steel plate. The steel ball is rotated over the window to form a sliding elastohydrodynamic (EHD) contact region with the lubricant. Some of the radiant energy generated in the contact region, both in the fluid and at its boundaries, passes through the window into an infrared interferometer, which generates an emission spectrum. The spectrum is separated, by a balancing technique utilizing a rotating chopper blade, into contributions from the fluid and contributions from the steel ball.

Abstract: A system for performing an on-stream analysis of the chemical composition of a refinery stream. A U-shaped radiation waveguide having a plurality of small apertures therein is inserted into the refinery stream. Far infra-red radiation is introduced into one end of the waveguide. The apertures in the waveguide allow the chemical stream to circulate freely within it, resulting in selective absorption of the radiation traveling through the waveguide which is dependent upon the chemical composition of the stream. A detector detects radiation exiting from the waveguide, and produces a graph of radiation intensity versus wavelength for the far infra-red portion of the spectrum. A spectroscopic analysis of the graph indicates the chemical composition of the stream.