From the Director - Plasma Science and Fusion Center - MIT

other waste treatment
technologies. It can
be mounted in the
furnace exhaust stack,
where it continuously
samples a portion
of the off-gas and
analyzes it by atomic
emission spectroscopy.
It is sensitive to
approximately one
part per billion for
most metals considered
toxic or carcinogenic.
This monitor uses an
innovative method for
real-time calibration of
unpredictable exhaust
conditions. This ensures
monitoring accuracy for
compliance with pollution regulations.
• An active millimeter wave pyrometer
measures the temperature and emissivity
at many different places inside a furnace,
which is crucial to safe and efficient
operation. Conventional methods using
visible light and infrared detection lose
The Milliwave Thermal Analyzer instrumentation shown can simultaneously monitor temperature,
emissivity, and viscosity with a single access point into a glass melter using a high
temperature ceramic waveguide. Molten glass inside a melter is shown in the background.
effectiveness because of smoke, and
cannot measure the emissivity properties
of the material.
• A refractory corrosion monitor evaluates
in real-time the insulation thickness
in high-temperature furnaces, such as
those used in steel and glass industrial
incinerators, and in plasma arc furnaces
for waste processing. This device uses
microwaves to monitor unobtrusively the
thickness of the inner refractory layer
without requiring access into the furnace.
It eliminates the need to shut down a
multimillion-dollar furnace for refractory
inspections, and helps control operations
to minimize refractory wear and improve
safety.
Associate Division Head Paul Woskov has been the recipient
of six R& D 100 Awards.
• A MilliWave Viscometer measures hightemperature
viscosity inside process
reactors/melters of hot molten materials,
such as those used in glass manufacture
and in metals refining. It is the only
viscosity measurement technology that
uses millimeter-wave electromagnetic
radiation to probe the movement of
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