Particle detection in slurry using optical visualization

Identifying large particles are a prerequisite for slurry health monitoring. This study presents a real-time monitoring system using an infrared coaxial light source to detect large particles in slurry. The imaging system acquires real-time images under infrared light, which are processed and analyzed to quantify the particles within the fluid flowing through the monitored area. The proposed approach consists of different illumination modes—fixed, random, and continuous. For particles with regular and irregular shapes, various scintillation modes are applied. The results show that the method is highly feasible and effective, and enables real-time monitoring of the slurry. Moreover, the real-time detection approach for different particle samples, particularly, undiluted opaque fluids, is proposed. The feasibility of the proposed method is verified in the irregular particle detection experiment, where the difference between the detection value and the real value is very small. The accuracy and intuitive properties of the method indicate a massive potential across diverse applications in the forthcoming years.