Improved differential Ka band dielectrometer based on the wave propagation in a quartz cylinder surrounded by high loss liquid under test

Abstract

The differential dielectrometer was designed to measure small differences in complex permittivity (CP) of two high loss liquids at frequency 32.82 GHz. The measurements are fully computer-aided with the exception of liquids filling and draining in the measurement cells. The time of one measurement cycle does not exceed 3 min. The dielectrometer is easy-to-work and can be used under the conditions of scientific and industrial physical–chemical laboratories. The sensitivity of the difference in the phase coefficients of the electromagnetic waves propagated in the measurement cells is better than 0.05% and that of the attenuation coefficient is of the order of 0.2%. The dielectrometer contains two measurement cells that are dielectric quartz cylinders surrounded by high loss liquids. We developed the CP calculation algorithm using the known CP of the reference liquid and the difference coefficients of complex wave propagation in the cells. The origins of the measurement errors are studied in detail and recommendations were made to avoid some of them. The dielectrometer can be used to express the identification of wine and must authenticity by means of their CP values. The CP measurement results for solutions of some substances that make wine and must composition are obtained. The possibility of using the dielectrometer for the detection of added water in wines or musts is shown.