A Method for Determination of Alcohol Content in Dielectric Liquids by a Longitudinal-Slot Waveguide

A new method is proposed to determine the content of alcohol in dielectric liquids. The method is based on measuring the attenuation of a wave propagating in a rectangular waveguide with a longitudinal slot in its narrow wall, immersed in a liquid under test. The propagation constant of the H (10) mode in such a waveguide is calculated numerically for various parameters of the medium and the waveguide. It is shown that the attenuation of the wave depends on the parameters of the dielectric medium outside the waveguide. Experiment is carried out on two different types of waveguide at frequencies from 29 to 37 GHz with a solution of ethyl alcohol in water as the external medium. The results of the measurements show that the method can be used for the on-line measurement of alcohol concentration during fermentation.