Non-destructive material parameter determination based on microwave communication systems

The efficient operation of systems and processes requires that one know the state of the system or process and its environment. To obtain this knowledge, one has to continuously monitor the system or process state under field conditions. The present work is concerned with the non-destructive in-situ monitoring of material systems. The author explores how a laboratory-proven microwave-based method can possibly be transferred to field devices by using communication systems hardware and software. The thesis demonstrates experimentally that stochastic communication channel parameters such as the bit error ratio or the center of gravity of a transmit pulse mirror the material parameters in the propagation path. It also discusses the influence of the data rate and Tx power on measurement uncertainty and measurement time. This should prove useful to anyone interested in the monitoring of electrochemical systems in the field, examples being automotive catalysts or diesel particulate filters.