Method and apparatus for determining moisture content and other variables utilizing a capacitor test cell at two different frequencies

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE AMOUNT OF MOISTURE OR A SIMILAR VARIABLE CONSTITUENT IN A DIELECTRIC MATERIAL WHILE SAID MATERIAL IS IN A CONFINED STREAM OF CONSTANT VOLUME BETWEEN THE PLATES OF A CAPACITOR TEST CELL, COMPRISING, A VOLTAGE DIVIDER CIRCUIT HAVING SAID TEST CELL AND A KNOWN VALUE CAPACITOR CONNECTED IN SERIES, SOURCES SUPPLYING SEPARATE VOLTAGES OF DIFFERENT FREQUENCIES, MEANS FOR SUPERIMPOSING SAID SEPARATE VOLTAGES AND APPLYING SAID SUPERIMPOSED VOLTAGES ACROSS SAID DIVIDER CIRCUIT, AND MEANS FOR COMPARING SAID SUPERIMPOSED VOLTAGES AFTER PASSAGE THROUGH SAID DIVIDER CIRCUIT AND PRODUCING AN OUTPUT VOLTAGE PROPORTIONAL TO THE DIFFERENCE IN THE AMPLITUDE OF SAID VOLTAGES WHICH IS ANALOGOUS TO THE AMOUNT OF MOISTURE PRESENT IN SAID DIELECTRIC MATERIAL.