Method for determining the size distribution of a mixture of particles using Taylor Dispersion, and associated system

2014

Subjects: Patent, Technology

This method comprises steps consisting in: injecting (100) a sample into a capillary tube; conveying (110) the sample along the capillary tube, under experimental conditions able to generate a Taylor dispersion effect; generating (120) a signal characterising the Taylor dispersion; processing (130) said signal to obtain the experimental Taylor signal Ŝ(t); and analysing (200) said experimental Taylor signal Ŝ(t). The analyzing step consists in obtaining an amplitude distribution P(G(c)) allowing said experimental Taylor signal Ŝ(t) to be decomposed into a sum of Gaussian functions by implementing a constraint-solving algorithm consisting in minimising a cost function Ha comprising at least one constraint term associated with a constraint that the amplitude distribution P(G(c)) must respect, this minimisation being carried out over a range of values of interest of a parameter G(c) characterising the Gaussian amplitude function P(G(c)).