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The electrical sensing zone method of particle size distribution determination (the Coulter principle)

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Particle Size Measurement

Part of the book series: Powder Technology Series ((PTS))

Abstract

The Coulter technique is a method of determining the number and size of particles suspended in an electrolyte by causing them to pass through a small orifice on either side of which is immersed an electrode. The changes in resistance as particles pass through the orifice generate voltage pulses whose amplitudes are proportional to the volumes of the particles. The pulses are amplified, sized and counted and from the derived data the size distribution of the suspended phase may be determined. The technique was originally applied to blood cell counting. Kubitschek introduced modifications which permitted counting of bacterial cells, and pointed out that this principle could be applied to the measurement of cell-volume distributions as well as number counting. Modified instruments were soon developed with which particles could be sized as well as counted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Bradford, UK

    Terence Allen Ph.D. (Senior Lecturer in Powder Technology)

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  1. Terence Allen Ph.D.
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© 1981 T. Allen

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Allen, T. (1981). The electrical sensing zone method of particle size distribution determination (the Coulter principle). In: Particle Size Measurement. Powder Technology Series. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3063-7_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3063-7_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-412-15410-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-3063-7

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