| abstract |
A heat energy measuring system which directs radiation through a sample of a combustible fluid and detects the absorbance of at least one combustible component of the combustible fluid at a selected spectral line, there being at least one spectral line for each combustible component to be examined in the fluid. The system also combines at least one heat energy proportionality factor with the absorbance at each spectral line and sums these combinations to determine the heat energy of the fluid. Where the components to be examined are functional groups, the system measures more generally a physical property of a fluid dependent on the physical characteristics of and the quantity of those functional groups in the fluid. |