A device for measuring coal rank and moisture content of coal

Abstract

A device (100, figure 1) for measuring parameters of a sample (104, figure 7) under test. The sample may be coal and the parameters may include coal rank and the moisture content. The device comprises

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a device for measuring parameters of a sample and more particularly to a device for measuring coal rank and moisture content of coal. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Global energy demand is on a historical rise with a rapid increase in the world population. This energy demand is being fulfilled by renewable and non-renewable energy sources at an alarmingly disparate ratio. Fossil fuels, also known as non-renewable energy sources, fulfil a large percentage of the total global energy demand. Coal alone accounts for more than portion of the overall energy production, ranking as one of the top energy-producing resources. Although coal usage entails various environmental-related detrimental factors, the energy sector of many developing countries overwhelmingly depends on coal as a source. Therefore, detecting potential contaminants in coal that influence its combustion performance before its utilization is a primary check required in non-renewable-based energy generation. Depending on the environmental conditions coal has been extracted from, impurities and contaminants in the coal may vary. The most abundant contaminants in coal are moisture, ash, volatile matter, and non-combustible inorganic matter. All these impurities degrade the quality of coal and reduce its calorific value. Various techniques and tests exist to analyse coal quality and its respective moisture levels. These techniques include Raman spectroscopy, molecular spectrum and plasma spectrometry combination, multivariate linear regression, baseline drift of Raman spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectrum comprehensive analysis for detecting the quality of raw coal. Similarly, several standalone sensors have been developed for substance moisture detection in which Radio Frequency (RF) signals are widely utilised. US20050040832A1 discloses a Moisture and Density Detector (MDD) which provides a method and apparatus to determine the moisture content and / or density, as well as presence and location of anomalies, and / or wood type of any dielectric material for various purposes. This device is very useful in detecting the moisture content of wood and wood-based materials, such as that of lumber in a dry kiln prior to, during and / or following drying. The MDD passes a radio frequency signal and / or any other signal between opposed or adjacent capacitance electrodes and measures the signal strength and phase shift of the signal. The addition of phase shift and multiple frequencies improves the accuracy of the results. AU2018337131B2 discloses a method for detecting moisture and volatile matter in raw coal using the amount of baseline drift, comprising the following steps: selecting a plurality of types of standard coal having different coal ranks and different ash contents, performing a Raman spectroscopy test and an industrial analysis on each type of standard coal, calculating the amount of baseline drift of a Raman spectrum, and calculating the mapping relationship between the amount of baseline drift of a Raman spectrum and the characteristic parameters of the moisture and the volatile matter. However, there remains scope for improvement. The preceding discussion of the background to the invention is intended only to facilitate an understanding of the present invention. It should be appreciated that the discussion is not an acknowledgment or admission that any of the material referred to was part of the common general knowledge in the art as at the priority date of the application. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with an aspect of the invention there is provided a device for measuring parameters of a sample under test. The sample under test may be coal and the parameters may include either or both of the coal rank and the moisture content of the coal. The device may comprise a chamber housing an energy tunnelling dielectric sensor for detecting a dielectric change in the sample by measuring a change in resonant frequency and a change in magnitude of a microwave radiation of the sample. The energy tunnelling dielectric sensor may include two or more microstrip sensing structures, each creating a narrow sensing channel defined between a series of parallel, spaced apart microstrips. The energy tunnelling dielectric sensor may include a first waveguide disposed on an inner surface of a sidewall of the chamber and a second waveguide disposed on an inner surface of an opposing sidewalls of the chamber. The first and second waveguides may be connected to each other via the two or more microstrips sensing structures. The waveguides may be connected to ends of the microstrips and a sensing medium may be created by the sensing channels extending between and connecting the first waveguide and the second waveguide. The size of the sensing channel may be selected to enable determination or detection of a shift in the frequency response due to a change in dielectric properties. The change in dielectric properties indicates a coal rank of the sample. The microstrip sensing structures may each include energy tunnelling wires of varying lengths to influence a shift in one or more of frequency response, power transmission, and quality factor of each sensing channel and a path difference between each sensing channel may be at least a A quarter-wavelength (-). 4 The device may further include heating elements disposed on the microstrips configured to burn the sample in a combustion process to remove moisture content thereof, wherein the moisture content of the sample is determined by a weight scale in a gravimetrical analysis and may further include a smoke sensor to determine a coal rank of the sample from the amount of smoke generated in the combustion process. The energy tunnelling dielectric sensor may assist in gravimetrical analysis through analysis of a shift in frequency response. The device may further include a temperature sensor to determine a calorific value of the sample correlating to a temperature change of the sample before, during, and after the combustion process and a proximity sensor configured to transmit a ray to the sample, which, in turn, reflects a ray towards a receiving component which measures the intensity of the reflected ray. The device may further include a base having a cleaning mechanism to dispose of the combustion residue and a protective foundation protecting and supporting components of the device. Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram which illustrates an example embodiment of a device for measuring parameters of a sample under test according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram which illustrates an exemplary energy tunnelling dielectric sensor in more detail according of the embodiment of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram which illustrates a top view of the example embodiment of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a schematic diagram which illustrates a side cross sectional view of the example embodiment of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a schematic diagram which illustrates another side cross sectional view of the example embodiment of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a schematic diagram which illustrates a bottom view of the example embodiment of Figure 1; Figure 7 is a schematic diagram which illustrates the side cross sectional view of Figure 4 with a sample in the chamber according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figures 8A to 8C are schematic diagrams which illustrate an exemplary working principle of a proximity sensor according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figure 9 is a schematic diagram which illustrates an exemplary energy tunnelling dielectric sensor having a single microstrip sensing structure according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figures 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams which illustrate an exemplary energy tunnelling dielectric sensor having four microstrip sensing structure according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figure 11 is a graph of an exemplary change of normalized frequency response with respect to change in dielectric properties of a sample according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figures 12A and 12B are schematic diagrams which illustrate exemplary placements of a sample on the microstrip sensing structures according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figure 13 is a block diagram which illustrates exemplary components of a device for measuring parameters of a sample according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figure 14 is a flow diagram which illustrates and exemplary method for measuring parameters of a sample according to aspects of the present disclosure; Figure 15 is a schematic diagram which illustrates the example embodiment of Figure 1 having a protective foundation or top covering lid; and, Figures 16A to 16E are schematic diagrams which illustrate different configurations of the sensing medium between the two waveguides according to aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE DRAWINGS Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a device for measuring parameters of a sample under test (SUT). The sample under test may be coal and the parameters may include either or both of the coal rank and the moisture content of the coal. The device may have a single chamber housing an energy tunnelling dielectric sensor (ETDS) for detecting a dielectric change in the sample by measuring a change in resonant frequency and a change in magnitude of a microwave radiation of the sample. The energy tunnelling dielectric sensor may include two or more microstrip sensing structures, each creating a narrow sensing channel defined between a series of parallel, spaced apart microstrips. Heating elements may be disposed on the microstrips to burn the sample in a combustion process to remove moisture content thereof and a smoke sensor may be configured to determine a coal rank of the sample from the amount of smoke generated in the combustion process. Figures 1 to 7 illustrate an example embodiment of a device (100) for measuring the coal rank and the moisture content of a sample. The device (100) has a generally rectangular cuboid or box-like shaped chamber (102) in which a sample (104) such as coal may be placed. The chamber has two parallelly opposed major side walls (106A,106B), two parallelly opposed minor side walls (108A.108B) and a base (110). The device (100) may optionally have a protective foundation or top covering lid for protecting and supporting various components of the device. An energy tunnelling dielectric sensor (ETDS) is housed in the chamber (102). The ETDS has a first waveguide (114) disposed on an inner surface of a major sidewall (106A) of the chamber (102), a second waveguide (116) geometrically separated and disposed on an inner surface of the opposing major sidewall (106B) of the chamber (102) and three microstrip sensing structures each having a narrow sensing channel (118, 120 and 122) defined by a series of parallel, spaced apart microstrips. The waveguides (114, 116) are placed at and are connected to ends of the microstrips, and a sensing medium is created by the sensing channels (118, 120 and 122) extending between and connecting the first waveguide (114) and the second waveguide (116). Heating elements (124) (Figure 9) are disposed on the microstrips on either side of each sensing channels to burn the sample in a combustion process to remove moisture content thereof and a cleaning mechanism is provided on the base (110) to dispose of the combustion residue. An input port (126) is provided on the first waveguide (114) and an output port (128) is provided on the second waveguide (116). The ports (126, 128) are for propagating electromagnetic waves between the waveguides (114, 116). The microstrip sensing structures each include energy tunnelling wires (129) as shown in Figures 9 and 10. The energy tunnelling wires (129) may be of varying lengths to influence a shift in frequency response, power transmission, and quality factor of each sensing channel (118, 120 and 122). The device (100) may include a weight scale having a digital display (130) provided on the major sidewall (106B) of the chamber (102) to measure a change in the weight of the sample. An infrared proximity sensor (132) is provided on a minor side wall (108A) and has a transmission component (132A) to transmit a ray to the sample, which, in turn, reflects a ray towards a receiving component (132B) which measures the intensity of the reflected ray. A smoke sensor (134) is provided on the opposing minor side wall (108B) to determine the amount of smoke generated in the combustion process in the chamber (102). A temperature sensor (136) is provided adjacent the smoke sensor (134) to determine temperature change before, during, and after the combustion process. In use, a raw coal sample (104) is placed on the microstrip sensing structures so that it is exposed to the combined sensing channels (118, 120 and 122) as shown in Figure 7. It is appreciated that such an arrangement increases the sensitivity of the sensing medium. The heating elements (124) will burn the sample (104) in a combustion process to remove moisture content thereof resulting in a weight change. The weight change of the sample (104), before and after the heating may be measured by the weight scale (130). The weight scale (130) may record and / or display the sample’s reading before and after heating for determining the presence of moisture in the sample (by inferring that the weight change is due to moisture lost to the heating process). This gravimetric analysis may be considered a preliminary check for moisture and gases in the sample. It is appreciated that levelling screws (138) may be provided on either side of the device (100) to avoid attaining error values due to the disbalancing of the weight scale (130). The amount of smoke generated in the combustion process is measured by the smoke sensor (134) to determine a coal rank of the sample and the sample’s calorific value correlating to the sample’s temperature change before, during, and after the combustion process is determined by the temperature sensor (136). The moisture content present in the sample (104) is to be measured by gravimetric analysis on the one hand, and by a shift of resonance frequency on the other hand. Microwave radiation being transmitted via the channel is exposed to the sample (104) at the sensing channels (118, 120 and 122). Due to the energy tunnelling phenomena being utilised for the transmission of energy between the waveguides (114, 116), the microwave radiation may have a specific frequency response and magnitude. The moisture content of the coal sample results in the change of coal’s dielectric properties (dielectric constant and loss factor (tan 6)). After the microwave radiations are exposed to the sample (104), a shift in frequency response, due to a change in the dielectric properties of the sample (104), or attenuation in the magnitude of received signal, due to a change in the dielectric loss factor of the coal sample results. These changes in the frequency response and magnitude occur because of the presence of moisture in the sample (104) and may be sensed respectively. A path difference (140) between each sensing channel (118, 120 and 122) should be a quarter A wavelength (-) to avoid coupling. The choice of path difference depends on several factors such 4 as design requirements, substrate properties, and desired level of coupling. The selection of quarter wavelength refers to the intention of reduced coupling between the consecutive sensing A channels. A path difference of up to half wavelength (-) is acceptable, but not recommended. The transmission component (132A) of the proximity sensor (132) transmits a ray to the sample (104), which, in turn, reflects a ray towards a receiving component (132B) which measures the intensity of the reflected ray. The crystalline structure of the sample can therefore be estimated. A high-rank coal sample with greater carbon content tend to have tighter, reinforced, and aligned crystalline structures with little to no room for light to be absorbed or escape. They have lesser absorption properties and exhibit high optical reflectance, and vice versa for a low-rank coal sample. This varying property of each coal rank affects the intensity of the reflected ray therefore aiding in rank identification. Figures 8A to 8C illustrate an exemplary working principle of a proximity sensor. Samples with reinforced crystalline structures tend to reflect the transmitted ray Er with little to no absorption, resulting in a reflected ray E2 with higher intensity. However, samples with porous crystalline structures tend to absorb the transmitted ray E± resulting in a reflected ray E'2 with lesser intensity because a significant part of it gets absorbed in the form of E'2 in the sample or escapes. Samples with partially porous and partially reinforced crystalline structure absorb some part of incident ray which is E"2 and reflect the rest of the transmitted ray, resulting in reflected ray E"2 with an intensity of medium strength such that the following relation holds: E'2 <E"2 <e2 Therefore, the same mechanism holds for different ranks of coal and the proximity sensor may provide a test mechanism for the identification of coal rank. The respective phenomena of dependence of reflected wave’s intensity and nature on a striking medium’s intrinsic properties can be explained through one of the Fresnel equations of the theory of electromagnetic wave propagation. According to this, the coefficient of reflection of a propagated electromagnetic wave is given as: 71 1 + sin (y)cos20t 1 + sin (y)cos20j Zu r — A 2 N 2 Ei 71 1 + sin (^)cos20t 77 1 + sin (y)cos20i Li N 7 1 01 2 where, r is the reflection coefficient, Er is the magnitude of reflected electric field which can be equivalent to E"2 in this case, E[ is the magnitude of the incident electric field which can be equivalent to E± in this case, 772's the intrinsic impedance of the second medium, T]1 is the intrinsic impedance of the first medium, 6t is the angle of transmission, and 0i is the angle of incidence. The value of intrinsic impedance of the medium depends on two parameters given as: Where, p is the permeability of medium, and £ is the permittivity of the medium. A change in permittivity and permeability values affect the intrinsic impedance of the medium, influencing the propagated wave's reflection coefficient. Figure 9 illustrates an exemplary ETDS having a single microstrip sensing structure and an energy tunnelling wire (129) which couples the energy of the electromagnetic wave between both waveguides at a certain resonance frequency. The size of the sensing channel is pertinent to the energy transmission, field concentration in the area and shift in the frequency response due to change in dielectric. The number of energy tunnelling wires may be increased to increase the sensitivity. For example, as illustrated in Figures 10A and 10B, the ETDS may have four microstrip sensing structures each including energy tunnelling wires (129A to 129D). The energy tunnelling wires (129A to 129D) may be of varying lengths (Figure 10B) to influence a shift in frequency response, power transmission, and quality factor of each sensing channel. The length of the energy tunnelling wires affects the shift in resonance frequency whereas the width affects its quality factor i.e., power handling and transmission. The selection of the length of the tunnelling wire depends on the choice of the operation frequency. In this embodiment, the reason for using different lengths is that it will increase the spatial resolution, and it will be easier to determine the moisture in the sample. The energy between the two waveguides is transmitted through the sensing channel. The same length of energy tunnelling wires decreases its Q-factor but increases the power transmission. Multi-length wires provide multiband and hence can be utilized to detect the trapped gases and substances which influence the shifts in frequency response. Therefore, the dimensions of the sensing channel and the length of energy tunnelling wires affect the frequency response of the dielectric sensor. Figure 11 illustrates a graph of an exemplary change of normalized frequency response with respect to change in dielectric properties of a coal sample. The frequency response of the ETDS exists at a specific resonance frequency (142), and due to the presence of moisture content in the coal, the resonance frequency response shifts. Lower moisture content resulting lower dielectric and hence the frequency response shifts right. Greater moisture content results in greater dielectric and hence the frequency response shift towards the left. Similarly, the normalized magnitude of the frequency response of dielectric sensor attenuates or strengthens, depicting the carbon content in coal sample. In this way, the change in frequency response is a clear indicator of moisture and carbon content in the coal sample under test. Figures 12A and 12B are schematic diagrams which illustrate exemplary placements of a sample on the microstrip sensing structures. When the superstrate of a raw coal sample is placed on the microstrip sensing structures adequately aligned, such that the superstrate has uniform distribution (Figure 12A) across the sensing channels, then the sensing may perform more accurately. Whereas, when the sample is placed unaligned (Figure 12B) such that it has varying interfacing with sensing channels or non-uniform distribution across the sensing channels, then the accuracy is compromised. The spacing between the superstrate affects the frequency response of the energy tunnelling mechanism. Each sensing channel has its own operating frequency, and the normalised equivalent resonance frequency of the device may be calculated as the mean of each energy tunnelling wire’s shift in resonance frequency given as: Where, fr is the resonance frequency of the system. A / 2and &fnare shifts in the frequencies of the sensing channels respectively where n number of energy tunnelling wires may be used. The frequency shift in each energy tunnelling wire may occur because of a change in dimensions of wire or by the spacing of the superstrate on the collective sensing channel respectively. Figure 13 is a block diagram which illustrates exemplary components of a device (300) for measuring parameters of a sample according to aspects of the present disclosure. The device (300) may include a sensing node (310), a digital signal processing (DSP) unit (340), a human machine interface (HMI) unit (360) and a power management unit (380). The sensing node (310) may be arranged to transmit all data to the digital signal processing unit (340) and may include: an energy tunnelling dielectric (ETD) sensor (311) arranged to detect a dielectric change in a sample by measuring a change in resonant frequency and a change in magnitude of a microwave radiation of the sample; a proximity sensor (312) arranged to transmit a ray to the sample, which, in turn, reflects a ray towards a receiving component which measures the intensity of the reflected ray; a weight scale (313) arranged to determine the moisture content of the sample in a gravimetric analysis; a temperature sensor (314) arranged to determine the sample’s calorific value correlating to the sample’s temperature change before, during, and after a combustion process; and a smoke sensor (315) arranged to determine a coal rank of the sample from the amount of smoke generated in the combustion process. The digital signal processing unit (340) may be arranged to process all the data from the sensing node (310) and may include a processor (342) for executing the functions of components described herein, which may be provided by hardware or by software units executing on the device (300). The software units may be stored in a memory component (343) and instructions (344) may be provided to the processor (342) to carry out the functionality of the described components. The digital signal processing unit (340) may further include a microcontroller (345), and an ADC / DAC (346) for data conversion. The processor and / or memory may form part of the microcontroller. The human machine interface unit (360) may be arranged to display the processed data from the digital signal processing unit (340) and may include a display (361), an alarm (362) and a web application (363). The power management unit (380) may be arranged to power all the components of the device (300). Figure 14 is a flow diagram which illustrates and exemplary method for measuring parameters of a sample according to aspects of the present disclosure. The method may be divided into two tests: one for moisture detection within the sample and the second for coal-rank detection. Both of these tests are linked to one another since the moisture content affects various properties of each coal rank. The moisture detection test may be performed by gravimetric analysis or a shift of the frequency response of the energy tunnelling dielectric sensor, while the rank detection test may be performed through analysis of several parameters, including shift in frequency response performed by the energy tunnelling dielectric sensor, optical reflectance test by the proximity sensor, thermal conductivity test to determine the sample’s calorific value correlating to the sample’s temperature change before, during, and after the combustion process by temperature sensor, and / or smoke generation test to determine a coal rank of the sample from the amount of smoke generated in the combustion process by the smoke sensor. The sequencing of tests performed by the device is in such a way that when the sample is placed on the sensing microstrips, the shift in frequency response by the sample is observed, then optical reflectance test is performed by the proximity sensor on the same sample. After the initial testing, heating is performed by the heating elements to carry out gravimetric analysis and thermal conductivity test. Lastly, combustion tests are performed where the heating elements heat to burn the sample and the smoke and temperature sensor measure the smoke emission quantitatively and respective heating value of the combustion. Each class, ranging from lowest, low, high, and highest quality coal may be detected through the combined working of each sensor respectively. The device may also determine and detect carbon content and gases trapped in the sample. It will be appreciated that numerous variations and modifications may be made to the device as described. In one exemplary embodiment, the device may have a protective foundation or top covering lid (202) for protecting and supporting components of the device as shown in Figure 15. In another exemplary embodiment, the device may include four microstrip sensing structures each having a narrow sensing channel defined by a series of parallel, spaced apart microstrips as illustrated in Figure 10. The number of microstrip sensing structures may be increased up to n number to increase the sensitivity of the energy tunnelling dielectric sensor. In yet another exemplary embodiment, a conventional calorimeter may be used for measuring the temperature of the sensing medium before and after combustion to calculate the accurate calorific values of the sample. The same process may be carried out through the temperature sensor of the combustion chamber. Calorific value is a significant test to detect coal rank. In still another exemplary embodiment, the sensing medium between the two waveguides may be arranged in a linear configuration (Figure 16A), U-shape configuration (Figure 16B), L-shape configuration (Figure 16C), V-shape configuration (Figure 16D), or parabolic configuration (Figure 16E). It will be appreciated that the microstrip sensing structures may be flexible in a parabolic configuration. The foregoing description has been presented for the purpose of illustration; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Persons skilled in the relevant art can appreciate that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure. The language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims. Finally, throughout the specification and accompanying claims, unless the context requires otherwise, the word ‘comprise’ or variations such as ‘comprises’ or ‘comprising’ will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

Claims

1. A device for measuring parameters of a sample under test, the device comprising:a chamber housing an energy tunnelling dielectric sensor for detecting a dielectric change in the sample by measuring a change in resonant frequency and a change in magnitude of a microwave radiation of the sample,wherein the energy tunnelling dielectric sensor includes two or more microstrip sensing structures, each creating a narrow sensing channel defined between a series of parallel, spaced apart microstrips.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the energy tunnelling dielectric sensor includes a first waveguide disposed on an inner surface of a sidewall of the chamber and a second waveguide disposed on an inner surface of an opposing sidewalls of the chamber, and wherein the first and second waveguides are connected to each other via the two or more microstrip sensing structures.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the waveguides are connected to ends of the microstrips, and a sensing medium is created by the sensing channels extending between and connecting the first waveguide and the second waveguide.

4. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the size of the sensing channel is selected to enable determination or detection of a shift in the frequency response due to a change in dielectric properties.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sample is coal and the change in dielectric properties indicates a coal rank of the sample.

6. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the microstrip sensing structures each include energy tunnelling wires of varying lengths to influence a shift in one or more of frequency response, power transmission, and quality factor of each sensing channel.

7. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a path differencebetween each sensing channel is at least a quarter-wavelength (-).

8. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further including heating elements disposed on the microstrips configured to burn the sample in a combustion process to remove moisture content thereof.

9. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the moisture content of the sample is determined by a weight scale in a gravimetrical analysis.

10. The device as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9, further including a smoke sensor to determine a coal rank of the sample from the amount of smoke generated in the combustion process.

11. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the energy tunnelling dielectric sensor assists in gravimetrical analysis through analysis of a shift in frequency response.

12. The device as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 11, further including a temperature sensor to determine a calorific value of the sample correlating to a temperature change of the sample before, during, and after the combustion process.

13. The device as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 12, further including a proximity sensor configured to transmit a ray to the sample, which, in turn, reflects a ray towards a receiving component which measures the intensity of the reflected ray.

14. The device as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 13, further including a base having a cleaning mechanism to dispose of the combustion residue.

15. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further including a protective foundation protecting and supporting components of the device.

16. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sample is coal, and the parameters include either or both of the coal rank and the moisture content.

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