Estimating Particle Dimensions in Streams Using a Multistatic Radar System

The application of a multistatic radar for the determination of particle sizes in a polydisperse stream reveals that a suitable measurement procedure and a proper antenna arrangement are crucial factors in obtaining satisfactory results. For an accurate estimate of the corresponding effective scattering volume a complex-source beam modeling the main antenna lobe is introduced. Moreover the Mie theory is applied to describe the scattering effects, providing an angle- and radius-dependent analytical expression for the bistatic radar cross section of the particle stream. Numerical results are obtained for different antenna configurations, comparing monostatic and multistatic setups with different angles and polarizations for a monodisperse and a polydisperse stream.