An apparatus for noninvasively monitoring the flow and/or the composition of a
flowing liquid using ultrasound is described. The position of the resonance peaks
for a fluid excited by a swept-frequency ultrasonic signal have been found to change
frequency both in response to a change in composition and in response to a change
in the flow velocity thereof. Additionally, the distance between successive resonance
peaks does not change as a function of flow, but rather in response to a change
in composition. Thus, a measurement of both parameters (resonance position and
resonance spacing), once calibrated, permits the simultaneous determination of
flow rate and composition using the apparatus and method of the present invention.