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.