Application: Mixing
Mixing Processes
Process tomography technology takes data from a range of sensors to simultaneously measure multiple points in pipes and process vessels. It is able to give real time information on the progress and end point of many mixing processes.
- Solid-liquid, including heterogeneous catalysis and other processes where the cloud height of suspensions need to be optimised
- Gas-liquid, including optimisation of high intensity gas mixing
- Liquid- liquid mixing and blending of miscible and immiscible fluids
- Emulsions – formation / separation of emulsions can easily be monitored with electrical tomography
- Process tomography is a powerful technique for both in-line and batch mixing
Applications:
Process tomography can be used at a wide range of scales from research labs to full scale manufacturing. The technology is particularly useful for validation of process scale-up.
- Mixing times, where the length and variability of the mixing process needs to be determined to optimise mixing process efficiency. This can assist in determining the process envelope for techniques such as QBD (quality by design)
- ITS instrumentation can be used to as an in-line monitor for mixing performance and quality.
- Mixing end points can be determined both in-process and during experimental design to optimise asset utilisation, reduce formation of by products and minimise energy consumption from over-mixing and heating / cooling of reactors.
Process Tomography can also provide:
- starting point of process
- end point of process
- mixing time
- level of homogeneity
- Determine mixing efficiency
Case Studies:
This case study covers:
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Liquid-liquid mixing
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Gas-liquid Mixing
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Solid-liquid mixing
Benefits include:
- Reduce running costs through better yields by operating processes within tighter tolerances
- Reduced process times through measured end points, allowing savings in energy and scope for higher asset utilisation
- Investigation of new mixing processes, such as impinging jet mixing for the production of nanoparticles
- Optimisation of process design through either CFD validation or direct measurement (eg position of feed pipes, baffles, impeller design)
Validation of process tomography
There have been a number of studies to validate process tomography measurements. These have included visual observation and intrusive probes directly measuring local conductivities to more extreme techniques such as PEPT (positron emission particle tracking).
Linear Back Projection
Sensitivity Conjugate Gradients
This sequence of images shows the visual of conducting ink, electrical tomography images from our Linear Back Projection algorithm and an improved reconstruction of the conducitng ink using the ITS Sensitivity Conjugate Gradients algorithm.
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