Case Study: On-line monitoring of a pressure filter vessel
Supported by DTI Foresight project with AstraZeneca providing industrial facilities
Background and objectives
- Pressure filtration is a widely used unit process in pharmaceutical and fine chemicals manufacturing.
- Identify end point of filtration.
- Identify problems during processing.
- Reduce processing times.
- Reduce effluent and waste - improved manufacture.
- Tighter processing consistency - improved products.
- Process unit was metal walled with limited space for electrodes.
Results
- Resistance images from a 1.5 m3, metal walled, pressure filter.
- Project used agrochemical intermediate.
- Upper Sequence in the figure shows a deformity in the cake during filtering.
- Lower graph shows drying curve (represented by an increase in electrical resistance as moisture decreases) during the process.
