The performance of Industrial and consumer products is achieved through the use of increasingly sophisticated processing. This leads to the need to better understand demanding products during development and manufacture.
The performance properties of many of these products are linked to creating unique microstructure by manipulating colloids and soft solids. This structure affects how the material flows, disperses, dissolves, its colour, taste and shelf life. This requires sensors which can operate in high concentration conditions and provide information over a number of different length scales.
The traditional off-line laboratory based QC methods are increasing seen as a major impediment to improvements in process efficiency, due to the inherent latency of the operation and the cost of maintain the facilities and staff.
Process sensors for high concentration colloids, viscous liquids and soft solids are difficult to implement using traditional analytical techniques as the complex nature of the materials renders it difficult to handle, dilute or measure the sample. In the majority of cases the sample must be measured using manual methods with significant sample handling and preparation
Ultrasound Spectroscopy is a relatively new technique which can be used to characterise a wide range of microstructure features of liquids, colloids and soft solids.
Ultrasound Spectroscopy (USS) is a technique which offers the possibility to overcome the obstacles to in-line analytics for a number of applications.
USS has been developed over the last 20 years mainly for laboratory applications. However, recent developments in electronic systems and signal processing have increased the capabilities of the method to enable it to be viable on a wider range of applications which makes it a more suitable process sensor.
Ultrasound is the propagation of a mechanical wave through the molecular, microscopic and macroscopic structure of a material or materials. While most ultrasound methods use only one frequency to generate time of flight information, Ultrasonic Spectroscopy techniques measure a wide range of frequencies normally in the range 100kHz to 200MHz with standard instruments having typical ranges of 1MHz to 50MHz. From the individual frequency components the frequency dependant response (spectrum) of the materials mechanical properties are determined.
The m3000Uss ultrasound spectroscopy system is based on the use of transient pulse measurements and is specifically developed for in-situ or on-line applications. The use of fast transient method allows data collection in real time allowing the use of the system on dynamic and rapidly evolving applications, such as crystallization.
The System is unique in that it is single button operation with an intelligent control system managing the measurement process. Hence the technique does not require the user to have a knowledge of the technique in order to use the system and collect data.
The sensor itself is custom designed to match the application, The sensor also does not require adjustments of transducer spacing’s during measurement and hence the sensors are robust and process compatible. The sensor can either be a flow through cell for pipes or a dip in probe for reactors and large vessels.
Key benefits include:
- Online measurements
- Measurement of density in solids and in pure/mixed liquids
- Determination of thermal properties of liquids
- Rheological characterisation of liquids and soft solids through phase velocity
- Particle Sizing of colloids using attenuation
- Relaxation phenomena in biomaterials and soft solids
- Unlike Viscometers USS does not assume Newtonian behaviour and hence can provide greater information on complex rheology.
- USS length scales ensure that visco elasticity is linear and simplifies analysis
- USS is more sensitive at detecting start of processes, does not require bulk of material to be modified before detection.
In addition, for some applications bulk modulus is a more useful measure of material performance, while for others the of bulk modulus is complimentary to standard low frequency shear modulus and can be used to infer low frequency performance. USS can provide an in-situ characterisation solution without the implementation complexity required for standard rotating or oscillated installations.
The m3000u has been developed to provide bespoke solutions to customers process needs; it provides a unique solution for complex materials at both low and high concentration and provides a wide range of process dependant parameters
In order to achieve an optimal solution, ITS Applications Specialists work along side the customer development and process engineers to implement the application and process specific sensor.
Register to access our Ultrasound Spectroscopy applications notes and case studies from the download section.
Register to access our Ultrasound Spectroscopy applications notes and case studies from the download section.
Publications on Ultrasound Spectroscopy:
Kaye & Laby, Tables of Physical and Chemical Constants and Some Mathematical Functions, Longman 16th Edition ISBN-13: 978-0582226296
http://www.kayelaby.npl.co.uk/
http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/subjects/eps/chemistry/cpcp/
Ultrasonic techniques for fluids characterization By Malcolm J. W. Povey Published by Academic Press, 1997 ISBN 0125637306, 9780125637305
R E Challis, M J W Povey, M L Mather and A K Holmes, Ultrasound techniques for characterizing colloidal dispersions , Rep. Prog. Phys. 68 (2005) 1541–1637
Roberts D 1996 Ultrasound analysis of particle size distribution Material World 4 12
Andrei S. Dukhin, Philip J. Goetz, Ultrasound for Characterizing Colloids, Particle Sizing, Zeta Potential, Rheology ISBN 0444511644 9780444511645
Allegra, J. R. and S. A. Hawley (1972). "Attenuation of sound in suspensions and emulsions:theory and experiments." J. Acoust. Soc. Amer 51: 1545-1564.
Epstein, P. S. and R. R. Carhart (1953). "The Absorption of Sound in Suspensions and Emulsions." J. Acoust. Soc. Amer 25(3): 553-565.
http://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/fluid
D.M. Scott, “Industrial applications of in-line ultrasonic spectroscopy”, in Ultrasonic and Dielectric Characterization Techniques for Suspended Particulates, Edited by V.A. Hackley and J. Texter, American Ceramic Society, Westerville, OH, pp. 155-165 (1998).
D.M. Scott, A. Boxman, and C.E. Jochen, “Ultrasonic Measurement of Sub-Micron Particles”, Part. Part. Syst. Charact. 12:269-273 (1995).
Mougin P., Wilkinson D., Roberts K., Tweedie R., 2001; Characterisation Of Particle Size And Distribution During The Crystallisation Of Organic Fine Chemical Products And Measured In Situ Using Ultrasonic Attenuation Spectroscopy, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 109, 274-282.
Mougin P.M.J., Thomas A., Wilkinson D., White G., Roberts K.J., Herrmann N., Jack R., Tweedie R., 2003, On-Line Monitoring Of A Crystallization Process, Aiche J, 49, 373-378.
D.J. McClements, “Ultrasonic Characterization of Emulsions and Suspensions”, Adv. Colloid Int. .Sci., 37, 33-72 (1991).
F. Babick, F. Hinze, and S. Ripperger, “Dependence of Ultrasonic Attenuation on the Material Properties”, Colloids and Surfaces, 172, 33-46 (2000).
Dukhin, A.S. and Goetz, P.J. “Acoustic Spectroscopy for Concentrated Polydisperse Colloids with High Density Contrast”, Langmuir, 12, 21, 4987-4997 (1996)
ITS Product Specification m3000u
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