Polymerisation

Home » Industries & Applications » Polymerisation

Industrial Tomography Systems Polymerisation Applications

Polymerization is a very widely used process based on the build up of long chain molecules (polymers) from shorter ones.

ITS technology is able to measure changes in electrical properties of materials across process volumes, electrical resistance tomography for systems which have a continuous conducting phase (primarily aqueous substrates) and capacitance tomography for non-conducting continuous phase.

Polymerisation reactions frequently involve moving from one phase to another, such as the polymerisation of nylon where water is driven off an aqueous solution to produce the plastic and under these conditions, electrical tomography is able to track reaction progress.

Robust ITS sensors can be designed to operate in aggressive conditions as well as at elevated pressures and temperatures. Under these conditions, sensors are usually fitted into autoclaves. Electrodes and cables can be designed from advanced ceramics and ERT data can be taken in ATEX certified operating conditions.

Through scanning across electrode combinations, reaction progress can be tracked across a range of locations within the process vessel. In addition, features of interest such as foaming can also be seen during reactions, however it should be noted that given the difficulty of installing sensors under such demanding conditions it is difficult to validate such measurements.

In addition to classic polymers, ITS technology has also been used in the to understand mixing and process optimisation of biopolymerisation process.

Our Products

Research & Education Package

A standard package for teaching and general laboratory work and tailored solutions for more complex experimental conditions...

EIT with the ITS v5r

v5r (Electrical Resistance Tomog...

The v5r is the newest instrument from ITS which combines a wide operating envelope and high speed operation....

ITS p2+ for electrical resistance tomography

P2+ (Electrical Resistance Tomog...

The p2+ is the primary electrical resistance tomography instrument used throughout the world for more than 12 years...

Electrical Capacitance Tomography with the m3c from ITS

M3c (Electrical Capacitance Tomo...

The m3c instrument is the primary capacitance tomography instrument used in multiphase flow and other applications around the world...

ERT Vessel Sensors

Electrical resistance tomography sensors for mixing and reaction monitoring applications...

ECT Column Sensors from ITS

ECT Column Sensors

ECT column section with integral electrode sensor arrays for characterisation of flowing materials such as powders conveying and fluidised beds...

Advanced Algorithms from ITS

Advanced Algorithms

Off-line advanced algorithms can provide more accurate tomograms using iterative reconstruction methods...

Tomography Data Analysis Software

Toolsuite

The Tomography Toolsuite is the standard interface for ITS instrumentation allowing users to review ECT and ERT data sets...