In-process monitoring of formulated product manufacturing

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Forte, Giuseppe ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7609-2763 (2020). In-process monitoring of formulated product manufacturing. University of Birmingham. Eng.D.

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Abstract

The implementation of smart manufacturing and digitisation on industrial plants is undergoing rapid development. One of the enablers of this innovation process is the availability in real time of data accurately describing the manufacturing process: inline measurement techniques. This study investigated sensing techniques characterised by low cost, fast response and non-invasiveness, with the aim to apply them to Johnson Matthey production lines.

Among the investigated methods, Electrical Resistance Tomography was used for fluid mixing operations. This technique was applied for multiphase mixing detection, both in a stirred tank (gas-liquid) and in a pipeline (liquid-liquid), allowing to gather quantitative information over mixing performance.

Acoustic Emission was used to characterise gas-liquid mixing regimes within a stirred tank. The data processing was carried out employing machine learning algorithms to correlate the acquired signal with the operating fluid regime. Obtained results suggest the potential of Acoustic Emission in monitoring mixing processes.

Electrical Capacitance Tomography was investigated as a tool for interface detection and powder mixing monitoring. A data processing approach, alternative to the traditional thresholding, was developed to identify boundaries between phases and applied to Johnson Matthey processes. This work has made step forwards within the process analytics technology application in the chemical industry.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Eng.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Eng.D.

Supervisor(s):