With our sensors, we make particle flows visible in production plants in the chemical and food industries. To better understand why this is so interesting, the term particle stream first needs to be clarified.
Many of you probably think of a conveyor belt with small chunks on it, or flowing wastewater with contaminants, when you hear "particle stream." But particles can be so much more! Whenever a second phase forms in a stream due to a different state of matter, this is referred to as a particle stream or a multiphase flow.
This can be a solid particle in a flowing liquid or gas. But it can also be a bubble in liquid, a droplet in a gas stream, or a droplet in an immiscible liquid.
Where the Magic Happens
In every case, all the magic of chemistry and process engineering happens at the interface between medium and particle:
- Heat transfer
- Reaction
- Concentration changes
Without particle streams, many reactions wouldn't work, and purification through separation would also not be possible. That's why characterizing the multiphase flow is absolutely essential to better understand — and control — the speed and quality of reaction and separation in the apparatus.
What Our Images Reveal
Our images make exactly that visible and deliver data:
- How many particles are there?
- How large are the particles?
- What shape do they have?
- How do they change over time?
Conclusion
Data on particle streams is the key to mastering the magic of chemistry and process engineering!