Fluidized bed granulation monitoring

Fluidized bed granulation monitoring of a fertilizer product (urea) in a semi-industrial pilot plant (SIPP), illustrating the main features and benefits. 

Process state monitoring for visualization of critical situations - early operator warnings. 

Acoustic chemometrics can be used for monitoring of both process state and product quality/quantity for better process control. Monitoring process states can provide early warnings which trigger the process operator to change relevant process parameters to prevent critical shutdown situations. 

The acoustic chemometric approach can also be used to monitor industrial production processes involving particles and powders and to provide a complementary tool for process operators for more efficient process control, or to monitor particle movement in a fluidized bed [7] for example. Below we illustrate the application potential by focusing on two applications process monitoring of a granulation process and monitoring of ammonia concentration. 

Granulation of urea [13] is a complex process that has to be controlled by experienced process operators in order to avoid critical shutdown situations. The parameters most often used for monitoring granulation processes are measured by classical univariate sensors, such as temperature, pressure and flow. However, these standard process measurements carry only little or no relevant information, or are only indirectly related to, for example particle size, clogging of the reactor, or the accumulation of a solids layer on the bottom plate. The response from these sensors often comes with quite a substantial delay time. 

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