Abstract
Process imaging is the art of visualizing events inside closed industrial processes. Image processing is the art of mathematically manipulating digitized images to extract quantitative information about such processes. Ongoing advances in camera and computer technology have made it feasible to apply these abilities to measurement needs in the chemical industry. To illustrate the point, this paper describes several applications developed at DuPont, where a variety of measurements are based on in-line, at-line, and off-line imaging. Application areas include compounding, melt extrusion, crystallization, granulation, media milling, and particle characterization. Polymer compounded with glass fiber is evaluated by a patented radioscopic (real-time X-ray imaging) technique to measure concentration and dispersion uniformity of the glass. Contamination detection in molten polymer (important for extruder operations) is provided by both proprietary and commercial on-line systems. Crystallization in production reactors is monitored using in-line probes and flow cells. Granulation is controlled by at-line measurements of granule size obtained from image processing. Tomographic imaging provides feedback for improved operation of media mills. Finally, particle characterization is provided by a robotic system that measures individual size and shape for thousands of particles without human supervision. Most of these measurements could not be accomplished with other (non-imaging) techniques.
