Monitoring and Visualization of Crystallization Processes Using Electrical Resistance Tomography: CaCO3 and Sucrose Crystallization Case Studies.

In the current research work, electrical resistance tomography (ERT) was employed for monitoring and visualization of crystallization processes. A first-of-its-kind MATLAB-based interactive GUI application "ERT-Vis" is presented. Two case studies involving varied crystallization methods were undertaken. The experiments were designed and performed involving calcium carbonate reactive (precipitative) crystallization for the high conductivity solution-solute media, and the cooling crystallization of sucrose representing the lower conductivity solution-solute combination. The software successfully provided key insights regarding the process in both crystallization systems. It could detect and separate the solid concentration distributions in the low as well as high conductivity solutions using the visual analytics tools provided. The performance and utility of the software were studied using a software evaluation case study involving domain experts. Participant feedback indicated that ERT-Vis software helps by reconstructing images instantaneously, interactively visualizing, and evaluating the output of the crystallization process monitoring data.

Real-Time Fault Detection and Diagnosis of CaCO3 Reactive Crystallization Process by Electrical Resistance Tomography Measurements.

In the present research work, an electrical resistance tomography (ERT) system is utilized as a means for real-time fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) during a reactive crystallization process. The calcium carbonate crystallization is part of the carbon capture and utilization scheme where process monitoring and malfunction diagnostics strategies are presented. The graphical logic representation of the fault tree analysis methodology is used to develop the system failure states. The measurement consistency due to the use of a single electrode from a set of ERT electrodes for malfunction identification is experimentally and quantitatively investigated based on the sensor sensitivity and standard deviation criteria. Electrical current measurements are employed to develop a LabVIEW-based process automation program by using the process-specific knowledge and historical process data. Averaged electrical current is correlated to the mechanical failure of the stirrer through standard deviation evaluation, and slopes of the measured data are used to monitor the pump and concentrations status. The performance of the implemented methodology for detecting the induced faults and abnormalities is tested at different operating conditions, and a basic signal-based alarming technique is developed.

Quantitative Evaluations with 2d Electrical Resistance Tomography in the Low-Conductivity Solutions Using 3d-Printed Phantoms and Sucrose Crystal Agglomerate Assessments.

Crystallization is a significant procedure in the manufacturing of many pharmaceutical and solid food products. In-situ electrical resistance tomography (ERT) is a novel process analytical tool (PAT) to provide a cheap and quick way to test, visualize, and evaluate the progress of crystallization processes. In this work, the spatial accuracy of the nonconductive phantoms in low-conductivity solutions was evaluated. Gauss-Newton, linear back projection, and iterative total variation reconstruction algorithms were used to compare the phantom reconstructions for tap water, industrial-grade saturated sucrose solution, and demineralized water. A cylindrical phantom measuring 10 mm in diameter and a cross-section area of 1.5% of the total beaker area was detected at the center of the beaker. Two phantoms with a 10-mm diameter were visualized separately in noncentral locations. The quantitative evaluations were done for the phantoms with radii ranging from 10 mm to 50 mm in demineralized water. Multiple factors, such as ERT device and sensor development, Finite Element Model (FEM) mesh density and simulations, image reconstruction algorithms, number of iterations, segmentation methods, and morphological image processing methods, were discussed and analyzed to achieve spatial accuracy. The development of ERT imaging modality for the purpose of monitoring crystallization in low-conductivity solutions was performed satisfactorily.

Multi-GPU, Multi-Node Algorithms for Acceleration of Image Reconstruction in 3D Electrical Capacitance Tomography in Heterogeneous Distributed System.

Electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) is one of non-invasive visualization techniques which can be used for industrial process monitoring. However, acquiring images trough 3D ECT often requires performing time consuming complex computations on large size matrices. Therefore, a new parallel approach for 3D ECT image reconstruction is proposed, which is based on application of multi-GPU, multi-node algorithms in heterogeneous distributed system. This solution allows to speed up the required data processing. Distributed measurement system with a new framework for parallel computing and a special plugin dedicated to ECT are presented in the paper. Computing system architecture and its main features are described. Both data distribution as well as transmission between the computing nodes are discussed. System performance was measured using LBP and the Landweber's reconstruction algorithms which were implemented as a part of the ECT plugin. Application of the framework with a new network communication layer reduced data transfer times significantly and improved the overall system efficiency.