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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/T29383/01
Title: Product quality control of fluidised bed dryers with tomographic imaging and online process modelling
Principal Investigator: Yang, Professor W
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
AstraZeneca Sensatech Research Ltd
Department: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Organisation: University of Manchester, The
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 29 April 2005 Ends: 28 April 2008 Value (£): 265,127
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Design of Process systems Instrumentation Eng. & Dev.
Multiphase Flow
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
Related Grants:
GR/T29376/01
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
Our long-term strategy is to develop new technologies for product quality control, based on inferential sensing, online process modelling, tomographic imaging of physical properties and distributed parameter control. To demonstrate the benefits of the strategy, a real-time closed-loop control system will be developed to regulate spatial distribution of gas-solids and moisture content distribution in a fluidised bed dryer, aiming to achieve product quality control and optimal operation of the drying processes. At present, fluidised bed dryers are black boxes , i.e. it is difficult to know what is going on inside. This proposal offers the first opportunity of using tomography for product quality control, rather than simply using tomography for process monitoring. Avoiding the computationally intensive online image reconstruction means that the sampling rate for the control system is limited by the data acquisition rate only, rather than by image reconstruction.The proposed control scheme will be based on online modelling of desired gas-solids distribution and moisture content distribution, from which both desired capacitance and loss-conductance profiles can be derived, obtaning both capacitance and loss conductance measurements from tomographic sensors, and controlling the process in terms of the difference between the desired profiles and the measured profiles. The system will be implemented for controlling both gas-solids distribution and moisture content distribution in the fluidised bed dryer. This project is regarded as multi-displinary research involving multiphase processes, process modelling, instrumentation and process control. This is a joint project between UMIST and Oxford University in collaboration with a few industrial partners.
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Organisation Website: http://www.man.ac.uk