PFI-BIC: A Large Scale Acoustophoretic Multi-component Separation Technology Platform

这个来自西新英格兰大学的创新合作项目专注于超声波声光分离技术平台，该平台将实现多组分液体流的高效分离技术，从而消除浪费，减少所需能源，促进可持续发展的环境。该平台提供了一种创新的解决方案，包括基于超声驻波的大体积流速声波相位分离器。声吸是一种低功耗、无压降、无堵塞的固体方法，用于从流体悬浮液中去除颗粒，通常用于多孔过滤器的分离，但没有多孔过滤器的缺点。声学谐振器设计用于产生高强度的三维超声驻波，从而产生比流体阻力和浮力综合效应更大的声辐射力，因此能够捕获并保持静止的悬浮相。其新颖之处在于能够创造超声波驻波场，可以在线速度超过1厘米的流场中捕获颗粒。基于固态开关模式放大器的高频、大功率、高效超声驱动器将被设计和开发。采用数字信号处理器和微控制器的嵌入式控制解决方案将实现维持共振操作和控制功率传输和声捕获力。这项研究的广泛影响是改进的、绿色的、可持续的分离技术，应用于环境石油清理、生物燃料生产和生物医学应用，如血脂分离。项目团队的合作伙伴渴望开发这项技术，并创造绿色就业机会，为马萨诸塞州西部提供一个新兴的制造业基地，该地区的制造业基地正在大幅下降。该项目汇集了一个独特的团队，包括来自几家小公司的成熟创新者、来自多个学科的工程教师、3名研究生和11名工程本科生。正在努力将代表性不足的少数民族纳入REU和MS项目。该项目的合作伙伴是作为牵头机构的西新英格兰学院，来自工程学院机械和电气工程系的合作者，以及三个知识增强的小型企业合作伙伴：FloDesign sonic Inc.（马萨诸塞州威尔伯拉罕）、UTX Inc.（纽约州霍姆斯）和FloDesign Inc.（马萨诸塞州威尔伯拉罕）。另一个合作伙伴是南缅因大学。

This Partnerships for Innovation project from Western New England University focuses on an ultrasonic acoustophoretic separation technology platform that will accomplish efficient separation technologies for multi-component liquid streams that eliminate waste, reduce required energy, and promote a sustainable environment. This platform provides an innovative solution that consists of a large volume flow rate acoustophoretic phase separator based on ultrasonic standing waves. Acoustophoresis is a low-power, no-pressure-drop, no-clog, solid-state approach to particle removal from fluid suspensions and is used to achieve separations typically performed with porous filters, but with none of the disadvantages of porous filters. The acoustic resonator is designed to create a high intensity three-dimensional ultrasonic standing wave resulting in an acoustic radiation force larger than the combined effects of fluid drag and buoyancy and is therefore able to trap and hold stationary, the suspended phase. The novelty is in the ability to create ultrasonic standing wave fields that can trap particles in flow fields with linear velocities in excess of 1 cm. High frequency (MHz), high-power, and high-efficiency ultrasonic drivers based on solid state switching mode amplifiers will be designed and developed. An embedded control solution using a Digital Signal Processor and microcontroller will be implemented to maintain resonance operation and control power delivery and acoustic trapping force. The broader impacts of this research are improved, green, and sustainable separation technology with applications such as environmental oil clean-up, bio-fuels production, and biomedical applications such as blood-lipid separation. The partners on project team are eager to develop this technology and create green jobs to provide a nascent manufacturing base in Western Massachusetts, a region devastated by a significant decline in its manufacturing base. The project brings together a unique team with proven innovators from several small companies, engineering faculty from across several disciplines, three graduate students, and eleven undergraduate engineering students. Efforts are being undertaken to include underrepresented minorities in the REU and MS programs. Partners at the inception of the project are Western New England College, as the lead institution, with collaborators from the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Departments in the College of Engineering, and three knowledge-enhancing small business partners: FloDesign Sonics Inc. (Wilbraham, Massachusetts), UTX Inc. (Holmes, New York), and FloDesign Inc. (Wilbraham, Massachusetts). An additional partner is the University of Southern Maine.