PROCESS INTENSIFICATION USING HIGH INTENSITY FOCUSSED ULTRASOUND TECHNIQUES

本工作计划旨在将生物医学中使用的高强度聚焦超声（HIFU）方法应用于工业过程控制系统。与当前生物医学HIFU的研究趋势类似，该研究计划旨在创建通用超声换能器系统，用于特别是与制药和食品工业相关的广泛工业过程的强化。在Strathclyde （GR/N17928/01）建立了一个非侵入式压力测量设施，并将用于通过有限元（FE）虚拟原型环境设计的基于阵列的高功率超声系统的开发提供平台。在这里，有限元代码将用于系统设计过程中，以确定高强度区域，这些区域可以被认为是在HIFU激励下提供最高潜力的空化场。将考虑使用有限元模拟和实验评估相结合的多种换能器配置，以用于工业HIFU系统，包括：超声波阵列；一组分立的超声波装置和一个集成的监测/HIFU换能器。一旦HIFU技术在实验室规模的反应堆容器中成功演示，该计划将调查将这些系统开发成工业规模的过程工厂仪表的挑战性任务。这将包括新的反应堆容器设计，其中超声波换能器配置是设计过程的一个组成部分；工业规模反应器中散射/阻尼效应增加的影响以及在合适的情况下将HIFU技术应用于在线采样环路。该项目的主要目标是研究实现实际工业HIFU系统的策略，这些系统可以满足使用高功率超声波进行过程强化的日益增长的工业需求。

This work programme aims to adapt the High Intensity Focussed Ultrasound (HIFU) methods used in biomedicine for application in industrial process control systems. Analogous with the current research trends in biomedical HIFU, this research programme will aim to create versatile ultrasonic transducer systems for intensification across a wide range of industrial processes associated with the pharmaceutical and food industries, in particular. A non-invasive pressure measurement facility has been established at Strathclyde (GR/N17928/01) and will be used to provide a platform for the development of array based high power ultrasonic systems designed via a finite element (FE) virtual prototyping environment. Here, the FE code will be used in the system design process to identify regions of high intensity which can be considered as offering the highest potential as sites for a cavitating field under HIFU excitation. A number of transducer configurations will be considered, using a combination of FE simulation and experimental evaluation, for application in an industrial HIFU system including: ultrasonic arrays; an array of discrete ultrasonic devices and an integrated monitoring/HIFU transducer. Once the HIFU techniques have been successfully demonstrated in a laboratory scale reactor vessel, the programme will investigate the challenging task of developing these systems into industrial scale process plant instrumentation. This will encompass new reactor vessel designs, in which the ultrasonic transducer configuration is an integral part of the design process; the influence of increased scattering/damping effects in industrial scale reactors; and the application of HIFU techniques to an in-line sampling loop, if appropriate. The key project aim is to investigate strategies which will realise practical industrial HIFU systems which can satisfy the growing industrial demand for process intensification using high power ultrasound.