Chemometrics Methods for Image-Based Monitoring and Control of Industrial Processes and Product Quality

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The long term goal of this research program consists of developing new chemometrics methods and systems engineering approaches for reducing variability, improving process operation and product quality in industrial areas that are important for the Canadian economy. Process chemometrics means using multivariate latent variable statistical methods for extracting relevant information from large process databases and multivariate images, and using the models for process monitoring, control and optimization. They help maintain international competitiveness, accelerate process development, and make a more efficient use of raw materials and energy. On the short term, the research will concentrate on developing tools for analyzing hyperspectral images of processes and products, and integrating these new sensors in engineering control systems in two areas: 1) production of complex polymer composites, and 2) culture systems for cell therapy development. To improve the performance/cost ratio and environmental signature of their products, the polymer processing industry is striving to replace the use of virgin resins as much as possible by incorporating low costs fillers and recycled resins. The viability of these new but more complex materials rely heavily on the ability to control the dispersion of the components within the finished products. This can hardly be assessed on a real-time basis using conventional destructive and time consuming lab testing. We will develop sensors and systems for real-time monitoring and quality control of these complex polymer composites. Large scale cell culture platforms are used for developing safer and better culture media for growing therapeutic stem cells and screening for molecules to stimulate growth and producing the desired type of cells more specifically. Monitoring growth, cell types and "health" for hundreds to thousands of cell cultures in parallel using the traditional manual approaches is time consuming. Automatic methods for non-intrusive monitoring of live cell cultures using long term large field phase contrast microscopy will be developed for accelerating media and cell therapy research.