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

来自西新英格兰大学的这个创新合作项目专注于超声声泳分离技术平台，该平台将实现多组分液体流的高效分离技术，消除浪费，减少所需能源，并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量声泳相分离器。 声泳是一种低功率、无压降、无堵塞的固态方法，用于从流体悬浮液中去除颗粒，并用于实现通常用多孔过滤器进行的分离，但没有多孔过滤器的缺点。 声谐振器被设计成产生高强度三维超声驻波，从而产生大于流体阻力和浮力的组合效应的声辐射力，并且因此能够捕获并保持静止的悬浮相。新奇之处在于能够产生超声波驻波场，该驻波场可以捕获线速度超过1 cm的流场中的颗粒。 设计并开发基于固态开关模式放大器的高频（MHz）、大功率、高效率的超声波驱动器。将实施使用数字信号处理器和微控制器的嵌入式控制解决方案，以维持谐振操作并控制功率输送和声学捕获力。这项研究的更广泛影响是改进的、绿色的和可持续的分离技术，其应用包括环境石油清洁、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基地，该地区因制造基地大幅萎缩而遭受重创。该项目汇集了一个独特的团队，其中包括来自几家小公司的经过验证的创新者，来自多个学科的工程教师，三名研究生和十一名本科工程学生。正在努力将代表性不足的少数民族纳入REU和MS方案。项目开始时的合作伙伴是西部新英格兰学院，作为牵头机构，与工程学院机械和电气工程系的合作者，以及三个知识增强型小企业合作伙伴：FloDesign Sonics Inc.（Wilbraham，马萨诸塞州）、UTX Inc.（Holmes，纽约）和FloDesign Inc.（Wilbraham，马萨诸塞州）另一个合作伙伴是南缅因州大学。

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.