In-situ Monitoring of Flowing Pharmaceutical Powders

该项目旨在开发一种利用太赫兹（THz）波监测颗粒材料质量流动速率的现场实时技术。提供共同资金的工业合作伙伴表示需要一种在线流量监测技术，而基于太赫兹的传感器系统有可能为他们提供所需的能力。将颗粒状物料输送到下游工序是许多生产线的关键操作，从聚合物、食品到药品。喂入的准确性在药品生产中尤为重要，喂入的不一致直接影响到药品的最终质量、疗效和安全性。高效药物产品和微型工厂需要精确的微克剂量，这对于目前可用的进料系统来说是一个特别大的挑战，并且由于缺乏能够准确监测低质量流量的技术。基于太赫兹的技术特别适合于这一目的，因为大多数制药原料对太赫兹辐射是透明的（而它们在可见光下是不透明的）。粉末质量流量的变化会引起其太赫兹透射特性的变化，这可以直接监测并与流量相关。现场测量将在最先进的进料系统以及低流量和高精度系统的新设置上进行，这是在额外的博士项目中开发的（见下文，称为博士生2）。该项目将与工业伙伴密切对话和合作，以确保开发的技术满足他们的过程监控需求。该项目与国家物理实验室在先进制造、生命科学与健康以及嵌入式和无处不在测量方面的战略保持一致。

The project aims to develop an in-situ real-time technique for monitoring mass flow rates of granular materials using terahertz (THz) waves. The industrial partners who are providing co-funding have expressed need for an in-line flow-monitoring technology and a THz based sensor system has the potential to provide them the desired capability. The feeding of granular materials to downstream processes is a key operation in many manufacturing lines, ranging from polymer and food to pharmaceuticals. The accuracy of the feeding is specifically important in manufacturing medicines, where inconsistency in feeding has a direct effect on the final quality, efficacy and safety of the drug product. High-potency drug products and microfactories require the dosing of precise micrograms, which is a particularly big challenge with currently available feeding systems and due to the lack of a technology that is capable of monitoring low mass flow rates accurately. A THz-based technique is exceptionally suited to this purpose, because most pharmaceutical feedstocks are transparent to THz radiation (whereas they are opaque in the visible). A variation in the mass flow of powder will cause a change in its THz transmission properties, which can be directly monitored and correlated with flow rates. The in-situ measurements will be performed on state-of-the art feeding systems as well as on novel setups for low-flow and highly accurate systems, as developed in the additional PhD project (see below, referred to as PhD student 2). The project will proceed in close conversation and collaboration with the industrial partners, to ensure that their process monitoring needs are met by the developed technology. The project is aligned with NPL strategies on Advanced Manufacturing, Life Sciences & Health, and Embedded and Ubiquitous Measurement.