Our colleagues from PDW Analytics and University of Potsdam, namely Justin Aaron Koenig (UP), Tobias Simon (PDWA) and Sebastian Zimmermann (UP), visited our industrial partner Evonik in Wesseling (Germany) from 9th till 20th October 2023.
The aim of this 2nd measuring campaign was to test the scale-up of the measurement technology (PDW) on larger scale, in a larger reaction vessel. During their stay, they monitored 8 precipitation reactions (4 different recipes) with the PDW Spectroscopy technology. PDWA built a specialized probe for this purpose, with a length of 160 cm, and designed to fit inside the large reactor of the “pilot plant”. The visit was conducted within the context of Case Study 2 âSilicaâ. As it can be visualised in the pictures below, after the precipitation, the probe is rinsed with water and remains inside the reactor. The PDWS setup yields robust and repeatable values for the optical coefficients of the investigated suspensions. The values represent the different stages of the reactions, such as gelation, ongoing precipitation and acidification. Current research aims at deducing geometrical information about the aggregated particles from these optical coefficients.
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The picture below is a gif. Please click on it to see the PDW probe inside Evonik’s laboratory reactor before / during and after the precipitation process:
Some highlights of the visit of UP/PDWA team at Evonikâs labs:
UP, PDWA and Evonik teams during the pilot plant trials.
PDW spectrometer measurement during the pilot plant trials.
PDW spectrometer during one of the precipitation runs in the lab.
PDW sensor built in Evonik’s pilot plant reactor.
