TECHNOLOGY
A number of other process analytical technologies are available in the market (NIR, FTIR or Raman) having the potential for process monitoring in some situations, but the majority of technologies based on conventional in-line spectroscopic techniques are yet to provide an easy-to-use, industrially robust unit with a high degree of accuracy in a process setting. Many offerings require considerable user input to calibrate and setup the instrument, which are time intensive and require considerable expertise and additional equipment to establish. Specshell’s instruments are designed and installed with the user in mind and deliver meaningful data from the first batch upon installation.
LIVE PROCESS MONITORING
Specshell’s analytical instruments record the in-line reflected spectra from the process and through a set of unique multivariate calibration complexes, tailored to each specific application, they are able to determine and provide a full profiling of the key molecules present in the analysed slurries or liquids. Specshell’s instruments do not try to outperform conventional chromatographic techniques such as HPLC or GC-MS for error and detection limits, but give the greater benefit of having online data generation over the course of the whole process. Operators can even better decide when to sample their process based on SIBA or ZYMON outputs, increasing your staff and laboratory efficiency!
IN-LINE PROCESS ANALYSIS
Specshell has designed all of the analytical instruments in order to avoid tedious sample filtration and processing, providing the user with a stand-alone in-line analytical device that requires no operator intervention for the monitoring of the process. The technology only measures dissolved species, as it is able to neglect solid particles. The device is connected to the process in a closed sample loop, placing the slurry in contact with the advanced optics unit and diamond sample plate. The Mid-Infrared beam will create an evanescent wave when interacting with the diamond that interacts with only the dissolved components of the slurry before the unabsorbed portion of the IR beam is reflected to the detector.
INDUSTRIAL ROBUST TECHNOLOGY
Specshell technology has been developed to be industrial robust, and perform optimally, even in the harsh conditions of an industrial setting. Manufactured from robust, food-grade materials, when placed in the right place, SIBA and ZYMON will work optimally year-round.
Specshell’s system are designed in a way that they only need to be incorporated into the standard caustic CIP schedule. Fouling is minimised by Specshell’s patented self-cleaning technology, providing users with a maintenance free solution for 24/7 monitoring. In ZYMON case, our system can even be used to assess the effectiveness of the caustic CIP cycle by monitoring its chemical composition in-line.
Specshell’s technologies have been developed to cope with processes that handle liquids across a wide temperature and pressure range, as commonly encountered in a brewery or bioprocess facility. In-line liquid temperatures of 5-90°C and a pressure up to 3 bar are easily handled without worry of damage to the instrument.
ADVANCED OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY
Specshell’s analytical solutions operate in the Mid-Infrared area where the dissolved components in contact with the diamond will present a unique fingerprint of absorption. From these absorption fingerprints, or spectra, we can extract very detailed information about the key molecules of interest. This information in turn is used in Specshell’s advanced chemometric models to predict the concentrations in real-time. Thus, these devices provide very accurate, real-time measurements from the process. In contrast, systems utilizing Near-Infrared (NIR) technologies produce spectra which capture less of detail with regards to the dissolved components in the process liquid, effectively they can’t distinguish between molecules that are very similar, like simple sugars for instance. This means that predictive models based on NIR are inaccurate and can provide incorrect information on the presence and concentration of the molecules of interest, limiting their application in industrial processes.
