Projectname:
Development and application of an adaptive 3D camera measurement technique for the semi-analytical modeling of spray cleaning processes
Workgroup: Hygienic production
Research Partner and Scientific Guidance:
IGF: 22492 BR
Financing: BMWK
Duration: 2022 – 2024
Cleaning machines and systems with permanently installed cleaning-in-place (CIP) cleaning devices is an important process step in the food processing industry that ensures product quality and durability. In order to meet growing economic and ecological demands, a high level of process efficiency is required, which cannot currently be achieved due to a lack of design aids and process knowledge. The project is intended to help make better use of potential savings for valuable resources such as water, chemicals and energy.
The aim of the project is the semi-analytical modeling of the spray cleaning process, taking into account the prevailing cleaning mechanism, by identifying specific process variables relevant to spray cleaning. Experimental studies provide deeper insight into the interaction areas of the spray cleaning process. For this purpose, a new type of camera measurement technology with adaptive optics is being developed and used, which for the first time records the removal and movement of the thin layer of contamination in high resolution and three dimensions. In addition, high-resolution data about the spray and the film flow resulting from drop impact on the surface are determined. On this basis, important process knowledge can be gained about the physical relationships between spray, film flow and contamination removal. This enables the development of semi-analytical process models that can be used to predict cleaning and can be used for process optimization.
The process models and application recommendations, which are freely available after the end of the project, allow cleaning processes to be designed system-specifically in practice with as little experimental and computational effort as possible. There is great economic benefit, particularly for SMEs in the manufacturing industry and in the area of development and calculation services. SMEs in the field of flow measurement technology benefit from new measurement approaches with which layer and film flows that were previously difficult to access can be measured in high resolution.
The IGF project presented here by the Research Association of the Industrial Association for Food Technology and Packaging (IVLV e.V.) is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action as part of the program for the promotion of industrial community research (IGF) based on a decision of the German Bundestag.