A Particulate Mass Flux Sensor for the Food Process Industry

Currently, there is no suitable method of monitoring the mass flux of particulate material such as flour, sugar, chocolate chips, etc. for a continuous production process. Therefore, many of the food products are manufactured using batch processes, with very high inefficiencies and wide variation in the quality of the end product. If a continuous particulate mass flux sensor were available, then food manufacturers would move to continuous production processes, saving both energy and resulting in less product quality variation. One of the major requirements for obtaining consistent quality in continuous processes is a reliable on-line mass flux monitoring and control system. This SBIR project is geared towards developing and demonstrating a crucial component of such an on-line monitoring and control system. If successful, this will provide a tremendous boost to continuous production processes across the food industry. In addition, other pharmaceutical and chemical companies that utilize bulk powders in continuous production will benefit from the proposed product. For pharmaceutical companies, it is always critical to have consistent product quality, and the proposed product will have a strong secondary market in the pharmaceutical industry.