SpectroBAY® NIR Analysis Technology

KROHNE, Inc. announces its new SpectroBAY® process near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer system for efficient process control in the chemical industry. Improving chemical plant reliability and profitability through automated control, the system is ideal for a range of applications, including fluids, gases, and suspensions in conjunction with optical sensors. Chemical plants equipped with the NIR spectrometer system operate more profitably and achieve a return on investment in a shorter period of time.

In the last 10 years NIR spectroscopy has established itself as a powerful tool in the process analysis technology (PAT) sector, the real time measurement of the composition of the chemical substances being processed. NIR is an ideally suited tool for the quantification of chemical compositions and its use in process control ensures that chemical production plants are operated at their technical and economic optimum.
The NIR spectrometer system is perfect for chemical processing plants with several educts and raw materials that are reacted with a catalyst in a solvent. Offering repeated precise measurements at many stages, it can be used for quality checks for incoming material, measurement of product characteristics like identity and purity, evaluation of secondary component characteristics, as well as monitoring reaction progress during chemical conversion for safety and production performance.

SpectroBAY offers trouble-free integration into existing process control setups. The analysis components of the spectrometer system and the automation components are all housed in a single control cabinet. One fiber optic cable transports the optical signal to the process; another brings the light from the probe with its spectral information back to the cabinet. The returned NIR spectrum is processed using a chemometric model stored on the PC to identify the chemical components and to determine their concentrations. The inline flange probe is simply screwed in between two pipe flanges. Because no electrically active parts are installed, the optical inline measurement is also ideal for use in areas with an explosive atmosphere.

In addition to the spectrometer, the system includes the powerful Analyzer Result Transfer Software (ARTS), which transforms results into file formats that can be forwarded to the control system. Status signals and other analyzer data can be used to flag potential errors and maintenance notifications. ARTS can also be used to compile official documentation and record consumption data and processes.



KROHNE, (978) 535-6060, www.us.krohne.com