Aymat, Efrain

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Improving continuous manufacturing process reliability through feeding control system
(2018-12-12) Aymat, Efrain; Velázquez-Figueroa, Carlos; College of Engineering; Cordova-Figueroa, Ubaldo M.; Acevedo Rullan, Aldo; Department of Chemical Engineering; Juan Garcia, Eduardo
Continuous manufacturing processes are complex systems composed of multiple unit operations where process variables and material properties interaction allow the development of soft PAT sensors. Hence, this study was focused on identifying the key feeding system variables (upstream) able to predict changes in particles size (D50). Monitoring changes in particle size through a soft PAT sensor within the feeding system allows the development of preventive measures in the tablet press to ensure product quality. By analyzing three distinctive granulations, in terms of D50, this study was able to identify the feeder variables that distinguish the three granulations: Average Feed Factor and Drive Command. However, on AFF vs PSD linear regression shows that the Average Feed Factor was enough to detect particle size changes with a R2 equivalent to 97%. This linear behaviour allowed the development of a decision tree algorithm to determine changes in particle size with potential impact in the tablet properties through the press stage. Additionally, the development of a decision tree to establish the preventive measures to ensure product quality within the tablet press were also provided as part of this study.