Monitoring of the primary drying of a lyophilization process in vials / Barresi A. A.; Pisano R.; Fissore D.; Rasetto V.; Velardi S. A.; Vallan A.; Parvis M.; Galan M. AbstractAn innovative and modular system (LyoMonitor) for monitoring the primary drying of a lyophilization process in vials is illustrated: it integrates some commercial devices (pressure gauges, moisture sensor, mass spectrometer), an innovative balance and a Manometric Temperature Measurement system based on an improved algorithm (DPE) to estimate sublimating interface temperature and position, product temperature profile, heat and mass transfer coefficients and parameters required for control purposes and recipe optimisation. A soft-sensor using a multipoint wireless thermometer can also estimate the previous parameters in a large number of vials.The performances of the previous devices for the determination of the end of the primary drying are compared. Finally, all these sensors can be used for control purposes and for the optimisation of the process recipe; the use of DPE in a control loop will be shown as an example. Topical headingProcess systems engineering

This paper presents a new non-contact method to measure vibrations using a low cost optical approach, yet able to provide sub-micrometer resolution. The transducer exploits a simple optical setup based on an intensity detection scheme implemented with plastic optical fibers, while innovative non-demanding spectral data processing allows compensating for the vibrating surface reflectivity and the gains of the measurement chain. The performance of the proposed system have been assessed, through the comparison with other techniques, performing several measurement tests using targets vibrating at frequencies from few hertz up to several tens of kilohertz and with different values of reflectivity.

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This paper deals with a wireless sensor network that was specifically designed to monitor temperature-sensitive products during their distribution with the aim of conforming to the cold-chain assurance requirements. The measurement problems and the constraints that have been encountered in this application are initially highlighted, and then, an architecture that takes such problems into account is proposed. The proposed architecture is based on specifically designed measuring nodes that are inserted into the products to identify their behavior under real operating conditions, e.g., during a typical distribution. Such product nodes communicate through a wireless channel with a base station, which collects and processes the data sent by all the nodes. A peculiarity of the product nodes is the low cost, which allows the information on the cold-chain integrity to be provided to the final customer. The results that refer to the functional tests of the proposed system and to the experimental tests performed on a refrigerated vehicle during a distribution are reported.

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The paper presents the characterization results of a new all-optical applicator for improved tumor laser ablation treatments that features customized irradiation pattern and builtin temperature sensors. The probe exploits a double cladding optical fiber to integrate some Bragg gratings acting as temperature sensing elements in the core, while guiding the high power beam used for the ablation in the inner cladding. The assessment of the probe behavior has been conducted in two steps: first, with an agar gel phantom to characterize the irradiation pattern and to validate the Bragg grating based measurement setup in comparison with a thermographic camera; then, simulating actual treatments using an ex-vivo animal liver.

The paper presents the characterization results of temperature sensors designed to be employed during thermal treatments of tumors, such as in the laser ablation of malignant cells. The developed sensors are based on Fiber Bragg Gratings, a sensing element able to measure the temperature in proximity of the laser beam without significantly modifying the radiation pattern or perturb the temperature at the sensor site. Different sensor embodiments are analyzed and compared in term of linearity and dynamic response; then a preliminary test during an emulated ablation using a phantom is also presented.