RHEOLOGY Solutions has signed a license agreement with the CSIRO to develop and manufacture a process control instrument.
The On-Line Rheometer (OLR) will be used to measure how fluids with multiple viscosities respond to applied forces without the need to shut down the whole process.
The company says current methods to determine a fluid’s rheology require a sample to be taken and analysed in an off-line rheometer. This is a potentially time-consuming exercise and operators may have to halt the whole fluid handling system until the results are returned.
Similarly, the quality of product could be compromised if the process remains on-line before the results of the tests are known.
According to the developer, the OLR uses a patented multi-frequency squeezing flow technique to determine the rheology in a short time while the system is still running. This has the potential to save time, money and energy and reduce wastage.
The CSIRO required a partner to progress further with the technology after initially developing it. The organisation released an expression of interest in 2007 to seven companies around the world with expertise in the area.
Rheology Solutions was chosen as the partner. A joint manufacturing facility will be established in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria.
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