Development of inspection system for the detection and analysis of solid particles and oil droplets in process water of the petrochemical industry using hyperspectral imaging and fluorescence imaging

Abstract

In the petrochemical industry process water contains solid particles and oil droplets that need to be removed by the water treatment process before the water can safely be returned to the environment. The development of a hyperspectral imaging system for the detection and analysis of solid particles and the development of a fluorescence imaging system for the detection of oil droplets in in the process water of the petrochemical industry are presented. The particle and droplet size range for this application is in the range from 5 μm to 150 μm. Currently used particle analyzers use monochrome cameras with backlight illumination to image the particles in the process water. This results in a monochrome image which is used to derive shape and size of the particles and droplets. The shape information is used to differentiate between solid particles and oil droplets. The solid particles appear black in the images and therefore a more detailed analysis of their material is not possible. The high spectral resolution of the presented hyperspectral imaging system allows for an analysis of the particle materials. The fluorescence imaging system is used for a reliable detection of the oil droplets. This information is vital for the process water treatment in the oil production. The laboratory demonstrator and the initial results of measurements on solid particles and oil droplets in aqueous suspension are presented.