Progress in Process Instrumentation

Abstract

The idea of applying analytical monitoring to the determination of components in industrial process streams is hardly new. Indeed, potential applications of process analytical chemistry have been under discussion in the analytical community for decades. However, a number of recent developments are fueling increasing interest in process instrumentation among academic, government, and industrial researchers. These developments, which include advances in fiber optics, sensor miniaturization, and the development of powerful new microprocessor chips, have combined to make process analysis more feasible than ever before. This increased interest in process instrumentation was reflected in standing-room-only attendance at a recent symposium on The Analytical Chemistry Opportunity in Process Instrumentation at the 1987 Pittsburgh Conference in March. The symposium was organized and cochaired by Bernard J. Bulkin and K.L. Gallaher of Standard Oil Company.