oid v a mixing mishaps...viscosity, even miscible liquid blending can take a long time and require...

Avoid Mixing

Mishaps

Avoid Mixing

Mishaps

Mixing eHANDBOOK

TABLE OF CONTENTSStop Inconsistent Mixing 4

A range of factors can contribute to erratic performance

Get Educated on the Basics of Particle Size Reduction 10

Proper methodology depends on solid materials and their properties

Consider Agitated Photo Reactors for Industrial Syntheses 16

Technology can help lower reaction temperatures and reduce byproducts

Prepare for Industry 4.0 19

Integrated, holistic, smart operations help manufacturers gain a competitive edge

Additional Resources 25

AD INDEXFederal Equipment Co. • www.fedequip.com 3

Ekato • www.ekato.com 9

Arde Barinco • www.arde-barinco.com 18

Mixing eHANDBOOK: Avoid Mixing Mishaps 2

www.ChemicalProcessing.com

http://www.fedequip.com

http://www.ekato.com

http://www.arde-barinco.com

http://www.fedequip.com

Varying results from seemingly

repetitive processes afflict many

plants. Indeed, as a consultant for

mixing processes and equipment, I find that

a large proportion of my projects involve

tackling such issues.

Companies call upon me because they think

that at least part of their problems relate

to mixing. In most cases, the difficulties

result from not paying enough attention

to the process and, sometimes, just from

inadequate attention to the details. Some

inconsistencies become obvious with

careful observation of the entire process

from the raw materials to the product and

even packaging. However, some mixing

problems may be more difficult to assess

and correct.

Everyone knows something about mixing.

After all, it plays a role in preparing meals

in the kitchen and in performing some

do-it-yourself household projects like paint-

ing. However, this familiarity sometimes

hinders rather than helps. For instance,

duplicating what happens in a kitchen

mixing bowl or a laboratory beaker can

be difficult on an industrial scale just

because of size. Indeed, some industrial

mixing problems develop simply because

of the increased batch size. Mixing several

thousand gallons or pounds of material

is tougher than a similar operation in a

kitchen mixing bowl. In other cases, the

products being mixed may have different

components, some with unusual physical

properties. Even food ingredients can cause

process problems on the industrial scale.

Stop Inconsistent MixingA range of factors can contribute to erratic performance

By David S. Dickey, MixTech, Inc.



Most mixing inconsistencies stem from

one underlying misconception. Mixing isn’t

just one process and can’t always be done

successfully in one way or by one type of

equipment. Creating an oil-in-water emul-

sion requires different mixing functions than

those for suspending solids. Heat transfer

varies considerably depending on the ser-

vice, e.g., blending versus gas dispersion.

Correctly identifying the type of mixing pro-

cess and the most appropriate equipment is

an essential step in creating a consistently

successful mixing process.

DIFFERENT MIXING PROCESSESTo succeed, at a minimum a mixing process

must ensure that all the vessel contents are

moving. Whether the process is low viscos-

ity blending, high viscosity turnover, solids

suspension or gas dispersion, everything

must be in motion to achieve a practical

degree of uniformity. Increased unifor-

mity is the most common characteristic

that defines mixing, regardless of process

details or the phases present. Even dry

powder blending has greater uniformity as

its primary objective. A sufficient degree of

uniformity for powders is a random or cha-

otic distribution of different particles.

Liquid blending often is the simplest and

easiest mixing process to define and mon-

itor. Whether combining large quantities

of a few materials or adding many ingre-

dients to create a batch, mixing usually is

measured both by the degree of uniformity

and the time required to achieve that result.

When two or more components have simi-

lar physical properties achieving a uniform

combination generally doesn’t pose great

difficulty. However, if one component dif-

fers significantly in a physical property, e.g.,

viscosity, even miscible liquid blending can

take a long time and require intense mixing.

Adding the more viscous liquid to the less

viscous one almost always works better

than doing the opposite. The lower viscos-

ity liquid is easier to move and even may

be turbulent enough to help disperse the

higher viscosity addition. Putting a low vis-

cosity liquid into a high viscosity fluid can

be extremely difficult. The flow pattern in

a high viscosity liquid often is laminar with

stretching flow that only creates streaks or

sheets of the low viscosity fluid. It may take

a considerable amount of time to divide and

stretch the low viscosity liquid well enough

to achieve an acceptable blend.

RAW MATERIALSA mixer often is the main piece of equip-

ment that helps transform raw materials

into a product. The success of that process

step depends on both the raw materials

and the equipment. First, to have any hope

of making a quality product, sufficiently

consistent raw materials are essential. The

raw materials most likely to cause prob-

lems are natural ones, whether minerals or

agricultural products. Minerals taken from

the ground can differ in physical or chemi-

cal properties depending upon their origin,



even within a single deposit or mine. When

the minerals are refined before use, differ-

ences in properties still may exist; these can

change the ability of a mixer to produce the

desired product. Agricultural products also

may vary in properties because of moisture

content, growing conditions or other fac-

tors. Manufactured compounds typically are

less variable.

Eliminating differences in batches of raw

materials obviously is important to avoid

product inconsistencies. At the most fun-

damental level, a plant must purchase

components to the same specifications

and test them to ensure compliance with

those specifications. For some ingredients,

achieving consistent processing and product

quality requires meeting tight specifications.

In other cases, a relatively wide range of

physical and chemical parameters may be

acceptable. If material specifications can’t be

assured, the site must have a mixing process

sufficiently robust to handle the variability.

Depending on the type of process, every-

thing from chemical purity to particle size

or viscosity may be an important property.

One of the more common problems is an

inconsistent starting temperature. If a pro-

cess doesn’t begin at the same temperature

for each run, the fluid viscosity or reaction

rate may differ. Unfortunately, initial tem-

perature often varies highly depending

on time of day, day of the week, operator

observation, ambient temperature, etc.

In one case I encountered, a plant always

heated a batch of polymer before start-

ing the process but gave its operators

no instructions as to how high or low the

temperature should be. The process began

when the operator was ready — so, the tem-

perature differed from batch to batch.

Even when measurement of ingredients

is accurate, order of addition or rate of

addition can significantly affect process

results. Operator training or other meth-

ods can minimize addition variability. One

way to regulate the rate of addition is to

put in a measured quantity of an ingre-

dient and then mix for a certain period

before making another addition. The

amount of time between additions must be

long enough to avoid large differences in

local concentrations.

Even when measurement of ingredients is

accurate, order of addition or rate of addition

can significantly affect process results.



Another problem area, not directly related to

mixing, is post-processing and packaging. For

instance, the plant that had difficulties with

initial batch temperature also incurred issues

because it processed the finished polymer on

different pieces of equipment. Although the

final products looked the same, the actual

processing differed with respect to the steps

in the rolling and cutting operations.

Regardless of the methods used to regulate

a process, one of the best controls is accu-

rate recordkeeping. Proper batch records

not only promote good operating proce-

dures but also can serve as a key tool for

tracing possible causes of variations. Some

inconsistencies are as basic as differences

in operator training or experience. Certain

operators can improve a process while

others seem to introduce new problems

in every batch they make. The same plant

that didn’t monitor starting temperatures

or post-processing equipment also lumped

daily production into a single lot number.

Each day, it produced five to ten batches,

most at slightly different conditions. Lack

of individual lot numbers for these batches

significantly hampered finding a cause and

solution to inconsistency problems.

Another common misconception is that

good mixing requires a deep surface vortex.

In most cases, a deep vortex actually results

in poor mixing because all the flow is around

in a circle with little vertical or radial motion.

Baffles help convert some rotational motion

created by a center-mounted mixer into

both vertical or radial flow. (For more on

baffles, see “Don’t Let Baffles Baffle You,”

http://bit.ly/2HLVUua.) Vertical recircu-

lation usually is the most effective means

for creating a uniform blend or suspending

solids. Without adequate vertical motion,

ingredients added on the surface may take a

long time to reach the impeller and circulate

throughout the entire tank.

Even when a surface vortex may aid in

liquid or powder addition, the vortex never

should extend all the way to the impeller.

Once the impeller begins to draw air into

the liquid, pumping dies and mechanical

loads on the mixer increase. A deep vortex

in a laboratory beaker may work because

of short distances and times — but still

isn’t efficient.

PROCESS EVALUATIONObservation is key to quantifying and under-

standing mixing. That’s because all mixing

results are empirical. While correlations

permit accurately estimating impeller power

and pumping, these correlations come

from data obtained in experimental studies.

Other characteristics of mixer performance

require more direct monitoring. Indeed,

determining suitable process improvements

depends on good observations of existing

conditions. Mixing sometimes gets blamed

for process problems because it’s the least

well understood operation. Almost anyone

can identify good mixing in the kitchen and



http://bit.ly/2HLVUua

other household projects. The problems in

industrial mixing are much more difficult to

observe. Factors like tank size, metal con-

struction and opaque fluids sometimes make

direct monitoring nearly impossible.

The first step in making process obser-

vations is to quantify product quality.

Focusing on product quality directs the crit-

ical observations of the process at what the

customer sees. Quality control tests should

exist both for the product and the raw

materials. The basic observations before

and after the mixing operations must be

quantified and verified. To the extent prac-

tical, seek laboratory or pilot plant data,

even if from previous testing. A process or

test failure may provide the most important

information; unfortunately, such mishaps

often don’t get recorded and evaluated. In

many mixing applications, simply avoiding

previous mistakes or unsuccessful operat-

ing conditions can solve process problems.

Identifying changes in the process or

ingredients that correspond to the product

inconsistency problems may require docu-

mented conditions over a period of time. A

key step in making process improvements

or avoiding problems is obtaining objective

data about the problem.

Whenever possible, delve into the type

of mixing necessary for success of the

operation. Simple blending always is

necessary — but may be needed primarily

for batch uniformity of composition,

viscosity, temperature or other chemical

and physical properties. Mixing has

been around for a long time and studied

extensively. Numerous books and papers

present useful information about solving

mixing problems. A lot of practical advice

appears in the mixing section of CP’s

online Ask the Experts Forum (www.

ChemicalProcessing.com/experts/mixing/).

Even a basic Internet search may lead to

a source of information that can provide

guidance about possible improvements.

In the absence of a clear connection

between the process and result, the next

option may be to select an adjustment

to the process with a high likelihood of

success and a low probably of failure.

A reduction in batch volume of 10% to

15% should raise mixing “intensity” for an

existing process. If increasing the mixing

intensity doesn’t change blending and pos-

sibly other results, then mixing may not

be the primary problem. Making changes

to mixing based on subjective information

rather than on an understanding of how

mixing is likely to affect both the process

and the results is risky.

Always remember that you can’t solve incon-

sistency problems without making changes

— but that the appropriate alterations may

not necessarily involve just mixing.

DAVID S. DICKEY is senior consultant for MixTech, Inc.,

Coppell, Texas. E-mail him at [email protected].



http://www.ChemicalProcessing.com/experts/mixing/

http://www.ChemicalProcessing.com/experts/mixing/

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.ekato.com

Forty-eight years ago, the incoming

class of chemical engineers at my

enormous state university was told,

“Gentlemen and ladies, you will be taught

chemical engineering in both the English

system of inches and feet, pounds, gallons,

degrees Fahrenheit, BTUs and horsepower

along with the metric system of millimeters,

kilograms, liters, degrees Celsius, joules and

kilowatts because, in 10 years, the United

States of America will be switching to the

metric system!” As one irreverent radio

announcer used to say, “How did that work

out for you?” This led me to ask many

years later, “Does anyone know what a

micron is?”

If you are going to perform size reduction

of solid particles, the reduction must mean

starting from a specific size or group of

sizes and then reducing that size or group

of sizes to a smaller number. It is surprising

how often the following question is diffi-

cult to answer: “How big are the particles

to begin with? And how small do we need

them to subsequently be?”

Sometimes it is a simple question. Other

times it can get complicated and even con-

tentious because the size reduction is not

just two numbers but rather distributions of

numbers that can be described and mea-

sured in a lot of different ways.

SIZE NOTATION VARIES BY INDUSTRYMany different devices fulfill different parts

of the size reduction unit operation uni-

verse. Grinding can be a dry operation, or

the solid particles can be suspended in a

Get Educated on the Basics of Particle Size ReductionProper methodology depends on solid materials and their properties

By Roy R. Scott, Arde Barinco



liquid slurry. In that case, we would refer to

the operation as wet grinding.

Sometimes discrete individual particles

are smashed, cut, shredded or ground

into little pieces. Sometimes the “parti-

cles” actually are agglomerations of many

smaller particles stuck together. If a group

of agglomerations is separated in the

presence of liquid, that usually is called dis-

persion. In the coatings industry, in which

dispersion of pigment particles is reduced

to a fine degree — often even down to

several microns — that operation is known

as grinding, and the degree to which the

agglomerations are deagglomerated is

known as the grind.

When fine particles are desired, the machin-

ery and the process usually have some

sort of high-speed rotating element or use

high velocity and fine gaps between rotor

and stationary (e.g., housing) elements to

impinge particles to high rates of shear

(Figure 1).

WHAT TO CONSIDEREach size reduction method has a limit on

how large a particle it can handle. Each has

a limitation on how small a specific mate-

rial in a given state can be reduced. All of

the details matter. Some solids, like a pane

of glass, will break into many little pieces

when they are subjected to forces. Some

materials, such as rubber, for instance, do

not break very easily. To wit, hard materials

usually are easier to break down than soft

materials. To specify a grinding machine

and a grinding method, the following need

to be established:

1. What is the material to be reduced?

What are its properties?

2. How large are the individual particles?

How small are do you want them to be?

3. Will you use wet grinding or

dry grinding?

HIGH-SHEAR ROTOR STATOR WET DISPERSION MILLFigure 1. When fine particles are desired, a high-speed rotating element or high velocity and fine gaps between rotor and stationary (e.g., housing) elements impinge particles to high rates of shear.



Large and small are relative terms, of

course. We also use language to describe

particle size. Boulders are large. Specks are

small. Lumps and chunks are in between,

but no numbers are attached to these

words. They can be helpful and descriptive,

except when they are misused.

A troubleshooting example of a particle

size reduction process in the ink industry

comes to mind. Oversize particles were a

big problem in this very fine ink. The over-

size particles were described as boulders!

The ink user was concerned. When pressed

as to the size of the “boulders,” the answer

was “10 microns.”

Given that 10 microns is one one-hundredth

(1/100) of a millimeter and as it takes more

than 25 millimeters to make an inch, these

were some of the smallest boulders ever seen.

But what about real boulders or, at least,

something as big as a basketball? Typically

the machines used to grind up particles this

size are known as crushers or shredders.

They usually have sturdy slower moving

parts that require very high torque power

trains. Good examples of shredding can be

found on the Web at www.ssiworld.com/

en/ or http://bit.ly/2A4hnuO.

It often is necessary in the size reduction

world to crush or shred before the busi-

ness of fine particle size reduction can

even begin.

DEALING WITH LUMPS AND CHUNKSAfter we have established that our particles

can be handled in a slurry form, we have

the option of wet grinding. Clearly, if we

have basketball-size particles, we cannot

slurry that up in a typical mixing tank and

expect the ball to flow down a 6-in.-diame-

ter (15-centimeter-diameter) pipeline into a

grinder. Whether or not we can grind solids

in a wet suspension is related to the ability

to flow into the grinding area.

Devices such as a bottom-entering blender,

e.g., Waring, Osterizer or Robot Coupe,

grind and shred in a wet slurry without

flowing down a pipeline, but these devices

are difficult and costly to scale up. The lim-

itation of most in-line wet grinding devices

is the reality of the diameter of pipeline that

the device is connected to.

Although a single 6-in. particle could flow

easily down a 10-in. pipeline, many 6-in.

particles probably would jam up a 10-in.

pipeline, so 6 in. may be too large for a

10-in. in-line wet grinder unless the number

of 6-in. particles is very low (Figure 2).

Lumps and chunks that are 6 in. to 1 in.

are candidates for wet grinders and lump

breakers. The specific manufacturer should

understand what the methodology’s inlet

size limitations are and how many big lumps

and of what size their machine is to expect.

A test often is suggested either to research



the capability fully or to convince manage-

ment that a given method will work.

MILL TYPE VARIES BY MATERIALIf the small grinding objects are made of

special hard ceramic or hard alloys such

as zirconium, then it is a media mill. If the

small spheres are made of steel, then it is a

shot mill.

Several designs exist, but all of them have

two requirements. First, the material that

is to be size-reduced must pass through

the grinding chamber at the desired parti-

cle size distribution. Second, the grinding

media must not pass though the mill and

must remain behind. Most designs put a

screen on the downstream end of the mill

that has openings that are smaller than the

grinding media.

A big problem arises if the solids to be

ground are too large. If they are not ground

up, they will blind the exit screen, and the

mill will plug. The particles fed to the agi-

tated bead mill must be small before they

enter the mill. For a typical application, the

particles must be less than 150 microns

(there’s that word again) before they enter

the mill. The slurry to be size-reduced must

be “pretty smooth” before it even enters

the fine grinding mill.

PARTICLE SIZE MATTERSMy compliments to all who have read this

far. You may be wondering when the article

will answer the question, “How fine….how

small…will the process and equipment grind

up my particles?” So far all we have been

discussing is how small the particles have

to be before grinding to choose a specific

machine. This is the important first step:

Finding a machine that will accept the initial

particle size.

For instance, if we look at the inlet show-

ing the 10-in-diameter grinding impeller in

Figure 2, we see three blades with teeth

on them. The manufacturer of that wet

grinder knows that particles that are ¼ of

the impeller diameter can readily enter the

grinding chamber. This is an idiosyncrasy of

the specific grinding machine that must be

determined by the grinder supplier based

on experience.

INLET OF A 10-IN.-DIAME-TER IN-LINE ROTOR STATOR LUMP-GRINDING PUMPFigure 2. Take care to know how many par-ticles will enter the grinder and whether the device can accommodate that number.



Finally, we come to the question that every

solid-particle processor wants to know

from the start: “How fine can your device

reduce the size of my particles?” If posed

to an equipment supplier, there is one and

only one honest answer to this question:

“It depends.”

MATERIAL AND BEHAVIORThe largest variable will be the solids them-

selves. Some lumps and agglomerates will

break into tiny pieces when subjected to

shear forces. Others, such as those that are

rubbery or, worse, containing fibrous mate-

rials, will be more difficult to size-reduce.

The solid material’s behavior when it is sub-

jected to force will determine the result.

With very large solids, crushers or shred-

ders are necessary. These devices reduce

materials down to 1 or 2 in. in diameter.

From there grinder pumps can reduce dif-

ficult lumps down to ¼ in. or even smaller

if the particle shatters on a hammer-

ing impact.

Grinder pumps and hammer mills can use a

discharge grid or screen (Figure 3) to hold

back oversize particles so that they remain

in the grinding chamber until they are small

enough to escape the grinder through these

small holes. Grinder pumps have rows of

stationary teeth on the pump housing that

mesh at a close tolerance with rows of teeth

on the high-speed grinding impeller.

This tolerance or “gap” can be as small as

0.5 millimeter and, if a product is recircu-

lated enough times through these shear

zones, the rotor/stator gap will become the

determining factor in the degree of particle

size reduction.

For particles that shatter when impacted,

it may be possible to use a grinder pump

with a fine tolerance to obtain particle size

distributions of 99% minus 100 mesh, which

is another way of saying 99% minus 150

microns. Finer? Sometimes, high-speed

rotor stator machines can do better, but

not usually.

After the initial particle size is 100 mesh,

only then is it a candidate for agitated bead

DISCHARGE GRID OPENINGS — 3/16 IN. DIAMETER (4.7 MILLIMETERS IN DIAMETER)Figure 3. This screen prevents oversize particles from escaping the grinder until they are small enough to pass through these small holes.



mills. These special devices can disperse

agglomerations and also grind discrete

particles below 10 microns and sometimes

finer. Mill manufacturers, first, have a large

database of successes with specific applica-

tions. Second, they usually are set up to run

tests on materials.

But the best method to demonstrate

particle size reduction equipment

capabilities is to run real production size

batches under real plant conditions. The

best company to work with not only will

know what they’re doing but also can offer

equipment on loan to run trials at your

processing facility.

ROY R. SCOTT, B.S. Ch. E,. is sales engineering man-

ager for Arde Barinco. He can be reached at R.Scott@

ardeinc.com.



Chemical reactions need activation

energy. Catalysts reduce this ener-

getic barrier, but the catalyst as an

additional component is expensive, often

toxic and pyrophoric. Light is an alternative

source of the activation energy.

Photochemical reactions can be initiated by

irradiation with wave lengths of 200 to 700

nanometers. This allows lower reaction tem-

peratures with less decomposition or fewer

byproducts. Examples of industrial photo

reactions are chlorinations, sulfonations,

sulfoxidations or nitrosylations.

The concept of the new agitated reactor is

ideal for multiphase reactions with liquid,

gases and solids. It combines high produc-

tivity and flexibility with a reliable operation

of the submerged light sources. Reactor

sizes up to 50 m3 or beyond can be realized

with the proven design.

LIGHT SOURCESThe light sources are mercury or LED lamps

submerged into the reaction mass inside

a quartz glass tube. The glass tubes pass

through nozzles in the tank head, where

they connect to the power supply and the

cooling medium. They need a hermetic

sealing and monitoring to ensure that the

unexpected case of a glass breakage is

detected immediately.

Their support must avoid local stress,

allow for thermal expansion and pre-

vent vibration initiated by the intense

agitation. As the power of the UV-lamps

ranges from 5 to 60 kW each, the lamps

need to be cooled inside the quartz tubes.

Consider Agitated Photo Reactors for Industrial SynthesesTechnology can help lower reaction temperatures and reduce byproducts

By Ekato Holding GmbH



Otherwise, high surface temperatures could

damage the products. Industrial reactors

can be equipped with four to 20 of such

quartz tubes.

AGITATORSThe light’s penetration depth into the reac-

tion mass is short. Thus, the agitator has to

provide high pumping rates and thereby a

permanent renewal of the reactants in the

irradiation zone. If one of the reactants is

a gas such as Cl2, O2 or SO2, it must be dis-

persed efficiently to achieve a maximum

mass transfer for high conversion rates. The

homogeneous suspension of solids as poly-

mers and the removal of the reaction heat

have to be considered as well in the design

of the agitator and tank.

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALSThe sealing of the agitator shaft towards

the atmosphere is a key element for a reli-

able operation. Double- or triple-acting

mechanical seals or hermetic magnetic

drives are applied. Agitated photo reactors’

construction materials are steel with the

option of glass lining, alloys or titanium.

EKATO designs, engineers, manufactures and develops

industrial agitators, reactors, mechanical seals as well as

vacuum process mixers and dryers and process plants.

For more information, visit www.ekato.com/en-us/.

LIGHT-SOURCED REACTIONSFigure 1. The agitator’s submerged light sources, housed in 4 to 20 quartz tubes, provide less-energy-intensive multiphase reactions with liquid, gases and solids.



http://www.arde-barinco.com

mailto:[email protected]

Chemical and pharmaceutical man-

ufacturers stand on the precipice

of a fourth industrial revolution as

they evaluate and initiate the transition into

Industry 4.0. Industry 4.0 is a reorientation

toward increased digitization and integra-

tion that synthesizes robotic machinery and

cyber-physical sensor systems, commu-

nications infrastructure supported by the

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and big

data analytic techniques to create smart,

self-regulating factories. At the same time,

it generates a wealth of data accessible

by operators, plant managers, corpo-

rate management, regulatory personnel

and customers.

Industry 4.0 is a new approach that gives

companies the ability to track all stages

of production and beyond, generating

real-time feedback about product status,

material availability, equipment main-

tenance and overall equipment and

process effectiveness that can be acted

upon immediately.

TRANSITIONING TO A NEW MANUFACTURING PARADIGMThe Industry 4.0 manufacturing model calls

for smart factories combining automation

and computer systems in novel ways, using

machine learning to monitor the manu-

facturing process and make and execute

decentralized decisions with minimal input

from human operators, except at higher

levels of decision-making.

Companies use networked and interoper-

able technology to capture and share data

among machines and devices, facilities,

Prepare for Industry 4.0 Integrated, holistic, smart operations help manufacturers gain a competitive edge

By Larry Kadis, Federal Equipment Company



operation segments and, ultimately, corpo-

rate management and entities downstream

in the supply chain.

Integrating physical equipment with data

and communications systems will enhance

automation, communication and monitor-

ing, providing more robust and reliable

analytics that allow real-time quality con-

trol, promote quality refinements and drive

productivity and cost savings increases.

Industry 4.0’s aim is to produce intelli-

gent products using intelligent methods

and processes.

Underlying this approach are four key

design principles:

• Interoperability: the ability of machines,

devices, sensors and people to connect

and communicate with each other via

the IIoT,

• Information transparency: the ability of

information systems to aggregate raw

sensor data to create a virtual copy of the

physical operation,

• Technical assistance: the ability of assis-

tance systems to aggregate and visualize

information to guide informed human

decision-making and to perform tasks

that previously required human action,

• Decentralized decisions: the ability of

cyber-physical systems to make their own

decisions as autonomously as possible.

As new technologies, software and pro-

duction approaches continue to evolve

and integrate through the IIoT, process

engineers and chemists can rely increas-

ingly on machine-based synthesis, thereby

avoiding a dependence on manual steps in

data capture potentially compromised by

human error.

Improving the integrity of all data collected

throughout the manufacturing process will

have a significant impact on the utility and

effectiveness of analytics and all possible

applications of that data. Manufacturing

systems that employ robotic and cogni-

tive automation technology will be able to

replace subjective human decisions and

actions with greater speed and precision —

and at greater scale.

The ultimate goal of Industry 4.0 is to con-

struct a physical-digital-physical cycle that

captures information from multiple sources,

analyzes and visualizes it in concert and

generates appropriate actions, thus link-

ing production, information technology

and operations technology across the

value chain. This cycle thus enables smart

supply chains and factories capable of pro-

cess management and control, predictive

management of assets and virtual commis-

sioning of facilities.

THE BENEFITS OF AN INDUSTRY 4.0 APPROACHIntegrating cognitive and machine learning

processes with data sensors and machinery

creates a system in which process variability



automatically can be detected and prescrip-

tively resolved as soon as possible — with

minimal or no input from human operators.

This will prevent downstream production

deviations and risks to the supply chain.

The capacity of machine intelligence to drive

self-optimization and self-configuration of

manufacturing machinery already has been

demonstrated, but the full potential has yet

to be realized. Future innovations in artificial

intelligence technology likely will take this

trend even further, allowing for additional

layers of data analysis, judgment and action

beyond the limits of human intelligence.

Continuous collection of real-time data from

sensors on critical equipment also enables

operators to shift from inefficient reactive

or arbitrarily scheduled repairs to programs

of predictive and responsive maintenance.

This will increase efficiency by avoiding pro-

duction errors resulting from malfunctioning

equipment and delays caused by surprise

repairs or unnecessary maintenance. Data

from the same equipment used with dif-

ferent specifications, at different sites or

with different integration parameters can

provide practical insight for optimizing per-

formance or designing future facilities.

Industry 4.0 approaches also can enhance

visibility throughout the supply chain, a cru-

cial benefit for manufacturing companies

operating in the business-to-business space

as suppliers or contract manufacturers.

Customers can be provided with complete

end-to-end data that assure them that the

chemicals they purchase have been pro-

duced, stored and transported according

to the specifications that they require for

downstream production processes.

All of these discrete benefits ultimately

drive the elimination of unproductive silos

and the liberation of manufacturing data

and intelligence such that it is readily and

comprehensively accessible to whoever

needs it and for applications as diverse as

process management, supply chain security,

value calculation and regulatory documen-

tation and validation automation.

Companies seeking to embrace Industry 4.0

are advised that it takes more than acquir-

ing individual emerging technologies to

Industry 4.0 approaches can enhance

visibility throughout the supply chain.



complete the paradigm shift. Manufacturers

must develop a strategic approach to these

digital and automated assets overall and

integrate them into their operations to take

advantage of the transformative potential.

For example, manufacturers typically par-

tition different types of data into separate

silos: one for research and development,

one for operations and manufacturing and

one for financial, sales and marketing. Meet-

ing the full promise of Industry 4.0 requires

centralizing and harmonizing these dis-

parate data to create a complete, holistic

view of the company, as well as retraining

employees and management.

DRIVING CHANGE IN INDUSTRYAlthough it lags behind other industries,

such as automotive and electronics manu-

facturing, the chemicals industry is adopting

Industry 4.0 technologies to drive business

operations by increasing productivity and

reducing risk via smart manufacturing and

supply chain security. It is standard for

valves to be operated by actuators under

control of an algorithm in a digital process

control system.

Automated and self-regulating liquid and

dry powder mixing and blending systems

are widely employed to increase efficiency,

reduce errors and track inventory. Addi-

tionally, many companies perform analytics

based on first principles and empirical and

hybrid models. However, few companies

have fully embraced the broader promise of

digitization and automation.

These technologies have the potential to

drive growth through incremental revenue

gains and the development of new reve-

nue streams resulting from R&D and smart

products and services.

A 2017 Price Waterhouse Coopers report on

the chemical industry found that chemical

companies planned to invest 5% of annual

revenue in digital operations, with 75% of

companies expecting to achieve advanced

levels of digitization of manufacturing

by 2019.

The companies surveyed anticipated annual

revenue gains of 3.1% and cost reductions of

4.2%. This likely will impact the growth tra-

jectory among chemical companies making

the shift from bulk sales revenue models

to providing value-added products and

services, as well as companies exploring

emerging big data–informed technologies,

such as additive manufacturing, advanced

materials systems and 4-D printing.

Industry 4.0 approaches also have the

potential to create entirely new revenue

models via forward integration into cus-

tomer operations.

Similarly, Industry 4.0 models are ideally

suited to address many of the most press-

ing issues in pharmaceutical manufacturing,



including continuous flow chemistry in oral

solid dose manufacturing, serialization, iso-

lation and containment and personalized

medicine. For flow synthesis specifically,

automation and in-line monitoring are criti-

cal for scaling laboratory-scale synthesis to

industrial capacity.

The transition to integrated automated sys-

tems in the pharmaceutical and contract

manufacturing industries follows the lessons

learned in chemicals manufacturing, includ-

ing the benefits of moving from batch to

continuous production.

Industry 4.0 technologies allow the

real-time relay of machine performance

information to both the manufacturer and

the equipment supplier, which also can

improve aftermarket performance, pro-

viding a metric that allows for structured

performance contracts that likely will

become crucial in the chemicals and phar-

maceutical industries.

RELYING ON EXPERTISE TO MAKE THE INDUSTRY 4.0 TRANSITIONAlthough the potential benefits of aligning

a manufacturing model with the principles

of Industry 4.0 are apparent, implemen-

tation is a long-term process requiring a

defined strategy that still leaves room for

flexibility as further innovations emerge.

The transition to an Industry 4.0 manufac-

turing paradigm demands investments in

hardware, analytic software and systems,

network infrastructure and data collection

and storage capacity to upgrade existing

facilities, as well as to design, construct and

validate new sites.

Companies navigating this shift are

advised to seek long-term strategic

relationships with equipment suppliers as

well as engineering and design firms. Such

partners work with many chemical and

pharmaceutical manufacturing companies

and are well-positioned to accumulate

expertise regarding the best methodologies

Implementation is a long-term

process requiring a defined strategy

that still leaves room for flexibility

as further innovations emerge.



and technologies used across the industry

and to recommend and implement the

most reliable and effective approach for a

given process.

Under the Industry 4.0 paradigm, individu-

als involved in equipment procurement no

longer can consider only the immediate and

specific need. Instead, they need to take a

more holistic approach to the entire man-

ufacturing process, the facility and future

innovations. A dependable partner is an

absolute necessity in making sure that all

machinery and the supportive software and

communication network can be integrated

smoothly and cohesively while preparing for

inevitable forthcoming upgrades.

In planning for an equipment or facil-

ity upgrade, a strategic partnership with

an equipment supplier can facilitate the

procurement of the most appropriate

equipment, but it also can help the manu-

facturer dispose of equipment assets that

no longer are appropriate or cannot be

optimally integrated with new technology

and software. Such assets could be rede-

ployed to other production lines or facilities

with less need for automation and integra-

tion or sold to other companies.

Additionally, while the Internet 4.0 model

ultimately will require less decision-making,

quality control and action on the part of

human operators, it still needs human over-

sight. Operators must be retrained to take

advantage of automated and integrated

production system capabilities.

The second-hand equipment market pro-

vides manufacturing companies with

immediately available machinery that

promotes process upgrades and capacity

expansions with reduced lead time for spec-

ification, delivery and installation compared

with primary suppliers.

Key considerations when deciding whether

to procure used equipment include finding a

reputable dealer with an appropriate range

of equipment from dependable manufactur-

ers in inventory and that also has expertise in

industry trends, logistics and industry-lead-

ing process innovations to help clients make

the most informed strategic decisions.

Chemical manufacturers no longer face

the question of whether to adapt their

businesses to the Industry 4.0 model, as

digitization likely will soon be a requisite

for competitiveness. Rather, the pertinent

questions are how to begin and how to con-

tinue the transformation to digitization and

automation.

LARRY KADIS is CEO, president and co-owner of Fed-

eral Equipment Company. He can be reached at larry@

fedequip.com.



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