关键词: 图像分析, 畸变校正, 高剪切混合器, 增稠剂, 团聚体, 解团聚

Abstract:

In toothpaste process, thickeners such as carboxymethyl cellulose and carbomer tend to form agglomerates in high shear mixers (HSMs),which will cause quality problems as well as disturb normal production. To investigate the influence of different operational conditions of HSMs on agglomerates, the image analysis method based on software Photoshop and Image J was applied to measure the area and total count of agglomerates in a HSM. The influence of rotational speeds, circulating number and total energy input was analyzed. The results showed that the at 1700—2600r/min, the areas of about half number of agglomerates are in the range of 0.5—1.5mm². At 1700—2000r/min, as the circulating number increases, the normalized total count fluctuates significantly. At 2150—2600r/min, as the circulating number increases, the normalized total count decreases without fluctuation. The total energy input is key factor that controls the total count of agglomerates and when total energy input reaches 1000kJ, the total count of agglomerates decreases to the minimum value.

Key words: image analysis, distortion correction, high shear mixer, thickener, agglomerate, deagglomeration