LINE-TRACK: technology to improve overall yield during the manufacturing process

Funder: Engineering and Physical Research CouncilValue: £101,488
The project aims to devise innovative technologies and engineering solutions in food & drink manufacturing. Process yield losses are currently identified by the mass balance method; at the end of the production run, the output is compared to the input of the various process ingredients and materials. This method only identifies the losses after the event and does not determine where the losses have occurred and so required improvements are difficult to identify accurately. The next product run materials may be different and so the identified improvements may not be fully applicable. The proposed tracking technology called LINE-TRACK adopts the principles of prognostics to measure the yield losses in real-time. LINETRACK can be used to 1) identify the points where losses occur; 2) help identify root causes of the losses; 3) alert the operators as soon as the losses are above specified targets & 4) directly intervene in the system with the ultimate goal to avoid losses occurring.