Application of ultrasonics in the on-line determination of supersaturation

An ultrasonic technique is used to develop a method based on the measurement of both ultrasonic velocity and temperature of the supersaturated media for the on-line determination of the supersaturation. It is demonstrated by the example of aqueous K2SO4 solution in a seeded batch crystallizer. The feasibility of this technique was investigated using a commercial available sensor. The experimental measurements for the desupersaturation versus time trajectory proved that this technique can be successfully employed to measure supersaturation with sufficient accuracy and precision. Such sensor is preferred in the on-line application due to its fast response and the availability to be applied directly in the slurries without any need to the solid-liquid separation.