Holographic digital microscopy in on-line process control

This article investigates the feasibility of real-time three-dimensional imaging of microscopic objects within various emulsions while being produced in specialized production vessels. The study is particularly relevant to on-line process monitoring and control in chemical, pharmaceutical, food, cleaning, and personal hygiene industries. Such processes are often dynamic and the materials cannot be measured once removed from the production vessel. The technique reported here is applicable to three-dimensional characterization analyses on stirred fluids in small reaction vessels. Relatively expensive pulsed lasers have been avoided through the careful control of the speed of the moving fluid in relation to the speed of the camera exposure and the wavelength of the continuous wave laser used. The ultimate aim of the project is to introduce a fully robust and compact digital holographic microscope as a process control tool in a full size specialized production vessel. (C) 2011 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). [DOI: 10.1117/1.3605676]