NEW ORLEANS - Advanced Polymer Monitoring Technologies Inc. (APMT) is a major partner on a nearly $2 million project led by Tulane University and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO). This funding supports development of automated feedback control software for polymer production utilizing APMT’s instrumentation. APMT has developed an R&D system for continuous measurement and analysis of critical polymer properties during synthesis, named ACOMP, used in this project. The system includes integrated control interface software, a reactor with full reaction control features and an integrated ACOMP system. The Tulane team has operated the APMT system, now available as a product, since installation in mid-2015. Jose Romagnoli’s group at Louisiana State University (LSU) is collaborating with the team on reaction control strategies. Romagnoli is the Cain Endowed Chair and Professor at the Cain Department of Chemical Engineering at LSU.

Wayne F. Reed, the Tulane Principal Investigator, said, "The complementary teams working on this project have led to exciting results beyond original expectations. The project is on course to achieve fully automatic control of polymerization reactions, including optimized process paths and molecular weight distribution targets before the end of 2016.” Reed presented initial results at DECHEMA’s 12^th Workshop on Polymer Reaction Engineering in Hamburg, Germany.

Dickson Ozokwelu, Technology Manager at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office said, “AMO supports the development of next-generation manufacturing technologies for the future of manufacturing. This two-year project seeks to create a paradigm shift in how polymers are manufactured in the 21^st century, utilizing novel analytical, modeling and process control technologies.”

Advanced Polymer Monitoring Technologies Inc. develops, manufactures and distributes products and services for the real-time monitoring, analysis and control of polymer reactions, solutions, dispersions and suspensions across all synthetic and natural polymer sectors from research and development through high-volume industrial production.

DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office support this project. AMO supports applied research, development and demonstration of new materials and processes for energy efficiency in manufacturing as well as platform technologies for the manufacturing of clean energy products.