Award for novel tomography system
Industrial Tomography Systems has won first prize of GBP 20,000 in the Best Business Idea competition 2002/3.
Industrial Tomography Systems has won first prize of GBP 20,000 in the Best Business Idea competition 2002/3.
The competition is organised by Campus Ventures, the Manchester-based, not-for-profit company striving for social and economic development of the North-West of the UK.
The winning technology - presented as the Optomix probe used in the baffle of a mixing vessel - uses tomography to provide a real-time image of what is going on inside the vessel's metal walls.
Once operators can see what is happening, they can adjust key process variables to get better results.
Electrical tomography involves a simple sensor network coupled with highly sophisticated electronics and software.
Invented at UMIST, tomography can be applied in a variety of ways to process equipment: for instance, as a series of sensors arranged in planes around the circumference of a reactor or pipe, in an array across a filter bed or, as with Optomix, in the baffle of a mixing vessel or, in the mining industry, a bubble and froth vessel.
Ken Primrose, Managing Director of ITS, explains what benefits Optomix brings to industry: "The probe can be used wherever solids and liquids are being mixed together.
It has applications across pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, water treatment, mining, chemicals manufacturing, and food and drink.
Implementation is likely to generate substantial benefits for the process industry.
Companies who are already successfully trialling the technology include BNFL and GlaxoSmithKline".
"Winning this competition is tremendous for the company.
The money will enable us to accelerate our recruitment programme and will help underpin funding of growth.
It also raises the profile of our technology and gives recognition to the team".
Six finalists, all with a new technology business, competed in the final of the competition.
Now in its third year, the competition is sponsored and supported by HSBC Bank, Manchester Science Park, MIDAS (Manchester Inward Development Agency Service), accountant PKF and law firm Halliwell Landau - all organisations are involved in supporting and advising emerging technology businesses across the North West.
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