UIP500 - Industrial Processing in Small Scale

The ultrasonic processor UIP500hd (20kHz, 500W) is an industrial grade device for the application in the small scale processing of liquids. It can be used for the process development in bench-top scale before scale-up, too.

The UIP500hd operates at an ultrasonic frequency of 20kHz. Ultrasonic waves at this frequency create an intense cavitation in liquids. The cavitational effects can be used for manifold applications, such as: emulsifying, dispersing, homogenizing, cell disruption and extraction, deagglomeration, and degassing. The UIP500hd can be used with a lot of accessories, such as various sonotrodes, boosters, and flow cells. For the processing of batches larger than 5 liters, we generally recommend to sonicate using a flow cell reactor (flow mode) to achieve a higher processing consistency. When used for the sonication of liquids in flow mode, the UIP500hd can typically process between 0.25 and 2.0L/min (The actual rate will depend on the application). As all our devices, the UIP500hd can be operated 24 hours per day (24h/7d). Therefore, this setup could process approx. 0.5 to 3m³ per day. For higher production throughput, we recommend using either of the following devices:

Industrial Grade and Outstanding Energy Efficiency

The design of the UIP500hd meets industrial requirements. The transducer housing is IP65 grade. Therefore, it is resistant to splash water, and dusty environments. This is made possible by the outstanding energy efficiency in the conversion of electrical energy into mechanical vibrations. As the energy loss, which would cause a heat-up in the transducer housing is very low, no forced cooling, such as compressed air or water is needed. More important this means, that more energy is transmitted into the liquid, resulting in a better sonication. The overall energy efficiency of our sonication devices is approx. 80-90% from the power plug into the liquid (click at the image above to enlarge the chart). The transducer itself does not couple heat into the liquid via its horn or the sonotrode. It does only couple ultrasonic vibrations (mechanical energy). Yet, the liquid will heat up as a result of the mechanical energy, that is put into it. As the sonotrode is immersed into the liquid, it will approach its ambient (liquid) temperature. The transducer and the generator are connected by a 3m connection cable. The transducer can be installed in demanding environments (dirt, dust, moisture etc.), while the generator can be placed remotely in another area. The optional PC-control may be helpful, if a test record is necessary or to optimize processes.

Full Amplitude Control and High Performance

The UIP500hd can be operated at 500W continuously. As all our devices, the UIP500hd is amplitude controlled. This means, that the magnitude of the mechanical ultrasonic vibrations (= amplitude) at the front surface of the sonotrode/horn will be constant under all load conditions. You can change the amplitude electronically from 50 to 100% at the front panel of the generator. You can also change the amplitude mechanically by the use of various booster horns. Once set, the amplitude will be constant, in air, as in water, oil, polymer, dispersions or emulsions - at any pressure. For this reason, the UIP500hd as all our other devices can also be safely operated in air, e.g. for spraying/nebulizing applications. This feature does also give you full control over the most important sonication parameter: Amplitude. The amplitude of power-controlled devices will vary, giving you neither an indication nor any control over the actual amplitude of sonication.

The power load of the device, will vary with material to be sonicated (viscosity, temperature, etc.) and with the intensity of sonication (e.g. amplitude and pressure). The maximum power load is 500 watts. At all power levels of up to 500 watts, the UIP500hd can be operated continuously. So you can run 24 hours, 7 days a week. Unless you stop the UIP500hd, it will not need to stop.

Automatic Frequency Tuning

Like all our ultrasonic devices, the UIP500hd comes with an intelligent automatic frequency tuning. When the device is switched on, the generator will sense the optimal operational frequency of the transducer-booster-sonotrode configuration. It will then drive the transducer at this frequency. That improves the overall energy efficiency and reliability of our ultrasonic devices. During operation, the optimal working frequency may shift, e.g. as a result of sonotrode wear by cavitation pitting or as a result of length changes (e.g. by temperature variation during sonication). The automatic frequency tuning senses this shift and will adapt the driving frequency to it. All you need to do, is to switch the system on. The genrator will perform the frequency tuning automatically in a split of a second.

Feasibility Testing

The UIP500hd can be used at a stand either in combination with a flow cell or for beaker sonication. The latter is the typical setup for initial feasibility testing. Unless you have detailed information about the ultrasonic processing of your material, we recommend, to sonicate you sample at various intensities for different times, in a beaker in order to find out, what impact sonication has to your material. For longer sonication cooling, e.g. by a cooling bath) may be required, as the liquid heats up quickly as a result on sonication.

Simple and Effective

The UIP500hd is very simple to setup and to use. The accessories, e.g. flow cells and booster horns can be easily mounted. All items are typically carried in stock, so delivery time is really short. Please use the form below, to request more information or a detailed proposal for a UIP500hd with suitable accessories. Feel free to describe your application in the comments field. Based on this information we may be able to recommend a more suitable setup and give you more information for this particular application.