Flow Imaging Microscopy Blog

A study by Baker Hughes demonstrates that the FlowCam^® imaging particle analysis technology is a more informative method than spectrophotometry to evaluate the demulsification of produced water. Produced water generated during oil extraction is held in skim tanks where it is treated with water clarifiers or demulsifiers. Reverse emulsion breakers (REBs) coalesce the oil into larger molecules to be skimmed, or removed, from the produced water. The efficacy of REBs and other water clarifiers on produced water is important because oil extraction companies must meet water quality environmental regulations before releasing produced water back into the environment, or they require a low oil content if the water is to be reused in the extraction process. 

We use our Flow Imaging Microscopy blog as a platform to serve up the latest in relevant news, highlight novel uses of the FlowCam, and announce FlowCam technology developments. This year we blogged about 54 different topics. Below is a recap of the Top 10 Most Read Blog Posts of 2018. 

Flow Imaging Microscopes provide the in-depth characterization of particles in protein therapeutics as recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). When evaluating instrumentation in this area, it is important to consider and compare these five important features.

The FlowCam continues to be an important instrument in biopharmaceutical research. The ability to image and characterize morphological features of particulate in parenteral formulations is an important aspect of ensuring quality and safety in injectable drug products.

October 2018 — Environmental Engineering Research published a paper presenting a new method for cell counting Microcystis colonies using the FlowCam.  Researchers from Korea Water Resources Corporation, University of Central Florida, and Kyungbook National University developed a three-dimensional image processing method using an algorithm to count colonial Microcystis cells.    

Kent Peterson is the CEO of Fluid Imaging Technologies.

Every summer, around 160 researchers converge at the Workshop on Protein Aggregation and Immunogenicity hosted in Breckenridge, Colorado by the University of Colorado Center for Pharmaceutical Technology and the AAPS Focus Group on Protein Aggregation and Immunogenicity. 

Launched in late 2017, the FlowCam^® Nano has garnered several awards and recognitions for breakthrough innovation in laboratory science during its first year on the market. As the only particle analyzer capable of simultaneously counting, characterizing and producing high-resolution digital images of nanoparticles in liquid samples, the FlowCam Nano fills a gap in data procurement and analysis that no other instrument provides.

In 2019, Fluid Imaging Technologies will release the FlowCam+LO, a patent-pending flow imaging particle analyzer that simultaneously conducts light obscuration analysis.  

In this recently published paper, colleagues at Baker Hughes demonstrated that dynamic fluid imaging can be used to analyze the oil content in produced water. Using the FlowCam, they were able to quickly analyze the oil/solids content, oil droplets size and size distribution using only a small sample size. Additionally, the analysis help to understand the behavior and performance of reverse emulsion breakers (REBs) used in water clarification. As a result, various methods of REBs could be tested and the most effective methods were identified.

The Innovator of the Year award recognizes a Maine manufacturer who is creating game-changing ideas, processes, products, services and business models. Companies who were nominated have created new and fresh products in the past year, have had a positive effect on their business, industry or community through their innovation, and have embraced impressive technology to achieve their innovation.