Contaminates in stormwater runoff that feed into our waterways are a leading cause of environmental pollution. Hydro International (a UK company with a local facility just down the road from Fluid Imaging in Portland, Maine) analyzes the content of stormwater and wastewater in order to provide solutions that
prevent contamination utilizing machinery, cleansers, and filters.

Flow Imaging Microscopy has revolutionized particle analysis by offering qualitative, morphological analysis in addition to quantitative analysis (count and size). 

How do you perform Oil in Water analysis? Flow Imaging Microscopy provides more comprehensive data than laser diffraction, beyond just count and size data, using particle images and morphological analysis. The FlowCam's image analysis software VisualSpreadsheet is equipped with an algorithm specifically designed for the petroleum industry to quickly and easily analyze the Oil in Water content. 

Hydraulic fluids, lubrication oils, and fuel need to be monitored for cleanliness according to standards such as ISO 4406 or NAS 1638. Optical microscopy is "considered by many to be the most reliable and accurate method of particle counting" however optical microscopy is tedious and time consuming. Other, more preferred methods include automated particle counters that use either pore blockage or laser detection for particle analysis. However, these methods are blind and are unable to differentiate between detritus,  air bubbles, water droplets, and other contaminants, that may have similar size and shape. While these laser-based and shadow-based solutions are good at counting particles, they are unable to tell you whether your particle count is comprised mostly of air bubbles or detritus. 

Recent studies have shown that knowing the actual length and width of particles in chemical formulations can be of critical importance to product effectiveness. 

FlowCam gives you this information instantly – providing you with an accurate size distribution, shape information, and a digital image of each particle.

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. 

A client in the biopharmaceutical market recently learned how the FlowCam is perfectly suited to visualize translucent plastic particles that may enter into their production process. They were frustrated with traditional microscopy that was not effective at visualizing microparticles. They turned to the FlowCam to troubleshoot their manufacturing process and were able to compare old and new data sets allowing for continuous improvement.

December 2018 — A recent study by researchers from the University of New England and University of New Hampshire has demonstrated that flow imaging microscopy is an accurate, more efficient, and more informative method of elastin-like polymer (ELP) coacervate analysis than standard methods. ELP coacervates are a class of molecules with promising applications in drug delivery vehicles, tissue engineering, environmental remediation, and more. ELP coacervate architecture is stimuli-responsive and highly tunable, making them ideal for the above-mentioned applications.  

The uniformity of a printer toner particle affects the distribution of charge the particle holds and as a result can affect image quality of the printed materials. 

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.