Sonomechanics Blog

When you need to replace a part in your LSP-500 or ship the processor to another location, you need to disassemble it first. In this post, we provide step-by-step disassembly instructions for the LSP-500 ultrasonic system configured in the flow-through mode. In addition, a link to a video on this topic is included at the end. 

Prior to disassembling the system, we recommend that you read the processor's manual. 

We are frquently asked for instructions on how to assemble and disassemble the LSP-500 laboratory-scale ultrasonic processor. In this blog post, we provide step-by-step assembly instructions that will help you get started with your LSP-500 configured in the flow-through mode. In addition, a link to a video on this topic is included at the end. In our next post, we will describe the disassembly steps for this processor.

Liquids exposed to high-intensity ultrasound can undergo acoustic cavitation. This phenomenon can typically be seen as a cloud of bubbles forming in the vicinity of the ultrasonic source (e.g., ultrasonic horn) and heard as an intense hissing noise. Cavitation is the formation of low-pressure voids (a.k.a., vacuum bubbles or cavities) in the liquid, which grow, briefly oscillate and then asymmetrically implode with great intensity.

This blog post focuses on six common terms used in conjunction with ultrasonic processing: ultrasonic amplitude, power, frequency, power intensity, power density and processing rate.

Whether you use ultrasonic processing for making nanoemulsions, milling pharmaceutical crystals, degassing, extracting botanical oils, manufacturing bio-fuels, dispersing pigments, disrupting cells or enhancing a chemical process, there are several general terms you need to be familiar with. Knowing these terms and keeping track of the corresponding parameters will insure reproducibility of results and simplify process-related discussions with your peers. 

Are you introducing ultrasound as a new technological solution for your liquid processing application? If so, some terms used in the ultrasonic industry may be unfamiliar. With this in mind, we are launching a series of blog posts that will cover the most common ultrasonic equipment and processing-related terminology.

This first post will focus on the terms used to describe the main components of an Industrial Sonomechanics (ISM) ultrasonic liquid processor and show you how these components work together. 

Many of us face the challenge of noisy work environment. In our previous blog post we talked about the noise produced by ultrasonic processors, which, if precautions are not taken, can be loud enough (up to 109 dBA) to cause significant discomfort and even lead to hearing loss. The details can be found at: How Loud is Your Ultrasonic Processor?

In most cases, a 20 - 25 dBA reduction in the ultrasonic equipment noise is sufficient for compliance with the U.S. and European occupational noise level regulations for an 8-hour work shift [1].  An additional reduction by approximately 5 - 10 dBA would bring the noise down to a background level for most industrial work environments. An ideal ultrasonic equipment noise reduction method would, therefore, attenuate sound levels by about 30 - 35 dBA across the audible frequency range.

The effect of operating an ultrasonic liquid processor (sonicator) on hearing is a question that arises often during discussions with our customers. The noise made by sonicators can be described as intense "hissing", which, if precautions are not taken, can be loud enough to cause significant discomfort or even lead to hearing loss. We performed a series of noise level measurements to determine how loud different types of ultrasonic processors really are.

Oil-in-water emulsions with nano-sized droplets (nanoemulsions) are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry, for example, as an intravenous source of fatty acids when oral nutrition is disadvantageous or as bioactive compound carriers (e.g. drugs, vaccines). Pharmaceutical nanoemulsions can be administered by almost all available routes including parenteral, ocular, nasal, oral, topical, and even aerosolization to the lungs. There are currently over a dozen commercially available drugs encapsulated into nanoemulsions. Small oil droplet sizes and the associated stability of these products are critically important. 

Combustion equipment (e.g., diesel engines, power boilers) emits significant amounts of hazardous gasses, such as Nitrous Oxides (NOx), hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) as well as particulate matter (PM) and black smoke. Due to the widespread use of this equipment, the resulting damage to human health and the environment is tremendous. Adding 5 – 25% of water to the base fuel, such as diesel or kerosene, in the form of a very fine emulsion (nanoemulsion) significantly reduces these harmful emissions.