What is Ultrasonic (US) ?

Ultrasonic (US) is one of the emerging and greenest technologies which can be used to enhance heat and mass transfer operations, saving energy and processing time. Ultrasound are mechanical wave transmitted through any substance with elastic properties. In this way, particles suffer periodically repeated cycles (frequency above the human hearing threshold, 20 kHz) of compression and expansion, this being a cyclic mechanical stress causing a series of phenomena, which are largely dependent on the nature of the system, as well as the energy available. In this sense, two main group of ultrasound applications can be distinguished: 

• Diagnosis ultrasound (intensity < 1 W/cm2; frequency > 100 kHz) which aim is to extract information from the wave properties modification when ultrasound travel across a medium. This include important applications such as non-destructive testing in food industries or countless application in medical scanning
• Power ultrasound (intensity > 1 W/cm2; frequency < 100 kHz) which aim is to produce different effects in the system where applied. These effects largely depend on the medium considered and include mechanical stress and generation of micro-channels in solids, cavitation in liquids or micro-stirring in gases. All these effects enhance the mass and heat transfer and can be used to intensify process such as extraction, degassing, infusion, drying, crystallization, etc. reducing the energy consumption and improving the product quality. These effects are highly influenced by the structure of product considered being the porosity one of the most important properties.

 Benefits of Ultrasonic (US)