Process Analytical Technology

Process Analytical Technology (PAT ) is used for optimization, analysis, and control of production processes in the chemical industry. Your goal is to increase the product quality through standardized inspections and documentation of critical sizes during production ( process controls ).

2002 has been started by the FDA a same initiative for the pharmaceutical industry and to provide incentives to optimize their manufacturing processes ..

This is achieved by qualitative and quantitative analysis of chemical processes during the ongoing process. Typically, in chemical plants only the physical parameters are recorded in real time and be used for plant control or regulation. However, when complex chemical relationships are to be observed in a process documented or used for regulatory purposes, and chemical parameters in real time must be observed. This task can be done by PAT systems.

The tasks of the PAT is responsible for the planning of new systems, the optimization of existing systems and the preventive and reactive maintenance of the systems.

Because of the focus on chemical processes is sometimes spoken of Process Analytical Chemistry ( PAC). Also under the title of PAC from 2010 to 2014 a project funded by the Austrian FFG research project carried out in the framework of data collection and Datenauwertungsmethoden for PAT needs to be further developed.

Measurement Problem and Solution

In PAT, a distinction between the measurement task and the PAT solution. In addition, distinction is made between metrics and measurement methods. A measurement method does not necessarily have a metric with which one can infer directly to the chemical process. It can be combined and netted various methods to arrive at a measure that is meaningful for the process.

A typical PAT task is the monitoring of wastewater from the production of pollutants. This task may be done in many ways, for example, by determining the sum of the parameter on the carbon found in the water or by means of gas chromatography.