Miniaturized Lagrangian Sensor-Systems for Position Detection in (Bio-)Chemical Reactors

Abstract:
Real-time monitoring of process parameters in (bio-)chemical reactors offers significant potential for process optimiza-tion, energy savings, and waste reduction. This paper presents the development of miniaturized, flow-following sensor nodes designed to overcome the limitations of conventional fixed sensor systems and imaging approaches. The proposed system integrates an inertial measurement unit (ICM-20948) and microcontroller (MAX32660) on a high-density interconnect PCB measuring 7.5 × 7.4 × 2.6 mm. Wireless data transmission is achieved through optical communication using on-off keying modulated LEDs. Experimental results demonstrate future possible motion tracking capabilities with 60 Hz data transmission rate, while revealing accuracy limitations requiring advanced filtering techniques.