Principal Investigators

Hassan Arbab

Assistant Professor, Stony Brook University and

Senior Research Scientist, APL-UW

Matt Augustine

Professor of Chemistry

University of California Davis

Renata Bura

Professor of Environmental & Forest Sciences

University of Washington

Clement E. Furlong

Research Professor of Genome Sciences

University of Washington

Alexander Mamishev

Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering

University of Washington

Brian Marquardt

University of Washington, MarqMetrix, USA

Michael J. McCarthy

Professor of Food Science & Technology

University of California Davis

Robert E. Synovec

Professor of Chemistry

University of Washington

CPAC

Center for Process Analysis & Control

What is CPAC?

CPAC is a federation of member organizations for the exchange of ideas at the forefront of analytical sciences.

  • Advance knowledge
  • Facilitate the advancement of technology
  • Educate and train
  • Network, benchmark and interact with peers
  • Promote/enable interests of member organizations

CPAC, established at the University of Washington in 1984, is a consortium of Industrial, National Laboratory and Government Agency Sponsors addressing multidisciplinary challenges in Process Analytical Technology (PAT) and Process Control through fundamental and directed academic research.

CPAC Legacy & Mission

The Center for Process Analysis and Control was established in 1984 at the University of Washington as a National Science Foundation (NSF) Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC). CPAC is now a self-sustaining organization, with a successful consortium of sponsors recruited from all sectors of industry, as well as maintaining contact with several government agencies. The CPAC program can be summarized by three main components:

  • The investigation of new measurement approaches based on the miniaturization of traditional instrumentation and the development of new sensors and non-traditional instruments based on fundamentally different sensing mechanisms, often not associated with traditional analytical chemistry techniques
  • the investigation of issues related to the integration of process measurement with process modeling and control, including: process analyzer and process model robustness, process sampling, improved analyzer data treatments, and cross-cultural education between measurement and control communities
  • The improvement of mechanisms for interaction, collaboration, and communication of Center activities, research programs, government agencies, and the general measurement and control community. This activity has resulted in the creation of several working forums to increase the multi-disciplinary interaction.

In addition, CPAC is also involved in a variety of initiatives for enhancing the development of measurement strategies that complement new directions in manufacturing technology, including: combinatorial approaches and high throughput screening for new materials discovery (ranging from catalysis to biological materials), issues of process optimization (including development and diagnostics), and the concept of just-in-time manufacturing.

CPAC has an established track record in fostering academic/industrial/national laboratory interactions, which aim at bridging the gap between basic research and full-scale process/product development. The CPAC Rome, Italy (March) Workshop and CPAC Summer Institute (July) are part of this mission to provide continuing education opportunities in the areas of Process Analysis and Control. The workshops are held in an informal format, with technical presentations, and time allotted for both open discussion of the presentations and general brainstorming on topics that arise from this interaction. The overall focus of these gatherings, Topics in Process Analysis and Control, has from its onset placed special emphasis on developing trends in micro-instrumentation. The informal environment has created a successful format for bringing together measurement scientists and process engineers from industry, government, and academic institutions drawn from both CPAC and non-CPAC sponsors.

CPAC Initiatives & Platform Projects

Bio-Process Monitoring

The optimization of bio-reactors is of importance due to the value of industrial bio-technology, as well as the increasing interest in bio-fuels and bio-sustainability. CPAC is involved with several research projects to develop measurement tools that will complement existing monitoring methods and allow for studies to optimize bio-reactions and related process control.

Micro-Reactors & Instrumentation

Several CPAC research projects are emphasizing how to enhance the value of micro-reactors for continuous flow chemistry - by incorporating sampling approaches along with micro-analytical and micro-sensor development. The data gathered from the real-time measurement can be used to develop models for effective process control.

New Sampling/Sensor Initiative – NeSSITM

This has involved the development of a miniature, modular sample system. It is based on input from an ad-hoc group of end-users and equipment manufacturers who were looking to modularize and miniaturize process analyzer sample system components to simplify and standardize sample system design. The goals for NeSSITM were to facilitate the acceptance and implementation of miniature, modular sample systems that has resulted in an ISA SP76 standard and to promote the concept of "smart" analytical systems by closely integrating flow, pressure and temperature with analytical sensors.

Chemometrics for On-Line Process Analysis – COPA

This initiative has been successfully completed via the development of communication systems influenced by the NeSSITM Generation II. The solution has been largely based on the incorporation of chemometric packages within a variety of commercial instrument systems.

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