Use of the Lidar measurement principle in process technology

A method for operating a measuring point in a process plant of process engineering, wherein the process plant includes at least one plant component that is a container, a channel, an open basin, or a pipe, wherein a LiDAR (light detection and ranging) system is used at the measuring point, the method comprising:

• acquiring spatial information from within the at least one plant component using the LiDAR system;
• extracting object information from the spatial information;
• reconstructing and identifying objects on the basis of the object information, wherein the objects are phase boundaries of at least two different media or of at least two media having different optical densities;
• associating the object information with the reconstructed and identified objects, wherein the object information is a content of gas bubbles or of suspended solids;
• repeating the aforementioned method steps at predetermined time intervals and recording a time curve of the object information for each of the reconstructed and identified objects, wherein recording the time curve of the object information for each of the reconstructed and identified objects includes recording a change in shape and/or size over time of each of the reconstructed and identified objects;
• analyzing the time curve of the object information;
• and
• determining a prediction based on the analysis of the time curve of the object information and determining and carrying out a process-related action based on the analysis of the time curve of the object information and/or the prediction.