"Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect." — Oren Arnold
Industrial Refractometers and Green Liquor Scale Mitigation
Industrial inline process refractometers, such as Electron Machine's MPR E-Scan, are used to measure the green liquor dissolved density, or TTA, at two stages in the process: after the green liquor dissolving tank and after the green liquor clarifier. The inline measurement, with the refractometer sensing head mounted directly in the main process lines, allows real-time control of green liquor dilution to meet target TTA set-points. The measurement is also used to indicate (and prevent) excessive green liquor density and the resulting dangerous impending crystallization within the dissolving tank, and lower the potential for scaling.
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| Refractometer Optical Sensor Cleaning System |
With overall quality and safety in mind, the use of a refractometer sensing head cleaning system is compulsory. The use of ancillary inline cleaning systems, such as Electron Machine's HPC-2 High Pressure Cleaner, that use pressurized water heated to the process temperature, will clean the refractometer optical components and therefore mitigate scaling issues and the related quality, safety, and production problems in the kraft process.
Thank You Veterans.
Our Veterans are our neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers. They took an oath to defend the United States and our Constitution, from all enemies, foreign and domestic. We must never forget their bravery, service, and sacrifice. By celebrating our Veterans, we continue to tell the story of how this country became the most powerful on Earth - through bravery, honor, truth, and determination.
Electron Machine thanks our Veterans for serving our country and protecting our freedom.
Common Applications for Inline Process Refractometers in Everyday Products
Listed below are industries and applications where you may find inline process refractometers.
THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
Common chemical processing applications:Sodium Bicarbonate; Copper Chloride; Hydrogen Peroxide; Acids; Acrylate; Ammonium Hydroxide; Sodium Dichromate; Polymers; Iron Chloride; Sodium Hydroxide; Ammonium Nitrate; Polymers; Lubricating Oils; Chromium Trioxide (Or Chromic Acid); Acetic Acid; Ammonium Fluoride; Oleum; Amine Oxide; Resins; Ethylene Glycol; Polyamides; Nickel Chloride; Ethylene; Glycols; Formic Acid; Amino Acid; Resins; PET; Solvents; Sulphuric Acid; Glycerol; Urea; Formaldehyde; Fluranes; Coolants; Nitric Acid; Polycarbonates; Caustic Soda; Polyethylene; Gels; Cellulose Derivates; Ammonium Sulphate; Citric Acid; Sodium Gluconate; Lactic Acid; Resins; Styrenes.
THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY AND SYNTHETIC FIBER INDUSTRY
Common process applications in the production of plastics and synthetic fiber:Hexamethylene Diamine; Polycarbonates; Vinyls; Polyethylene; Additives; Dimethylformamide; Fiberglass; Rayon; Cyclohexanol; PET; Polyamides; Cyclohexanon; Nylon Salt; Adipic Acid; Styrenes; Polyesters; Polymers; Dimethylterephthalate; Acetate; Resins; Acrylics.
THE PULP STOCK & PAPER PROCESSING INDUSTRY
Common applications in pulp processing and paper production include:Chlorine Dioxide; Alum; Oxidized Starch; Sizing Chemicals; Black Liquor; CMC; Green Liquor; Starch; Latex; Ozone; Hydrogen Peroxide; White Liquor; PVA; Styrene Acrylic; Dextrin; Styrene Butadiene Latex; Sodium Dithionite.
DETERGENTS, LOTIONS, AND SOAP PRODUCTION
Common applications in soap and detergent production include:Palm Oil; Glycerol; Caustic Soda; Salt; Fatty Alcohols; Caustic Potash; Soda Ash; Sodium Bicarbonate; Citrus Oils; Fatty Acids.
THE PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING OF STARCH SWEETENERS
Common applications in the production of starch-based sweetners:Maltose; Fructose; Aspartame; Sorbitol; Flavors; Lactitol; Xylose; Mannitol; Dextrose; Glucose; HFCS (high fructose corn syrup).
IN SUGAR PROCESSING
Common applications in sugar processing:Liquid Sugar; Confectionery Sugar; Affination; Extraction; Vacuum Pan; Molasses; Thick Juice; Press Water; Brown Sugar; Molasses; Thin Juice; Invert Sugar; Cane Sugar; Sucrose; Beet Sugar.
For more information about the application of process refractometers in industrial applications, contact Electron Machine Corporation by calling 352-669-3101 or by visiting https://electronmachine.com.
A Successful 2019 Chem Show for Electron Machine Corporation!
Electron Machine Corporation completed a very successful 2019 Chem Show exhibition today. Visitor traffic was strong and interest in our industrial refractometer products was high. We want to thank all those who stopped by and said hi, and also a wholehearted thanks to all of our employees who worked so hard preparing for the show.
Visit Electron Machine at the 2019 Chem Show in NYC!
Come Visit Electron Machine Corporation at the 2019 Chem Show in New York City, October 22-24!
Held every odd year, The Chem Show is the showcase for the latest process equipment, products and services, bringing together manufacturers and innovative new suppliers with executives, process engineers, production teams and plant personnel throughout the CPI (Chemical Process Industries).Why Attend?
- Thousands of Industry Professionals and More Than 270 Exhibiting Companies
- Free Best-Practices & Technology Seminars
- Rapid-Fire Exhibitor New Product & Technology Presentations
Process Engineers, Plant & Production Personnel, and Executives From These Process Industries:
- Adhesives & Sealants
- Chemicals
- Cosmetics
- Food & Beverage
- Metals
- Paints & Allied Products
- Petrochemical & Refining
- Pharmaceuticals
- Plastics & Synthetic Resins
- Rubber/Rubber Products
- Soaps & Detergents
- Stone/Glass/Ceramics
If you attend the 2019 Chem Show, please stop by Booth 705 and say hello to the good people at Electron Machine Corporation.
Electron Machine is Exhibiting at Chem Show 2019
The Chem Show is where engineers, plant managers and other CPI personnel come together to see the latest equipment & technology, meet product experts, and discover new ways to optimize their plant operations. Bringing together thousands of industry professionals and more than 270 exhibiting companies, the Show is the largest North American event exclusively focused on the processing of fluids, powders and gases. Held every odd year since 1915, the Chem Show has a proven track record of helping the CPI meet the ongoing demand for faster, smarter, cleaner, and more efficient processing facilities. Electron Machine is very excited to be exhibiting our line of process refractometers this year.
The Chem Show is held at the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.
To learn more about our products and exhibit, visit this link.
To see our booth location, follow this link.
If you plan on attending the Chem Show, please make a point of stopping by and saying hello.
A Look Back in Electron Machine History - "A Brixometer for Fresh Juice Testing"
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| Left to right: J.L. Moody, engineer; Ray E. Blackaby, business manager; Edwin R. Moller, vice-president; Francis Reed, president; Donald Stephens, technician; Charlie Dixon, technician. |
Below we have posted a paper from 1961 presented to the ASME titled "A Brixometer for Fresh Juice Testing" authored by Electron Machine's former VP, Francis Reed.
On the right there is also a picture of the technical staff of Electron Machine Corp. at the time (1958) posing around the new "Brixometer". The author of the following paper is pictured fourth from the left.
We thought it would be interesting to show this deep history to our customers and associates. Enjoy.
ASME 1961 Citrus Engineering Conference
CEC 1961
March 22, 1961
Lakeland, Florida, USA
A BRIXOMETER FOR FRESH JUICE TESTING
by
Francis S, Reed
Vice President
Electron Machine Corporation
Umatilla, Florida
Industry everywhere is undergoing a complete revolution which is not apparent to the average citizen. The artistic and craftsmanship abilities of the early industrial worker to create a perfect piece of goods has been supplanted by the emphasis on mass production, lower costs and machine precision of the more recent years. As a result of this development a tremendous pressure is being exerted upon industry to produce even more for even less costs which has created a situation where the machines are now capable of exceeding the abilities of the men who operate them.
From this dilemma has come a now concept of using the speed and precision of electronic devices to replace the human judgement end control ever these processes. This situation arose in the citrus industry several years ago when the increasing capacities of each plant made it increasingly difficult to perform the blending of the concentrate manually with the same equipment and manpower as in earlier methods.
The result has been the development of a method for continuously measuring the Brix of the juice and automatically blending the product uniformly on a continuous basis.
The creation of such a measuring device which has inherently more accuracy then the usual testing devices used in processing has lead naturally to the thinking of applying this principle to the laboratory tests. Such a method would speed up the operation and produce readings of a higher degree of accuracy than tho present methods.
Also, there is the elimination of possible human errors in reading transposing, and compiling the data onto the inspection sheets. It has boon pretty well proven that even with tho best of laboratory equipment available and adequate time to make up the proper tests that no two human beings will interpolate the Brix readings identically.
Couple this human frailty with tho inherent error in tho equipment, possible variables in the test procedure and you can have variations in readings which moans hundreds of thousands of dollars to tho citrus industry.
Let us assume that an average citrus plant is using a calibrated device to measure Brix which according to present standards has an allowable tolerance of C.I degree Brix from the standard. Let us further assume that this Instrument Is checked against a standardized instrument which is allowed a tolerance of .05 degrees from the absolute Brix, we could then expect a possible error of .15 degrees Brix in tho laboratory test. Therefore, if the readings were off by this amount an average plant could lose $35,000 to $50,000 a season depending upon the price being paid for the pounds of solids at the time. If you were to assess those figures accurately for each plant you would find in some instances a considerable larger figure involved in this possible source of error. This loss can further aggravated by tho addition of other possible sources of error introduced by improper deaeration of tho juice before testing, the manner in which tho operator handles the test equipment, environmental conditions in the test area, and tho difficulty of interpolating tho readings and transposing thorn onto the records without any errors. When you add all those to the possible losses you can envision a tremendous loss.
At This point the question arises "whose loss?". If the errors add up to the processors favor, the grower loses. The reverse situation can also happen with such a wide latitude in the test operation.
Hence, all concerned in tho testing of Brix are virtually interested in a reliable instrument which would make this Brix determination accurately and present the information in digital form on the inspection sheet without having to be interpolated.
Such an instrument has been developed and is being designed to fulfill the operating conditions of the test stations and laboratories. This instrument will employ the principles of the present electronic Brixometer used in the processing operation and will allow for tho rapid and precise determination of the Brix without the attendant errors possible in the manual system. This device will accept a sample of the juice from the inspection sample and without requiring deaeration immediately present the Brix indication to the operator. The operator will zero the instrument, insert tho data sheet into a printer slot and receive the printed out Brix indication similar to the weight information printed by the scales.
The next logical step from the automatic printing of weight and Brix is to be the incorporation of an automatic determination of the acid content of the juice and from this information it wiI I be a simple matter to devise an electronic computer system which will arrive at the ratio, pounds of solids and yield figures.
The combination of these instruments into a complete inspection tool would provide an accurate, indisputable record of all testing done without the costly introduction of the multiple errors possible in the manual testing methods.
The method of electronically collecting all of tho data will lead to another field of interest to the processors in that of data compilation. This intelligence can be fed fo the modern computers to analyze many of tho conditions surrounding the procurement and utilization of tho fruit. Such systems are now in use in many of the large industries in the country and more smaller industries are finding out the advantages of data compilations and statistical analysis of their product end its utilization. In fact, we predict that within a very few years there will be thru the utilization of the tremendous advantages in electronic instrumentation, completely automatic processing available to all types of industry.
You can download a copy of the original paper from this ASME archive.
US Power Grids, Oil and Gas Industries, and Risk of Hacking
A report released in June, from the security firm Dragos, describes a worrisome development by a hacker group named, “Xenotime” and at least two dangerous oil and gas intrusions and ongoing reconnaissance on United States power grids.
Multiple ICS (Industrial Control Sectors) sectors now face the XENOTIME threat; this means individual verticals – such as oil and gas, manufacturing, or electric – cannot ignore threats to other ICS entities because they are not specifically targeted.
The Dragos researchers have termed this threat proliferation as the world’s most dangerous cyberthreat since an event in 2017 where Xenotime had caused a serious operational outage at a crucial site in the Middle East.
The fact that concerns cybersecurity experts the most is that this hacking attack was a malware that chose to target the facility safety processes (SIS – safety instrumentation system).
For example, when temperatures in a reactor increase to an unsafe level, an SIS will automatically start a cooling process or immediately close a valve to prevent a safety accident. The SIS safety stems are both hardware and software that combine to protect facilities from life threatening accidents.
At this point, no one is sure who is behind Xenotime. Russia has been connected to one of the critical infrastructure attacks in the Ukraine. That attack was viewed to be the first hacker related power grid outage.
This is a “Cause for Concern” post that was published by Dragos on June 14, 2019.
“While none of the electric utility targeting events has resulted in a known, successful intrusion into victim organizations to date, the persistent attempts, and expansion in scope is cause for definite concern. XENOTIME has successfully compromised several oil and gas environments which demonstrates its ability to do so in other verticals. Specifically, XENOTIME remains one of only four threats (along with ELECTRUM, Sandworm, and the entities responsible for Stuxnet) to execute a deliberate disruptive or destructive attack.
XENOTIME is the only known entity to specifically target safety instrumented systems (SIS) for disruptive or destructive purposes. Electric utility environments are significantly different from oil and gas operations in several aspects, but electric operations still have safety and protection equipment that could be targeted with similar tradecraft. XENOTIME expressing consistent, direct interest in electric utility operations is a cause for deep concern given this adversary’s willingness to compromise process safety – and thus integrity – to fulfill its mission.
XENOTIME’s expansion to another industry vertical is emblematic of an increasingly hostile industrial threat landscape. Most observed XENOTIME activity focuses on initial information gathering and access operations necessary for follow-on ICS intrusion operations. As seen in long-running state-sponsored intrusions into US, UK, and other electric infrastructure, entities are increasingly interested in the fundamentals of ICS operations and displaying all the hallmarks associated with information and access acquisition necessary to conduct future attacks. While Dragos sees no evidence at this time indicating that XENOTIME (or any other activity group, such as ELECTRUM or ALLANITE) is capable of executing a prolonged disruptive or destructive event on electric utility operations, observed activity strongly signals adversary interest in meeting the prerequisites for doing so.”
Common Industrial Refractometer Applications and Processes
Crystallizers
In industry, crystallizers are used for liquid solid separation. They are an important component of chemical processing equipment as they can generate high-purity products from a relatively low energy input. To determine the right seeding point (evaporative crystallizer) or to detect when crystals start to form (cooling crystallizer), the refractometer controls the liquor concentration.Reactors
Process reactors are used for commercial production applications in adhesives processing, agriculture, chemical processing, cosmetics, food and beverage production, paints and coating production, paper and pulp processing, pharmaceutical and medical production, plastics and thermoplastics processing. The real-time progress of a reaction can be followed using inline refractometers, either through the leveling out of key process variables, or the reaching of a single component's targeted refractive index value.
Evaporation
An evaporator is a tool used in a method to transform the liquid form of a chemical substance such as water into its gaseous / vapor form. During that phase, the liquid is evaporated or vaporized into a gas form of the intended substance. Inline refractometers provide real-time data of concentration changes in the process media.Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis (RO) is a water purification method that removes ions, unwanted molecules and bigger particles from drinking water using a partially permeable membrane. Inline refractometers provide real-time data of concentration changes in the process media.Spray Dryers
Spray drying is a way to produce a dry powder from a liquid or slurry by drying quickly with a warm gas. This is the preferred drying technique for many thermally sensitive products like foods and pharmaceuticals. A consistent distribution of particle size is a reason why certain industrial products such as catalysts are sprayed. Process refractometers monitor the concentration of the feed line to the spray dryer, ensuring correct particle size after drying, improving quality, and increasing product shelf life.Dissolving Tanks
Dissolving tanks are used to dissolve solids into a liquid, thereby changing the concentration of the solution. Refractometers provide continuous measurement of the concentration components in solution as the solute dissolves into water or solvent. Information for dissolving rate and dissolved solids is provided instantly through the refractometer and corresponding electronics.Solid / Liquid Extraction
Solid / Liquid extraction method is a very popular method in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries to acquire natural ingredients such as natural raw material flavors and fragrances. Inline refractometers are used to detect the amount of extracted substance (dissolved solids) in the liquid after the extraction process. The measurement by the refractometer is not affected by undissolved solids, only by the dissolved matter, making it ideal to follow extraction efficiency.Cooking Processes
The art, technology, science and craftsmanship of preparing food for consumption is cooking. The large scale production of juices, jams, jellies, dairy, and fruits in modern production facilities require automation and control instrumentation for quality and efficiency. Sugar is a key component in many foods that needs to be monitored. The inline refractometer is used to monitor refractive index of the product, and when when cooking is complete. Inline refractometers determine the end of the cooking process based on qualitative measurements of dissolved solids.For more information about using applying the refractive index to industrial applications, contact Electron Machine Corporation by calling 352-669-3101 or by visiting https://electronmachine.com.
Process Refractometers for Black Liquor and Green Liquor Processes in Pulp and Paper
The only thing that a pulp and paper plant doesn't reuse is the "shade the building casts". When you consider reuse of energy and byproducts, the processes used in the production of pulp and paper are very efficient. Efficiency is costly however, because of the very hostile environments and demanding operating conditions endured by the plant's process equipment.
As an example, the "Kraft Process" (also known as the sulfate process) is the method of converting wood chips into pulp and cellulose fibers. The wood chips are mixed with sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfate, then soaked, cooked and processed.
A very fundamental explanation of the Kraft Process:
Wood chips are soaked and processed as "white liquor" in a mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulphates. After impregnating the wood chips with white liquor, they are then cooked in digesters to break wood into cellulose. The solid pulp is then separated and the rest of the fluid is called the "black liquor". Black liquor is also processed for the removal of solids and chemicals to be reused during pulping. One of the final by-products is "green liquor" which contains both sodium carbonate and sodium sulfide and is then reacted into more white liquor with the addition of lime. All of these processes expose instruments, processing equipment, piping and valves to very harsh environments and chemicals.
Electron Machine Corporation, a manufacturer of extremely robust process refractometers, has for over 40 years, been actively perfecting the use of refractometers for the measurement of green and black liquor density.
Scaling of the sensor head: A key issue for keeping the system operational.
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| MPR E-Scan and heated high-pressure cleaning system. |
Electron Machine's decades of effort and experience in the pulp and paper industry led to the development of their MPR E-Scan refractometer in tandem with their heated high-pressure cleaning system. The resulting combination ensures efficient optical coating removal and maintenance minimization so as to ensure a reliable measurement source for automatic online control.
For more information about the use of process refractometers in pulp and paper production contact Electron Machine Corporation by calling 352-669-3101 or visit their website at https://electronmachine.com.
Accurate Green Liquor Density Control with Reduced Maintenance
In pulp and paper processing, the term "green liquor" refers to a by-product of kraft pulping. It is the dissolved concentration of sodium sulfide, sodium carbonate, and other compounds in solution from the recovery boiler. The measurement and control of its concentration is important in the pulp and paper production cycle.
Inline refractometers are used to provide continuous density measurement of green liquor in the pulp mill. A major issue in handling green liquor is scale build up and the resulting optical coating on the refractometer sensing head. If scale build-up is controlled for an acceptable amount of time during processing, the maximum accuracy of the refractometer will be achieved and the overall quality of the pulping process is supported. Understandably, it makes great sense that a system of measuring scale potential and a means to automatically clean the sensing head should be implemented.
The Electron Machine MPR EScan is used to measure the green liquor dissolved density, or TTA, at two stages in the process: after the green liquor dissolving tank and after the green liquor clarifier. The inline measurement, with the refractometer sensing head installed directly in the main process lines, allows real-time control of green liquor dilution to meet target TTA set-points. The measurement is also used to indicate (and prevent) excessive green liquor density and the resulting dangerous impending crystallization within the dissolving tank, and lower the potential for scaling.
Scaling issues, and therefore accuracy problems, are further reduced with the use of ancillary inline cleaning systems that use pressurized water, heated to the process temperature, to effectively clean the refractometer optical components. The Electron Machine HPC-2 High Pressure Cleaner is one example of a completely integrated system.
The compound result of using a refractometer to keep green liquor density within optimal levels, plus an inline cleaning system, provides an excellent payback both quality control and also with associated maintenance requirements.
Using a Spool Adapter with Your Inline Process Refractometer
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| Two versions of inline refractometer adapters. |
On applications where pipe sizes are 2" or larger, the use of a refractometer sensing head spool adapter is suggested. This ancillary piece of hardware provides a mounting point for the sensing head between two flanges directly in the process piping.
The spool adapter positions the sensing head so that it measures from the center of the process flow. The spool adapter design includes an internal deflector and a 5 degree (angular) sensing head mounting connection. The deflector and angled mounting connection reduces sensor head coating issues from the process media. A steam purge tube connection is standardly included to accommodate steam/fluid cleaning.
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| Spool adapter with sensing head mounted. |
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| Spool adapter with hand cleaning option. |
BLRBAC Recommended Good Practice Document: Thermal Oxidation of Waste Streams in Black Liquor Recovery Boilers
The black liquor recovery boiler presents problems of operation and safety that far exceed those of the conventional power boiler or other forms of combustion equipment that can be used for the thermal oxidation of waste streams. The recovery boiler is primarily a chemical recovery process unit in which organic materials in the black liquor are burned while the oxidized sulfur compounds of sodium and potassium are reduced and drained as molten smelt from the furnace bottom. At the same time, the heat released is used for generation of steam for power and process.This document is intended to address concerns of the industry relating to safe thermal oxidation of waste streams in recovery boilers. “Waste streams” for this document are produced in the pulping process. The major waste stream is noncondensible gases (NCG), which are gases that contain reduced sulfur compounds from the digester and evaporator operations and are a source of odor.
The following list is representative of the pulping process waste streams that are addressed:
- Dilute Noncondensible Gas (DNCG)
- Concentrated Noncondensible Gas (CNCG)
- Stripper Off Gas (SOG)
- Chip Bin Noncondensible Gas (CBNCG)
- Dissolving Tank Vent Gas (DTVG)
- Soap
- Methanol
- Turpentine
- Tall Oil
- Spent Acid
- Secondary Sludge
Process Refractometers for Instant Coffee Production
Approximately one third of all coffee consumed worldwide is instant coffee. That number is lower in the United States, but other countries such as Great Britain and Japan love the stuff! Instant coffee differs from the fresh ground bean version because it has already been brewed before at the factory. The raw beans are cooked to perfection by the manufacturer. They are then ground and brewed to very specific taste standards. After the perfect brew is made, it is freeze dried and ground into tiny morsels just begging for some hot water to release their flavor again.
The consistency and quality of the instant coffee that comes from each brewed batch is of vital
importance to the manufacturer. If the end product is not consistent with the customers’ taste standards, then the brand will lose customers to other manufacturers who have a better, more consistent, brew. It is during the brewing process where the inline refractometer plays a huge role in quality control.
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| Process refractometer sensor. |
In the production of instant coffee, as large batches of coffee are brewed, process refractometers are used to monitor concentrations in evaporation procedures. The process refractometers are used to measure the amount of total dissolved solids (TDS), which refers to the amount of the soluble flavor material from the coffee bean that is extracted as a part of the brewing process. Coffee grounds are made up of about 70% non-soluble material and about 30% of soluble compounds. These soluble compounds are responsible for the coffee's taste. For a delicious instant coffee time and time again for the customer, the manufacturer must keep tight TDS tolerances on their batches of brew. If the TDS measurement varies too much in each brewed batch, the end product will be inconsistent. This will lead to customer dissatisfaction, and ultimately loss of sales.
So the next time you enjoy a nice hot cup of instant coffee...thank the refractometer for helping maintain its’ deliciously consistent taste!
Electron Machine Corporation manufactures inline, process refractometers for large scale food and beverage production applications.
https://electronmachine.com
352-669-3101
The Important Role of the Inline Refractometer in Juice and Beverage Production
The consumer gets this feeling because of the consistency of product. The consistency is a function of production processes on the part of the manufacturer. Many drinks and beverages have a certain amount of sugar added for optimal taste. If the process used to mix the sweetener into the drink deviates, even in the slightest, then product consistency will suffer and so will consumer satisfaction.
Enter the process refractometer. With its precisely calibrated refractive index set to the exact parameters specified by the manufacturer, the quality and consistency of each and every product batch will fall within the acceptable quality control range. Any deviation from the "sweetness" settings (degrees Brix) are immediately detected by the inline refractometer, and can be quickly corrected by automated signals sent to a final control element and eliminate the deviation. This ensures a quality product for consumers time in and time out, as well as keeping costly losses due to defective batches at a minimum.
Another area in beverage production where inline refractometers are used is in the container and piping sanitization processes. Each producer must keep their process components cleaned and sanitized to industry and government standards. The beverage manufacturer needs to ensure container cleanliness prior to filling, and also guarantee proper flushing of the process piping during product changeover. The cleaning process is regularly done with some aggressive chemicals, namely hydrogen peroxide and sodium hydroxide. Inline refractometers are used to ensure the precise concentration of theses two cleaning agents. By using the specific refractive index of each chemical, a process refractometer can control the optimal amount for the cleansing processes, again ensuring quality and consistency on the part of the manufacturer, while offering peace of mind that the process components are cleaned and sanitized to exact industry and government standards.Process refractometers proved an extremely important role in the production of juices and beverages in both the product consistency, and also the safety and cleanliness of the production process.
For more information, contact Electron Machine Corporation by calling 352-669-3101 or visit their web site at https://electronmachine.com.
Inline Process Refractometers for Food & Beverage
Inline process refractometers are used in many food and beverage applications. Some examples are beer, wine, gelatin & gummy candies, soy milk & tofu, tomato purée, ketchup, brine, canned coffee, jams, jellies, and honey.
The process refractometer is used to assist in controlling sweetness and dissolved solids. The sensor is mounted in the sanitary process piping, while the control electronics are remotely mounted and provide outputs and communications to larger supervisory control systems.
For more information about inline process refractometers used in food and beverage applications, contact Electron Machine Corporation by calling 352-669-3101 or visiting https://electronmachine.com.
°Brix Measurement with Inline Refractometers
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| Refractometers are used to measure Brix in various juices. |
°Brix (symbol °Bx) is the percentage of sugar dissolved in the subject product. One degree Brix equals 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams of solution. °Bx is a degree scale from 1-100. A solution that is 15°Bx is 15 percent sucrose by weight. Measuring °Bx is based on the index of refraction or the density of the process media at specific reference temperatures of 20°C.
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| Inline industrial refractometer with control electronics. |
All refractometers use the refractive index (RI) of the food/beverage concentration as the measurement method to determine °Bx. The refractive index (or index of refraction) of a material is a dimensionless number that describes how fast light propagates through the material, or in other words, how much the path of light is bent, or refracted, when entering a material.
Refractometers often require some type of correction or linearization based upon the substance they are measuring. To account for other undissolved solids, organic acids or ethanol in the process media, specialized curves must be used. Inline process refractometers include these custom curves in the microprocessor programming, and can be selected through the refractometers user interface for varying product runs.
For more information about the measurement and control of °Brix using inline refractometers, contact Electron Machine Corporation.
352-669-3101