Using the Refractive Index for Better Product Quality and Safety Since 1952

8 Reasons to Partner with Electron Machine Corporation

1. Our History - We designed & patented the 1st process refractometer in 1957.
2. Our Quality - We maintain the highest certification levels and standards.
3. We Solve Problems - Innovative designs that perform far beyond expectations.
4. Our Experience - 60+ years successfully applying process refractometers.
5. Our People - Professional, knowledgeable, courteous, enthusiastic.
6. Our Leadership - Committed, strategic and transformational.
7. We're Community Involved - Supporting local colleges, businesses and organizations.
8. We're Environmentally Friendly - Doing our part with renewables for a greener tomorrow.

Have Your Old Electron Machine Refractometer Isolation Valve Rebuilt to "Like New"

Send you old Isolation Valve back to Electron Machine to be restored to like new condition!

The Electron Machine Isolation Valve is a valve designed to isolate the sensing head from the process media for safe removal. There are many in service all over the world. Electron Machine recommends that these valves be repaired/refurbished at least once every ten (10) years.

Contact Electron Machine by calling 352-669-3101 or by visiting https://electronmachine.com to set up your return.

To view a longer, more detailed video of the rebuilding process, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZmHmYxj3Lo

Industrial Inline Refractometers for Sucrose, Fructose and Dextrose

The Electron Machine MPR E-Scan is perfectly suited for sugar applications. The refractometer directly measures dissolved solids, which can be easily converted to Brix.

In sugar refineries, the MPR E-Scan can be used to monitor and control Brix measurement from the beginning of the evaporation stages up to the seed point of crystallization.

The suggested adapter for most installations is either a 316S/S in-line type adapter or a 316S/S vacuum pan adapter. If coating may be an issue, a steam or hot water wash nozzle can be provided.

Sanitary-type adapters designed and manufactured to appropriate 3-A Sanitary Standards are also available if needed.

Refractometer for Food & Beverage Industries from Electron Machine Corporation

Industrial Refractometers in Action: Pulp & Paper Mill

This video below highlights various applications for inline refractometers in a pulp and paper mill.

The Electron Machine Corporation pioneered the use of refractometers to accurately measure black liquor dissolved solids nearly 50 years ago. Our long history with this application has resulted in numerous design features that specifically address problems associated with this harsh process measurement. Electron Machine refractometers have been accurately measuring green liquor solids in the paper industry for more than 30 years.

For more information visit http://www.electronmachine.com or call 352-669-3101.

Industrial Refractometers in Brownstock Washing

Pulp and paper mill.

In pulp and paper production, brown stock washers are used to recover cooking chemicals from pulp production and are critical for maximizing chemical recovery which impacts the financial success and environmental compliance of a pulp mill.

The purpose of brownstock washing is to remove soluble matter from the pulp while using the least amount of water. Efficient washing improves the recovery of cooking chemicals, reduces the use of chemicals during bleaching, increase pulp quality and helps reduce deposit buildup. By utilizing a refractometer to measure the black liquor solids in the feed and outlet stock lines, and the incoming and outgoing filtrate lines, a paper company can experience increased control and cost savings.

The Electron Machine MPR E-Scan gives paper companies the ability to accurately control the washing line, by detecting changes in the total dissolved solids coming off the washers. This precise measurement allows effective control of the fresh water flow to the washers, reducing excessive water usage.

Combining the measurement with data analysis tools, a company can monitor inefficiencies in the washing line and evaluate the washing results. Allowing improvements in washing efficiency and overall reduction in water. The MPR E- Scan will reduce the overall time needed to meet target dilution. With near instant readings of black liquor concentration and temperature, the instrument removes the reliance on offline testing.

The MPR E-Scan is constructed of various alloys to ensure a long service life in a harsh chemical environment. With our customer pipeline adapters, the instruments can be implemented into any process. Due to the unique measurement principle, the instrument's readings are unaffected by bubbles, particles, fibers, color, flow, pressure or vibration. By utilizing the instrument to control and monitor the brownstock washing, paper companies can guarantee that proper dilution was met and maintained.

Electron Machine MPR E-Scan

KEY BENEFITS

• Increased washing efficiency
• Continuous accurate control of dilution factor
• Consistent pulp quality Increased evaporator efficiency
• Reduced wash loss and decrease wash water
• Error and Warning light indications Reduced time for correct wash concentration
• Continuous temperature readings 

Learn more about industrial refractometers and their application in the pulp and paper process by visiting the Electron Machine website at http://electronmachine.com or by calling 352-669-3101.

RSP Remote Status Panel for Process Refractometer

Electron Machine RSP Remote Status Panel for Process Refractometer from Electron Machine Corporation

Industrial Refractometry Pioneer Carl Vossberg, Jr. Foresaw the Need

Carl A. Vossberg, Jr.

Electron Machine Corporation founder Carl Vossberg, Jr. was a pioneer in the application of refractometers of industrial use. As the holder of more than 30 technical patents, Mr. Vossberg dedicated his life to improving industrial processes through refractometry, measurement, and control.

His biography reveals how his dedication to industrial refractometry led Electron Machine to its leadership position in the industrial refractometer market.

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Carl A. Vossberg, Jr., (born July 16, 1918) was an American electrical engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur in the electronic instrumentation industry. He is known for more than 30 technical patents in the area of refractometry, measurement, and control. Vossberg also founded Electron-Machine Corporation, the company responsible for the introduction of inline process refractometers as a measuring system for the pulp & paper, food, and chemical processing industries.

Vossberg began his college education at the City College of the City of New York (CCNY), studying electronics, and was awarded a BEE in Electrical Engineering from CCNY and a MS in Electrical Engineering (EE) from Columbia University. He also attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During WWII, Vossberg worked for the U.S. Office of Strategic Service (now CIA) participating in the development of remote radio transponders, artillery tracking systems, weapon fire detection controllers, and video transmission.

Vossberg entered the profession as a radio engineer for RCA and designed circuits and established radio facsimile facilities for the Office of War information. Later he became Chief Engineer for Standard Electronics Research Corporation, where his duties were to originate and direct the research and development programs and supervise engineering and technical personnel in electronics, x-rays, communication, instrumentation and process controls. He was also Vice President of Research and Developments, Inc., and Vice President of Industrial Gauges Corporation.

After the war, Vossberg set out to apply electronics technology to industrial applications. Electron Machine Corporation was formed in 1946 for the purpose of designing automatic electronic gaging and indicating equipment. The company was established in the back of a radiator repair shop in Lynbrook, New York. Instruments for diameter and thickness measurements for steel and cable products were conceived, developed, and licensed to other manufacturers. These instruments included the first commercial x-ray thickness gage, optical cable diameter gages, and an industrial process control computer. In 1950 he, in partnership, formed the Industrial Gauges Corporation and later established Research Developments, Inc., as a subsidiary. This expansion provided the manufacturing facilities for the products developed by the Electron Machine Company.

Engineering, manufacturing and design continues today with the third generation of Vossberg leadership. As a vertically-integrated manufacturer, Electron Machine continues the Founder's legacy of manufacturing inline industrial refractometers that solve the most challenging industrial applications while providing the highest levels of service and support to customers.

A Short Video Explaining Refraction

Industrial Refractometry: The Very Basics

Most objects can be evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively. Determining the number of cars on a highway is a quantitative calculation; determining the color of a car is a qualitative calculation. In the process control industry, analyzing the qualitative and quantitative natures of a product is one of the most important steps in ensuring a manufacturer is delivering their clients not only the best product, but making sure that every product made is the best product.

If you’ve ever cracked open a crisp, cold beer on a Sunday, sampled a great wine, or asked yourself, “why does this soda taste so good?” you’ve had experience with what the process control industry calls “industrial refractometry.” Pink Floyd’s album cover for Dark Side of the Moon, where a beam of light hits a prism at a certain angle and then exits the other side in multiple colors, illustrates a core component of refractometry. Refractometry measures the speed at which light passes through an object.

Here’s how evaluating a substance with a refractometer works: a substance is placed on top of a prism. Then, a beam of light shines through the prism and reflects through the substance. The refractometer compares how much slower (or faster) light travels through the object compared to the speed of light through air. The comparison allows the evaluator to determine qualitative aspects of the substance, such as the density or concentration. For standardization purposes, the speed at which light passes through air has a refractive index (RI) value of 1. If a substance has an RI value of 1.16, light travels 16% quicker through air compared to the substance on the prism. Depending on the color and temperature of the reflected light, even more qualitative characteristics of the substance can be determined.

Electron Machine Inline Industrial Refractometer

While the process won’t always help determine what exactly a substance is (different substances can have the same RI values), refractometry is essential in determining how something is. If a corporation knows the RI value of a liquid product, they can ensure each iteration of said product is precisely made, quantitatively and qualitatively. When two substances are being combined to create one resulting substance, refractometry can show exactly how close the combined substance is to being an accurate fusion.

Overall, refractometry is used by industrial companies as a control method. Industry professionals use refractometers to perform evaluations; these refractometers range from small, hand-held devices to full-powered, computer-controlled precision machines which measure the quality of every product coming out of on an assembly line. Refractometry is an objective way to prove standards are being met while achieving production excellence, making refractometry an extremely valuable tool for industrially geared businesses of almost every size.

So, the next time you want to combine coffee and creamer, if you know the refractive value of the best cup of coffee, you could use your own refractometer to measure how close you are to the perfect morning blend!

Refractometry: A Basic Understanding and Common Uses

A ray of light being refracted in a plastic block
(Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Refractometry, a combination of physics, materials, and chemistry, is the process which measures the composition of known substances by means of calculating their respective refractive indexes (RI). RIs are evaluated via a refractometer, a device which measures the curve, or refraction, resulting when the wavelength of light moves from the air into and through a tested substance. The unitless number given by the refractometer, usually between 1.3000 and 1.7000, is the RI. The composition of substances is then determined when the RI is compared to a standard curve specific to the material of the substance. There are also four separate types of refractometers: digital, analog, lab, and inline process. Although refractometry can measure a variety of substances, including gases and solids, the most common category of known substances to calculate are liquids; the inline process refractometer is used to quantify the makeup of liquids.

Refraction of a light ray
(courtesy of Wikipedia)

The ultimate focus of industrial refractometry is to describe what is in a final product or output of a process step. A field which relies directly on the results of refractometry is gemology. Gemological refractometry is crucial for accurately identifying the gemstones being classified, whether the gemstones are opaque, transparent, or translucent.

Other common examples of industrial refractometry uses are measuring the salinity of water to determine drinkability; figuring beverages’ ratios of sugar content versus other sweeteners or water; setting eye-glass prescriptions; understanding the hydrocarbon content of motor fuels; totaling plasma protein in blood samples; and quantifying the concentration of maple syrup. Regarding fuels, refractometry scrutinizes the possible output of energy and conductivity, and for drug-testing purposes, refractometry measures the specific gravity, or the density, of human urine. Regarding food, refractometry has the ability to measure the glucose in fruit during the fermentation process. Because of this, those in food services know when fruit is at peak ripeness and, in turn, also understand the most advantageous point in the fruit’s “lifetime” to put it on the market.

The determination of the substance composition of the product examples listed above all speak to the purpose of quality control and the upholding of standardized guidelines; consumers rely on manufacturers not only to produce these products but also to produce these products consistently and identically every single time. Therefore, the success of commercialism, etc. is dependent on maintaining the standards for the composition of substances, i.e. industrial refractometry.

Equipment manufacturers have developed numerous refractometer configurations tailored to specific use and application. Each has a set of features making it the advantageous choice for its intended application.

MPR- E-Scan Inline Refractometer Settings and Readings Overview

The MPR E-Scan is an in-line process refractometer that directly measures the refractive index of process fluids and then displays the reading in any number of customer-desired units (Brix, Percent Solids, Dissolved Solids, SGU, R.I., etc.). A simple 0-10Vdc signal is used to transmit the reading from the sensing head to the electronics console, ensuring a robust reading that has a minimal chance of being effected by interference. The entire package is NEMA 4X rated and designed and manufactured with the best materials for each application to provide years of trouble-free service with a minimum amount of maintenance.

The video below provides and overview of zeroing, setting, and reading the refractometer.

Applying Process Refractometers in Sugar Cane Processing

Raw and final product of sugar refining

Sugar cane, after harvesting, requires processing within a limited time window to avoid sugar loss by inversion to glucose and fructose. The traditional two stage process, milling and processing, may be combined in a single modern production facility. Process refractometers can be found in both operations, making an optical measurement of a solution’s refractive index used to determine the concentration of dissolved solids.

To achieve high quality liquid and crystal sugars and contain production cost, refractometers are employed to deliver accurate in-line Brix and other measurements in the cane sugar refining and milling processes. 

Specific uses of refractometers in sugar production are:

• Product flow adaptation to evaporator capacity to achieve energy savings.
• Extraction process optimization, minimizing the use of water that will need to be removed at the evaporator.
• Separation column feed juice control to adjust concentration to match capacity.
• Quality assurance check on liquid bulk sugar and molasses.
• Vacuum pan automatic and accurate seeding.
• Monitor supersaturation over complete strike of crystallization.

Share your refractometry challenges and applications with the experts at Electron Machine Corporation for effective solutions.

Welcome to the Refractometers for Industry Blog

We're glad you found us and hope you visit back often. This blog will provide weekly posts on the science of refractometry and its use in industrial application. Topics will cover design, construction, uses, new products and new markets for industrial refractometers.

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