Are You Interested in a Complimentary Black Liquor Solids Analysis?

How convinced are you of the accuracy of your black liquor solids measurement? 

Are you making the most of your time? Do you know the concentration of solids at each critical phase? Do you want to reduce the amount of time you spend gathering data?

Electron Machine Corporation is offering a complimentary black liquor study service for all pulp mill customers. 

Electron Machine has worked for years to develop and improve the speed and accuracy of both inline and offline solids concentration measuring equipment. This continual improvement for black liquor solids measurement allows Electron Machine to design and offer equipment that will significantly increase the speed of your data recording.

Take advantage of this great offer from Electron Machine now!

For more information, visit electronmachine.com/blackliquortesting.

Applying Refractometers in Starch/Sizing Liquid for Paper Production

Cooked starch or sizing liquid is used in paper sizing to reduce the paper's tendency to absorb liquid when dried. The reduction in fluid allows inks and paints to better remain on the surface and helps create stabilized sizing conditions, allowing a consistent paper quality across the different paper grades.

The MPR E-Scan gives paper companies the ability to accurately control the sizing/cooked starch by detecting changes in the concentration of the cooked starch. This precise measurement effectively controls the freshwater flow to the size press/starch circulation system, reducing excessive water usage. Combining the measurement with data-analysis tools, a company can monitor inefficiencies in the starch/sizing line and evaluate the dilution levels. The result is improvements in starch/sizing operation's efficiency and an overall reduction in water, reducing the overall time needed to meet target dilution. By providing a near-instant reading of starch concentration and temperature, the instrument removes the reliance on offline testing. This application should also include automatic prism wash using heated high-pressure water and matching the wash water temperature to the process, reducing any thermal shock and sensor.

FEATURES

• Data logging output for dilution and temperature
• Multiple product ranges and configurable set points.
• Sapphire Prism
• Daylight visible color display
• NEMA 4X
• Stainless-steel CNC machined sensing head
• 4-20mA & RS-232 outputs
• In-house manufactured in USA
• 24 Hour Service Support
• (2) Input & (6) Configurable output relays
• Configurable alarm points: high/low, setpoint/ deviation, etc. 

The MPR E-Scan is constructed of various alloys to ensure a long service life in a harsh chemical environment. The instruments fit into any process with custom pipeline adapters. Due to the unique measurement principle, the instrument readings are unaffected by bubbles, particles, fibers, color, flow, pressure, or vibration. Paper companies can guarantee that proper dilution was met and maintained by utilizing the instrument to control and monitor the starch liquid concentration.

KEY BENEFITS

• Increased paper quality.
• Continuous accurate control of dilution factor.
• Consistent cooked starch quality.
• Increased paper grade production.
• Reduced water and steam use for the cooking process.
• Error and Warning light indications.
• Reduced time for correct sizing/ starch concentration.
• Continuous temperature readings. 

Electron Machine Corporation
https://electronmachine.com​​
+1 352-669-3101

Electron Machine Corporation Celebrates 75th Anniversary and 15,000th Shop Order

Electron Machine Corporation is proud to announce its 75th Anniversary and 15,000th shop order.  Founded in 1946, Carl Vossberg Jr. began the Company to transition technologies first used to support the War Department and defense systems to those technologies used in industry.  These methods further increased the quality of items built.  Many of these technologies provided real-time processes control feedback from which changes could be made automatically to the output of the process.  In today's terms, this was the advent of Advanced Process Control (APC).  As a result of his efforts, Carl Vossberg, Jr. was the recipient of many patents.

In 1951 the Company was relocated from Long Island, NY to Umatilla, FL, although several other local cities were interested in hosting Electron Machine Corporation.  In 1953, the Company received its charter in Florida, where the Company has been ever since.  Over time, the product line manufactured by Electron Machine narrowed as manufacturing methods and equipment improved and early APC instruments became integrated into the actual production methods themselves.  

In 1957 Electron Machine applied its first generation of In-line Process Refractometer to determine the sugar concentration (BRIX) of frozen concentrated orange juice.  A unit of this vintage is on display in the Umatilla Historical Museum.  This same instrument is capable of reading concentrations of many process fluids and acids and dissolved solids in a solution.  This product line continues to this day at Electron Machine. 

Carl Vossberg III led the Company for several decades, improving the remaining product family of In-line Process Refractometers and helped to establish Electron Machine Corporation's global reach.  Now servicing Asia, Europe, North and South America, and Africa, Electron Machine Corporation is known worldwide.      

Carl Vossberg IV now leads the organization as foreign markets continue to grow, and the In-Line Process Refractometer continues to advance in its capabilities and technologies.  Wireless options, data logging, communications, and explosion-proof rated instruments serve to broaden the application base for the family of In-Line Process Refractometers.

The 75th Anniversary coincides with our 15,000th Shop Order, meaning 15,000 instruments and pipeline adapters have been manufactured here in Umatilla, FL, servicing the world.

Electron Machine Corporation
https://electronmachine.com​​
+1 352-669-3101

Green Liquor Process Management with Inline Refractometers

Green liquor is the dissolved concentrations of sodium sulfide, sodium carbonate, and other substances from the paper-making process's recovery boiler. Measuring its density is an essential aspect of paper production quality. 

The Electron Machine MPR EScan is used to measure the green liquor dissolved density, or TTA, at two different points in the process: after the green liquor dissolving tank and after the green liquor clarifier. With the refractometer sensing head positioned directly in the primary process lines, inline measurement enables real-time management of green liquor dilution to meet target TTA set-points. Excessive green liquid density and the accompanying harmful imminent crystallization within the dissolving tank are also indicated (and prevented) by the measurement. 

One considerable challenge is sensor head scaling associated with green liquor. An optical coating forms on the refractometer sensing head. The coating must be dealt with efficiently and quickly to maintain the accuracy and with minimum maintenance. This is key for the refractometer's ability to provide an acceptable measurement cycle and duration. The maintenance necessary to keep the cleaning system running efficiently is challenging. 

Controlling scaling is optimal when the variance of green liquor solids is reduced by automatically adjusting weak-wash dilution with the MPR E-Scan refractometer. Additionally, pressurized water, heated to the process temperature, rinses the refractometer optical components effectively, resulting in a further scaling reduction. The end outcome is advantageous for both control and acceptable maintenance scheduling. 

By limiting thermal changes, minimizing maintenance, and providing a dependable measurement source for automatic inline control, refractometers with accompanying heated high-pressure water cleaning systems deliver excellent results in improving green liquor processing.

Visit www.electronmachine.com or contact 352-669-3101 for more information.

Automatic Black Liquor Solids Content Measurement with Inline Refractometers

Until the early twentieth century, when recovery boilers first appeared, black liquor was a disposable by-product in paper production. In modern times, pulp mills use chemical recovery technologies to recapture spent cooking chemicals from the pulping process for economic and environmental reasons. An example is Black Liquor Recovery Boilers that enable papermakers to recover and reuse inorganic compounds while also extracting energy from pulping leftovers. 

The Kraft process is used in paper production, in which wood is transformed into wood pulp and ultimately into paper. However, the method generates a byproduct known as black liquor, a hazardous mixture of pulping wastes (such as lignin and hemicellulose), and inorganic Kraft process chemicals (such as sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide). The weak black liquor is directed through evaporators to increase the solids content to form strong black liquor. Injection of the concentrated black liquor into the recovery furnace burns organic molecules and reduces Na2SO4 to Na2S. The high energy content of the black liquor burned in the recovery furnace recovers as steam for process requirements such as boiling wood chips, heating, evaporating black liquor, preheating combustion air, and drying the pulp or paper products.

The pulp industry places a high value on accurate, continuous measurement of black liquor solids concentration. Black liquor solid is an essential measurement operation influencing the economics of the pulping process. The mill's environmental load and the solids content of liquor injected into a recovery furnace can significantly impact the firing behavior and thus efficiency. Current trends toward better recovery furnace control for safety and lower air emissions necessitate more robust control over incoming solids content and proper modification of operating parameters to accommodate changes in solids content. Typical analyses of black liquor solids are conducted periodically throughout the mill, from the washers through the evaporator to the ring header. These analyses consist of taking many samples at critical locations and analyzed in the lab. Alternatively, as pulp and paper mills are modernized and automated, inline process refractometers are installed, providing dependable, accurate, and reliable solids measurement and contributing to the safe functioning of recovery boilers. Inline process refractometers are time-tested and proven to provide reliable and precise automatic monitoring of black liquor solids concentration and providing considerable time and labor savings.

For more information about inline process refractometers for black liquor processes visit this link or contact Electron Machine at 352-669-3101. 

Take a Moment This Weekend to Honor Those That Served Our Nation and Are No Longer With Us

Consistent Commercial Food Production Quality Through ºBrix Monitoring

All commercial food brands must meet the high standards that their customers have come to expect. A change in the quality of their product may cause a shift in the customer's purchasing habits. Consistency and flavor are essential for satisfied customers and continued sales. 

The measurement of "Brix" is vital for producers of many commercial food items, such as wine, fruit juice, jams, and carbonated drinks, to monitor quality. 

Brix is a unit of measurement for sucrose and other sugars (and other dissolved solids) concentrations in aqueous solutions. One degree Brix (symbol °Bx) represents the strength of a solution as a percentage by mass and is described as 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams of the solution when measuring sweetness. 

Inline refractometers provide vital details about the make-up of commercial fruit, juice, and wine products. Many commercial food processing plants use refractometers to ensure quality by blending their products to a consistent Brix stage. Since the dissolution of sucrose and other sugars in a solution alters the solution's refractive index, calculating this adjustment is a reliable way to assess consistency and efficiency. A refractometer works by shining an LED light source through a product sample and onto a prism surface from various angles. A critical angle can be measured and the refractive index correctly estimated by calculating the difference in the light source's reflection and refraction. Thus, inline refractometers are effective instruments for measuring Brix in all food processing applications. Furthermore, this measurement and calculation can is performed reliably, repeatably, and quickly. 

Inline refractometers calculate sucrose, fructose, and dextrose content in the following applications:

 

• Dairy, soft drinks, and fruit juices 
• Apple sauces, jams, and jellies are all delicious. 
• Beer, wine, coffee, and tea are all available. 
• Oils from vegetables. 
• Sauces and pastes made from tomatoes. 
• Honey

Contact Electron Machine Company at 352-669-3101 or visit http://www.electronmachine.com if you have any question regarding the usage of refractometry in food and beverage production.