Where is Your Pulp Mill’s Black Liquor Bottleneck?

Black liquor solids is a key measurement operation influencing the economics of the pulping process, as well as the environmental load of the mill. Typical analyses of black liquor solids are conducted on a periodic bases throughout the mill, from the washers through the evaporator to the ring header. These analyses consist of many samples being taken at key location and analyzed in the lab. This process can take many hours or even days to collect and determine the solids. Electron Machine has worked for years to develop and improve the speed and the accuracy of both inline and offline equipment. This continual improvement for black liquor solids measurements allows Electron Machine the ability to offer equipment that can greatly increase the speed in which these studies are conducted.

How confident are you in your black liquor solids? Do you know the solids at every critical phase of the process? Would you like to decrease the time that solids analyses take?

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COMPLIMENTARY ON-SITE BLACK LIQOR SOLIDS SERVICE

Electronmachine.com/BlackLiquorTesting

With the recent demand for continue uptime and reduced labor forces, Electron machine is offering a complimentary black liquor study service for all pulp mill customers to analyze the potential for efficiency improvement and to assist in the implementation of refractometers in this costly part of the pulping process. We can assist process control engineers with their black liquor sampling and with the use of our equipment can decrease the time required to complete sampling. The service includes a 1 day on-site evaluation of the mill’s current black liquor solids, as well as any equipment and control practices used, and the identification of potential areas for improvement.

You can learn more at the Electron Machine website here.  Take this opportunity now to schedule a complementary service to identify your Black Liquor bottleneck.

Happy Labor Day from Electron Machine Corp!

 

The Electron Machine Support Team is Here for You!

As a modern manufacturing company that serves industrial customers around the world, Electron Machine is focused on doing our part to keep our customer's operations up and running, while keeping everyone at Electron Machine safe by carefully following current CDC guidelines for Manufacturing Workers and Employers.

If you have questions about Electron Machine products, or need any type of assistance, our experienced support team is here to help. Call us at +1 352-669-3101 or send an email to sales@electronmachine.com.

From all of us at Electron Machine, we thank you for your business and look forward to serving you in the future.

Our goal is to provide you with the highest level of customer service possible.

Hydrochloric Acid Concentration Control Using Inline Process Refractometers

Hydrochloric Acid, HCL, is a versatile chemical used in a number of industrial chemical processes such as hydrometallurgical processing, chlorine dioxide synthesis, hydrogen production, and petroleum well activation. Hydrochloric Acid is also commonly used in various metal etching and cleaning processes (pickling of steel), masonry cleaning processes, and the production of plastics (such as PVC), polyurethane production, leather tanning, and in food additive processing.  The dilute version of HCL is Muriatic Acid, which was originally called "acidum salis" and "spirits of salt" because it was produced from rock salt in the 15th century.

Measuring the Concentration of Hydrochloric Acid (sometimes referred to as Concentration Density of Hydrochloric Acid) is a critical part of the production process for all applications mentioned above.  It is important to closely monitor the concentration levels of the hydrochloric acid with a high degree of accuracy and reliability. Although Hydrochloric Acid Concentration can be created in excess of 40% (Concentrated Grade), Industrial Grade high concentration HCL is 30-35%, which is most stable for transport and storage, and reduces the loss of HCL to evaporation.  As the concentration lowers, other names for the concentrations exist, such as Muriatic Acid which can range in concentrations of 21-35%.  

Hydrochloric Acid is a prime candidate for concentration measurement through use of its Refractive Index (R.I.).  Unlike Sulfuric Acid, the R.I. for HCL Acid is extremely linear, rising from 0% at 1.333 R.I. to 40% at 1.425 R.I.  

An inline process refractometer is used to monitor the concentration of Hydrochloric Acid level in real time. Based upon the refractive index (R.I.) of a given aqueous solution, the refractometer can determine the HCL concentration of the solution and relay that value in real time for proactive process control.  

The Electron Machine Corporation’s family of inline process refractometers are the ideal instrument for measuring these concentrations. 

Electron Machine Corporation manufactures the MPR E-Scan; a rugged, dependable, accurate, and cost effective in-line refractometer.  Capabilities include 4-20mA and  0-10VDC outputs, a variety of up to 8 internal relays for direct control of a variety of valves, alarms, and warning indicators, as well as the capability of saving up to 99 different recipes each with their own alarms, set-points and controls. The wetted metal of the sensing head is normally made from Tantalum (other alloys are available). The non-wetted parts and the interconnection cable can be Teflon® coated for added protection.

Benefits of Using the MPR E-Scan:

• High precision and durability in extremely corrosive conditions.
• Continuous quality control.
• Hazardous chemical environmental and safety regulation compliance.
• Low maintenance, repeatable operation.

Please contact Electron Machine Corporation (+1 352-669-3101) for more information or check out our many accounts on social media. 

Inline Process Refractometers Used in Vaccine and Drug Development

Inline process refractometers are used in drug development and in vaccine manufacturing to ensure safety and efficacy. Their use is integral to the development of virus-based vaccines for diseases such as influenza, MERS, SARS, and COVID-19.

Process refractometers determine the concentration of dissolved solids by making real-time optical measurements of the refractive index (RI) and temperature in a solution. In-process Refractive Index monitoring improves the understanding of process conditions, reduces pharmaceutical development time, increases production capacity, improves product stability and product quality, as well as assisting in regulation compliance. RI measurement and control data supports the pharmaceutical manufacturer's  process validation throughout the drug or vaccine development cycle.

Inline process refractometers with hygienic or sanitary process connections are specially designed for the pharmaceutical industry and are used for the measurement of dissolved components in liquids. Sucrose density in virus purification is one example. Viruses can be banded in density gradients of sucrose, and the purification of viruses is done via sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Measuring the sucrose density with process refractometers allows for safe, accurate and efficient collection, ultimately assisting in speedier vaccine development.

For more information on the use and implementation of inline process refractometers for drug and vaccine development, contact Electron Machine Corporation. Call the in the USA at +1 352-669-3101 of visit their web site at https://electronmachine.com.

Happy 4th of July from Electron Machine!

Inline Process Refractometers for the Pharmaceutical and Food Processing Industries

When it comes to easily, reliably and accurately determining the concentration, identification or purity of substances, refractometry is the ideal method. Inline process refractometers are especially helpful as they supplement laboratory research and contribute to production improvement. These process analyzers deliver results within fractions of a second, allowing real-time monitoring and automatic control of processes.


Electron Machine Corporation's MPR E-Scan™ inline refractometers provide process analysis and control of liquid and slurry process streams in pharmaceutical and food processing applications. The MPR E-Scan™ provides accurate control and precise monitoring of variables in process streams, including percent concentration, solids dissolution, and solution reduction. The inline process refractometer also excels in measuring and managing crystallization, verifying and regulating the correct mix of various compounds, and determining the sugar concentration in a wide variety of products. In addition, the MPR E-Scan™ is often used to track concentrations in evaporation processes.

The MPR E-Scan™ is available in a broad range of models to accomodate a wide variety of measurement ranges and resolutions, providing users an abundance of choices to fit the right equipment to the right application.

Designed with ruggedness and durability in mind, the IP65 / NEMA 4X rated MPR E-Scan™ will withstand the rigors of CIP (Clean-in-Place), allowing the inline process refractometer to be thoroughly and meticulously cleaned at any time in a process environment. Each process refractometer is designed and manufactured specifically for each application, assuring trouble-free service with a minimum amount of maintenance for years to come.

The operation of the MPR E-Scan™ inline process refractometer is based upon the principle of light reflection. Light radiated from the LED passes through the prism surface to be reflected from a mirror to the prism-to-process interface. The light reaching this interface intersects the same interface over a series of angles chosen to include critical angle for the process being measured. Light intersecting the interface at an angle greater than critical angle is refracted into the solution. Light intersecting the interface at less than critical angle is reflected up to a second mirror and out of the prism up to the CCD linear array to be scanned.

In short, the MPR E-Scan™ inline process refractometer makes process metrics more visible to the user and significantly reduces product quality fluctuations. This increases efficiency, lowers production costs, and increases process reliability.  The MPR E-Scan™ can be applied to a wide range of applications in the pharmaceutical and food industries, thanks to their field-proven and reliable technology.

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