Industrial Refractometers and Green Liquor Scale Mitigation

Green Liquor
Green liquor, a by-product of the kraft process, is the dissolved concentration of sodium sulfide, sodium carbonate, and other compounds in solution. Keeping track of its component concentration is important to the pulp processing cycle. Green liquor scaling, which includes calcite, sodium aluminosilicates, and pirssonite,  is a problem in most kraft process mills and can cause huge maintenance problems and slow production. Understanding the formation of, and potential ways to control, these formations scale is critical for optimal safety and performance.

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.

Refractometer Optical Sensor Cleaning System
Refractometer Optical Sensor Cleaning System 
Refractometer operating conditions must be optimized for close monitoring and control of green liquor density. Consideration of scale and coating build-up on the optical sensor on the refractometer sensing head is a primary area of concern. A clean sensing head will allow maximum accuracy of the refractometer,  maintaining tight density control, minimize scaling, and increasing kraft process quality.

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

Process refractometers are used in many applications, across a wide variety of industries today. These digital electronic instruments are used to measure dissolved solids and percent concentration in many common, and not-so-common, products. From foods such as juice and jellies, to harsh chemicals such as sodium hydroxide and sulphuric acid, to the paper you touch everyday, there's probably a refractometer monitoring the production line to ensure consistent quality.

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!

2019 Chem Show EMC

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
Who Attends?
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

Electron Machine is pleased to announce that we will be exhibiting at the 2019 Chem Show in New York City between Oct 22 though October 24.

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"

technical staff of Electron Machine Corp
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.
Electron Machine Corporation is very proud of our unique history and deep roots in the electronic instrumentation industry, and developed the first in-line process refractometer was developed to fulfill a need within the developing concentrated citrus industry.

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.