Product category:
Monitoring and sensor equipment and systems
News Release from: Hydramotion | Subject: XL7 on-line process viscometer
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 09 May 2008
On-line viscometer trial favours
Hydramotion
Hydramotion reported that its XL7 on-line process viscometer was shown to be the best chocie in a comparative study carried out on a production at a food product manufacturer.
Hydramotion reported that its XL7 on-line process viscometer came out best in a comparative study of pizza sauce viscosity measurement methods A team at University College, Dublin, Ireland (Duffy, A P, Cullen, P J, and O'Donnell, C P at the University's Department of Agricultural and Food Engineering) carried out the study on in-line viscosity monitoring of pizza sauce manufacture using a vibrational viscometer
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 16 Jul 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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The researchers were looking for a reliable method of determining the viscosity of pizza sauce continuously during manufacture in order to be able to assess the benefits of on-line measurement compared with the industry standard off-line standards.
Viscosity is directly related to the flow characteristics of the product, influencing such characteristics as pumpability, pourability and spreadability.
Sauce viscosity has traditionally been measured using rotational viscometers or consistometers, but the researchers found that these off-line techniques were time-consuming and could be subject to a degree of operator influence.
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An in-line viscometer from Hydramotion is making considerable savings for a Japanese company in separating beer from yeast.
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Polymer melt viscometer gives reliable, uninterrupted performance under high temperature, pressure and viscosity conditions with virtually no maintenance.
Intrinsically safe viscometers
The XL7 series of in-line viscometers gives excellent performance in the extreme conditions often encountered in petrochemical and chemical engineering applications.
* On-line viscosity measurement - on-line viscosity measurement offers a number of advantages, including continuous real-time analysis, improved process control and less chance of operator error.
Moreover the consequent labour saving helps to reduce costs.
However, the food processing environment presents a number of challenges to viscosity measurement, including hostile process conditions and the complex and often unpredictable rheological properties of fluid foods.
The Hydramotion XL7 online viscometer is ideal for such applications, as it combines ease of cleaning in place with minimal risk of fouling and meets strict sanitary requirements.
The researchers installed an XL7 in the pipeline between the sauce production 'kettle' and the storage vats.
Sauce samples were also taken from the vats for off-line consistometer measurements, and the results of the various methods were compared for repeatability, variability and stability.
In their report, the researchers concluded that the Hydramotion viscometer gave: 'very stable readings and the lowest standard deviation of all the instruments used'.
They noted that: 'the Hydramotion readings gave relatively tight output ranges and had the least inherent variability'.
The XL7 was said to be also: 'easily capable of measuring all sauces encountered" and "was capable of handling the particulates suspended within the pizza sauces.
Two sauces were out of specification, and the Hydramotion viscometer was capable of picking out these out-of-spec sauces when this occurred'.
Also highlighted were the low maintenance requirements and easy cleaning of the Hydramotion XL7.
The clean-in-place solid-rod sensor has a truly hygienic design, with a crevice-free all-welded 316 stainless steel construction which eliminates the risk of material entrapment.
The instrument can be mounted in any orientation and in any location using any size or type of fitting, including sanitary types such as quick-release tri-clamp, RJT, IDF or DIN.
* Deterring material build-up - the measurement technique deters material build-up on the sensor but has no effect on the fluid.
Although the XL7 has very high sensitivity, it naturally rejects plant noise and vibration and is unaffected either by fluctuations in flow or the presence of bubbles or solid particles.
There are no moving parts, seals or bearings that may wear out or fail in service, so maintenance is minimal.
The report added the following.
* 'Once installed, the Hydramotion viscometer required little or no operator input, unlike viscosity readings obtained from the rotational viscometer'.
* 'Subjectivity and errors due to operator variability were removed'.
* 'The Hydramotion on-line instrument can easily be integrated into the current process monitoring system'.
* 'Unlike the single off-line measurement of 'kettle' viscosity, on-line XL7 viscometer provides 100-200 real-time measurements per batch that can be recorded electronically and independently as part of the batch record'. Request a free brochure from Hydramotion ...
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