Turbidity Sensors | Anderson-Negele

What Can an Inline Turbidity Sensor Replace?

Manual turbidity monitoring — through sampling or sight glass inspection — introduces personnel costs, inconsistency between samples, and reaction delays. Time-based CIP phase transition control adds a safety buffer of several seconds per cycle to compensate for uncertainty, which means product or cleaning agent regularly ends up in wastewater.

Anderson-Negele ITM series sensors automate both processes with sub-second response times, eliminating the safety buffer and reducing resource loss at every phase transition. In documented customer installations, turbidity-controlled phase transitions have reduced transition time by 65 seconds compared to time-based methods — a saving that compounds across every production cycle. 
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﻿Read the full case study →﻿

Typical Applications for Inline Turbidity Measurement

Product Differentiation

Turbidity sensors distinguish between liquids in real time, enabling automated product changeovers without manual intervention. Common examples include:
Differentiating milk at 3.5% vs. 1.5% fat content, or cream at 10% vs. 30% fat﻿
Distinguishing between beer, wort, and water in brewery pipelines﻿
Sorting fruit juices by turbidity level﻿
Identifying product, water, or cleaning agent during transitions

CIP Phase Transition Control

Combined with conductivity measurement, inline turbidity sensors enable precise, automated CIP phase separation. Real-time turbidity data triggers phase transitions at the optimal moment — eliminating the time-based safety buffer and reducing waste of both product and cleaning agents.

Example: Pre-rinse water is automatically stopped the moment turbidity drops to a defined threshold, ensuring the cleaning cycle begins at exactly the right time.

Process Control via PLC

Turbidity readings are output as signals to your PLC, triggering automatic process corrections. Key use cases:﻿

Filter monitoring: Continuous measurement downstream of a filter to detect breakthrough
Separator control: Automatic ejection of filter residue when turbidity exceeds a set value
CIP return flow management: Real-time decisions on cleaning agent reuse or disposal based on contamination level

Product Quality Monitoring

Turbidity sensors ensure batch-to-batch consistency by monitoring concentration and clarity levels throughout production:﻿

Optimizing cream concentration to a target fat level
Maintaining target turbidity ranges in craft beer and other unfiltered beverages
Ensuring uniform turbidity in juices and mixed drinks
Monitoring inlet water quality before mixing with product

ROI Calculator — How Fast Does a Turbidity Sensor Pay for Itself?

Inline turbidity measurement delivers measurable savings on product yield, cleaning agent consumption, water usage, and labor. Use our ROI calculator to estimate payback time based on your specific volumes and costs.

﻿Calculate ROI in USD and gallons →﻿

﻿Calculate ROI in CAD and litres →﻿

One Anderson-Negele customer reduced phase transition time by 65 seconds per cycle compared to time-based control. ﻿﻿﻿

﻿Read the case study →﻿

How Anderson-Negele Turbidity Sensors Are Built — HYGIENIC BY DESIGN™

All ITM series sensors are engineered to international hygienic standards, including 3-A, EHEDG, and FDA guidelines. Design features that ensure cleanability and longevity:

No dead legs: Flush-mounted, crevice-free surfaces that CIP without residue traps
LED light source: Long-life, vibration-resistant — withstands pressure surges common in food and beverage pipelines
Sapphire optics: Scratch-resistant and chemically inert; maintains optical accuracy over years of operation
Wetted materials: Stainless steel 1.4404 (316L) throughout; optical block in PEEK (ITM-4) or PPSU (ITM-4DW)
Response time: <1 second for all models

Measuring Principles Explained

What Is Backscatter Turbidity Measurement?

Backscatter turbidity measurement detects the light reflected back toward the sensor by suspended particles in a liquid. The ITM-51 emits infrared light from an LED through a sapphire optical system at the sensor tip. Particles in the medium reflect a portion of that light back to a receiver diode, and the sensor's electronics calculate a relative turbidity value from the reflected signal intensity.

Best suited for: Medium to high turbidity liquids (200–300,000 NTU), including whole milk, cream, wort, juices, and CIP media. 
Key advantage: Simple inline installation; compact design; easily retrofitted into existing pipelines from DN25.

What Is Four-Beam Turbidity Measurement?

Four-beam turbidity measurement combines transmitted light and 90° scattered light in a single measurement cycle to calculate an absolute turbidity value. The ITM-4 uses two infrared transmitters and two infrared receivers arranged in a circular configuration, each offset by 90°. The transmitters alternate: when Transmitter 1 is active, Receiver 1 measures transmitted light and Receiver 2 captures 90° scattered light. The process reverses for Transmitter 2. All four readings from one cycle are used to calculate a precise NTU value.

Built-in compensation: Each scattered light measurement is referenced against a simultaneous transmitted light reading, automatically correcting for optic contamination, component aging, air bubbles, and sporadic interference from solids. 
Best suited for: Low to medium turbidity applications requiring high sensitivity, including wort clarity, beer filtration, dairy, juice, and drinking water. 
Key advantage: Detects changes as small as 0–5 NTU (0–1 EBC); self-compensating design reduces maintenance and calibration frequency.

What Is NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Unit)?

NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Unit) is the standard unit of measurement for turbidity — the optical clarity of a liquid based on how much light is scattered by suspended particles. A value of 0 NTU represents perfectly clear water. Higher NTU values indicate more suspended material. In food and beverage processing, turbidity is used as a proxy for fat content, particle concentration, and product purity.

Common NTU reference values:

What Is EBC (European Brewery Convention)?

EBC is a turbidity unit used specifically in the brewing industry. It measures light scattered at a 90° angle using a 630 nm wavelength light source. The conversion between EBC and NTU is approximately: 1 EBC ≈ 4–5 NTU (varies by method). Anderson-Negele ITM-4 sensors report turbidity in both NTU and EBC.

Installation & Process Connections

Anderson-Negele turbidity sensors are available with a range of process connections to support new installations and retrofits:

ITM-51:

Sanitary screw fittings and clamp fittings
Adapters available for existing process connections
Compact front-flush design fits DN25 and larger pipes
Remote version available for installations where the transmitter must be located separately from the sensor

ITM-4 and ITM-4DW:

Tri-Clamp connections: 1½", 2", 2½", 3"﻿
Sanitary screw fittings for DN25–DN100 pipelines﻿
Ring-shaped measuring sensor integrated into housing for secure, hygienic installation

Inline Turbidity Sensors & Meters

ITM Series Sensor Comparison

What Can an Inline Turbidity Sensor Replace?

Typical Applications for Inline Turbidity Measurement

Product Differentiation

CIP Phase Transition Control

Process Control via PLC

Product Quality Monitoring

ROI Calculator — How Fast Does a Turbidity Sensor Pay for Itself?

How Anderson-Negele Turbidity Sensors Are Built — HYGIENIC BY DESIGN™

Measuring Principles Explained

What Is Backscatter Turbidity Measurement?

What Is Four-Beam Turbidity Measurement?

What Is NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Unit)?

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Products

ITM Series Sensor Comparison

What Can an Inline Turbidity Sensor Replace?

Typical Applications for Inline Turbidity Measurement

Product Differentiation

CIP Phase Transition Control

Process Control via PLC

Product Quality Monitoring

ROI Calculator — How Fast Does a Turbidity Sensor Pay for Itself?

How Anderson-Negele Turbidity Sensors Are Built — HYGIENIC BY DESIGN™

Measuring Principles Explained

What Is Backscatter Turbidity Measurement?

What Is Four-Beam Turbidity Measurement?

What Is NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Unit)?

What Is EBC (European Brewery Convention)?

Installation & Process Connections

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Products

What Is EBC (European Brewery Convention)?

Installation & Process Connections