NSL: Precise hygienic level measurement even with high pressures, vacuum, foam, heat and boiling water The Italian systems manufacturer S.I.P.A. has earned an international reputation for quality and reliability in the field of
beverage plants. In a soft drink plant for a customer in Scandinavia, for reasons of cleanability and hygiene, a float level
sensor was not accepted. On the advice of the application specialists at Smeri srl, the Anderson-Negele sales partner
in Italy, a test was carried out with the potentiometric level sensor NSL-M: And thanks to its perfect function, it was not
removed any more before the handover to the end customer. Since then, the system has functioned smoothly for the end
customer, and S.I.P.A. will use NSL technology for their systems in the future.
"We were looking for a new, hygienic solution that
would work in all processes, and especially also in
the CIP process because of the horizontal tank position.
Thanks to the competent advice from Smeri
and a product test with Anderson-Negele NSL, we
were able to more than meet all expectations. The
system works perfectly and smoothly for the end
customer. We are fully satisfied with the advice
and the product."
Advantages in the application
The customer benefits:
Hygienic, easy to clean level measurement
Reliable function and high measuring accuracy even under extreme positive pressure and vacuum
Precise level measurement even during the CIP process, unaffected by spray water and boiling water
Foam insensitive measurement
Application Detail
Degassing
The entire soft drink system consists of several components
that create great challenges for the measurement and control
technology. In the first part, the degassing tank, oxygen
is removed from the water to prevent taste deviations due to
oxidation. For this purpose, a vacuum is created in the tank
and the gas is extracted. For reliable processes, maximum
efficiency and consistent quality, highly precise volume measurement,
even under vacuum, is essential here.
Carbonation
After the mixing process of water and syrup according to different
recipes, in the next step, the liquid is enriched with CO2.
This carbonation takes place under high pressure up to the specified
value. The end product is stored in a stacking tank while
maintaining the pressure until filling. Here, too, the precise and
above all fast (less than 100 ms) measurement of the level is
decisive for controlling the process and to maintain a constant
level.
The Anderson-Negele solution: The hygienic level sensor for extreme process conditions NSL
In the production process itself and in the CIP cleaning processes, the measuring instruments are exposed to extreme conditions. In particular, these are:
High negative pressure (vacuum) during degassing
High positive pressure (up to 95 PSI / 6.6 bar) during carbonation
Strong foaming of the media (sparkling soft drinks)
Fast temperature changes between process, CIP cleaning and rinsing
Direct spray water on the probe during CIP cleaning, yet full function and measuring accuracy
Dense steam that can negatively influence other measuring methods
S.I.P.A. has so far installed float sensors for level control in such systems. However, these no longer meet the current requirements for cleanability and hygiene. With the NSL-M, S.I.P.A. has a solution which, thanks to a highly developed potentiometric measuring system, has proven itself with its high precision even under these rough conditions. This ensures smooth operation with maximum product quality, process reliability and efficiency.
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