Fruit juice maker standardises process monitoring devices

Mid Glamorgan, UK - Fruit juices and smoothies supplier The Serious Food Company (TSFC) has unified process monitoring applications at its South Wales factory. All devices for pressure, temperature, level and conductivity measurement are supplied by the Swiss-based Baumer Group, which has developed a universal process connection system for the whole site.

TSFC is one of UK’s leading juice and smoothies producers, juicing over 40 kilotonnes of citrus fruits each year for its Sunjuice and Frobisher brand products. The company, which has also entered the chilled soup and chilled desserts markets, operates six production units, employing over 600 people.

TSFC started producing own label products for another company two years ago, which led it to double the size of the existing factory for juice. As the project had to be completed within nine months, the company decided on a standardised, single plant process connection design to facilitate installation and flexibility and simplify the connectiion of the measuring instruments.

“What we wanted was not only a single instrument manufacturer delivering all measuring devices, but also a single size and type of hygienic process connections allowing complete flexibility in moving sensors around in the process”, said process systems engineer Jon Gilbert-Rolfe, who designed the process plant and supervised its installation.

Based on his experiences with Baumer as a site engineer with Tetra Pak, Gilbert-Rolfe opted to work with the same supplier on the expansion project. The Swiss company was asked to supply pressure, temperature, level and conductivity sensors for all process areas. This encompassed tanker offload, small component pre-blend, the CIP hall, the sterilising and process hall as well as the filling and the packing and storage hall.

For pressure and tank level measurement, TSFC chose the configurable pressure transmitter FlexBar HRT, some of them equipped with FlexView LC-display, offering service free hygienic connection, very high accuracy with less than 0.2% variation. The devices measure an absolute or relative pressure range from 0 (-1) up to 400 bar and have an overpressure safety limit of 400%. The configuration of span, unit and damping is achieved by using Baumer’s FlexProgrammer connected to a PC.

Another sensor used for level detection is the electro-magnetic wave level switch LSM with 3A approval that works without being influenced by foam or product adhesion. All wetted parts are made of acid-proof stainless steel or PEEK thermoplastics. An LED level monitor indicates all data and allows precise measuring without the need for calibration. The LSM’s process temperature ranges from -20°C to 85°C but can withstand CIP temperatures up to 140°C for up to one hour.

For conductivity measurement of product and CIP cycles, Baumer’s inductive conductivity sensor system ISL050 with temperature compensation and isolated temperature output is used. The configurable stainless steel construction is insensitive to polarisation, adhesion and solids and suitable for hygienic applications thanks to its 3A-approval. It can measure a process temperature from -20°C up to 130°C, the high operating temperature limit allowing its installation also in SIP systems.

The process temperature is measured with the temperature measurement systems TE1 and TE2 which are individually programmable and equipped with stainless steel field housing. The units supplied were model TE21-43021-0035 with normal sensor tip, 1/3 DIN accuracy, M12 plug, and TE22-33020-0100 which are basically the same but with sensitive tip. The TE1 units were delivered with the same configuration but with a field connection head.

To realise the required flexibility within the production site, Baumer developed a specific process connection system allowing the integration of all devices at any point. The standard adaptor – a hygienic connection called PM050 with an internal thread of 1 inch BSP (British Standard Pipe) – was welded onto all process pipes and tanks. The ISL conductivity transmitter can be connected directly via this weld on connection.

“Since all other sensors have a smaller process connection, typically only ½ inch BSP, our Denmark factory designed a specific adaptor in two sizes allowing the customer to screw all their sensors in any weld on connection“, explains Steve Husband, product marketing manager, process products for Baumer Swindon. The longer BH 06091 adaptors are suitable for mounting LSM, TE1 and TE2 sensors, whereas their shorter version makes the connection to the FlexBar transmitter.