In virtually every industry, understanding and controlling viscosity is crucial to ensure optimal process performance and product quality. From food and beverage production to pharmaceutical manufacturing, viscosity plays a pivotal role in a wide range of industries and applications.
While traditionally considered a laboratory measurement, the limitations and drawbacks associated with relying solely on lab testing make it unsuitable for large-scale production. The installation of viscosity sensors directly into the process stream can provide several key advantages over traditional laboratory methods, and is often required to achieve a suitable level of control.
1. Process Control and Real-Time Viscosity Monitoring
Inline viscosity measurement places process control at the heart of efficient and reliable production processes. By integrating viscosity sensors directly into the production line, operators gain real-time viscosity data continuously throughout manufacturing. This enables immediate detection of deviations from the desired viscosity, allowing for rapid adjustments and minimising the risk of costly product rejects.
With instant feedback, operators can promptly intervene and optimise process parameters such as temperature, pressure, and other parameters to maintain viscosity within desired specifications. As a result, inline viscosity measurement enhances process stability, reduces variability, and ensures consistent product quality.
2. Process Optimisation
Monitoring viscosity in real-time provides operators with a deeper understanding of how various process conditions impact fluid properties. This knowledge facilitates process optimisation by enabling informed decisions on a wide range of fluid handling factors, including dosing, mixing, and blending.
As an example, by fine-tuning formulations and processing parameters, producers in the food and beverage industry can achieve consistent product characteristics that significantly impact texture, taste, and overall consumer acceptance.
3. Enhanced Visibility and Anomaly Detection
Inline viscosity measurement goes beyond process control; it also enhances visibility into the production line. By integrating viscosity sensors at critical points, operators gain real-time visibility into viscosity profiles across the entire system.
This early detection capability helps identify process anomalies and allows operators to respond with corrective actions, preventing prolonged downtime, reducing maintenance costs, and ensuring uninterrupted production.
4. Trend Analysis and Improved Efficiency
Inline viscosity measurement also provides the advantage of trend analysis. By continuously monitoring viscosity throughout the process, operators can track viscosity changes over time, minimising over-processing or under-processing scenarios. This can enhance product uniformity, reduce waste, and improve overall resource utilisation.
Real-time adjustments based on trend data can also reduce energy consumption, improve yield, and decrease production cycle times. In batch processing, this insight can significantly improve batch times, increase batch-to-batch consistency and significantly reduce batch failure rates.