Flow measurement of bright beer with high CO2 content

Application Report | Food & Beverage

  • Coriolis mass flow and density measurement of beer transferred to the bright beer tank (BBT)
  • Maintaining operation even with high levels of entrained gas (CO2)
  • Accurate and consistent measurement results from the start to the finish of the batch

Background

Backus, a leading company in the Peruvian beer and beverage market, is part of the global brewing giant AB InBev. With five beer production plants located in Lima (Ate), Arequipa, Cusco, Motupe and Pucallpa, Backus produce some of the country’s most popular beers and non-alcoholic beverages. Their brand portfolio includes Cristal, Pilsen Callao, Cusqueña, Backus Ice, Pilsen Trujillo, Arequipeña, San Juan, Fiesta Real, Abraxas, Miller Genuine Draft, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Grolsch.

Measurement requirements

Bright beer is the clear beer that forms after primary fermentation when the yeast drops out of suspension. It is stored in the bright beer tank (BBT) or serving tank before being packed in kegs, bottles or cans. The brewery was searching for a flowmeter to continuously and reliably measure the beer flow to the BBT. The presence of CO2 in the various types of beer makes this a very challenging application particularly at the start and finish of the batch.

KROHNE Solution

After testing Coriolis meters from a number of leading manufacturers, Backus found that the OPTIMASS 6400 C with Entrained Gas Management (EGM™) delivered the most accurate and consistent measurement results. The adverse process conditions had caused other Coriolis meters to go into re-start mode or “freeze”. Despite the wide range of gas volume fractions found in the process the OPTIMASS 6400 maintained operation allowing the process to continue uninterrupted. The 6400 meter is able to measure sudden changes in density caused by changing CO2 levels and gives an alert when two phase flow is detected allowing continuous measurement.

Customer benefits

Backus is very satisfied with the performance of the OPTIMASS 6400 and EGM™ function which solved the entrained gas problems that had been disrupting production. While the other Coriolis manufacturers claimed similar features they were found to fail when tested. KROHNE´s EGM™ solution is now the standard for this challenging process in all Backus plants in Peru. EGM™ continues to prove itself in challenging entrained gas applications even with larger line size meters such as the DN 100 / 4" now in use with Backus.

Products used

OPTIMASS 6400
Food & Beverage version

Coriolis mass flowmeter for advanced food and beverage applications

  • High accuracy mass flow and concentration measurement in advanced dosing applications and process control
  • With Entrained Gas Management (EGM™) for applications with aerated products (e.g ice cream, dairy products etc.)
  • Also suitable for dosing of gases or cryogenic media (e.g in carbonation or food freezing processes)
  • FDA, EC1935/2004 conform; 3A, EHEDG certified
Email
Contact