Storage, continuous mixing and sugar dissolving in fruit & vegetable juice production

In juice production the concentrate is fed from a storage tank into the mixing tank, where it is mixed with water, sugar and flavourings. This step must be carefully controlled as a large part of the aroma can be lost during the production of the juice concentrate. The right mixture of juice concentrate and other flavour fractions ensures a consistently high-quality taste for the end product. The sugar added is controlled carefully: first, solid sugar is dissolved in water in a sugar solution tank, filtered and then added to the juice concentrate in the mixing container. It is important that the sugar concentration is monitored and maintained to give the correct mixing ratio of sugar solution and added water in the product.

KROHNE offers devices for level, flow and temperature measurement that are optimally adapted to the tasks required for juice mixing and production. For example FMCW radar level transmitters are ideally suited for continuous, non-contact liquid and solids level measurement in silos – even those with a dusty atmosphere. Fast, very precise hygienic temperature sensors can be used for temperature monitoring. Capacitive level switches for point level detection in the silos and tanks protrude only slightly into the process, detect foam and changes in media properties of the same liquid and are therefore very well suited for these demanding hygienic applications. Flow measurements can be implemented with high accuracy magnetic inductive devices offering extensive diagnostic functions, as well as a large number of hygienic connections.

Ultra-compact pressure transmitters or robust pressure transmitters with a flush diaphragm are ideally suited for hygienic liquid level measurement in tanks, and offer gap-free aseptic installation. Correct level control of the sugar silo is achieved by the contactless radar level measurement of the OPTIWAVE 3500. The OPTIMASS 7400 Coriolis flowmeter can measure both the mass flow, and also the sugar concentration (directly expressed in Brix) that is dosed into the mixing tank. In a similar way the sugar concentration in the juice product can also be regulated using a KROHNE mass flowmeter.