Process automation company Endress + Hauser launched its innovative Liquitrend QMW43 device that helps ensure food safety and increases food quality in March.

“This compact multivariable device can be used to detect the continuous build-up of liquids and can also be used to measure conductivity,” says Endress + Hauser Food & Beverage Industry manager Dhiren Naidoo.

He explains that the detection of build-up is important since build-up in pipes can cause contamination to the product being manufactured.

The measurement of conductivity can also assist in detecting different fluids such as cleaning in place (CIP) chemicals and the actual product. Cleaning cycle times can therefore be optimised, resulting in the saving of energy, money, time and the overuse of expensive chemicals.

“By optimising cleaning cycle times, manufacturing plants will have more uptime available for production.” 

The Liquitrend QMW43 was born from another device in the company’s product portfolio, the Level switch FTW33. Naidoo points out that the company strives to continuously improve its product portfolio, therefore, this device has been in the pipeworks for the last two to three years. In these three years of development extensive testing occurred at many different locations globally. 

“To date the Liquitrend QMW43 has been installed at many food and beverage sites around the world” says Naidoo.

“Further, it is easy to integrate the Liquitrend with other systems; for example, this device is a flush-mounted multiparameter measurement that communicates via 4-20 mA. It also communicates through an IO-Link – a short distance, bi-directional, digital, point-to-point, wired or wireless, industrial networking standard used for connecting digital sensors to the Ethernet – allowing easy integration with existing networks and systems,” adds Naidoo.

Further, it can be mounted on a pipe or tank wall to continuously measure the build-up and conductivity of products.

Easy access to information allows our customers to make accurate decisions about the process without interrupting production.

The Liquitrend can also provide valuable information on what may be causing the build-up by judging the conductivity of the residue. For example, the remaining conductivity of a minor build-up will have a high reading which could indicate the residual of cleaning agents.

The sensor output indicates the actual build-up, i.e. sticky product or cleaning agent residue on the sensor surface. As the sensor surface is built with the same material as most tank or pipe installations – stainless steel 316L – it can mirror the condition of the build-up inside the tank or pipe.

The device also uses the same roughness levels as are commonly used in the food and beverage industry installations, Naidoo explains. Liquitrend can be used in temperatures ranging from about - 20 ˚C to about 100 ˚C under normal working conditions and can withstand temperatures of up to 150 ˚C during the cleaning in place process.

“Ultimately, the Liquitrend is a device that a food and beverage plant should not be without.  This clever device can help increase food safety and improve product quality,” says Naidoo. 

He concludes that the Liquitrend holds many certifications, including those of the US Food and Drug Administration, as well as the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group standards.