Viscosity monitoring aids chocolate tempering
A
Hydramotion product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Apr 28, 2008
A UK manufacturer of chocolate products recently installed Hydramotion XL7 online viscometers on pipelines to its mixing tanks as part of a global automation project.
Online viscometers from Hydramotion are helping to ensure that the chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hand.
Chocolate consists of fine cocoa powder and sugar particle dispersed in a continuous fat phase (usually cocoa butter or equivalent).
During production, molten chocolate must be cooled in a controlled way in order to promote the formation of small, stable fat crystals, a process known as "tempering".
Stable cocoa butter crystals provide the right qualities of texture, surface gloss and melting behaviour in the finished product.
If the crystals are small enough the chocolate will taste smooth and melt in the mouth (at a temperature of about 35C) but not in the hand (at about 20C).
The viscosity of melted chocolate depends directly on its fat content and the degree of tempering, so monitoring viscosity gives an immediate window into the production process.
With this in mind, a UK manufacturer of chocolate products recently installed Hydramotion XL7 on-line viscometers on pipelines to its mixing tanks as part of a global automation project.
By continuously monitoring the viscosity of the liquid chocolate its fat content could be adjusted automatically in real-time, maintaining product quality and reducing wastage.
The XL7 offers high sensitivity and excellent repeatability, as well as high immunity to plant noise and vibration, providing continuous, reliable and accurate viscosity measurement regardless of variations in fluid condition.
Suitable for pipe or tank mounting in any orientation, the instrument can be supplied with any size or type of sanitary fitting, including RJT, IDF or DIN quick-release tri-clamp mountings.
The sensor has a clean-in-place all-welded 316 stainless steel construction with a crevice-free design, minimising the risk of fouling or material entrapment while withstanding hostile conditions.
Measurements are unaffected by stirrers, agitators, changes in flow rate or the presence of bubbles or solid particles.
Capable of being located up to 1000m from the sensor, the dedicated readout unit provides a 4-20mA analogue viscosity signal and a more comprehensive RS232 serial data link for remote monitoring or viscosity control.
Factory-calibrated using certified viscosity standards traceable to NIST, the XL7 viscometer requires no field calibration and with no moving parts, seals or bearings it is virtually maintenance-free, giving a very low total lifecycle cost.
Not what you're looking for? Search the site.
Google Ads
Contact Hydramotion
Related Stories
- Zytek uses Renco R35i encoders to develop gearbox
- Airbus uses Balluff sensors in A380 restrooms
- Thermal imaging camera to scan homes
- Linear position sensors used in ATM bill detector
- OMS fits Scancontrol into internal weld inspector
Articles by product category
- Consultancy and Services (903)
- Machine Building (4,517)
-
Engineering Design Software (6,179)
- Engineering Design Software (12)
- 2D CAD software (200)
- 3D CAD software (1,157)
- FEA and structural analysis software (369)
- Fluid, thermal, noise, vibration software (334)
- Simulation, modelling, validation software (914)
- Rendering, visualisation, styling software (196)
- Materials design and moulding design software (151)
- Process, instrumentation, automation software (258)
- Electrical design software (164)
- Publishing and documentation software (229)
- Maths, charting, statistics, QA software (317)
- Data, document management software (310)
- CAM, CNC, production management software (568)
- File conversion software, data capture (351)
- PLM and collaboration software (649)
-
Drives, Motors and Controls (3,361)
- Drives, Motors and Controls (1)
- Precision Motors and Gears (411)
- Industrial Drives/Controls (1,276)
- Linear Drives and Motors (114)
- Industrial Motors (497)
- Stepper and Servo Drives, Motors, Controls (1,060)
- Small Mechanical Components, Joining, Tools (1,975)
-
Control and Instrumentation (5,028)
- Plantwide control (1,324)
- Plant- and Machine-Wide Communications (1,174)
- Smaller-Sized PLCs (387)
- CNC and Motion Controllers (184)
- Mid-range and Large PLCs (201)
- Power Supplies, Uninterruptible Power (562)
- HMIs/Operator Interfaces (294)
- Logic Controllers, Timers and Relays (96)
- Cabling, Conduit, Signal Conditioning (806)
-
Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (5,459)
- Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (1)
- Data acquisition Software and Communications (494)
- Data Acquisition Hardware and PC I/O Boards (472)
- Electrical and Electronic Testing, PAT Equipment (630)
- Form/co-ordinate, optical, vision instruments (703)
- Gauges, Indicators and Instruments (440)
- Data loggers (422)
- Materials testing equipment (421)
- Telecomms/network test equipment, software etc (154)
- Testing and Calibration Services and Information (500)
- Testing, analysing and monitoring equipment (1,222)
-
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Design (4,160)
- Batteries, chargers and circuit protection (555)
- Connectors, Terminals, Busbars, Slip Rings (679)
- Enclosures and Equipment Cooling Fans (709)
- Knobs, Handles and Enclosure Hardware (420)
- PCs and Embedded Systems (798)
- Electrical and Electronic Subassemblies (369)
- Electrical and Electronic Components (630)
-
Materials and Processing (2,963)
- Materials and Processing (5)
- Materials and components (2,215)
- Rapid Prototyping (458)
- Materials processing and testing (285)
-
Engineering Industry News, Resources (6,093)
- Engineering Industry News, Resources (4)
- Engineering Business News, Views (388)
- Engineering Exhibitions, Events (562)
- Engineering Conferences (425)
- Engineering Seminars (400)
- Engineering Industry Developments, Awards (633)
- Engineering Guides, Newsletters (349)
- Engineering Recruitment, Employment (219)
- Engineering Training Courses (433)
- Engineering Education, Resources, Standards (838)
- Engineering Industry Reports, Surveys (597)
- Electronic Resources for Engineers (278)
- Health and Safety Legislation (402)
- Health and Safety Strategy, Risk Assessment (113)
- Health and Safety Consultancy, Software (175)
- Health and Safety Events, Training, News (277)
-
Powertrain Design (3,598)
- Powertrain Design (2)
- Bearings (939)
- Chains and belts (326)
- Gears, brakes, couplings and engines (1,441)
- Hydraulic Components (471)
- Lubricants (418)
-
Capital Equipment (3,387)
- Capital Equipment (1)
- Manufacturing Machinery and Plant Equipment (468)
- Production line blowers and fans (62)
- Compressors and Air Treatment (510)
- Electronics Manufacturing, Tools, Instruments (192)
- Electrical hardware (131)
- Machinery and Production Equipment (1,093)
- Robotics, Handling and Storage (930)
-
Sensors (7,080)
- Sensors (8)
- Accelerometers and Vibration Sensors (427)
- Loadcells, Force Sensors, Torque Sensors (699)
- Pressure sensors (621)
- Flowmeters and Flow Sensors (618)
- Level Sensors and Leak Detectors (527)
- Linear Position Sensors (399)
- Rotary Position, Tilt and Angular Sensors (546)
- Proximity Sensors (700)
- Gas, Chemical, Radiation, Magnetic Sensors (284)
- Humidity and Environmental Sensors (152)
- Temperature sensors (612)
- Vision and Colour Sensors (1,384)
- Barcode Sensors (103)
- Valves, Pumps, Process Hardware (3,623)
