Inline instruments help make process improvements

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 29, 2006

V and S Group is using a combination of Solartron instruments from Emerson Process Management to make improvements to production processes at its Absolut Vodka distillery in Nobbelov, Sweden.

Leading spirit producer and distributor V and S Group is using a combination of Solartron instruments from Emerson Process Management to make improvements to production processes at its Absolut Vodka distillery in Nobbelov, Sweden.

The Solartron inline density tubes and viscosity and density forks are being used in three critical applications - to measure the concentration of raw spirit, to detect fuse oil impurities and to dry stillage content.

V and S Group is one of the leading producers and distributors of spirits, its Absolut Vodka brand being the third largest premium spirits brand in the world.

The group has operations in 12 countries and sales in more than 100 countries.

In 1999 V and S Group decided to inaugurate a new distillery in Sweden in order to meet the growing global demand for Absolut Vodka.

Opened in 2005 the distillery has helped the company increase its manufacturing capacity from 87.5 million litres to 125 million litres of vodka per year.

The facility is one of the most modern, energy efficient and environmentally friendly distilleries in the world and has helped V and S Group reduce its energy consumption by 20% per bottle produced.

"The Absolut Vodka brand is synonymous with the highest levels of quality", commented Michael Jagbeck, Sales Manager, Mobrey Measurement.

"In order to maintain consistently high standards the production process and instrumentation used play a critical role".

"The accuracy and reliability of the Solartron inline instruments being used have helped V and S make valuable process improvements".

In one of the world's largest plants for consumer spirit the distillery is using Solatron 7845 tube density transducers for heating control.

Previously V and S Group used mass flow meters for this application but the change was made to the tube density transducers to gain more accurate results.

With the very accurate measurements V and S is able to optimise its production process by maximising the level of ethanol and minimising the amount of heat used in the process.

The crude ethanol distillation process produces two end products.

Approximately 10% is retained and used to increase the concentration of ethanol in the final spirit.

Part of this process is to separate an impurity known as fuse oil from the ethanol water.

A Solartron 7828 fork density transducer is used to control and detect levels in the separation column.

From the spirit distillation the remaining 90% is a byproduct called stillage which is no longer needed and is sold as animal feed.

To facilitate removal of the stillage, it is dried through an evaporator system enabling storage for longer periods and transportation over longer distances.

Solartron 7829 fork viscosity transducers are used to accurately and efficiently control the evaporators as part of this process.