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Sep 25, 2023

Set and forget with right solution

The suite of KAL product offerings from Kobold promise to provide common

The suite of KAL product offerings from Kobold promise to provide common problems associated with the installation and use of flow meters in food and beverage manufacturing processes. Food & Beverage Industry News reports.

The latest suite of electronic flow metres from Kobold, experts in industrial measuring and control devices from the area of flow, pressure, level, and temperature, promises to address key issues around flow measurement.

The KAL Flow Monitor from Kobold is a single flow sensor/switch without any moving parts that continuously monitors the flow of water-based fluids.

The flow meters send a signal to an oversight system, such as a PLC, to ensure the automation process operates smoothly and that any significant change to the process medium flow is identified immediately.

The process connection is available in either threaded or sanitary 3A Ti-clamp options.

James Slowgrove, product manager – Flow & Instrumentation at JSG Industrial Systems, said the KAL product line from Kobold addresses concerns he regularly hears from within the industry.

"When it comes to food and beverage applications there's a host of requirements that typically most operators, companies, and manufacturers look for in their products," he said.

"The first two main issues in food and beverage manufacturing are hygiene, ensuring what's inserted into the production line is hygienic. The second one, is maintenance and unscheduled breakdowns."

"The last thing anyone wants when producing a slurry, or beer, and other things of that nature, if you are measuring it, is for the part to fatigue over time and a component breaking off."

Contamination issues caused by events like this have large impacts on food and beverage manufacturers, from down time to recalls, and possible damage to the brand's reputation as a result.

"Typical flow metres are generally inserted into the process line, and they might have impellers or gears that move around and over time those items can fail," added Slowgrove.

"The reason why they fail usually has more to do with temperature and age than anything else."Brittle plastics might eventually just snap over time due to continual wear; gear metres might lock up and seize. When it comes to food and beverage this is particularly risky."

By creating the KAL suite of flow measurement devices Kobold has addressed these two key issues in one shot.

"The KAL is designed with no moving parts, so straight away we’ve addressed the second issue in the sense you don't have to worry about ongoing maintenance or repairs down the track, it's a set and forget device," said Slowgrove.

"That's the key aspect of this product in the sense that no moving parts means it won't impede the manufacturing process much."

Kobold was also focused on the hygiene risks around flow measurement when designing the KAL range.

"We talk a lot about pressure loss and when you have moving parts you inevitably interrupt the flow stream," said Slowgrove.

"This creates some back pressure in the line which might cause issues in the greater scheme of the production line, whether that is the pump having to work harder or at the end of a long hose might not reach the right flow rate to batch.

"By having minimal pressure loss, we are ensuring all the other systems involved are not being affected by this installation of this flow meter."

This is where the KAL helps limit contamination risks from product failures.

"With this device you don't have to worry about that because this device is inserted into the process line with a T-intersection, so to speak, which is a little probe. This addresses the first point I mentioned about hygiene concerns," said Slowgrove.

"This probe is constructed of food compatibility with stainless steel, there's no rubber seals, no plastic, no joints where debris can build up and cause bacteria growth. The KAL line is completely manufactured out of one piece of stainless steel."

The product range has also been developed with clean in place processes in mind.

"A lot of manufacturing facilities, like breweries for example, might utilise a clean in place process which means at the end of the manufacturing cycle they might flush out the line with hot soaps water or a bit of solvents, while they clean the pipes internally with a high temperature washdown." said Slowgrove.

"Typically, when you do clean in place not every product that you have in the process line can handle that and sometimes components might need to be taken out or a bypass put in.

"The KAL doesn't require anything like that. It can handle the hot temperatures, the chemicals, and it's allowed to be cleaned where it sits without the need of repairs or pulling it out, it's a set and forget device."

The KAL's digitisation and automation is what allows the pieces to be set up and essentially left to their own devices. Whereas in the past not physically checking up on a flow meter could result in a failure going unseen for some time.

"A lot of businesses always look for ways to ensure their products and processes are reliable," said Slowgrove.

"You might insert a turbine meter and forget about it, and it could break in that time. KAL emphasises ease of use, it is all electronic wants its set up.

"In the current world of industrial automation and the 4.0 industry changes everything is becoming digital and electronic and there are fewer moving parts."

And the fewer moving parts, along with the capacity to limit its impact on pressure flow, makes the KAL an appealing option for flow measurement.

"There's always going to be meters with moving parts because that's how they work. Sometimes it works well and sometimes not so much. But you must think about the bigger picture.

"If you are going to introduce new elements to an existing and sustained system you could be creating other problems. What this device is doing is alleviating that, you still have to modify the pipe to screw or clamp on the KAL, but that is it.

"We are not impeding or effecting other devices and because it's electronic its designed to integrate into the existing system."