MEASURE SOLIDS CONCENTRATION ACROSS THE FULL RANGE FROM LOW TO EXTREMELY HIGH LEVELS
Most suspended solids analyzers are limited to measurements up to around 10% TSS (total suspended solids) before the sensor becomes blinded by the process stream. This is a significant constraint in industries such as food and beverage, where solids concentrations can vary from relatively dilute process streams all the way to extremely dense loads.
Solids concentration monitors for Exner and Kemtrak together cover this full measurement range. For low-to-medium solids applications, Exner EXspect and EXplore sensors use a backscattered light technique to deliver continuous, real-time solids measurement. As precision process instruments, they are suited to rigorous Clean-In-Place (CIP) and Sterilization-In-Place (SIP) procedures and are widely used for phase detection, filter monitoring, and product detection/changeover in industries such as food and beverage.
Where solids concentrations exceed what conventional sensors can handle, the Kemtrak TC007 takes over. Its 45° angled probe head minimizes stray reflections and maintains close contact between the optical window and the process media, even in the densest streams. Powered by a super-stable NIR light source, the TC007 delivers accurate, reliable measurement at solids concentrations far beyond the range of standard instrumentation.
Together, these two product ranges eliminate the measurement gap, giving measurement confidence from light solids loads all the way up to extremely high concentrations.
Interface Detection
Solids concentration measurement is widely used for interface detection in continuous processes where product-to-product and product-to-water transitions occur. This is especially relevant in dairy and creamery operations, where frequent changeovers between products such as skim milk, whole milk, and cream are part of normal production.
Installed inline, a solids concentration monitor provides real-time visibility of these transitions. During product changeover, it accurately detects when the new product reaches the measurement point, allowing operators or control systems to switch filling lines, packaging, or labeling at the correct moment. At the end of a production run, it also identifies when rinse water displaces product, enabling timely diversion to drain.
The result is tighter process control, reduced product loss, and improved overall plant efficiency. In most cases, the reduction in giveaway and waste delivers a fast and measurable return on investment.
Yeast Concentration
Yeast harvesting is an important step in the brewing process carried out after primary fermentation, where healthy yeast cells are separated from finished beer for reuse in subsequent batches. Effective harvesting helps breweries maintain fermentation consistency, reduce yeast procurement costs, and preserve product quality. The process involves collecting viable yeast while minimizing contamination, trub carryover, and dead cell content. Careful control of temperature, timing, and solids separation is essential to ensure high yeast vitality and viability.
Spent Yeast
Large volumes of spent yeast after fermentation are transferred as a slurry for off-site processing, typically for use in animal feed. A target solids concentration of around 50% by weight represents a real challenge for most conventional measurement techniques. If the solids content is too low, excess water increases transport costs and can lead to back-charges from processors. If too high, the slurry becomes difficult to pump and there is a risk of overloading tanker trucks. An inline turbidity/solids concentration monitor installed in the spent yeast system transferring the slurry to road tankers can provide real-time control during loading to ensure consistent slurry concentration, prevent equipment and transport issues, and optimize disposal costs.
Milk-Fat Concentration
Continuous monitoring of milk-fat concentration is essential for product quality, consistency, and cost control across dairy operations. After separation, cream and skim milk are recombined to produce standardized products such as whole, reduced-fat, and low-fat milk. Accurate control of this blending process ensures regulatory specifications are met while avoiding overuse of valuable butterfat.
Raw milk composition can vary significantly depending on source and season, making real-time measurement necessary to maintain consistent product quality. Traditional methods such as density measurement often lack the resolution needed for tight control, while conventional turbidity sensors struggle at higher concentrations due to the optical density of milk.
High-resolution backscatter measurement overcomes these limitations. Unlike traditional optical methods, it remains effective across the full range of milk-fat concentrations and does not lose sensitivity at higher solids levels. This enables reliable, inline, real-time monitoring of milk-fat content throughout the process, supporting precise standardization and improved production efficiency.
Creams and Lotions
Personal care products such as creams, lotions, and gels are complex systems—typically high-solids slurries or oil/water emulsions where consistency directly defines product performance and consumer perception. From large-scale production to small-batch formulation, maintaining uniform composition during mixing is critical. These are not easy fluids to measure. High viscosity, optical density, and multiphase structure limit the effectiveness of traditional optical or density-based methods, particularly as concentration increases.
Backscatter measurement provides a robust alternative. By monitoring scattered light directly from the process, it enables reliable, real-time tracking of solids concentration and emulsion consistency—even in highly opaque products such as hand creams. This allows tighter control of mixing, prevents over-processing, and ensures batch-to-batch consistency.
Slurry Concentration
Accurate measurement and control of slurry solids concentration is necessary for efficient plant operation. Slurry handling systems are designed with pumps, agitators and pipelines that operate within a defined concentration range for optimal performance. Typical applications include calcium carbonate, lime, titanium dioxide, silica, alumina, and carbon slurries across industries such as mining, chemicals, pulp and paper, food, and agriculture.
When solids concentration is too low, throughput and asset utilization suffer. When too high, energy consumption increases and mechanical wear on pumps and other equipment accelerates, raising maintenance costs and the risk of unplanned downtime.
Inline measurement using a robust backscatter technique provides reliable, real-time feedback across a wide range of slurry densities. This enables operators to maintain target concentration, optimize energy usage, reduce equipment wear, and keep the process running within design limits.
Crystallization
Crystallization is widely used as a separation and purification step in the food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries. Tight control of the process is essential to achieve high yield and consistent crystal size and quality.
Backscatter turbidity and solids concentration measurement provides real-time visibility throughout the entire crystallization cycle from initial nucleation through crystal growth. This continuous feedback allows operators to track batch progression against a desired profile and adjust process conditions, such as temperature or supersaturation, to maintain optimal crystal formation.
Early detection of deviations enables corrective action before issues such as uncontrolled growth or dissolution occur. The result is improved batch consistency, higher yield, and reduced reliance on downstream reprocessing.
Frequently Asked Questions
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SOUTH FORK INSTRUMENTS IS COMMITTED TO SOLVING YOUR FACTORY AND PROCESS AUTOMATION CHALLENGES
Why Choose South Fork Instruments?
We’re both a supplier of pH measurement solutions and a partner in your production success. Our inline pH sensors and controllers are assembled with your specific needs in mind. Contact us today to explore how our pH solutions can transform your operations.
SOUTH FORK INSTRUMENTS
3845 Buffalo Road
Auburn, CA 95602
Tel: (+1) 925-461-5059
