Vac , with or without a built-in LCD digital display .
Figure 4
processes by accurately measuring the ratio of boiler burner fuel gas to air for the most efficient combustion to lower gas consumption costs and emissions .
The CO2 gas that is also naturally produced during the brewing process and any additional CO2 gas necessary for finishing the beer also requires accurate flow measurement . Thermal flow meters such as this one , with its rugged , dependable thermal dispersion technology , are designed specifically for these small line size processes--from 0.25 to 2.0 inches ( 6 to 51 mm ).
The San Diego County brewer ’ s plant team was pleased with how this thermal meter operates over a wide flow range , from 0.01 to 559 SCFM ( 0.01 to 950 NCMH ). For their variable process conditions , the process engineers appreciated this meter ’ s wide turndown range , which can be preset by the factory from 10:1 to 100:1 , with optional higher ranges are available on request .
± 0.5 % full scale . Again , the brewer ’ s plant team appreciated the flexibility of the flow conditioner option for its pre-existing equipment layout .
Ideal for fermentation vessels or tanks , ovens , heat chambers , and furnaces , this meter features remote mounting capabilities for hazardous or crowded plant environments and includes major global Ex safety approvals . The remote mount transmitter , including a digital display , can be mounted 50 feet ( 15 meters ) away from its flow sensor in the process piping and connected via two 0.50-inch FNPT or M conduit connections .
The meter ’ s fully scalable dual 4-20mA standard outputs are user assignable to flow rate and / or temperature and a 0-1kHz pulse output of total flow . The instrument can be ordered for input power with either 18 to 36 Vdc or 85 to 265
Offering direct-flow measurement , the thermal meter eliminates costly additional pressure and temperature sensors , flow computers , or other devices that are required with orifice plates , Venturis , Vortex and other volumetric meters . The meter also requires virtually no maintenance for a low life-cycle cost , gaining the attention of the costconscious brewer ’ s plant team .
Conclusions
Energy efficiency goals set by brewers and other food / beverage plants typically start with monitoring energy bills . Sooner or later , however , the setting of key performance indicators ( KPI ’ s ) migrates down to the process instrumentation level to flow meters in the brew house .
Achieving heating process efficiency improvements can ’ t occur without more accurate , reliable flow meters to control the burn . This brewer ’ s plant team , like many others that rely on natural gas heating , is finding that upgrading to thermal flow meters pays for itself and keeps the energy cost savings flowing to drive future profits and dividends while protecting the planet .
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Offering built-in temperature compensation , this thermal meter maintains consistent performance in rugged , hot industrial environments . The brew house ’ s engineers concluded that the meter ’ s standard accuracy to ± 1 % of reading with ± 0.5 % repeatability over varying temperatures would be adequate to achieve their process cost control improvement goals .
With a Vortab Flow Conditioner added as a spool piece , the Models ST75V or ST75AV meters are ideal for brew house installations with limited straight-runs and / or for operating in transitional flow ranges with accuracy of ± 1 % reading ,
6 FDPP - www . fdpp . co . uk
Figure 5