Batch pan control by microwave brix

Abstract

FOR MANY decades, the massecuite brix in vacuum pans has been controlled using simple and cost effective conductivity probes. Despite their widespread use, they suffer from a variety of problems, including temperature sensitivity and changes in impurity loads. Arguably, conductivity probes are not highly process relevant, since they deliver at best only an indirect measure of fundamentally important process variables. This paper presents results from a series of industrial trials using a microwave-based instrument. It presents an overview of the installation and use of this class of device for effective batch vacuum pan control. Experimental results from a series of trials run on a 100 tonne batch vacuum pan are presented.