Inline Optical Measurement for Quark Dry Matter Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for setting the drying mass content in curd production are slow and imprecise, leading to undesirable deviations in the end product due to high dead time in detecting changes in inflow quantity and reliance on laboratory measurements that require known pH and fat content values.
Innovation Solution
A procedure using a nozzle separator device with inline measuring devices to continuously determine the dry matter and protein content of the starting product and whey, allowing for real-time adjustment of the inflow quantity through a control valve, minimizing dead time and ensuring precise regulation of the drying mass content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If laboratory sampling and analysis methods are used to determine dry matter content, then measurement accuracy is improved, but dead time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical sampling and laboratory analysis with optical measurement systems (infrared or laser-based sensors) that can determine dry matter content inline and in real-time. This substitution eliminates the time delay inherent in traditional mechanical sampling methods while maintaining measurement accuracy through advanced optical detection algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary measurement system that bridges the gap between process control and final product quality. By using optical sensors to measure dry matter content of the curd fraction in real-time, the system provides continuous feedback without requiring physical sampling and laboratory analysis, thus reducing dead time while preserving measurement precision.
2Measurement precision
If feed rate adjustment is delayed to allow for measurement and analysis, then measurement accuracy is improved, but production efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by measuring the dry matter content of the starting material before it enters the separator and continuously monitoring the curd fraction during separation. This allows the control system to adjust feed rate proactively based on predicted dry matter content rather than reactively after measurement, maintaining both accuracy and production speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes a continuous feedback loop where real-time optical measurements of dry matter content in the curd fraction are immediately fed back to the control system. This enables dynamic adjustment of feed rate without delay, allowing the system to respond to variations in starting material composition while maintaining high production efficiency and measurement accuracy.
3Loss of time
If conductivity measurement is used to determine dry matter content, then measurement speed is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to dependence on pH and fat content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conductivity-based measurement with optical measurement systems (infrared or laser sensors) that directly measure dry matter content based on molecular absorption characteristics. This substitution eliminates the indirect measurement approach that relies on conductivity, which is influenced by pH and fat content, thereby improving measurement precision while maintaining fast measurement speed through inline optical detection.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces dead time and achieves precise regulation of the drying mass content, enabling faster and more accurate setting of the dry content in curd production, even with fluctuating compositions, and eliminates the need for frequent sampling and laboratory analysis.
Implementation Method 1
a) Feeding the starting product into a nozzle separator (3) of the device while determining the dry matter and/or protein content and determining the mass flow of the starting product; b) centrifugal separation of the starting material by the nozzle separator (3) into a whey fraction and a curd fraction
Implementation Method 2
The dry matter and/or protein content in the starting product can be determined, for example, by microwave measurement or by infrared measurement, in particular NIR measurement (near-infrared measurement). Corresponding inline measuring devices are known which measure directly in an inlet line or in a bypass pipe of the inlet line without separate sampling.
Data Source
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AI summary
Method for adjusting the dry matter content (TM3) in quark (Q) in a device (10) for the centrifugal separation of a starting product (A) into quark (Q) and whey (M), wherein the device (10) comprises a nozzle separator (3) and wherein the method comprises the following steps: a. Feeding (101) the starting product (A) into a nozzle separator (3) of the device (10) via a feed line (1) while determining the dry matter content (TM1) and/or the protein content and determining, in particular measuring, the mass flow rate (ṁ1) of the starting product (A); b. Centrifugal separation (102) of the starting product (A) by the nozzle separator (3) into a whey fraction (M) and a quark fraction (Q); c. Separate derivation of the whey fraction (M) and the quark fraction (Q) from the nozzle separator (3) and determination (103), in particular measurement, of the mass flow rate (ṁ2) of the whey fraction (M); and d.Adjustment (104) of the mass flow rate (ṁ1) of the supplied starting product (A) depending on the values determined in steps a. and c., wherein the determination of the dry matter content (TM3) and/or the protein content of the quark fraction (Q) is carried out on the basis of the determined mass flow rate (ṁ1) of the starting product (A) and the mass flow rate (ṁ2) of the whey fraction (M) and the determined dry matter content (TM1) and/or protein content of the starting product (A).