Proportionator (Inline Juice Mixer): Taking Beverage Processing to Perfection
At every progressive step in beverage processing, manual dilution of concentrated juice has been a demanding operation whose cost has been constantly increasing. It is a time-consuming and dependable process requiring a lot of human intervention. Despite all this operational pain and inconvenience, it results in improper mixing.
Traditionally, battery tanks were required to prepare juice blends of the required quantity. The Proportionator (Inline Juice Mixer) greatly reduces the number of tanks required to blend. In this blog, we will understand in-detail about Neologic Engineers indigenous innovation and how does it benefits the beverage processing industry.
All About the Proportionator a.k.a. Inline Juice Mixer
This system is the perfect blend of mechanical and automated systems making it more reliable with precise control. The system continuously receives various signals from the field equipment which are installed on both the product streams of the module. Assisted by the programmable controller-PLC (Brain of the system) it monitors the set points critical to the final product quality and for various flow rates. It involves a flow-regulating device which is mounted on the skid to help achieve the required flow rates as well as the Brix/ratio.
In-built Brix meters ensure that the syrup with required Brix within +/- 0.05 is fed to the pasteurizer. It enables escalation control if the system changes its behavior which results in the stoppage of the machine with an alarm.
Fundamental components used for the operations of the Proportionator are:
- Tanks
- Centrifugal / Positive displacement supply pump
- Suction, return valves & piping
- Mix-Proof Valve cluster
- Regulation devices
- Flow Plate
- De-Gassing Unit
- Instrumentation and automated controls
Proportionator By Neologic Engineers
Proportionator is a novel innovation by Neologic Engineers. It is an automated NEPL Inline juice mixer that handles a wide range of ingredients in the industry. This can efficiently mix two separate streams (Juice and DE-aerated water) automatically along with continuous controlling of ingredients in an automation control loop without requiring any human intervention.
Integrating this technology instead of the traditional method helps achieve precise product composition in formulated beverage products.
Advantages of Inline Juice Mixer
- High repeatability for Efficient Continuous Process.
- High Precision to Deliver Uniform Product Quality.
- Low Operational Cost.
- Increased Production Time.
- Minimal Human Intervention.
- Reduces Product Losses.
- Operation Friendly and Independent of Operators' Skills.
- Better product recovery.
- Wide Range of Ingredient Handling.
- Reduced Ingredient Costs.
- Space saving as number of blending tanks are reduced.
- Cost of CIP reduced as number of blending tanks are reduced.
Features of the Neologic Engineers' Proportionator (Inline Juice Mixer)
- Efficient Water De-aeration for excellent product quality.
- Continuous production of more than 24 Hrs.
- Accuracy: +- 0.05 deg brix.
- Flexible for Brix control and ratio control.
- PLC-Based Fully Automated System.
- Precise Control of Major Parameters like Brix and flow without disturbing product properties.
- Advanced automation with Record and traceability of the mixing.
- Software for Operator-Human Machine Interfaces (HMI).
- Connection Flexibility with Various Automation Systems.
- All components are pre-assembled on a stainless-steel frame.
- Mix-proof valve.
- Customized machine based on product requirements.
- Can be delivered in wide Capacity range from up to 5,000 to 50,000 liters an hour.
Traditional Mixing v/s Automated Mixing with Proportionator (Inline Juice Mixer)
In traditional mixing, the concentrated juice and water are mixed basically with manual operations to bring it to the required Brix. It begins with the concentrated syrup being taken to the tank and based on the weight of the syrup, water is added with manual calculations. Agitation is continuously going on throughout this process.
Further, the Agitation is done for a particular period and then the sample is taken for a lab test. Once the readings are as per the desirable range, the mixture is transferred to the pasteurizer for further processing. In totality, every step of the traditional mixing is manual and requires heavy human resource deployment.
Neologic Engineers' Proportionator (Inline Juice Mixer) aims to maintain a safe, hygienic process system and minimize product cross-contamination.
The best part of an Automated mixing System is the saving of time and operational cost.
Proportionator (Inline Juice Mixer) designed by Neologic Engineers requires 70% lesser manpower as compared with the traditional method.
With the proposition to customize the system as per product needs the operational tank, programmable logic controllers, extremely precise sensors, degassing unit and automated valves help to give a precise and accurate result for uniform product quality.
Written By,
Shubham Kudale