Handling Liquids in Food Applications

What challenges can be encountered when feeding liquids and how can these be overcome?

Liquids tend to be incompressible, which means when they are fed the physical properties do not change. Variations in bulk density can be a massive issue in feeding bulk solids, but with liquids provided you have a consistent “volumetric” throughput you should get the equivalent “gravimetric” throughput.

Unfortunately, as flow rates and pressures increase the flow becomes less predictable, because of slippage back through the pump and cavitation (irregular filling of pump head), it becomes essential to provide a secondary measurement. As flow-meters suffer in the same way as described above the best way to measure and therefore control these materials is using a precise weighing system such as a loss-in-weight liquid feeder with high accuracy weighing technology.

What are the latest developments in liquid feeders?

When feeding liquids, the special requirements of each application vary widely. Thanks to the new modular design of the Coperion K-Tron Loss-in-Weight Liquid Feeders, a broad range of pumps and tanks can easily be combined to constitute a reliable liquid feeding system representing the ideal configuration for the specific application.

Although each liquid feeder is custom-designed to meet the desired feed rate, the process demands, the characteristics of the liquid, and the new modular concept streamlines the layout and engineering process of a feeder, thus reducing its lead time and initial cost. The new modularity also provides benefits in terms of a uniform mechanical construction as well as identical operation and maintenance for multiple differently sized units. This simplifies feeder operation, maintenance and spares inventory which in turn saves effort and cost. The same applies for retrofits..

Coperion K-Tron’s modular liquid feeders are ideal for accurate gravimetric feeding of liquids in either continuous or batch operation. The liquid is metered by a pump outside the scale area. The feed pump is selected according to the feeding capacity which is required and the characteristics of the liquid to be fed. The modular concept makes it easy to tailor each liquid feeder to the parameters of the customer process.