Flow Measurement for Food and Beverage Manufacturer

Non-contacting Flow Measurement for Energy Drink Manufacturer

OSOTSPA a beverage manufacturer based in Thailand was having some trouble with their existing flow meter. The flow meter was supposed to be measuring water for their energy drink operations and transmit a 4-20mA signal back to the plant's existing PLC system. Unfortunately, the flow meter had lost signal, and various parts of the system had broken or were not working properly.

We recommended the TTFM 6.1 Transit Time Flow Meter for this application, as the end-user wanted to install a new flow system without disrupting the flow and without cutting or modifying the pipeline - which would prove extremely costly for the beverage manufacturer.

Using transit-time technology, the TTFM 6.1 works by measuring the time-of-flight difference for ultrasonic sound pulses transmitted from one transducer to another. Depending on the mounting configuration, the signal may cross the pipe once, twice, or four times. The time between transmitted and received signals is precisely measured by the flow meter. Ultrasonic signals are sent upstream and then downstream with the transducers alternating their functions as transmitters/receivers. Because the signals need to travel across the pipes, the TTFM 6.1 is suitable for clean unaerated liquids.

The TTFM 6.1 features clamp-on transducers, that clamp onto the outside of the pipe and remove the need for system shutdown or cutting into the pipe. The interchangeable A, B, and C sensor types mean that the flow meter is suitable for a wide range of pipe sizes and materials.

A total of four TTFM units were installed at the site, and the units are now all operating and sending readings back to the existing PLC without any problems.