Milk reception with entrained gas
- Reducing time and costs required for unloading aerated milk from road tankers
- Continuous and reliable flow measurement even in the event of 2-phase flow
- No more unplanned shutdowns caused by equipment failure
Background
Milk dairy Surlat originated from a group of farmers in the South of Chile in the late 90s. The company specializes in producing and delivering high quality, rich natural products. Their dairy goods range from basic products such as milk, cream and butter to the latest innovations such as reduced-fat and lactose-free milk products.
Measurement requirements
Surlat receives a daily supply of fresh milk from local dairy farms, transported by large road tankers to the dairy processing plant. Each tanker is unloaded at a flow rate of approximately 80,000 kg/h, and up to four tankers can undergo simultaneous unloading. During transportation, the movement and vibration of the tankers generate foam in the milk. The foamy milk is subsequently stored in a common buffer tank, awaiting processing.
In the past, the company utilized Coriolis mass flowmeters from another manufacturer to measure milk quantities during raw milk reception. However, these meters faced challenges when the milk contained entrained gas due to foam produced during transportation. The Coriolis meters would struggle and occasionally enter startup mode, resulting in measurement interruptions. These disruptions posed several issues: firstly, the unloading process was interrupted, requiring manual intervention and personnel time for restarting, leading to increased unloading time and reduced efficiency. Secondly, the loss of measurement accuracy led to commercial disputes regarding the delivered milk quantity.
To address these challenges, the milk processing plant required a flowmeter capable of accurately measuring raw milk mass flow, even during phases when entrained gas is present.