The CentriFlow Meter from Eastern Instruments is a Solid Particle Mass Flow Meter that is durable, accurate, maintenance-free, compact, and cost-effective. It is unique and positioned to replace weigh belts, impact meters, loss in weight meters, and static weigh scales, anywhere that accuracy, low maintenance, and zero drift are paramount.
Please see below for additional information regarding the various options that are offered for our CentriFlow family of meters. If you do not see an option that suits your particular application, don't worry. We have an engineering team that is ready to assist you with a custom solution for your application, so contact us and we will be happy to assist.
A customer needed to accurately control the flow rate of peanuts into a crusher, making peanut chunks for chucky peanut butter. The ability to set an exact set point for the flow rate of peanuts into the crusher was critical since the continuous process calls for a specific ratio of chunks to peanut butter. The peanuts were to be fed out of a hopper, onto a vibratory feeder, and finally into a mass flow measurement system. The material was to be discharged onto a conveyor belt, and then fed into the crusher. The average density of the peanuts is 44 lb/ft3 (19.97 kg/m3), and with a maximum flow rate of 39,000 lb/hr and a minimum flow rate of 10,000 lb/hr (4,536 kg/hr), the flow meter needed to be capable of handling and accurately measuring a volumetric capacity from 227 to 886 ft3/hr. The vibratory conveyor was to be placed above the mass flow measurement system and there could be no product plugging at any point in the process. The signal from the mass flow measurement system was to go to a PLC which in turn controlled the vibratory feeder to maintain the desired set point. The customer also wanted a local display indicating flow rate and totalization. The customer had used weighbelts to perform the mass flow measurement function in the past, but they were not satisfied with the accuracy, maintenance requirements, or “zero” drift observed.
EASTERN INSTRUMENTS SOLUTION
The customer installed a CentriFlow Meter. The unit selected for installation between the vibratory conveyor and the belt conveyor feeding the crusher, was the CentriFlow 12” Type II Meter. Although vibratory conveyors are prone to causing surges in the product flow, the meter’s turndown ratio, from 900 ft3/hr to 45 ft3/hr, allowed the meter to remain accurate despite continuous surges in flow rate. An integrated Ratemeter/Totalizer received the meter’s signal and sent the averaged analog 4-20 mA output proportional to the flow rate to the customer’s PLC. The PLC was linked to the vibratory conveyor feeding the meter, thus allowing control of the flow of peanuts to the crusher. The Ratemeter/Totalizer was also used to display the flow rate and to totalize the flow through the meter.
CONCLUSIONS
Once the CentriFlow Meter was installed, the calibration was completed, and the peanut flow was controlled. After two months of observation and data collection, the customer was confident to switch over his process, allowing the CentriFlow Meter to provide the primary flow measurement to his control system. The meter performed well within the desired accuracy of ±0.25% of actual at all flow rates. The CentriFlow Meter allowed excellent control of the flow and satisfied the customer.
MATERIAL TEST REPORTS: Nuts
The CentriFlow Meter will easily measure a variety of nuts in a variety of forms, including chopped, halved or even whole nuts. Whether measuring raw nuts entering into your process, or processed nuts as they enter into hammer mills or crushers, there is a CentriFlow right for your process.
