Conductivity sensor saves dairy 100,000 litres of water daily

ZÜGER FRISCHKÄSE, one of Switzerland’s largest dairy manufacturers, turned to sensor specialist Baumer for help with optimising its cleaning-in-place (CIP) processes.

The company employs around 300 people and produces more than 150 different types of cream cheese products at its main plant in Oberbüren.

As an automated method of cleaning pipework, tanks and processing equipment without dismantling them, CIP runs multiple times daily during the dairy production process. Conductivity sensors are central to this process, detecting the transitions between fluid phases in real time. A faulty or delayed signal can have serious consequences. In a worst case, the CIP tank becomes flooded and the system goes down.

Exact phase readings in 15 seconds

Züger selected Baumer's CombiLyz sensor to monitor the separation of food materials, water and cleaning agents during CIP, based on its ability to deliver an exact measured value to the control system in just 15 seconds. This ensures that the control system can react swiftly to the individual phases by actuating valves quickly and precisely.  

With a one-piece hygienic design, the CombiLyz features a sensor-tip made of PEEK plastic, an important factor in its ability to provide fast temperature compensation. This also houses the inductive sensor elements for measuring the electric conductivity and the temperature sensor. 

One-piece design ensures food processing reliability

The sensor tip has a low thermal mass and low thermal transition resistance, enabling it to react very quickly, even amid significant temperature fluctuations. While sensors with two-part lids, where the temperature sensor sits beneath a metal housing, are slightly faster, they are unsafe for food processing applications. The frequent temperature fluctuations in CIP applications put additional thermal strain on the plastic-to-metal transition, allowing cracks to occur and causing sensor failure.

"Whilst our priority was to avoid the consequences of a faulty or delayed measuring signal, we also wanted to optimise efficiency, which is why the quick and reliable reaction of the CombiLyz sensor is so important," said Urs Koster, divisional manager for technical maintenance at Züger. "The success of the optimisation of our CIP procedures is significant. We now consume up to 30% less in cleaning agents, up to 50% less disinfectant and up to 100,000 litres less water per day."

For more information:  

www.baumer.com

Tel: +44 1793 783839