Mibelle Ltd: Micronics Flow Meter cost effectively measures flow rate in Personal and Homecare factory
A Micronics PF D550 Doppler Flow Meter fulfilled a vital requirement in a major manufacturing unit in Bradford. The Mibelle Group is the number three manufacturer in the European proprietary brands market. The shampoos and conditioners manufactured in its Personal and Home Care business unit start their life in concentrate form and need to be diluted with water from a 70% concentration down to a 27% concentration. If the dilution is wrong a whole batch can be spoilt which may be as much as 10 tons, leading to severe disruption to the plant and loss of revenue. Therefore the flow rate of the water needs to be precisely measured.
Andy Crossley, Mibelle’s Engineering Manager discovered the PF D550 Portable Doppler Flow Meter at a water, sewerage and waste exhibition in Bradford in November 2014 where Micronics were exhibiting. The PF D550 is used to monitor and balance flow, or to troubleshoot flow problems in full pipes. It is ideal to evaluate performance of in-line flow meters and can be installed, calibrated and started-up in minutes. It is particularly useful in projects where a permanent flowmeter is not required or to temporarily replace installed flow transmitters. He was assured that it would give an accurate measurement of flow. It simply needed to be clamped onto the outside of a pipe meaning that production was not interrupted when installing it. Because the sensor is mounted on the outside of the pipe, there is no contact with the moving fluid. The ultrasonic sensor straps onto the outside of pipes and measures flow in any pipe that conducts ultrasound. The PF D550 ultrasonic sensor injects high frequency sound through the pipe wall and into the flowing liquid. Gas bubbles or solids suspended in the liquid reflect the ultrasonic signal back to the sensor. When this sound is reflected it is returned to the sensor at an altered frequency. This frequency shift is called the Doppler Effect. The PF D550 continuously measures the change from its transmitted frequency to the received frequency to accurately calculate flow.
Mibelle AG was founded in the 1960s and specialises in the manufacture of personal care and beauty products. The Group has around 1,000 employees and generates sales of approximately EUR 381 million. Andy Crossley comments: “I’ve been very impressed with the PF D550, it has proven to be a very useful tool and I would have no hesitation in recommending the use of more Micronics flow meters throughout Mibelle Group’s factories.”
For further information on this project or the Micronics range call Micronics on +44 (0)1628 810456, or visit www.micronicsflowmeters.com.
