DE3920929A1 - Measuring device for fermented beer - measures accurate liq. flow by measuring pressure and flow upstream and downstream of back-pressure valve - Google Patents

Abstract

The vol. flow of the beer in a measuring tube is determined. A back pressure valve is provided in the measuring pipe, and upstream of this is a volumetric meter and a pressure gauge. A second volumetric meter and pressure gauge are fitted downstream of the back pressure valve. The pressure drop across the valve is about 1 bar, and is adjustable. The four measuring devices are connected to a computer which calculates and outputs the volumetric flow. Pref. a pressure transducer (4,6) and volumetric meter (5,7) are provided upstream and downstream of the back pressure valve (1). The outputs of these instruments are processed by a computer (8). USE/ADVANTAGE - This process is used for measuring the vol. of fermented beer, which is for example being transferred from a brewery to a road tanker. The liq. volumetric flow is accurately measured in spite of the high and varying gas content of the beer.

Description

The invention relates to a measuring device for the volumes of fermenting beer, which for example to be filled into a tanker by a brewery with a measuring line in which the volumes of beer in the Flow can be measured.

With such a bottling or with a beer promotion for other reasons there is the problem that the high of Degree of fermentation depending on the proportion of gas to be filled or amount of beer to be measured to falsify the measurement liquid volume or not at all allowed the share of liquid volume in the to measuring quantity exactly.  

The invention is accordingly based on the object To create measuring device of the type mentioned, with which is possible despite a high and varied Gas fraction that each contained in the flow rate Proportional volume of liquid (without gas) exactly determine.

This object is achieved in that in a pressure control valve is arranged in the measuring line, which upstream a volume counter and a pressure measuring device upstream and downstream another volume meter and a further pressure measuring device are connected, wherein in both cases the same order of pressure measuring device and volume counter is available.

With this arrangement it is achieved that from the Ver ratio of the two upstream and downstream to the pressure holding valve measured pressures and from before and after Pressure holding valve determined the total volume of each pumped liquid volume can be calculated exactly because greater pressures to reduce the proportionate gas volume and smaller pressures lead to its enlargement.

By means of the pressure control valve, one becomes the advance setting for the aforementioned difference  pressure built up, the upstream being the higher pressure and the lower pressure prevails downstream. The difference Pressure Δp can be about 1 bar and is at the pressure holding valve adjustable.

It is useful if the measured values of the four Devices are fed to a common computer that the determination of the liquid volume passing through performs and displays. That in the liquid bound gas volume remains due to the pre given calculation rule. The calculations show derive from the following relationships in which the arabi indices, the proportional gas volume and the Roman indices refer to the total volume. The Numbers 1 and I relate to the values before and numbers 2 or II the values after the pressure control valve.

Because the ratio of gas volumes is inversely proportional to the ratio of the pressures is given at constant Temperature:

Furthermore, the liquid volume V _{F1 upstream} and downstream of the pressure control valve is the same in the present relationships, so that the difference in the total volumes corresponds to the difference in the gas volumes:
2. V _F1 = V _I - V₁ = V _II - V₂

From 1. we get:

and from 2 .:

V₂ = V _II - V _I + V₁; so that

is. That is over

V _F1 = V _I - V₁

the liquid volume V _{F1 is expressed} exclusively by the measured values.

The arrangement according to the invention is particularly for a strong fermenting beer, like one in South Africa under the designation "Sorghum" beer that is not fermented finished, suitable.

In addition, the arrangement according to the invention can in principle for all those liquids where the Gas content in the liquid is not bound.

The invention is based on an embodiment example explained in more detail in the drawing.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of the device according to the invention.

Fig. 2 illustrates schematically the liquid and gas components in the measuring line before and after the pressure control valve.

Referring to FIG. 1, a pressure hold valve 2 is disposed in a measuring tube 1. The beer to be filled flows through the measuring line 1 in the direction of the arrows 3 and is, for example, supplied to a tank, not shown.

Upstream to the pressure holding valve 2 in the measuring tube 1, a first pressure-measuring device 4 is arranged, which is connected upstream of a volume meter. 5 Downstream of the pressure holding valve 2 , a further pressure measuring device 6 is seen before, which in turn is switched on another volume counter 7 . The sequence of the pressure measuring device and the volume counter is in itself arbitrary, it only has to be the same in both measuring line sections before and after the pressure maintaining valve 2 .

The volume counters 5 and 7 each record the total volume, that is to say the sum of the liquid volume and gas volume, which is present at the pressures p ₁ and p ₂ present in the associated measuring line sections. The pressure p ₁ upstream of the pressure holding valve 2 is greater than the pressure p ₂ downstream to the pressure holding valve 2 , so that the gas volume expands in relation to the first measuring line section, so that a larger gas portion is detected by the volume counter 7 .

The measured values of the pressure measuring devices 4 and 6 and the volume counters 5 and 7 are fed to a common computer 8 , as indicated schematically, which carries out the determination of the liquid volume according to the abovementioned relationships and, if appropriate, shows it on a display 9 and / or prints the values .

Fig. 2 illustrates the pressure prevailing in the measuring tube 1 ratios. Due to the higher pressure in the measuring line 1 upstream of the pressure holding valve 2, there is a smaller proportionate gas volume V ₁ in the measuring line section than in the measuring line section after the pressure holding valve 2 . As described, the proportionate gas volume V _{2 there is} greater than in the upstream measuring line section.

The liquid volume V _F1 is the same in both cases.

Claims (4)

1. Measuring device for beer in fermentation, which is to be filled, for example, by a brewery in tanker trucks, with a measuring line in which the volumes of the beer are measured in the flow, characterized in that in the measuring line ( 1 ) a pressure maintaining valve ( 2 ) is arranged, which is preceded by a volume counter ( 5 ) and a pressure measuring device ( 4 ) and downstream by a further volume meter ( 7 ) and a further pressure measuring device ( 6 ), in both cases the same order of pressure measuring device ( 4 , 6 ) and volume counter ( 5 , 7 ). 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the differential pressure (Δp) built up by means of the pressure holding valve ( 2 ) is approximately 1 bar. 3. Measuring device according to claim 2, characterized in that the differential pressure (Δp) on the pressure holding valve ( 2 ) is adjustable. 4. Measuring device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the measured values of the four devices ( 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ) are fed to a common computer ( 8 ) which performs and displays the determination of the liquid volume passing through.