Granular Products
Moisture Control of Granular Products
Moisture measurement and control of granular materials are a key performance indicator for manufacturers that require product consistency in their process. This material typically has a moderate level of moisture variability that makes it difficult to maintain uniformity without the help of online moisture control. Taking samples from the process and determining the moisture content hours after receiving lab results is a highly inefficient way of preserving the consistency of moisture in a product. Often the results obtained are accurate but hours later it is too late to make adjustments to the process. This delay in received results produces a great deal of product waste and inferior quality product.
Real-Time Moisture Measurement
Fortunately, the NIR-6000 Series Moisture Analyzer automates the process without the need for laboratory testing. Receiving real-time moisture data presents an opportunity to make changes to the process as it is needed and to maintain product uniformity concurrent with product flow. Sensortech provides the operator the ability to immediately observe fluctuations in the moisture content of granular products and to make the appropriate adjustments to the process; providing effective process control, increasing product consistency and reducing product waste.
High Variability of Moisture Content
If the granular material being measured has a high variability of moisture content the NIR-6000 Series Moisture Analyzer will instantaneously measure it. Inconsistency in the moisture composition of granular products can be caused by a number of factors. These factors can be related to temporary changes in the process, longstanding issues that had never been identified to begin with or other issues associated to human error. Rectifying the factors causing inconsistent moisture distribution in granular products must first be identified in real time before being corrected.
Trending Moisture Data
Due to the nature of granular material, high variability in moisture content could be a rigid characteristic of the process. The NIR-6000 Moisture Analyzer may produce data that spotlights large fluctuations in the moisture composition of the granular product. In some cases, the variability will be so great that it may be necessary to influence the measurement of the online instrument with a certain degree of damping or a moving average to obtain useful trending data that can be interpreted and acted upon. The purchase of an NIR-6000 Moisture Analyzer includes a Configuration Software Package that provides the operator or engineer the ability to apply moving averages to the raw data of the analyzer and to log data for further analysis.
Moisture Measurement Technologies
Sensortech’s strength is its experience. We recognize that all granular materials are not created equal. The NIR-6000 Series Moisture analyzer may be an ideal solution for one product but not another. Sometimes, because of the nature of the product being measured, it is necessary to add further sensitivity to the IR measurement and through our experience we have developed the NIR-6700 High Sensitivity Series for these applications. Other times, however, IR technology is not suitable for the product being measured all together and an entirely new approach is required. For these applications Sensortech has developed the ST-3300 Series Moisture Sensors. Knowing the proper moisture measurement technology for the type of granular material to be measured is Sensortech’s specialty and has been developed with over 30 years of experience.