COMPACT PRESSURE SENSORS ENSURE SAFE MILK STORAGE AT AL RAWABI DAIRY COMPANY

Dairy products are very popular in the United Arab Emirates. Due to the high outdoor temperatures, every step in the production of these products is closely monitored. This requires continuous reliable measurement. That’s why the new VEGABAR series of measuring instruments have been entrusted with this important task at Al Rawabi Dairy Company.

Al Rawabi Dairy Company is a leading dairy and juice company in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a wide range of products, which includes milk and yoghurt, the sour milk product Laban, as well as pasteurised juices and functional dairy products. At present, Al Rawabi Dairy Company products are available in more than 12,500 shops in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Qatar.

Starting in 1989 with 500 cows imported from

Germany, the company now has 13,500 cows on its own farm in Al Khawaneej. These supply the milk to produce 275,000 litres of milk products per day. A whopping 15,000 litres of juice are also produced on a daily basis.

Innovation is a state of mind at Al Rawabi

The company meets all global requirements when it comes to quality and hygiene. It has also received several international awards for its innovations in this field.

One component enabling this success is reliable measurement technology. It is absolutely essential for being able to adhere precisely to recipes and measure levels in the various processes correctly. And this is why Al Rawabi Dairy Company and VEGA (the German expert in pressure and level measurement) met.

A patented technology to suit all process conditions

In one of the three, 5-metre-high tanks, which hold about 30,000 litres of milk, a VEGABAR 38 pressure sensor now carries out the level measurement.

With a patented ceramic CERTEC® measuring cell, the sensor can sustain temperatures up to 135 °C for 1 hour. It can thus withstand both sterilization and cleaning cycles in the milk storage tanks. What is more, the measuring cell has excellent long-term stability and high overload resistance.

In the Al Rawabi Dairy Company, the pressure sensors measure the hydrostatic pressure exerted by the milk in the tank, which in turn is used to determine the level.

Perfect cleanability

The hygienic requirements of the dairy industry are in themselves extremely demanding. That’s why the sensors are specially designed to meet the strict requirements of this sector. These include materials with all the necessary approvals and properties according to FDA and EC 1935/2004 as well as hygienic design in compliance with EHEDG and 3-A Sanitary. The sensors are especially characterised by their front-flush process fittings. An all-metal housing that meets the requirements of IP69K is available as an option. Even during operation they can be cleaned with almost any cleaning agent for up to one hour at 135 °C. With their reliably protected seals, all-metal housings and media-contacting surfaces with a surface roughness down to 0.76 µm, VEGA sensors ensure perfect protection of sensitive processes.

Configuration of all sensors with any smartphones

Based on the innovations using Bluetooth, these devices can be setup using VEGA’s App on any smartphones instead of traditional bulky field communicators.

Learning how to use each and every manufacturer’s field communicator has always been a painful task in the industry. Using a simple smartphone to configure and access sensor parameters is a clear benefit for a maintenance team; facilitating the easy transfer of knowledge, saving time and money.

Pressure Sensor using the patented ceramic CERTEC® measuring cell.

Sensors can be easily retrofitted onto existing fittings thanks to the process connexion adapters. It reduces installation effort, fast commissioning and leaner stockkeeping.

Process information at a glance

Yet another feature helps avoid unnecessary physical contact with the production systems: the 360° status display on the VEGABAR 38– thanks to it, all switching states are visible from any direction. The operator can see at a glance whether the tank is empty or full, or if there’s a fault in the process.

After installation, the operators of Al Rawabi Dairy Company were very satisfied with the new sensors. Another plus: thanks to the reliable measured values, it is now very easy to check if the storage tank volumes match the readings delivered by the flowmeters installed on the tank trucks. This gives the operators additional certainty.

These high requirements apply not only to the milk storage tanks but to other areas as well. Sensors from VEGA are now also used in the wastewater treatment plant of the dairy. Here, the previously used ultrasonic level gauges had often failed, moving the plant operators to look for a reliable replacement. VEGA’s 80-GHz radar measurement technology proved to be the solution. The compact VEGAPULS C 21 sensor delivers reliable measured values around the clock – completely unaffected by foam, which used to cause measurement errors and uncertainty time and time again.

For more information, visit www.vega.com

44 PRESSURE SENSORS