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Process Viscometer

Viscosity measurement in all types of liquids and liquid media

Hydramotion is recognized as a technological leader in in-line measurement of viscosity, and over the years has developed and perfected an industrial sensor design based on mechanical vibration / resonance

Application

Viscosity is used in the chemical industry and in food production for direct process control and process optimization or as a parameter for quality control. Other industrial areas where viscosity is an important process parameter are biotech, oil, plastics, paint and printing ink.

Vibrating viscometers are suitable for measuring non-Newtonian fluid media, such as pseudoplastic fluids. Hydramotion process viscometers measure the viscosity of pseudoplastic fluids with the same repeatability as Newtonian fluids, which makes them particularly suitable for monitoring and controlling processes with these types of fluids, which are commonly found.

Sensors and processors

The sensors are compact and made of fully welded stainless steel, they are very robust and can be supplied in different materials. From the surface of the sensor, the shear wave only penetrates a few mm into the liquid, which makes it possible to mount the sensor very close to the wall of a pipe or tank. The processor has an input for a temperature signal that enables correction of the viscosity to a reference temperature. The processor is connected to the sensor with a standard three-conductor shielded cable and can be placed up to 1000 meters from the sensor.

Viscometers

There are generally applicable industrial viscometers designed to meet the various technical requirements of industrial applications, and there are viscometers designed for specific applications.

  • Process viscometers
  • Reaction vessel viscometer
  • Laboratory automation viscometer
  • Portable viscometers
  • Stationary viscometer
  • Signal Processors

Viscosity measurement in liquids and liquid materials

Viscosity is a measure of liquids’ resistance to flow. For viscosity measurement directly in pipes and tanks, a vibration or resonance viscometer is used. The instrument works by creating a special type of wave motion in the liquid.

Choice of wave type is important as viscosity can only be determined by measurement under the influence of shear rates. The compact stainless steel sensor is immersed in the liquid and made to twist back and forth with microscopic movements at a high frequency. When the surface of the sensor is displaced through the liquid, energy is lost due to the internal friction in the liquid.

The energy loss is closely related to the viscosity of the liquid, and the viscosity is therefore determined by measuring the lost wave energy. Higher viscosity results in greater energy loss and therefore a greater reading of the viscosity, and vice versa.

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