Centec GmbH
Gesellschaft für
Labor- und Prozessmesstechnik
Martin Jörg1, Lisa Riedl1*, Dr. Robert Koukol2
Controlling of CO2-purity degree at the beer fermentation as a parameter for the quality control
Centec PureConStar: A STEP ACCORDING FDA-PAT TOWARDS THE FULL AUTOMATICAL CONTROLLED FERMENTATION PROCESS
Centec PureConStar shows the reproducibility of
the measuring principle under constant conditions.
That can be defined minimum via the standard
deviation to a corridor of max./min. limit values
for the control. Furthermore the reduction of O2
according the CO2 purity level can be measured
much more earlier and significant than the
common measured fermentation parameters.
Cost saving by the new and improved process and
quality control Centec PureConStar: First of all
the optimizing of the CO2 control processing for
the CO2 recovery systems bears a potential
economical return of invest for the Centec
PureConStar system within a few years!
The poster focusses second on the new additional
possibility of monitoring and controlling the
fermentation process, which leads to a benefit of
interest towards the full automatic fermentation
process control, according the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), who has made a major
contribution to this. The Process Analytical
Technology Initiative (PAT Initiative) forces the
industry towards the fastest full automatic real
time quality control by in-line sensor analysis, to
minimize the slow and expensive at-line lab
analysis in the future.
Fermentation failures must not only occur
through suboptimal yeast treatment, but may also
result from technical deficits by processing.
These errors can be recognized now more earlier
by the measurement of the CO2 purity level than
in the case of others like common pH or extract
reduction. A non starting fermentation is one of
the worst case scenario in the brewing process,
which leads to several additional problems in the
followed up production and beer quality.
Figure 2:
Figure 1:
Oxytrans O2-monitor integration and
installation into the fermation cellar tank farm.
O2 Reduction by Venting
O2 Vent
CO2
Generation
15 %
10 %
O2 < 42 ppb
5%
10
18
24
30
Process control
Fermentation QM monitoring parameters
36
Optimum fermentation:
(1) Extract (2) Yeast cells (3) O2 (4) pH
Time (Hours)
Figure 3: CO2/O2 within the fermentation process The figure 3 shows
that the CO2 production during the fermentation is stoichiometrically
almost linear, whereby the CO2 purity level development in relation to
the O2 decrease starts after about 18 hours and reaches its final value
within a few hours. This fact suggests that the measured O2 reduction
within the CO2 purity development can be used as a parameter for the
fermentation process control. Due CO2 can be only used for the CO2
recovery system by certain purity level, the measurement improves the
recovery process from a empiric to a full measureable automatic
process, where losses by failure are not present anymore and all usable
CO2 will be used.
→
→
→
In terms of an average market price of
approximately 0,15 N/kg for CO2, the theoretical
value of approximately 1 million N are produced
of CO2 from 2 million hl beer according the
Balling formula. Therefore each percentage more
recovered CO2 by Centec PureConStar saves
about 10.000 N.
CO2 Collection
O2 % Concentration
20 %
Oxytrans TR in-line O2 Sensor
Corridor of max./min. limit values for the control.
Measurement start 25 hours after fermentation start by tank full
Figure 4: Comparison of fermentation parameter measuremnents. The
figure 4 shows that the CO2 purity increase with the decrease of the
O2 can be measured much more earlier and significant compared to the
usual existing fermentation parameters. It is also apparent that the
change of the measured value drop is significantly more clearly
detectable in the start than the pH or extract. As a result, deviations
from the standard fermentation process can be detected much faster
within 20 hours and the reaction time for process correction measures
can be reduced according.
Figure 5: Min/max corrdiors. When constant process parameters are given
and the fermentation process is referred to as relatively stable, a
standard deviation to the measured value can be determined by the
usual course of the CO2 purity degree development and thus constant
deviation limits are calculated by the standard measurement value. If
these minimum and maximum limits are interrupted, this can be detected
by the Centec oxygen sensor and correspondingly reacted.
-> Extract and pH measurements show much later whether a
fermentation or process failure is present!
Improvement of the fermentation in-line quality control
Improvement of the CO2 recovery within the advanced ecological “green foot print”
Acceptable Return of invest within the benefit of an improved fermentation process
*Corresponding author
1Contact
2 Contact
Dipl.Brmstr.
E-Mail:
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Centec - Gesellschaft für
Labor- und Prozessmesstechnik mbH
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D-63477 Maintal/Frankfurt
[email protected]
Centec GmbH
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D-63477 Frankfurt-Maintal / Germany
Martin Jörg
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