Noninvasive Ultrasonic Monitoring of Ice Pigging in Pipes Containing Liquid Food Materials

The use of ice slurry for cleaning in place can greatly reduce the amount of effluent created during industrial processes when compared with traditional flushing methods common in the food industry. Product recovery from within pipework is also improved through the use of such slurries. Noninvasive monitoring methods would allow this process to become automated and optimized for reduced effluent and increased product retrieval. For these reasons, the feasibility of using ultrasound within this context was assessed and found to be a reliable method of monitoring the fluid transitions within a section of test pipe. Practical Applications The food processing industry is increasingly adopting ice pigging as a novel, emergent technology for product recovery and waste effluent reduction. Where these methods are preferred, a noninvasive monitoring system is required for any process control to automate the diversion of product from waste. An ultrasound system has been designed to detect the change of fluids inside piping and which will serve as the monitoring arm of any control process. In principle, this system could be applied to other combinations of fluid transitions.