Vaisala Polaris Inline Process Refractometers

Built on decades of K-Patents and Vaisala reliability expertise, Polaris is the latest generation of instruments for inline, continuous monitoring of liquid concentrations in food & beverage, pulp & paper, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, sugar & sweeteners, and mining applications.

Key Features:

• Always accurate, no drift - particles, bubbles or color do not affect the measurement
• Long-term stability and the measurement principle with no moving parts provides years, even decades of accurate, continuous, fast and stable measurement
• Customizable product with Engineer to Order service for large opportunities
• Optical measurement principle combined with zero moving parts does not require regular maintenance
• Designed to work seamlessly out of the box with Vaisala’s Indigo520 transmitters for process refractometers
• Based on a library of over 500 concentration models for accurate measurements of different dissolved solids

Technology:

• Much of what set K-Patents apart remains deeply integrated into the latest iteration of the Vaisala Polaris product line:
• Digital Measurement Principle - CORE Optics
• Field-Proven Solutions
• Application Expertise Across the Widest Offering in the Industry
• Global & Local Customer Support

Vaisala Polaris Products:

PR53AC Sanitary Compact Process Refractometer

• 3-A Sanitary and EHEDG Certified
• Range for concentration/Brix is 0-100 %
• Compatible with clean-in-place (CIP) and sanitation-in-place (SIP) systems
• Applications - Food & Beverage, Pharmaceuticals

Vaisala Polaris PR53AP Sanitary Probe Process Refractometer

• 3-A Sanitary and EHEDG Certified
• Range for concentration/Brix is 0-100 %
• Compatible with clean-in-place (CIP) and sanitation-in-place (SIP) systems
• Applications - Food & Beverage, OEMs

Vaisala Polaris PR53GC Compact Process Refractometer

• Special grade materials are available, which allow the product to be used with aggressive chemicals
• Measure concentrations of acids, alkaline solutions, alcohols, hydrocarbons, solvents, and more
• Optional cooling cover is available for processes where extreme temperatures and pressures are common
• Application – Chemicals

Vaisala Polaris PR53GP Probe Process Refractometer

• Range of clamp/flange connections, special flow cells, and special alloy materials
• Ideal for crystallizers, wet scrubbers, reactors, transport pipelines, and blending and distillation operations.
• Measure concentrations of sugars/Brix, acids, alkaline solutions, alcohols, hydrocarbons, solvents
• Applications - Chemicals, Sugar & Sweeteners, Petrochemical

Vaisala Polaris PR53SD Process Refractometer

• Design is in compliance with the BLRBAC Recommended Good Practice Safe Firing of Black Liquor in Black Liquor Recovery Boilers
• SAFE-DRIVE retractor design prevents inadvertent errors in use
• The RI measurement responds to all dissolved solids, organic and non-organic
• Application - Pulp & Paper

Vaisala Polaris PR53M PTFE- Body Process Refractometer

• Extreme chemical resistance durability in the harshest environments
• Integrated flow cell and non-metallic wetted parts
• Safely and accurately measure HCI, NaOH, NaCl, H2SO4, and HF
• Applications – Chemicals, Semiconductors

Vaisala Polaris PR53W Valve - Body Process Refractometer

• Perfect choice for large pipelines to measure aggressive chemicals
• Mounted in a membrane-lined valve body, with no metallic wetted parts included
• Convenient flange mounting to 1- and 2-inch ANSI and DN50 and DN25 flanges
• Applications – Chemicals, Metal & Mining

Indigo520 for Vaisala Polaris Process Refractometers

• Access data and different features through the Indigo520, including data logging, wash control, settings, and measurement parameters
• Versatile system connectivity by two selected analog or digital inputs for process refractometers and other Indigo compatible probes
• Four configurable analog outputs to alarm relays, and ModBus TCP/IP digital protocol

Harsh chemicals, sticky sugars and syrups, extreme temperatures, and corrosive acids. Industrial processes involving liquids are no place for fragile, unreliable, hard-to-maintain measurement equipment. And when you throw tight tolerances and high hygiene requirements into the mix, it’s easy to see why picking the right measurement technology is a must. Vaisala’s latest-generation process refractometer platform, is designed to optimize your processes, save resources, energy, and time, and enhance productivity and product quality. 

Whether you’re manufacturing food and drinks, sugar, pharmaceuticals, chemicals or wood pulp, reliable and stable inline measurement of liquid concentrations is a must to ensure quality, safety, and compliance. To do this, many process industry operators rely on refractometer technology – an accurate, reliable and repeatable method that uses refractive index (RI), a property of light, to measure liquid concentrations directly from process lines.

Let’s take a closer look at this next-generation technology and what it has to offer in a variety of industrial measurement applications.

Part of the Vaisala family since 2019, K-PATENTS has over 40 years’ experience of developing industrial process refractometers for a huge variety of applications. The 5th generation, modern Vaisala Polaris products builds on this with Vaisala’s vast application knowledge and world-leading measurement instrument solutions. 

The Vaisala Polaris product family products are designed to work seamlessly out of the box with Vaisala’s Indigo520 transmitters for process refractometers and are available with just three days lead time for products with standard specifications. The instruments’ measurements are based on Vaisala’s library of over 500 concentration models for accurate measurements of different dissolved solids.

Digital measurement’s advantage over competing analog solutions is that it is not based on aggregate readings, which can miss irregularities, but on continuous, uninterrupted readings. Furthermore, they can be installed inline in virtually any industrial process to enable real-time measurement of process conditions, eliminating the need for time-consuming lab-based measurement.    

Satisfying the appetite for safe, high-quality food and drinks

Measurement equipment used in food and beverage production has to comply with a long list of tough requirements designed to protect the safety and hygiene of the manufacturing process and end product. At the same time, the process environments can be tough on equipment, with high temperatures, viscous and sticky substances, and rapidly changing conditions being common. 

The ability to continuously monitor liquid concentrations reliably and in real time has benefits along the entire production chain, from raw-material intake to final product processing and waste-stream control. The Vaisala Polaris family includes two sanitary models specifically designed for food and beverage applications: the compact Vaisala Polaris™ PR53AC process refractometer and the long-probe Vaisala Polaris™ PR53AP process refractometer.

The PR53AC is designed for food, beverage, dairy, and brewery industry customers to measure liquid concentrations such as Brix, sucrose, gelatin and hydrogen peroxide in pipelines. It comes with 3-A and EHEDG certifications, guaranteeing that all hygiene demands are met and the product is safe to use in food and beverage processing. 
 

The right chemical formula for fast, accurate, safe measurement  

Any industrial application where chemicals are involved demands a great deal from measurement equipment. Aggressive, toxic, and corrosive chemicals often combined with high temperatures make for a highly challenging environment, while carefully balanced processes cannot tolerate contamination caused by measurement equipment materials. 

The ability to measure concentrations of acids, alkalis, alcohols, hydrocarbons, solvents, and other solutions directly in pipelines and tanks during production and transport improves safety and means valuable process data can be gathered instantly instead of waiting on the results of laboratory samples.

For chemical manufacturing, petrochemical processing, and other industries where toxic and corrosive solutions are commonplace, the Vaisala Polaris family includes the Vaisala Polaris™ PR53GC, Vaisala Polaris™ PR53GP and Vaisala Polaris ™PR53M process refractometer models.

Improving safety, efficiency, and quality in wood pulp manufacturing

Just like chemical manufacturing plants, pulp mills are home to processes that use highly toxic chemicals and high temperatures and process pressures. Maintaining process efficiency and uptime are critical to profitability because shutdowns to maintain, replace, or remove measurement equipment mean lost revenue. 

Furthermore, pulp manufacturing involves liquids that vary greatly in terms of both consistency and composition. Process liquids like pulp slurry and filtrates are a mixture of inorganic cooking chemicals and dissolved organic material, which can make accurate measurement challenging.

In the brown stock washing phase, wash water and weak black liquor are separated from the pulp fibers. Washing contributes to both the overall efficiency of the mill and product quality so accurate measurement of pulp cleanliness is critical. It can help avoid excessive water and energy consumption and expense, and lead to better chemical recovery, lower bleaching costs, and improved pulp consistency.  

Vaisala’s answer to these challenges is the Vaisala Polaris™ PR53SD process refractometer, which is designed for measuring total dissolved solids and other concentrations in pulp mill fiber and chemical recovery lines. The SAFE-DRIVE retractor system allows the refractometer to be inserted and removed while the process is running, eliminating the need to disturb the process to take measurements.

The SAFE-DRIVE system has been developed to increase safety for operators and to withstand the extreme process conditions of pulp production, with a simple operating principle preventing inadvertent errors in use. The retractable refractometer, designed especially for green liquor applications, and the retractable wash nozzle are both unique in the market.

The refractive index measurement is sensitive to both organic and inorganic fractions in process liquids and reacts to process variations immediately, and the data gathered can be used for real-time process optimization. In black liquor applications, where liquor is concentrated for energy recovery in a boiler, total dissolved solids up to 85% can be measured directly inline regardless of liquor consistency, rapidly changing process conditions, or the presence of particles or fibers. 

The Vaisala Polaris PR53SD is available with a choice of field-proven wash systems to enable reliable measurement in fiber line, brown stock washing, evaporation, black liquor firing, slaker, and lime operations. 

A sweeter deal for sugar and sweetener manufacturing

In sugar and sweetener manufacturing accurate liquid concentration measurement has a critical role to play in enhancing the energy efficiency of the manufacturing process and the quality of the final product. High ambient and process temperatures are common in these processes, meaning measurement equipment needs to be robust enough to withstand the conditions.

The Vaisala Polaris PR53GP and Vaisala Polaris PR53AP process refractometers are an ideal choice for these applications. They include a special vertical detection algorithm for sugar crystallization to enable accurate mother liquor concentration measurements during crystallization strikes, especially when crystals are forming, and offer the full measurement range from 0–100 Brix. 

The Vaisala Polaris PR53GP and Vaisala Polaris PR53AP enable reliable concentration control via accurate Brix, total concentration, and supersaturation measurement in starch sweetener and sugar substitute manufacturing, including glucose (dextrose), fructose glucose syrup, corn syrup, and sorbitol.