When looking at all the challenges that bioethanol plant operators are tasked with, moisture control is one of the biggest. Maintaining the correct moisture levels is a crucial component in manufacturing bioethanol fuel as the presence of water in the end product is a problem for multiple reasons:

• Water causes smoke, reduced power, and harder starting because it reduces the heat of fuel combustion.
• Water causes corrosion of fuel system components like pumps or fuel lines.
• Water causes the failure of fuel pumps because the paper-element filters in the system rot and fail allowing ingestion of large particles.
• Water freezes to form ice crystals that provide sites for accelerating gelling of the fuel.
• Water causes pitting in pistons.

By measuring moisture continually through the production of bioethanol, proactive avoidance of moisture issues is accomplished. Our goal at MoistTech is to help those who manufacture bioethanol to deliver only the highest quality product through our moisture sensor technology.

The IR-3000 bioethanol moisture transmitter provides instant moisture content of the material being conveyed, allowing the operator to blend raw material to precise moisture levels required for efficient combustion or to avoid over drying thus saving energy and time.

Installation

By mounting the bioethanol moisture transmitter several inches above the conveyor or on a pipeline will allow the user to continuously monitor the process and can control the bioethanol moisture content either manually or automatically.

The IR-3000’s unique feature is that it is able to monitor the process even with small gaps in product flow without impacting the accuracy.

Environment

Dust from the bioethanol product is not normally a problem. However, in extreme dusty environments, we recommend the installation of an air purge system to prevent the accumulation of material on the sensor’s window.

MoistTech’s sensor calibrations, measurement wavelengths, algorithms and sensor optical requirements are pre-set at the factory. Typical accuracy is about ±0.2% moisture. Typical analog range is 0-75% moisture. The outputs can be adjusted to optimize PLC or recording requirements.