BLENDING

Bevcorp’s MicroBlend Division manufactures the MicroBlend blending system and a variety of combinations including:

• Carbonated soft drink blenders offer optional CO₂ or N₂ injection with water deaeration and product chilling
• Hot fill and non-carbonated blenders are manufactured without the gas injection, deaeration, and product chilling
• Multi-stream blenders enable the addition of multiple streams of flavors and ingredients to the finished product

MICRO₂ ADVANTAGE SERIES BLENDER

Our MicroBlend Division’s newest piece of equipment is the Micro₂ Advantage Series Blender. This improved blending system, built behind the original MicroBlend thought process, has new and  improved features including:

• Reduces oxygen and nitrogen levels in the blended product
• Product achieved with low parts-per-billion levels of O2 and N2
• Traditional deaeration methods no longer used, reducing processing hardware; vacuum pumps, vessels and membranes no longer needed
• Simpler process; reduced blender and operating costs
• Less volatile product at the filler; improves operating speed and temperature requirements
• Deaeration occurs in CIP loop with improved sanitary design
• Upgrades available only to Series 3 MicroBlend blenders
• Trade-ins available (MicroBlend blenders only) on new equipment purchase
• To achieve optimum results, changes may be required on existing fillers

IN-LINE CARBONATOR

Our In-Line Carbonator was designed to carbonate products being pumped into the bright tank. While the product is being transferred, this equipment carbonates to a specified volume of CO2 set at the touch panel. The ILC measures incoming GPM, temperature, pressure, and required CO2 volume. The unit calculates the amount of CO2 needed to be injected through a sparging tube into the product while controlling backpressure.

Customer Benefits and Features

• Time savings during carbonation
• Products include beer, flavored water, soft drinks, low velocity juices, and wine with < 1.5. D.O.
• Product capacity of 5 to 80 gpm
• Product temperature ranges from 33F to 43F
• Mobile design
• Limits CO2 waste
• Automated touch screen

*Pictured above Micro₂ Advantage Series Blender (back), In-Line Carbonator (front and back), Micro₂ Advantage Series Blender (front)

MICROBLEND

The MicroBlend blending system is the only patented mass flow based multi-stream blending system that offers precision blending to an accuracy of ± .1% with a repeatability of ± .025%. The MicroBlend blending system has achieved its ability to measure, blend, carbonate and calculate product strength and yield information due to the capabilities of the Micro Motion Elite Mass Flow Meters and the specialized software developed for this process.

Flow, density and temperature each play a crucial part in calculations performed in the MicroBlend system. The system uses Mass Flow Meters to measure the syrup, water and CO₂ streams with blending ratios ranging from 2-to-1 to as high as 30-to-1. All quality, yield, efficiency and production records are displayed in real time as well as logged for review and can be ported to a supervisory computer.

Features and Benefits:

• Virtually eliminates losses due to off-spec product
• Reduces downtime due to flavor or tank changes
• Continuously monitors syrup concentration to reduce variances and improve product quality and yield
• Calculates the exact amount of gas to be injected into the blended beverage.
• Virtually eliminates product loss or empty containers left on the line due to its automated container cut-off feature

SYSTEM BENEFITS

• Continuously control brix
• Continuously control ratio
• Continuously alarm and shut down if product is not within operator specified range
• Elevate finished product brix/ratio on start-ups
• Shut down if sugar is introduced during a diet run
• Continuous record of events and line conditions
• Automated changeover
• Automated container cut off

TECHNOLOGY ADVANTAGES

• Logs a constant record of events (operator changes, brix, tank changes, etc.)
• Alarms and shuts down blend process if out of standard conditions occur for brix, ratio etc.)
• Has elevation feature for start-up brix or ratio to make all product charge-ups the same
• Informs operator when the syrup is at full strength at the blend unit on charge-ups.
• Variable blend rate lets operator choose the rate for desired containers per minute.
• Extremely accurate proportioning and monitoring; product accuracy of ±0.2%
• Reads brix in true brix, not refractive brix, same as parent company
• Records line speed, filler efficiency and actual and projected cases.
• Configurable inventory and production alarms
• Can be totally hot or cold sanitized with no plumbing changes.

COST SAVINGS & PAYBACK

Our customers claim that our MicroBlend blending system has less than a two (2) year payback. The MicroBlend blending system saves money on changeovers in two ways. First, when water is used to push syrup to the blend unit; the MicroBlend blending system decreases the amount of water proportional to the lowering syrup brix until the blending rate cannot be maintained and automatically shuts down. All blended product in the system is at standard and can be used with maximum syrup yields.

MULTI-STREAM BLENDERS

For production with 3 or more streams, Bevcorp’s Multi-stream Blenders meet the current needs of the juice industry, as well as many other food and non-food manufacturers. Based on the recipe requirements, which can be stored in the blender’s memory, individual streams are enabled or disabled. The number of streams is essentially unlimited and each stream can be controlled to the flow meter’s specification of .1%. The units of measurement can be mass or volumetric.

To achieve the various flow capacities, each stream has specific control valves designed for potential flow rates. Flow controllers have multiple deviation alarms programmed with warnings to shut down based on severity. Each stream has its own priming mode and settings for initial startup sequencing. Rinsing and CIP are also delivered to each stream or its reservoir.

FUNCTIONALITY

These blenders utilize specialized software to allow graphics, component totals, density, temperature and event and historical data logging. The historical data allows review of the production records and specialized reporting.

Each stream will monitor:

• Mass flow in lbs/min
• Total lbs
• Temperature
• GPM
• Density in gm/cm
• Total gallons
• Brix relative to sucrose
• Control output percentage

Historical Trending Consists of:

• Stream flow set point
• Product tank level
• Stream GPM
• Product temperature
• Control output percentage
• Product tank flow
• Product density
• Product brix

CARBONATED SOFT DRINKS

Bevcorp’s CSD blenders are manufactured with either CO₂ or N₂O injection. CSD blenders can be equipped with either membrane or vacuum water deaeration. Bevcorp also provides product chillers with a reputation for quality.

BLEND-ONLY (JUICE)

Hot fill and non-carbonated blenders are manufactured without the gas injection, deaeration, and product chilling. Juice blending systems are manufactured in 304L or 316L SS depending on customer specifications. Mineralized waters can be blended at approximately 25-to-1.