Color measurement moves from the lab to the process
Color measurements are employed for quality control and safety in many sectors of the chemical process industries (CPI), including life sciences, food, chemicals and petrochemicals. In many cases, the samples are taken from production and brought to the laboratory where they are analyzed, after which the batch is released. Shifting this step directly to the process enables real-time monitoring and control, particularly across the entire production process. The Memosens Wave CKI50 process spectrometer (photo) enables robust inline quality control. Using visible (VIS) absorption spectroscopy, the CKI50 scans the 380–830-nm wavelength range of the electromagnetic spectrum and outputs the color in the form of a 3-D color-space model, which enables the device to determine colors, color variations or the accuracy of the expected colors. The mathematical analysis models required to analyze the spectroscopic results are stored in the instrument. The CKI50 uses the Memosens protocol to connect to the Liquiline transmitter, which forwards the data to the process control system. — Endress+Hauser AG, Reinach BL, Switzerland