Purging Tanks Case Study

Purging bright beer tanks with carbon dioxide is an important step in keeping oxygen out of beer, but using a time-based method for purging can waste CO₂.

This case study discusses how a US craft brewer has reduced CO₂ use with a convenient, portable oxygen meter.

It covers key issues around beer production including:

How to determine when a tank is fully purged
Why use a portable meter for dissolved oxygen measurement
How to be more confident in product quality

Bent Water Brewing Co. is a brewery located in Massachusetts, USA. They use CO₂ to purge oxygen from the headspace in bright beer tanks to minimize dissolved oxygen levels in final products. They employed a time-based method to determine when tanks were fully purged, but this is an imprecise technique that can mean excessive use of costly CO₂. METTLER TOLEDO offered the craft brewer the InTap™ portable oxygen analyzer. Using a highly precise optical sensor, InTap measures dissolved oxygen levels down to 2 ppb to suit a wide range of brewery applications from purging to monitoring filling lines.

METTLER TOLEDO's InTap portable oxygen meter offers the following advantages:

Mobile oxygen measurement: InTap’s Bluetooth communication technology allows calibration information to be conveniently written directly from the meter to in-line optical DO sensors. It has a cleanable flow-through design for at-line sampling.
Easy operation: Touchscreen interface provides intuitive operation and the large, high-resolution screen allows data to be clearly seen from a distance.
Measurement point tracking: InTap allows operators to easily tie measurement data to different places in production, and maintain records point-by-point. It store data for up to 99 measurement points.
Withstands everyday knocks: Piping connections are in-set on the side of the unit, reducing the risk of damage to these parts when using or transporting InTap. The IP 67 enclosure resists wet environments.