SWITZERLAND – A team of developers at Endress+Hauser has been awarded this year’s AMA Innovations Award for developing QWX43, an inline fermentation sensor designed for breweries.
The AMA Innovation Award has been in existence since the year 2000, presented for outstanding research and development work in sensor and measuring technology.
It is exceptional in that it goes to the developers or developer teams of the submitted projects, not the enterprises or institutes they represent.
The QWX43 dazzled the experts at AMA Association for Sensors and Measurement with its compact design, high measuring accuracy and easy application as well as uncomplicated installation, commissioning and maintenance.
The sensor features highly accurate inline-measuring of relevant parameters like density, viscosity, fermentation grade, residual extract, original extract or alcohol content around the clock, satisfying the continuous monitoring requirements of brewing.
Brewers can retrieve measured values at any time using either mobile devices or a computer with internet access.
In addition, it can be configured to immediately notify users in case of critical deviations during fermentation.
“When developing the sensor our first thought was to support our brewers in the best possible way, and we are pleased that we found a convincing answer, which is this compact and easy to operate multisensory system,” says Julia Rosenheim, product manager at Endress+Hauser Level+Pressure.
From the first prototype to the finished instrument in its compact design, the development took two years.
Currently, the QWX43 is in use at pilot customers who can assist in quickly identifying what works and what needs tweaking prior to the launch of the serial product in fall 2021(around September).
To independently and precisely measure several parameters, the QWX43 was designed as a multisensory system that simultaneously measures four physical values, including density, viscosity, acoustic velocity and temperature.
The hygienic sensor design which simplifies cleaning can easily be fit to different fermentation tank systems without adjustment or calibration.
The coveted award was presented during the opening ceremony of Sensor and Measurement Science International (SMSI) in Nuremberg, Germany.
Endress+Hauser is a Swiss-based globally operating process and laboratory instrumentation and automation supplier.
