Fermentation tank
In a commercial fermentation tank, IoT monitors fermentation continuously instead of drawing a sample once a day. Brewmasters see sugar, alcohol and fermentation progress in real time and recognise in good time when fermentation is complete.
Fermentation tank at a glance
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Commercial fermentation tank: follow fermentation in real time
The Fermentation Monitor QWX43 from Endress+Hauser is a multi-sensor system for temperature, density, viscosity and speed of sound. It is installed so that the measuring elements sit in the lower third of the tank, but above the cone. The IP66/67 housing contains the power supply and a web server that connects to the site's Wi-Fi. The data goes to the Netilion cloud platform, which displays it on a PC or smartphone, sends notifications at threshold values and offers an API for custom applications. At Casa Mendes Gonçalves, Prosys OPC UA Forge collects data from sensors, PLCs and machines in an MS SQL database, and Grafana visualises it.
Both examples come from the consumer goods industry. Breweries used to document fermentation by regularly taking a sample from the fermentation tank to the laboratory and entering the results in a list, with a small risk of contamination. With the QWX43, repeatable measurements replace hydrometer readings and laboratory analyses, values are updated every minute, and batches and readings are saved automatically. Casa Mendes Gonçalves, a producer of vinegars, spices and sauces based in Golegã, Portugal, monitors its production in real time and integrates machines from different manufacturers into one central platform.
Commercial fermentation tank: frequently asked questions
How does commercial fermentation monitoring work in a brewery?
A multi-sensor in the fermentation tank continuously measures temperature, density, viscosity and speed of sound and derives sugar, alcohol and fermentation progress from them. This is how the Fermentation Monitor QWX43 from Endress+Hauser works. During fermentation, sugar is converted into alcohol and CO₂, and the brewmaster has to recognise when most of it has been converted. The values are available to them at any time in Netilion.
How do commercial brewery sensors replace manual sampling?
Accurate, repeatable measurements directly in the tank replace hydrometer readings and laboratory analyses. Previously, a sample was taken about once a day, brought to the laboratory and analysed, and the results were entered into a list by hand. The sample changes on the way, and there is a small risk of contaminating the tank. The QWX43, by contrast, updates the relevant values every minute.
How is temperature in an industrial fermentation tank monitored remotely?
The sensor in the tank sends temperature and other values via Wi-Fi to a cloud platform that displays them on any internet-enabled device. For the Fermentation Monitor QWX43, this is Netilion from Endress+Hauser. When threshold values are reached, the platform triggers a notification. The relevant values are updated every minute and can be accessed at any time on a smartphone, tablet or PC.
How does fermentation data get from the tank into brewery software?
Via a cloud platform with an application programming interface. The Fermentation Monitor QWX43 measures density, temperature, viscosity and speed of sound directly in the tank and sends the values to Netilion. From these it calculates sugar, alcohol and fermentation progress, and batches and readings are saved automatically. Developers integrate the data into their own applications via the Netilion API, across factories and worldwide.
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