Mansco Products Inc. (PA, USA) specializes in direct in-line process measurement of viscosity and is the market leader in PET resin and direct to fiber/film processes. Mansco Products currently supplies their system through a number of engineering companies and have installed systems in more than 500 polymer/extrusion projects in the last 10 years.
Their system called the TOV uses a proprietary technology using a torsion principle. This allows for a sensitive measurement of viscosity in the main process line. Due to its inherent design, the sensor probe is not required to be installed in a bypass line. This allows measurement to be made near the reactor or extruder exit at the actual process temperature. The TOV was developed years ago with a leading US manufacturer and borne in the polyester industry. Today, the TOV has become a well proven system in the market and considered the standard in continuous polyester resin and fiber applications. The TOV is today installed in many different applications including continuous, batch and re-melt processes. In polyester processes, where the viscosity is adjusted by vacuum control, the TOV is used as part of feedback process control in most process designs. The TOV can be part of a feedback control loop where there is control in the process design.
Because of the TOV’s torsional design and ability to be located in the main process allows for more sensitive real time measurement and tighter control allowing for higher value added end-use, better monitoring of raw material/additive changes, reduction or elimination of downtime, faster startups, etc. Today, more and more applications are emerging for the TOV. The design offers the flexibility that Mansco can adapt and customize installations for most polymer and extrusion processes considering the different pipeline sizes, and process conditions.
