Method and system for determining a mass flow rate by averaging a pump parameter

1. A method for determining a specific mass flow rate of a highly viscous food product ( 1 ) having a viscosity of greater than 100 cP, which during processing in a continuous delivery flow is supplied to or removed from a buffer container ( 2 ) by means of a delivery pump ( 4 ), comprising:

(a) Pumping a food product into, or out of, a buffer container using a delivery pump ( 4 );

(b) measuring a change in weight of the buffer container ( 2 ) over a defined time period during step (a),

(c) registering a pump parameter value of the delivery pump ( 4 ) that is proportional to a rate of delivery of the food product to the buffer container at multiple times during the defined time period,

(d) calculating an average pump parameter over the defined time period by averaging the pump parameter values registered over the defined time period in step (c), and

(e) calculating a specific mass flow rate by dividing the weight change measured in (b) by the averaged pump parameter calculated in step (d).

2. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein

a highly viscous to pasty processed cheese raw mixture ( 1 ) having a viscosity of greater than 1000 cP is processed as the food product.

3. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein

the food product ( 1 ) is removed from the buffer container ( 2 ) in step (a) and the decrease in weight of the buffer container is registered in step (b).

4. The method according to claim 3 ,

wherein

the delivery pump ( 4 ) has a speed and the pump parameter measured in step (c) is the speed of the delivery pump ( 4 ) and/or a parameter proportional to the speed of the delivery pump.

5. The method according to claim 4 ,

wherein

the specific mass flow rate of step (e) is calculated as “kilograms per hour and per revolutions per hour of delivery pump”.

6. The method according to claim 4 ,

wherein

the specific mass flow rate calculated in step (e) is assigned to one of a plurality of operating states of the delivery pump ( 4 ), the operating states correlating with different physical states of the food product.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein

the operating states have a linear behavior and the linear behavior of the operating states is used to set a specific delivery flow.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising using

the specific mass flow rate calculated in step (e) to set a pump parameter value corresponding to the mass flow rate to be conveyed by the delivery pump ( 4 ).

9. A system for determining a specific mass flow rate of a highly viscous food product ( 1 ) having a viscosity greater than 100 cP

comprising a buffer container ( 2 ) and a delivery pump ( 4 ) for supplying or removing the food product ( 1 ) to or from the buffer container ( 2 ) in a continuous delivery flow,

further comprising a weighing device ( 7 ) engaged with the buffer container which is configured to measure the weight of the buffer container ( 2 ) and generate an output corresponding to the weight of the buffer container, and

a device, or a combination of devices, configured to

(a) receive the output generated by the weighing device and calculate a change in weight of the buffer container over a defined time period based on the output generated by the weighing device over the defined time period,

(b) receive a pump parameter of the delivery pump ( 4 ) that is proportional to an expected delivery rate in the defined time period and calculate an average pump parameter over the defined time period, and

(c) calculate and output a specific mass flow rate by dividing the change in the weight of the buffer container ( 2 ) over the defined time period by the average pump parameter.