PURPOSE: To enable measurement of a concentration of alcohol online by measuring a carbon dioxide generation speed and a material supply speed of a fermentation tank and a temperature within the tank to calculate the concentration of alcohol within the tank from the results according to a specified formula based on a material balance.
CONSTITUTION: Generation speed of carbon dioxide generated from a fermentation tank, a material supply speed and a temperature within the fermentation tank are measured and a concentration of alcohol at the time t1 is calculated from the results according to status equations I, II and III based on a material balance, wherein t represents time, Pt1 and Pt0 represent concentrations of alcohol (%v/v) at the time t1 and t0 respectively, D represents a rate of dilution, k represents an alcohol increment (%v/v) about a unit fermentation liquid quantity (l) per unit gas capacity (l) and PVco2 represents the carbon dioxide generation speed (l/time), F the material supply speed (l/time), V a liquid phase quantity (l) within the tank, T the temperature (°C) within the tank and (a) and (b) represent coefficients determined by a specified graph. Thus, the concentration of alcohol can be measured online.
HIROTSUNE MASATO
NAKADA FUJIO
HAMACHI MASAAKI
NUNOKAWA YATARO
