Clearfry: an alimentary oil quality sensor

• Research unit: INNOSUISSE
• Project number: 7121.2;9 NMPP-NM

Short description (English)

Clearfry: an alimentary oil quality sensor

Short description (French)

CLEARFRY: an alimentary oil quality sensor

Abstract (English)

We will design, realize and characterize a capacitive sensor system for measuring in situ (within a heated oil bath) the quality of alimentary oils. It will be based on alimentary steel-based planar interdigitated electrode-sensors. The read-out of the capacitive sensor will be connected to an electronic circuit outside the oil reservoir (which is at 180 °C during operation). The principle of the sensor is the measurement of the changing dielectric constant of the oil by the temperature- and oxidation-induced formation of polar compounds. To minimize influence and spurious interference of temperature fluctuations, we will use a second reference capacitor in a differential or bridge-type measurement configuration. To complete the system, we will realize an electronic circuit, which will read out the capacitance signal and correlate it to the amount of polar compounds present in the oil. The read-out data will be stored and will be available for transfer to a master computer. In this way, our sensor can be a key element in a future automatic quality control system for Alpsens¿ customers like McDonald¿s. Alpsens Technologies SA is a Swiss compnay created on August, 2003 in Lausanne.

Abstract (French)

We will design, realize and characterize a capacitive sensor system for measuring in situ (within a heated oil bath) the quality of alimentary oils. It will be based on alimentary steel-based planar interdigitated electrode-sensors. The read-out of the capacitive sensor will be connected to an electronic circuit outside the oil reservoir (which is at 180 °C during operation). The principle of the sensor is the measurement of the changing dielectric constant of the oil by the temperature- and oxidation-induced formation of polar compounds. To minimize influence and spurious interference of temperature fluctuations, we will use a second reference capacitor in a differential or bridge-type measurement configuration. To complete the system, we will realize an electronic circuit, which will read out the capacitance signal and correlate it to the amount of polar compounds present in the oil. The read-out data will be stored and will be available for transfer to a master computer. In this way, our sensor can be a key element in a future automatic quality control system for Alpsens¿ customers like McDonald¿s. Alpsens Technologies SA is a Swiss compnay created on August, 2003 in Lausanne.