Collect a representative sample out of a product stream

“The numbers tell the tale” is a familiar slogan. And a lot of industries use their laboratories to check the specifications of their product. But how do you collect a reliable and representative sample from a running process? And how to do this with rough materials like biomass that comes from the forest or waste wood, which both are very inhomogeneous?

For taking a reliable and representative sample it is important that the collecting of the sample is done the same way everytime with the correct interval and enough product. The solution was found in a derivative of the well known INADCO Densimeter where every 5 sec with a flat rotating plate a sample is taken from a vertical product flow and collected in a weighing measuring cylinder.

With the choice of 4 parameter sets the user is able to set the total required weight of the sample and the interval time for collecting the product during production. With every strike of the rotating plate it collects a small amount of product and drops this in the cylinder. When the weight of the collected product in the cylinder is equal to or higher than the selected sample weight the cylinder opens the bottom so that the collected sample slides on a chute into the drum beneath the sampler. After this the Sampler restarts with collecting on the product.