Edible Mushroom Production Application Case：Advanced Flow Measurement Technology

Dafang [Biotechnology Co., Ltd.] is a key agricultural industrialization enterprise in Guizhou Province. Leveraging the resource advantages of Bijie City, the company invested 2 billion yuan to build a 500-ton-per-day edible mushroom industrial park in Dafang Economic Development Zone, covering the entire production chain from strain breeding, substrate preparation, sterilization and fermentation to intelligent cultivation. The project breaks through traditional agricultural models through scaled and automated production. In 2022, the company launched an instrument upgrade project, deploying over 540 high-hygiene-grade instruments to construct the world's first digital production base with an annual output of 180,000 tons of edible mushrooms.

Industry-Specific Challenges

Industrial production of edible mushrooms requires balancing biological activity control with food-grade safety. The core pain points include:

• Diverse Media: Precise measurement of multiphase flows, including sawdust-based substrate mixtures (solid content 15%-30%), nutrient fluids (viscosity 1-50 mPa·s), and high-temperature steam (120°C).

• Clean Production Environment: Fermentation tanks and conveying pipelines must meet HACCP standards, with instruments having no hygiene dead ends and being capable of withstanding CIP cleaning.

• Precision Temperature and Humidity Control: Mycelium cultivation requires temperature fluctuations of ≤±0.5°C and humidity ≥95% RH.

• Energy Efficiency Management: Steam consumption accounts for 35% of production costs, necessitating optimized thermal energy utilization.

Solutions and Technological Innovations

Tailored to the characteristics of the 180,000-ton-per-year production line, our company designed a "Triple High" Solution (high hygiene, high energy efficiency, and high adaptability) with the following core equipment configurations:

1. Substrate Preparation System

• Electromagnetic Flow Meters (SEM Series):

• Food-Grade Certification: Compliant with EC1935/2004 standards, featuring PTFE lining and electropolished 316L electrodes with no residue design.

• Application Scenario: Precise control of raw material ratios, including sawdust, bran, and sucrose, with a flow accuracy of ±0.3% to ensure a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C/N) error of <5%.

2. Sterilization and Fermentation Processes

• Temperature and Pressure Compensated Vortex Flow Meters (SVG Series):

• High-Temperature Compatibility: Pressure tolerance up to 4.0 MPa, temperature range -40~350°C, accuracy ±1.2%.

• Application Scenario: Metering steam flow in sterilization vessels (0.8 MPa saturated steam), linked with pressure transmitters for dynamic energy-saving control, reducing steam consumption by 18%.

• Hygienic Temperature Transmitters:

• Technical Features: Tri-Clamp connection, 3A certification, response time <0.5 seconds.

• Application Scenario: Multi-point monitoring of the temperature field in 10m³ fermentation tanks, with PID algorithm regulating jacket water circulation to increase mycelium growth rate by 22%.

3. Nutrient Solution Smart Irrigation

• Liquid Turbine Flow Meters (SLT Series):

• Low-Power Design: 4-20mA + HART output, battery life up to 5 years (flow velocity 0.1-10m/s).

• Application Scenario: Controlling the drip irrigation volume of nutrient solutions, including glucose and peptone, with ±1.5% accuracy to prevent over-moisture and bacterial contamination.

4. Energy and Resource Management

• Multi-Parameter Pressure Transmitters (SPT Series):

• Integrated Functionality: Simultaneous output of pressure, absolute pressure, and differential pressure signals, accuracy 0.075%.

• Application Scenario: Pipeline pressure monitoring in heat recovery systems, optimizing heat exchange efficiency and saving 1,200 tons of coal annually.

Implementation Results

• Production Efficiency: Substrate mixing efficiency increased by 30%, with a mycelium block pass rate exceeding 99%.

• Quality Upgrade: Temperature and humidity control precision meets the A-grade standard of the International Edible Mushroom Council (ICCF), with a 100% certification pass rate for EU exports.

• Green Benefits: Steam system energy optimization reduces carbon emissions by 3,200 tons/year, with a water recycling rate of 92%.

• Return on Investment: An investment of 1.1 million in instruments achieves annual cost savings of 4.6 million, with an ROI period of only 2.4 years.