MVP™ Inline Process Refractometer – Smart, Rugged, Flexible

Sensors that make Sense.

Forget everything you thought you knew about inline process refractometers. We have done a complete re-think about what an inline process refractometer should be. We began by integrating a flow-through head with a smart sensor. But that was only the beginning.

The MISCO MVP (“Most Valuable Process”) is quite unique and bears little resemblance to the relics from the past. For instance, the MVP inline allows you to adapt the refractometer to your process – not your process to the refractometer. Other manufacturers have rigid rules concerning how and where you can place their sensors. Including requiring you to purchase expensive custom adapters to modify your process for their refractometer. Not the MVP!

Virtually eliminate the need for special plumbing and adapters by running the MVP in a by-pass stream, alongside your primary process. You will never again need to shut-down the primary process to clean or maintain your refractometer.

We specifically designed the integrated Flow-Thru Adapter to channel the process flow over the measuring surface to help keep it clean. However, with just a quarter-turn, you can remove the sensor from the adapter, without tools, for maintenance. The sensor can even be cleaned in place with plant steam if your process requires.

Smart-Sensors Are… Just Smarter.

We have visited hundreds of process plants over the years. During this time, we found that most operators take the analog or digital outputs from the external control box of their old refractometer straight into a process control system. No one ever looks at the display on the control box anymore. So we asked, what if we build all the intelligence of the control box into a tiny sensor? Eliminating the control box eliminates one more thing to mount, another thing to wire, and is one less thing that can break.

At the heart of the MVP inline refractometer is MISCO’s innovative IRIS™ technology. IRIS, short for Intelligent Refractive Index Sensor, puts the “SMARTS” in SMART-sensor. IRIS is crafted from decades of experience in the most demanding corners of the refractometer industry. Precision optics and electronics work together to provide a near-instantaneous measurement of your fluid. IRIS technology allows the MVP to instantly and accurately respond to minute changes in the refractive index, temperature correct the reading, convert the refractive index into a more user-friendly unit of measure, and after that, transmit the results to your data capture system.

Installation is Quick & Easy.

It will only take you a few minutes to install the MVP using just a standard Phillips-head screwdriver and a 3/8” open-end wrench. Begin by bolting the integrated mounting bracket to Unistrut, or a wall. Next, connect the Flow-Thru Adapter to the mounting bracket with two screws. Then insert push-to-connect rigid plastic tubing into input and output ports on the adapter. Now connect the MVP Sensor to the Flow-Thru Adapter with a quarter turn. Finally, run the Power/Data cable from a PLC and attach it to the back of the sensor. Now you are ready to go. What’s more, it can just as easily be broken down and moved as your needs change.

Ultimate Flexibility.

Flexibility begins with fluid I/O. The MVP Flow-Thru Adapter has a total of four I/O ports to move fluid into and out of the adapter. Select the ports that lend themselves best to your installation and plug the other two. Or, connect two supply lines controlled by automated valves. Use one port for your process fluid and the other for steam cleaning, or combine two different process lines to the same instrument and selectively control and measure them; the options are nearly endless.

The MVP adapts to your process with inexpensive, commonly available fittings. Four ¼” NPT-F threaded I/O ports, on the Flow-Thru Adapter head, enable flexibility in making connections. There is a virtually unlimited supply of off-the-shelf adapters available for push-to-connect plastic tubing, hose bard fittings, compression fittings, stainless steel tube, etc.

The sensor I/O is equally flexible. The MVP smart sensor outputs directly to computers, PLC, SCADA, HMI, PLR, RTU, data acquisition systems, chart-recorders, etc. We program each MVP refractometer with scales to measure your specific fluid or particular physical property. Digital models provide RS-232 serial output in either a broadcast or polled mode. Add your fluid name, batch name, process name, or sensor location to the sensor output to more easily associate that sensor with a specific process.

Sensor Configuration.

Quickly connect the sensor to the included MISCO Inline Connect software, running on a Microsoft Windows computer, with a USB cable. The program allows you to view real-time readings, change settings, calibrate the sensor, and perform sensor updates or maintenance. You can even connect to the sensor while it is inline to diagnose or troubleshoot problems.
Since MISCO has the most extensive scale library in the industry, you can select tens of thousands of possible scale combinations that we can program into your MVP Sensor. Scales allow you to receive output directly in the unit of measure that you require, not just a refractive index or some other arcane measurement system that you must translate in your PLC.

RUGGED.

The fluid contact surfaces are made from the highest quality 316L stainless steel that we passivate to provide the best possible corrosion resistance. At the same time, the anodized aluminum sensor body is sealed from the elements and constructed for years of service in harsh industrial environments. A precision-ground sapphire optic, the next hardest substance to diamond, provides a virtually scratch-proof measuring surface. Add to this the wide temperature and pressure range, and I think you will agree that the MVP is without equal.

U.S. Patent D563,136S