Readers already familiar with electrical tomography will already know about ERT’s core competencies of detecting fluid level, flow, mix, and separation; along with the inevitable overlap between all four. Let us then examine ERT’s expertise where it has either been, or can be, applied in the beverage sector.
Level
There are numerous technological options available for detecting level that are currently being used within the beverage industry. Unlike most mechanical float devices, ERT is able to go well beyond determining whether the proverbial glass is half full or half empty. ERT has the ability to distinguish between different media contained within a carbonated beverage where a multiphase complex consisting of liquid, foam, and gas can be accurately monitored, measured, and visualized in real-time even in an opaque vessel or container.
An example of ERT’s interface detection capabilities is seen in the video below where ERT is able to accurately determine the aliquot divisions of a liquid-foam-gas complex as commonly found with alcoholic and non-alcoholic carbonated beverages.
Flow
It goes without saying that ERT can easily measure flow rate and velocity. However, just as in the case of level detection, ERT can also provide a far more nuanced account of fluidic behaviour in real-time.
While this may overlap with monitoring in-line mixing, which will be discussed shortly, ERT’s ability to monitor the rheological properties of a liquid has been well studied within the scope of shampoo production. With the possible exception of dairy and non-dairy alternatives, the rheological properties of shampoo may not have much in common with many beverages. However, this paper from 2017 gives further evidence of ERT’s ability to reveal deeper insights into the characteristics of the fluid under observation that go well beyond primary data obtained by conventional mechanically-based measurement techniques.
Mix & Separation
It is fair to say that mix and separation are variations on the same ERT theme and are so well known that it barely needs repeating. Whether in-line or within a stirred tank, ERT has shown great facility in monitoring and visualising any mixing or separation process to ensure product homogeneity, purity, and quality. A brief mixing demonstration can be viewed here.
Given that 2026 marks Industrial Tomography Systems’ (ITS) 25th anniversary, it is appropriate to revisit an early mixing application. While this 2005 ITS paper has a pharmaceutical focus, it is invariably the case that ERT’s multivalence means that it can be applied to nearly any other fluid manufacturing or research operation. The paper states that ERT can provide “the opportunity to quantify the degree of homogeneity of particulate suspensions and other multiphase mixtures.”
Cleaning In Place (CIP)
Some of us will be familiar with the comedic movie trope where a restaurant patron is sent to the kitchen to wash dishes as restitution because they can’t afford to pay for their meal. While it won’t be forced to wash “dishes” out of restitution, electrical tomography’s versatility means that ERT can accurately monitor any beverage industry cleaning-in-place (CIP) protocol in the name of technological innovation.
A whole FluidHandlingPro article was devoted to ERT’s cleaning-in-place (CIP) credentials in 2025. It is also worth remembering that the same ERT system can monitor both beverage production and CIP.
For more information about electrical tomography’s range of uses and applications in the beverage industry, please contact sales.support@itoms.com.
