Device and method for comminuting particles in liquid material

A method for comminution of particles in a flowable material for production of a chocolate mass, the particles being sugar crystals, cocoa nibs, milk powder or combination thereof, and the method comprising:

• comminuting the particles between at least one pair of rollers, for which at least a rate of rotation of at least one roller of the pair of rollers can be set, and
• measuring a current filling level of the flowable material in a roller nip or in a roller trough preceding a pair of rollers,
• wherein the rate of rotation of at least one roller of the pair of rollers is varied as a function of the measured filling level of the flowable material, and
• the current filling level of the flowable material in the roller nip or in the roller trough is continuously measured contactlessly by one of a filling level meter;
• and the filling level meter has a camera directed at the roller nip and an image evaluation unit which determines the filling level based on a camera image.

A method for comminution of one of sugar crystals, cocoa nibs and milk powder, in a liquid flowable material, to produce a chocolate mass, and the method comprising:

• comminuting one of sugar crystals, cocoa nibs and milk powder between at least one pair of rollers, for which at least a rate of rotation of at least one roller of the pair of rollers can be set, and
• measuring a current filling level of the liquid flowable material in a roller nip or in a roller trough preceding a pair of rollers,
• wherein the at least the rate of rotation of at least one roller of the pair of rollers is varied as a function of the measured filling level of the liquid flowable material, and
• at least one of the filling level of the liquid flowable material in the roller nip or in the roller trough and variations in the filling level are continuously determined contactlessly by a filling level meter viewing the roller nip or the roller trough;
• and the filling level meter has a camera directed at the roller nip and an image evaluation unit which determines the filling level based on a camera image.