Gilson Engineering Sales, Inc.

September, 2014

Articles

Radar Level Transmitter for Plastic Pellet Silos

Power Factor Correction in Switched-Mode Power Supplies

Cellular Alarm Module

High Performance Steam Flow Meter

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Wireless I/O for Hazardous Areas

With the introduction of battery powered radios that have the ability to power the measurement instrument , installations have been placed in areas where there was no measurement possible in the past.　 Banner Engineering has just released a new product that has great potential in expanding this capability.　 The Banner DX99 radio has been released to allow for that same functionality in a Class 1, Div 1 and Class 2, Div 1 hazardous area.　 It does so with an Intrinsically Safe rating.　　 DX99 is available with either a plastic or metal housing.

We have working installations in the field with this radio tied to Radar, Ultrasonic, Pressure, and Submersibles. The radio itself doesn't care what brand of device it's tied to, but Gilson Engineering has taken an extra step in providing a great deal of the instrumentation we supply for testing. This enables us to give a better idea as to battery life and programming for the radios. You can find an example of this type of ''white paper showing the DX99 tied to our Siemens DLS, a float level probe capable of interface and overall level output as well as temperature HERE.

Banner radios can also handle temperature, digital(on/off), and Modbus. The on-board 3.6VDC Lithium battery can last as long as 2-3 years depending on the warm-up time of the instrument the radio is connected to as well as the rate at which the reading is to be sampled.　 The radio bumps the voltage of the battery from 3.6V to 10/18VDC depending on the model of radio and requirements of the instrument.　 Currently in design and nearing release is a 2-pack battery radio, doubling the battery life. This radio will interface with all standard Banner radio networks in place. The pricing works out to be less than $1000 per point.

Download DX99 datasheet

Radar Level Transmitter for Plastic Pellet Silos

Siemens Instrumentation has developed a radar level transmitter specifically used for solids applications. The Sitrans LR560 is a unique 78 GHz frequency transmitter. With a beam angle of only 4 degrees, it is easy to measure to the bottom of a tall silo. A customer of ours who is in the plastic industry was previously using a mechanical type of sensor on their silos which often called for repairs. The dust from their plastic pellets caused issues with their moving parts inside the silo. This customer has now switched over to the LR560 on all of their silos - some standing almost 90 feet tall. After the initial quick start is done with the pushbuttons, the customer now has eliminated their maintenance schedule.

Click here to download LR560 datasheet

Should You Care About Active Power Factor Correction In Switched-Mode Power Supplies?

PULS Dimension Q-series power supplies with active power factor correction use 40% less electricity to operate, have power factors as high as 0.99, generate less heat and operate at higher efficiencies (up to 95%) than any other switched-mode supply on the market.

With short-term peak power capability of 150% for four seconds, these units often allow a unit of a lower wattage class to be used.

Additionally, both the Q-series, and certain units in the lower-cost C-series are available with EN61000-3-2 certification, which set strict limits on the harmonic currents at the unit's input up to the 39th harmonic. If you don't sell equipment into Europe, the discussion might end right there. But should it? You might not need the European certification, but you might be interested in knowing that you can run twice as many Q- and C-series supplies per AC circuit, and that they cost 40% less to operate!

For more information on Power Factor Correction, click HERE

OmniSite Smartelight sheds light on wireless alarming economically

Omnisite is a leading manufacturer of cell based pump station controllers and monitors that accept digital inputs (some models have analog inputs as well) sending the information to a website for report development, and immediate handling of alarms. For any given field unit, a call-out list can be created by the supervisor of up to 20 contacts, each designated to receive any one or combination of notifications that include a recorded message phone call, a text, or an e-mail. The callout list will progress to the next person on the list until the alarm is acknowledged.

The Smartelight looks as simple as a beacon, but under the colored beacon lens is a cell antenna. Power the unit with 120VAC (24VDC power also available) and wire in alarm contacts. You get two notification, alarm, as well as loss of primary power.

While the Smartelight has had significant success in the municipal market for pump stations, it is getting the attention of industrial users in a wide array of applications related to environmental, as well as process related upsets, and violations of a secure areas or cabinet. With a price of under $600, and cell/website service at $144/year, you have the peace of mind, without monthly bills, or costly RTU/SCADA installation and software.

Click here to download Smartelight datasheet

Spirax Sarco Flowmeters

Gilson Engineering is now the representative for Spirax Sarco Metering who offers a variety of industrial turbine, vortex, and variable area flow meters. Applications include gas, liquid, condensate, saturated and superheated steam, requiring only one instrument on the pipe. Spirax Sarco offers both inline and insertion style meters for pipe sizes between 1-80 inches in diameter.

VLM10 vortex flowmeter

Serviceable in-line due to fully sealed welded sensor
Advanced Signal Processing neutralizes vibrations and noise
ModBus and BacNet communication with built-in data logging

Click to download VLM10 datasheet

Gilson Welcomes David Hildreth

Gilson is pleased to announce that David Hildreth has been named the Cleveland, Akron, Canton, OH area outside sales engineer following the recent retirement of Tom Hearing. David has over 22 years of technical and relationship management experience in the valve and process instrumentation market. David and his family reside in North Royalton, OH. He can be reached at 440-570-7068 or via email at dh@gilsoneng.com.