A large global flour processor
and food products company recently began using the Flexar® guided
wave radar in a total of eighteen (18) silos and bins to manage
their finished product inventory. Readings from these continuous
level sensors is reported as being reliable and accurate, even
during pneumatic filling, contrary to their previous measuring
system. A previous non-performing ultrasonic system was replaced
by the Flexar level sensors. Flexar guided wave radar level
sensors were chosen as the best for pneumatically filled dust
laden flour silos.
Eight (8) Flexar level sensors are installed in load-out silos
that fill bulk trucks with processed and finished flour. These
silos are 12ft in diameter and 35ft tall. The finished flour
is pneumatically conveyed into these silos. During filling
the internal environment of the silos is very dusty and turbulent.
The finished flour in these silos is used for loading bulk
transport trucks for distribution. In addition, ten (10) Flexar
level sensors are installed in 40ft high bins that contain
bran. This material is also sent by bulk transport to end users.
All of the Flexar level sensors are equipped with an RS485
digital communications output that is connected to a PC with
a graphical user interface for inventory management purposes.
Monitor’s SiloTrack™ inventory management software
is used by the facility to monitor and manage material inventories
of both the finished flour and the bran. SiloTrack allows for
multiple user viewing and data access via LAN and this is how
the facility will be using the
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software that provides a flexible, graphical
user interface, alarms, report generation and history analysis
functions.
Guided wave radar is especially well suited
to level measurement applications of dusty powder materials
even when measuring during pneumatic filling. These flour applications
exemplify this, as well as the large number of Flexar sensors
installed in similar dusty applications measuring the level
of cement powder, flyash, powdered slag, clays, and many other
materials. Flexar guided wave radar utilizes TDR (time domain
reflectometry) technology. Radar pulses are continuously transmitted
down the sensor’s probe and guided to the material surface
where they are reflected back to the electronics along the
wave guide. The time-of-flight of the pulses is measured and
directly related to the distance to the material surface and
its level.
For more information about Flexar guided wave radar continuous
level measurement sensors and SiloTrack inventory management
software please visit www.monitortech.com or call us in the
USA at 800-766-6486 or from anywhere at 630-365-9403. Also,
visit our Flexar website at www.flexar.info and our Level Measurement
blog at www.monitortech.typepad.com.
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I have been in touch with a customer that installed our
first generation SMU over 2.5 years ago. Read the partial
email threads and see for yourself what steps constitute
a typical diagnostic and troubleshooting procedure for a
simple RS-485 network with multiple sensors. I will have
a final comment at the end of this article, but this case
history actually speaks for itself. Procedures outlined in
this article generally apply to both SiloPatrol and Flexar
with very minor exceptions, the most significant being that
the Flexar line does not have a built in network termination
resistor on the RS-485 module which changes one of the outlined
procedures unless the installer added one during installation.
These threads have been slightly edited for clarity and condensation
of text.
