level measurement

All the Leaves are Brown, and the Sky is Gray above your Silo Level Indicators....

2009-11-13T16:09:15-06:00

So here I am reminiscing about a birthday celebration I attended last night and The Mamas and the Papas jumped in my head as I flashed back to the 60's and 70's for a minute or two. One of our staff cruised by my office door with a used sensor over his shoulder that was in need of evaluation. Since I like examining equipment that has been working in the field for extended periods of time, I got up and followed it to the test area where we examined the unit. It was a SiloPatrol SMU that was produced in 2004. Upon removal of the cover, a small amount of white powder spilled out on the bench. After seeing the powder and knowing the SMU was sent in because of a Motion Error, we directed our attention to the wiper seal and discovered that it was packed hard in gypsum powder to the extent that the 3/16" SS cable could not travel freely through the wiper. So, finding out what I wanted to know was accomplished I then returned to my desk. "What does this have to do with dead leaves and a dark Autumn sky?", you ask. It got me thinking about a similar unit I worked on a couple of years ago in the dead of winter with 22 knot winds and temperatures in the high minus teens. If the maintenance staff at that facility had performed a preventative maintenance inspection in November, I probably would not have been getting frostbitten fingers in January. (It is difficult to thread a 3/16" SS cable and a compression sleeve and thimble with heavy gloves on.) So to conclude, If you are the proud owner of any brand of plumb bob style continuous level sensor, you might want to think of getting someone aloft to check everything out before the snow flies. And if you live where it is hot by 10AM, you still might want to pull a PM to check for worn parts so you can order them and change them out before your system actually breaks down. I almost forgot to mention that we do have part kits to allow the owners of our original SMU design to convert over to the new wiper seal compartment that eliminates the necessity of cutting your cable to change out a worn out or clogged wiper seal.
Greg DeRudder
Product Manager
gderudder@monitortech.com

Technorati Tags: level sensor level measurement bin level indicator level control solids level indicator

High Temperature SafePoint Rotary Paddle Sensor Solves Titanium Application

2009-11-05T09:59:05-06:00

Ball Sales and Engineering, the Monitor rep in CA, OR, WA, AZ, NM, NV, was working with a large company who supplies high quality titanium metal products. Titanium is used in hundreds of diverse aerospace, industrial and emerging applications where no other metal is as reliable or economical, especially on a lifecycle costing basis.

The customer was looking for a level control to be successfully used as a plugged chute detector; the customer had experienced problems with RF probes from another manufacturer. Plugged chute detection is critical to make sure that material is flowing properly through a process; a plugged chute condition can cause problems with transfer rates, mix ratios and production “down stream”. Monitor offers several options for plugged chute detection, click here for more information.

The target materials are Rutile Ore with a bulk density of 150 lbs per cubic foot and Petroleum Coke with a bulk density of 53 lbs per cubic foot. The material characteristics of the Rutile Ore can be described as having a “sand texture” and the Petroleum Coke is “granular”.

This application is made even more challenging due to the extremely high temperatures involved, the ambient temperature ranged from 100 degrees F to 150 degrees F and the internal process temperature could be as high as 750 degrees F. But wait, this gets even better; the internal air in the feed pipe being monitored for a plugged chute condition is a gaseous chlorine, which if combined with moisture of any kind creates Hydrochloric Acid!

The Sales Engineers with Ball Sales worked with the customer by gathering additional details and suggested that the best solution would be for the customer to install a high-temperature SafePoint rotary paddle bin indicator. The hi-temperature SafePoint unit can be used in applications up to 750 degrees F.

The SafePoint will not be challenged by the fluctuating dielectric constant of the target material or the possible changing temperatures that caused the issues with the RF probe they first tried.

For more information on Ball Sales and Engineering please visit their website www.ballengineering.com Ball specializes in analyzing applications and recommending a correct, value-added solution for your most demanding applications.

Please feel free to contact us directly at Monitor with any questions...www.monitortech.com

Scott Bonine

Technorati Tags: Level measurement basics bin level indicator level control solids level indicator

plugged chute detector plugged conveying line solids flow detector

Monitor's MK2 RF Capacitance Bin Level Sensor Successful on Powdered Calcium

2009-10-09T13:50:13-05:00

Yesterday I received a call from Ryan Dunlap of LECORP (I was proud to be partnered up with Ryan during a recent golf outing, many commented about our remarkable level of play, comments can be so cruel!).

LECORP is the Monitor representative group covering Kentucky, Tennessee, Southern Indiana, and Arkansas, their website is: www.LECORP.com, if you want to check out what else they offer.

Ryan began working with a plastic bag recycling company in December of 2007.

This company has used several different point level indicator products from a few different level control companies throughout their facility. They reported to Ryan that rotary paddle bin level indicators and RF capacitance bin level probes manufactured by Monitor performed better than anything else they have tried. In fact they are so pleased with Monitor's products that they are replacing all other brands with Monitor!

A recent application for this company involved our model MK2 RF Capacitance Bin Level Sensors on powdered calcium and calcium coated pellets. The customer told Ryan that they were "tossing the other probes" and putting in Monitor on these applications because the MK2 worked great!

The Monitor MK2 is our top of the line RF Capacitance level probe featuring push button calibration, sensitivity selection and self-test features as well as amazing build-up immunity to ignore product build up that may cause false signaling with other probes on the market. More information on the MK2 can be found in the point level section of our website.

If you have a need to find a bin level indication solution in applications where other level products have struggled, give us a call, we may be able to help!

Thanks,

Scott Bonine

Director of Sales

Technorati Tags: Level measurement basics bin level indicator level control solids level indicator

Something ate my level probe!!!!

2009-09-07T20:59:26-05:00

Last week I received a telephone call from our representative in the Carolina's, Bobby Vaughn of The Vaughn Company (www.thevaughncompany.com). Amazingly, in spite of our language differences, we were able to communicate (Bobby says I only speak "Yankee"). Bobby had received a call from a customer that had purchased one of our RF capacitance probes about four years ago. Recently they were having some issues and they decided to take a closer look at the probe. Much to their surprise when they removed the unit they discovered that the once mighty stainless steel probe was gone! It turns out that the probe was installed in Chlorine water, and while it took four years the Chlorine water had eventually dissolved the probe.

This is obviously a very infrequent occurrence with our typical customers but I feel that chemical compatibility issues are something that we should be cognizant of. I am sure that most customers are aware of things at their facilities that may be chemically aggressive, so often they will bring it up first. Also, there are many "chemical resistance charts" available on the web that will show chemicals and how they effect materials they may come in contact with. One chart I use rates things on an alphabetic scale with "A" having "No effect-Excellent" to "D" Severe Effect-Not Recommended. I reference this chart when I get a question concerning this issue, most of the time our products will work great with the majority of the materials we "target" with our level controls so it is not a problem.

If you have any questions concerning an application please give us a call, we will be happy to work with you to find a solution. Thanks, Scott Bonine

Technorati Tags: Level measurement basics bin level indicator level control solids level indicator