Houston, TX – In the October meeting of the Houston Material Handling Society, Joe Lewis of Monitor Technologies LLC spoke about “Recent Directions in Level Monitoring & Measurement for Bulk Solids” and reminded the group of approximately 40 area engineers, representing nearly 1,000 years of material handling expertise, that while their companies may see them simply as a cost of doing business, they must take the initiative to show their employers that they indeed drive business performance improvements through process optimization. Quoting from a recent editorial in a key automation magazine Mr. Lewis said that “engineers must step up and assume a leadership role within their companies by helping drive new levels of business performance”. He further stated that the reason many companies don’t understand the true value of engineering is “because most financial systems cannot measure the improvements you generate”.
In the talk that Mr. Lewis presented to the HMHS group of engineers he discussed two directions in level measurement and monitoring of bulk solids where engineers can demonstrate the type of value they bring to their employers. These include the use of “self-validating bin level monitors” to prevent silo spills due to unknown high level indicator failures, and tips to ensure successful use and installation the most popular continuous level measurement technology for bulk solids, the guided wave radar level sensor. For more information please download the Word document and PowerPoint presentation from Mr. Lewis’s Level Measurement blog post at www.monitortech.typepad.com or contact Mr. Lewis at jlewis@monitortech.com or 1-800-766-6486.
Spotlight: Inventory Control
Solids Flow Detection
Microwave solids flow detectors can
be used in a variety of applications including feed mills & grain processing,
consumer foods (cereal, sugar, cocoa, coffee), chemicals & pesticides
and more. For example, one company uses Monitor’s Model SFD-2
solids flow detector to verify the flow of feed pellets through their
various transport lines which involves a process where a horizontal
screw auger is conveying pellets over to a vertical gravity chute. The
chute then directs the pellets to a process down below. They have
carefully placed the SFD-2 so that it detects the pellets as they
fall directly across the sensor face. (See Below)
The Model SFI and SFD-2 line of solids flow detectors
from Monitor Technologies, LLC provide analog or relay outputs
to indicate the flow / no-flow condition of powder and bulk solids
materials in chutes and pneumatic conveying lines. Using
microwave Doppler radar technology these units are non-invasive
plus extremely reliable and rugged to withstand the rigors of the
installation and your process extremes. From automated systems
with pneumatic lines to gravity chutes, solids flow monitors can
help to improve process performance. They can assist in detecting
flow problems, as well as, enhance the level of automation at a
facility like turning a conveyor on or off.
For more information on Solids
Flow Detectors click here or contact Monitor Technologies LLC
at 800-766-6486 in the USA and 630-365-9403 worldwide.
