Measuring Material Level in Dusty Talc Applications for Luzenac
America
PROBLEM:
“Ultrasonic systems from two leading manufacturers don’t
work because of the heavy dust. The older weight and cable style
doesn’t work well because of high maintenance. I need a reliable
solution.”
EXPLANATION:
Luzenac supplies the pulp, paper and board industry with talc for
use as a pitch control agent and a runnability aid, a coating pigment
in both rotogravure and offset, and a functional filler. In certain
specialty papers, e.g. colored papers, labels, Luzenac talc’s
special properties help to improve quality and productivity. Talc
also has application as an additive to ceramic, rubber, plastics
and even roofing materials. Talc is about 50lbs/ft³ and very dusty.
Older electromechanical weight & cable devices couldn’t
live up to the rigors of the application, neither could ultrasonic
systems that were blinded by the heavy dust.
SOLUTION:
The Monitor Technologies SiloPatrol® smart cable-based sensor
system with 4-20mA output was being used successfully on this difficult
application at the Luzenac plant in Sappington, Montana. The Three
Forks plant needed a solution and decided to try the SiloPatrol inventory
monitoring system to reliably keep track of their finished goods
inventory. In this tough application the SiloPatrol proved to be
the best solution. The sensor is unaffected by the dust and internal
bin structures. The SiloPatrol sensor uses a powerful direct drive
motor and 270lb. tensile strength cable along with state-of-the-art
microcontroller based electronics.
Luzenac prefers the SiloPatrol
system to other equipment they have tried. This is evidenced by
their usage at the two plants in Montana
and one plant in Houston, TX. They have dozens of units in place
that continue to work reliably for them.
Give Monitor Technologies a call and let us put
our creative solutions to work for you!
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.
PROBLEM:
