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Global Flour Processor Uses Flexar® Guided Wave Radar |
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 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. 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.
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animal
feeds. The level sensing in
each of the Whey Permeate tanks and the liquid tank needed
to be reliable and accurate.
All three (3) Flexar units worked fine right from the start. Ross
Jamison was able to help out with the quick setup on the Flexar displays
and the Flexar units were inserted and installed with material still
in the tanks. Once everything for the start-up was completed
Tom Campbell of Socorro Design got back on top of the tanks and checked
the level and they were found to be "dead on". Everyone
was very happy and pleased with the Flexar units and their simple
installation. The level readings are connected to an A-B Panelview
inside the facility. The entire process of loading and unloading
the whey tanks will be automated and the level readings from Flexar
are key. More installations like this will be considered by
Westway using Flexar in the future.
Flexar is a guided wave radar continuous level sensor. Distance/level
is measured by the time-of-flight of the reflection of a microwave
signal (transmitted down the wave-guide, which is the cable or rod
probe) off the material surface. For more information refer
to 
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