I was surfing around the other day and ran across the website of Spitzer & Boyes.  They are a consulting firm, they do training and write books and columns.  I spoke with David Spitzer, one of the authors, to see if he would be interested in guest authoring at the level measurement blog, but he gets paid to write and speak.  Any way, the book looks good but I haven't read it. 

The cost of the book is $250 and can be ordered from Amazon or click here.

Non-contact level sensors are a hot topic so this is why I thought you might be interested in this book.  However, contact level sensors (they are working on this book too) should never be ruled out and in fact I feel they are the best choice for most all applications. 

Open-air devices always have to deal with the internal vessel environment.  This especially true for powders.  I have found that the best technology available for continuous level measurement of powders is guided wave radar as this case history illustrates. 

And for granular plastics?  The leading technology is smart cable-based inventory monitors.  This is what ThomasNet can find on that subject.

Got an application you need to discuss?  Post a comment.  It's easy.

Joe Lewis

Technical industry blogs are not rampant, but there are some.  Why does this matter to you?  Because good blogs are a great source of technical data, application information and solutions to problems that you might have.  They can be, and typically are, more informative and less promotional than the typical manufacturers' website. 

What is a blog?  Well, you're reading a post at one of the leading industry blogs for powder and bulk solids.  A blog is typically a journal of postings on a certain subject.  Industry blogs tend to deal with technology, applications, technical product detail and problem solving rather than promotion.

In regards to instrumentation, and level sensors in particular, there have not been any blogs to speak of.  That has changed.  Just launched is the Level Measurement blog.  This blog discusses technology, applications and problem/solutions regarding level measurement.  It also has a post that will help you get the most out of RSS feeds and syndication by using a newsreader for your favorite blogs. 

Take a look and don't be afraid to post a comment.  No one is going to give you a hard sell as the primary mission of this, or any good blog, is to help you.

Joe Lewis
Vice President
Monitor Technologies LLC

Flyash is a result of the combustion process that takes place in coal fired power plants.  This ash is collected and disposed of.  However, in recent years use of flyash has increased.  Cement producers and concrete manufacturing batch plants all use flyash to enhance the composition and value of the product they produce.

However, flyash is collected and stored in silos at the power plant, cement plant and concrete batch plant and the inventory of this material needs to be monitored for various reasons.  Flyash is lightweight, low in dielectric constant and extremely dusty, especially during silo filling operations.  These characteristics present challenges to nearly every form of level measurement technology.  This makes obtaining a consistent, accurate and reliable measurement very difficult.... until now.

A new "white paper" is available that discusses the nature of flyash, why it is difficult to measure and where it is used.  This paper then proceeds to offer a solution for measuring and monitoring the level and inventory of this increasingly used and valuable commodity and by-product of coal-fired power plants.

Click here for access to this free "white paper" entitled "Flyash Level Measurement Solutions".

If you have any questions or comments about this free "white paper", please let me know.  Thanks!

Joe Lewis
Vice President
Monitor Technologies LLC
jlewis@monitortech.com
www.flexar.info
www.monitortech.com

Recently E-85 was added to the list of fuels being sold by two local Johnson Oil Shell fuel stations in the area in which I live.  For those of you that haven't been paying attention, gasoline prices have risen substantially in the past 24 months and Ethanol has become increasingly popular as an alternative fuel.  Auto manufacturers are ramping up to manufacture more and more FFV's (flexible fuel vehicles) that can run on "E-85", a fuel that is 85% Ethanol and 15% gasoline.

E-85 is a lower cost fuel at the stations I have seen it offered at.  At these stations regular gasoline is priced at $3.09 per gallon while E-85 is $2.49 per gallon.  What vehicles can run on E-85?  How is Ethanol made?  Why is there so much energy (no pun intended) being put into ramping up the availability of Ethanol and E-85?  All of these, and more, questions can be answered by a quick review of a free "white paper" made available by Monitor Technologies LLC.

The "white paper" is available free of charge by visiting the web page and downloading it.  Click here.  In addition to information about the Ethanol industry, this white paper reviews the production process used in "dry mills" that produce Ethanol from corn.  The white paper also identifies key players in the design and construction of Ethanol production facilities and solutions available for monitoring and measuring various material levels within a typical Ethanol production facility.

Joe Lewis
Vice President
Monitor Technologics LLC
800-766-6486
jlewis@monitortech.com
www.monitortech.com
www.flexar.info

Finding the best level measurement solution for your bulk solids is not always simple and easy.  There are several different technologies to consider, including smart weight & cable, guided wave radar, ultrasonic, through-air radar and laser.  For the vast majority of bulk solids applications, especially for powders, the use of through-air technologies like ultrasonic, through-air radar and laser can be very problematic.  That leaves the smart weight & cable devices and guided wave radar as the most viable candidates.

When you need continuous measurement updates and prefer no moving parts, guided wave radar is your best choice.  Why?  Because, unlike most other technologies, radar technology is practically immune to process conditions such as temperature, pressure and atmospheric composition.  In addition, guided wave radar uses a continuous cable wave-guide to direct the radar pulses to the material surface.  The radar energy does not disperse, unlike through-air radar and ultrasonic.  This is important as only a small portion of microwaves will be reflected off the material surface.  The amount and strength of reflection is based on the dielectric constant of the target material.  The lower the dielectric constant, the less energy is reflected.  However, because the radar pulses are guided along the wave-guide stronger reflections exist than with through-air devices.  This is a major advantage of guided wave radar and is why it works!

Guided wave radar can effectively and reliably be used on challenging applications such as cement powder, flyash, slag powder and so many other bulk solid materials whether powder or granular.  And guided wave radar does not require high dielectric materials to work.  Guided wave radar, using TDR (time domain reflectometry) technology can measure materials with dielectrics as low as 1.4.

Need a solution?  Need a reliable and high-value level measurement system?  Look at today's guided wave radar units!

www.flexar.info

Joe Lewis
Monitor Technologies LLC
jlewis@monitortech.com
www.flexar.info
www.monitortech.com

I recently did a search to find background material on the Hall effect.  In the process I found this great website that I just had to tell everyone about.  You can link to it on the picture to the left or click here.

This site is fantastic!  I can't understate this.  Not only did I find a concise understandable discussion on the Hall effect but I also have referred back to several times for other topics.  I've bookmarked it and suggest you do as well.  This site covers over 500 topics (I gave up counting at that number).  Subjects from "acceleration" to the "zeeman effect".

The site is produced by Dr. C. R (Rod) Nave in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Georgia State University.  The topics are generally contained within ten application areas.  These include: Mechanics, Electricity, Vision, Hearing, Thermal, Solids, Astronomy, Nuclear, Relativity and Quantum

The intellectual property rights of the HyperPhysics site and the responsibility for accuracy reside wholly with the author, Dr. Rod Nave at Georgia State University.

I hope this information is useful for you.  Check it out and let me know what you think, or if you know of other similar sites that you'd like to share.

Joe Lewis
Vice President
Marketing & Sales
Monitor Technologies LLC
Phone: 800-766-6486 or +1-630-365-9403
Email: jlewis@monitortech.com

While many think of blogs and RSS newsfeeds as synonymous, there are an increasing number of websites that offer RSS subscription to their web pages. A website whose RSS feed I subscribe to is physorg.com, which offers news on science, technology, physics and space.

I first came across physorg.com about a month ago in a short news item on a new trigonometry developed by Dr. Norman Wildberger of the University of New South Wales, Australia. Dr. Wildberger has eliminated the need to use sines, cosines and tangents in trig and calculus.

"Generations of students have struggled with classical trigonometry because the framework is wrong," says Wildberger, whose book, Divine Proportions: Rational Trigonometry to Universal Geometry, is published by Wild Egg books.

Could Wildberger’s rational trigonometry lead more young people loving math, or entering careers in science and engineering? Wildberger thinks so. "Once you learn the five main rules of rational trigonometry and how to simply apply them," he writes, "you realise that classical trigonometry represents a misunderstanding of geometry."

Here are two other websites that offer free tools that I use myself:

Free K-Convert Translates Measurements
K-Convert will convert metric measures to US standards and US to metric. I’ve been using this freeware program from K-Tron for more than a decade. Originally written for Windows 3.1, this small conversion utility works great and runs on any Windows platform including XP. You can join the thousands who have downloaded it from K-Tron's "free tools" page (requires registration).

Pennsylvania Crusher’s Handbook of Crushing Now Online
Penn Crusher’s classic Handbook of Crushing offers a solid introduction to size reduction technology. Where once the handbook was available only through limited distribution directly from Penn Crusher, you can now see much of the content 24/7/365 on the web, including an animated explanation of the four basic ways to reduce material. You can also download the entire handbook free (requires registration).

We invite you to share your favorite tools and tips on this blog. Tell us about the machines, the tools, or even a free download from a website that makes your job easier, faster, or just more fun.

Don Dunnington