|
 |
 |
| Flexar guided wave radar sensor at Hogg Fuel & Supply. |
Elburn, IL -- Hogg Fuel & Supply operates concrete batch plants in Ontario, Canada. Hogg Fuel has been a quality supplier of ready mix concrete for over thirty (30) years. They use a blend of Portland cement and slag.
The “slag” is actually GGBS or ground granulated blastfurnace slag. GGBS is sometimes used as an additive to concrete to provide benefits in the areas of durability, quality, strength and finish. Typical batches include about 10-15% slag but this can vary depending on the need of their customer.
Maintenance Supervisor Bob Knarr was looking to replace the older weight & cable units installed on their 20ft (6.1m) cement and slag storage silos. Although the weight & cable based technology provided accurate distance measurements, they required maintenance several times per year. Bob and Hogg Fuel wanted a measurement system that would not require maintenance, would provide true continuous readout, provide the accuracy they require, while retrofitting into the existing mounting portals on top of their silos.
This plant is utilized as an auxiliary plant and the powder storage silos have smaller storage capacity than at their main facility. However, this auxiliary plant has become increasingly busier in recent years. This makes tracking the level critical as loads are required more frequently than in the past.
Flexar has met all of their expectations and system requirements. As with all complete systems, Hogg Fuel has a rotary paddle point level unit top mounted with a two foot extension for indication of high level to alert the cement delivery to shut down when the vessel is full. As an added bonus, Flexar provides the batcher in the control room the ability to track the progression of the fill cycle right to its completion! The Flexar sensors were installed in late April 2006.
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 a heavy-duty 0.3” SS cable with 3.9 ton tensile strength) off the material surface. Cement and GGBS slag both have relatively low dielectric constants and Flexar’s direct measuring mode was successful in providing real-time continuous updates of the material level during filling and draw-down.
For more information please visit www.monitortech.com
© Copyright 1998 - 2008 Powder and
Bulk Dot Com
Top of Page
