Product category:
Level Sensors and Leak Detectors
News Release from: Krohne | Subject: Optiwave radar level gauges
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 22 September 2005
Plastics maker uses Optiwave radar level
gauges.
Following successful trials that demonstrated a marked improvement in production efficiency, industrial plastics manufacturer Schwartz has installed two Krohne Optiwave radar level gauges.
Following successful trials that demonstrated a marked improvement in production efficiency, industrial plastics manufacturer Schwartz has installed two Krohne Optiwave radar level gauges Based on the performance of these gauges, the company has since placed orders for additional instruments
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 19 Sep 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Radar removes agitation from level measurement
Following successful trials which demonstrated a marked improvement in production efficiency, industrial plastics manufacturer Schwartz has chosen to install Optiwave radar level gauges.
Level sensor monitors naphthalene
Naphthalene has a very low di-electric constant of around 2.2 at 100C, which makes it particularly difficult to measure.
Flowmeter improves wax production
The wax flowing through the flowmeter can vary in density from 0.8 to 1.0kg/litre and in viscosity from 5.5 to 1200cP.
Schwartz, which is based in Germany, is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of plastic components which are used in industry worldwide.
Through using Krohne's Optiwave instruments the company has significantly improved level measurement accuracy of raw material which is kept agitated in containers prior to processing.
Schwartz manufactures its products from polyamide, which is a plastic made from processing a raw material called caprolactam.
During production, caprolactam, which has a density similar to water, needs to be heated for it to remain liquid; at room temperature the substance will harden.
Before processing, it is stored in relatively small, two-metre high containers where it is maintained at 120 degrees C.
The containers are fitted with agitators which, because of the turbulent surface they create on the liquid, make it difficult to accurately monitor the precise level of material in the tanks.
Previously the company used float-type devices which led to unreliable measurement readings being taken.
Krohne's Optiwave radar level gauges are capable of measuring to an accuracy of +/-3mm, despite the uneven liquid surface.
Their relatively small antennas and high resolution measurement frequency make them ideally suited to applications involving small containers and turbulent surfaces.
The gauge also has a preprogrammed "agitator tank" option, which can be selected via its "quick setup wizard" menu.
By using this function, the instrument will automatically compensate for fluctuations in level readings to provide accurate measurement output.
"We are really satisfied with these two Krohne Optiwave units because they let us detect the filling levels in our tanks with far more accuracy than was previously possible", said Ulrich Kottkamp, Works Manager at Schwartz.
• Krohne: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Engineeringtalk email newsletter
• Engineeringtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
