Presentation systems aid online measurement

A NDC Infrared Engineering product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Sep 20, 2002

Responding to increasing demands for online measurement in more complex locations, NDC Infrared Engineering has developed an innovative range of product presentation systems.

Responding to increasing demands for online measurement in more complex locations, NDC Infrared Engineering has developed an innovative range of product presentation systems.

Designed to work with the MM710 online near-infra-red measurement gauge, the new systems improve the ways in which materials are presented to online gauges.

The product presentation systems enable more accurate and consistent measurement of moisture and other key process constituents, allowing improved process control in a variety of bulk industries such as ceramic, chemical, detergent and food.

Processors of bulk materials which are especially vulnerable to flammable gases, vapours and dust will be interested in the new product presentation systems to help them meet the new ATEX directive which becomes mandatory from July 2003.

ATEX encourages the use of enclosed ducting and pneumatic conveying systems for bulk materials, but these can make it difficult to find good online measurement locations.

The new systems from NDC Infrared Engineering allow manufacturers to benefit from real-time online measurement even when access to the product is difficult, for improved process control, increased product yield and reduced startup times.

The range of online measurement product presentation options now available allows NDC Infrared Engineering to work with manufacturers to find the optimum solution for their process, from a simple window in a duct or pipe section, to more complex systems designed to ensure the sample measured is representative of the product stream.

Screw conveyors, used widely for the conveying of material from one process to another, often provide a good point in the process for an online measurement gauge to see a well-mixed, representative sample.

However, the mechanical action of the screw as the metal conveyor blade sweeps past the gauge has always caused a problem for online measurement.

NDC Infrared Engineering's "cut flight" screw conveyor system allows reliable online measurement of mixed product in the screw conveyor.

For measurement at a point in the process where bulk materials tend to demonstrate a profile across the product stream, NDC Infrared Engineering has developed a turntable device, designed to ensure thorough mixing of the product before a sample is presented to the online gauge.

This system, which has proved highly effective in spray dried powder applications such as ceramics, can be used with bucket and conventional conveyor systems.

In many processes the product stream is discontinuous, for example in a pneumatic conveyor system or gravity fed duct, making online measurement even more difficult.

To meet this need, NDC Infrared Engineering has developed PowderVision, a mechanical device which is installed directly in the duct, between the online gauge and the process.

PowderVision collects product and presents it to the gauge repeatedly, without removing it from the process.

A built-in controller co-ordinates the regular filling and cleaning of the cup to ensure optimum results.

In this way, online measurement is achieved inside the duct, for meaningful process control.

For unbroken powder flows such as those in silos, and for sludges and slurries, a cupless version of PowderVision is also available.

Both versions can be used with any of the MM710 online measurement gauges.

They are supplied preconfigured and are easy to install in any pipe or duct.

"NDC Infrared Engineering technology offers unprecedented reliability and stability of measurement in easy to set-up, factory-calibrated "fit-and-forget" instruments.

Our ability to provide reliable measurement solutions even in difficult to access situations is a key differentiator, and one which some of the world's largest manufacturers of bulk products are already taking advantage of", comments James Millard, Marketing Manager, NDC Infrared Engineering.

"Our solutions continue to meet the challenges for accurate and consistent measurement of moisture and other key process constituents being faced by food, ceramic, chemical and detergent manufacturers".