dB50 Provides Robust Level Measurement

dB50 Provides Accurate and Reliable Level Measurement for Fumed Silica.

At a site in the UK that produces Fumed Silica Products, they were looking for level measurement on their application. The site manufactures fumed metal oxides, including both hydrophilic and hydrophobic fumed silica products, that are used in adhesives and sealants, coatings, and other applications.

The bulk density of the Fumed Silica is around 30 g/l (0.3 lb/gal), and a surface area of hundreds of square meters per gram on occasion. It is used as a thickening agent in everything from gel batteries to non-drip paint, and as a light-scattering agent in cosmetics.

The site had tested serval solutions in the past from a number of leading suppliers and each solution has failed, including radar and pressure measurement. The light compound is prone to becoming suspended in the air causing false readings, and the low density of the product made it difficult to measure the actual level within the silo.

During the filling process of the silo, large quantities of the product became airborne. This caused a problem for other level measurement solutions, where the instrument was reading the suspended particles rather than the compressed particles in the bottom of the silo, causing false readings or echo failure.

Because the dB50 is so powerful, it was able to penetrate the suspended particles allowing Pulsar Measurement to read the actual level of the silicon within the silo. Using DATEM technology, the customer was able to follow the silicon level within the silo without losing the echo profile or measuring the incorrect level during filling and emptying.

Using DATEM technology, Pulsar Measurement was also able to increase the amplitude of the returning signal which was being dissipated by the suspended solids within the silo.

Pulsar Measurement's Digital Adaptive Tracking of Echo Movement (DATEM) is an echo discrimination system that works on the basis that it identifies the true moving echo from the background noise, then follows it, ignoring all the competing echoes. The high power of the dB Ultrasonic Transducer range makes sure that all the echoes from an application can be easily monitored. The result is a highly reliable level measurement in applications that previously could not be considered.