Activity

  • Non-Contacting Radar Level Measurement Frequency Tradeoffs

    Jim Cahill
    Microwaves have many uses including communications, navigation, radar, radio astronomy, heating and power, and spectroscopy to name a few. For instrumentation and automation, radar level measurement works by emitting microwaves to measure distance. The first radar level measurement system was installed on a commercial oil tanker in 1976. Today, the technology has advanced to measure levels in tanks and vessels with…

  • Radar frequencies: dispelling the myths

    Peta Glenister
    Radar level transmitters on the market use different microwave frequencies – so which one is best? Laws of physics make “the best choice” vary depending on specific application challenges. Read more about the pros and cons of the various microwave frequencies from a level measurement perspective in our new white paper. http://bit.ly/radarfrequenciesNEW

  • Measuring Cement Storage Silo Level and Volume Reliably

    Jim Cahill
    The cement-making process involves quarrying raw materials such as limestone, sand and clay and then crushing these materials and others into small pieces in a series of stages. Rotary cement kilns heat these materials along other materials such as iron ore or fly ash. The high heat removes elements that are turned into gasses and the materials left are cooled and ground up with small amounts of gypsum and limestone added…

  • Avoiding Corrosion while Increasing Urea Production

    Jim Cahill
    Author: James Gremillion One of the key problems urea plants face is corrosion. The corrosion problem rests with one chemical produced by the urea process, ammonium carbamate . Ammonium carbamate is produced by reacting ammonia and carbon dioxide at high pressures (up to 200 bar ) in a special reactor. The urea reactor is a reactor vessel inside a protective shell. Should there be a leak in the reactor, the shell…

  • Guided Wave Radar Level Measurement in Vessel Bypass Chambers

    Jim Cahill
    Accurately measuring levels in vessels is important in many aspects—safety, efficiency, reliability and availability to name a few. Mechanical level measurement devices historically have been failure prone and have required regular maintenance. Guided wave radar (GWR) technology avoids the problems with associated with mechanical devices, but is affected by obstructions in the vessel such as agitators, heat exchangers…

  • Improving Safe Operations with Wireless Vibrating Fork Level Switches

    Jim Cahill
    Level measurements can be some of the most important measurements for the safe operations of applications such as tank farms, boilers, pump control and more. Level measurement is a key part of monitoring and control strategies as well as safety instrumented functions. In a Process Worldwide article, How Wireless Vibrating Fork Frequency Monitoring Improves Process Safety , Emerson’s Marianne Williams describes the use…

  • Simplified level measurement - combined chambers and guided wave radar help ensure reliability and accuracy

    Peta Glenister
    Chambers enable guided wave radar (GWR) to measure level in vessels that have restrictions such as agitators, but correct equipment selection and installation is essential to ensure reliable and accurate measurements. Thomas Rundqvist explains how combined chamber/GWR units provide a pre-assembled and ready-to-install solution that simplifies level instrumentation commissioning. Read the article here: http://origin…

  • Solids Level Measurement for Silo Safety and Preventive Maintenance

    Jim Cahill
    As we enter a three-day weekend with Monday’s Memorial Day here in the U.S., let’s end the week with a short post. Measuring the level of solids in silos is tough since the level varies based on how the silo is filled as well as the physical properties of the solids. There are typically peaks and valleys. This quick 1-minute video, 3D Solids Scanner Perfect Tool for Safety & Preventive Maintenance of Silos , conveys…

  • Improving Heat Rate with Better Measurements

    Jim Cahill
    For electrical power producers, the phrase “heat rate” refers to the efficiency of the power plant. It is defined as the thermal energy in divided by the electrical energy out. Emerson’s Lydia Miller let me know about a new whitepaper, Using Automation to Improve Plant Heat Rate that highlights ways to improve the efficiency of this conversion from thermal to electrical energy. The whitepaper opens by describing what…

  • Finding the Best Level Measurement for the Application

    Jim Cahill
    Many ways exist to measure level in industrial processes. At the recent Emerson Exchange conference in Brussels, Emerson’s Ingemar Serneby teamed up with an instrument specialist with a food manufacturer to share a presentation, Finding the best level measurement solution can be easy…if you know where to look and what to look for. This manufacturer used different methods to measure level in their vessels, but often…

  • Communicating over fibre optics with water/steam monitoring systems

    Peta Glenister
    A customer in the US installed a Mobrey Hydrastep Water/Steam Monitoring System with several remote displays recently. One of these displays needed to be positioned at a distance of over half a mile from the steam drum. The customer needed to use Fibre Optic communications but was unable to correctly configure their system. Emerson US and UK support worked together to resolve the customer’s issues. The customer now has…

  • Application flexibility in solids applications

    Peta Glenister
    Because solids applications can be tricky, a new parabolic antenna has been developed for the Rosemount 5402 non-contacting radar. The new antenna includes a swivelling connection which makes it possible to aim the antenna at the best point in the silo, and also adjusts for angled silo roofs - making it suitable for most solids applications. An air purging connection is also included to help prevent clogging of the…

  • Tank Overfill Multiple Protection Layers

    Jim Cahill
    Moving and storing hydrocarbons and other volatile fluids in tank farms and bulk liquid storage facilities require well-designed and functioning measurement and safety systems. In a Tank Storage magazine article, The Critical First Line Of Defence Against Overfills , Emerson’s Johan Sandberg describes how the root cause of overfill incidents can be avoided. He opens with a sobering statistic: …insurance data shows…

  • Ultrasonic level measurement for water processing applications

    Peta Glenister
    Ultrasonic measurement technologies can provide accurate and reliable measurement for a diverse range of water processing applications, including measurements of level, open channel flow, density and interface. Vijay Vidyasagar from Emerson explains how. Read more here: http://bit.ly/1o5Vccf

  • Level switches in hydrochloric acid

    Peta Glenister
    When a pharmaceutical company in Singapore needed to replace the level measurement in a hydrochloric acid application they insisted on the Mobrey brand. The existing Mobrey switch had already provided 20 years reliable service but has since been superseded, so a special Mobrey float switch in a chamber with both chamber and level switch wetted parts manufactured in Alloy C276 was supplied, resulting in a happy customer…

  • Improving site safety with non-contacting radar

    Peta Glenister
    See how an aviation fuelling company increased site safety, optimised their fuel consumption and improved control of fuel flooding with Rosemount 5400 Non-Contacting Radar. View here http://bit.ly/21beNES

  • Modernizing Tank Farm Measurements

    Jim Cahill
    One of the best applications for wireless instrumentation is in older tank farms. A Tank Storage magazine article, Modernising Old Tank Farms to Meet New Requirements shares why. The article’s author opens: When most tank farms were built, automation was costly. Therefore most storage tanks have a bare minimum of instrumentation and rely heavily on manual checks. Minimal instrumentation is no longer sufficient…

  • Improved Mining Safety and Operational Performance through Solids Level Measurement

    Jim Cahill
    Some industries, such as the mining industry, face the challenge of having to measure the level of solids. Unlike liquids, they must content with the peaks and valleys depending on the consistency of the solids being measured. Emerson’s Asael Sharabi shared a story with me about a Canadian copper miner. In their mining process, they crush five different types of ore. The raw ore is passed through a crusher and the crushed…

  • Overfill Prevention Guide for Safer Operations

    Jim Cahill
    As the global supply of oil exceeds demand, not only do we continue to see falling prices, but also tank storage facilities with increasing inventories . From a process automation and management standpoint, having safe and reliable overfill prevention systems are critical for the hazardous materials these storage tanks contain. In a quick 1:04 video, Emerson’s Carl-Johan Roos introduces an overfill prevention guide…

  • Minimizing Safety Risk and Improving Batch Performance

    Jim Cahill
    Articles such as Oil & Gas iQ’s Five Deadliest Onshore Oil & Gas Blasts remind us of the critical importance and focus that is required for process and personnel safety. I lived in New Orleans at the time of one of the five mentioned. The accident occurred during the night and the shock waves from the blast were like someone repeatedly slapping on the windows with open hands. For some facilities, the distance to tank…

  • Improving plant efficiency and safety using 3D Solids Scanners

    Peta Glenister
    If you are looking to improve your plant efficiency and safety with your solids measurement, read how mining company KGHM achieved this using the Rosemount 5708 3D Solids Scanner on their underground silo. Read more here: http://bit.ly/1P6FJ4M

  • Wireless Level

    Peta Glenister
    If you are looking for information on wireless level instrumentation, then our new brochure is just what you need! The publication contains information on specifications, key applications and all the latest product extensions. Download your copy here: http://bit.ly/wirelessbrochure

  • oil terminal enhances safety using Rosemount 2160 Wireless Vibrating Fork Level Switches for critical overfill alarms

    Peta Glenister
    Read how an oil terminal in Mexico requiring an overfill protection system to meet environmental and insurance requirements, chose Rosemount 2160 Wireless Vibrating Fork Level Switches for critical overfill alarms. Read the proven result here:. http://bit.ly/1WmVpSI

  • Increase Safety and Efficiency with New Proof Test Method

    Jim Cahill
    Emerson’s Hampus Regnér and Christoffer Widahl presented Increase Safety and Efficiency With New Proof Test Method at the Denver Emerson Exchange conference. Here is their presentation abstract: A functional proof test of a high level alarm (HLA) is required as a key objective of operational safety. Testing and qualification of the HLA device is a critical aspect, which has previously not been well addressed. In this…

  • Improving Offshore Oil & Gas Production Level Measurements

    Jim Cahill
    I’ve always held a fascination for offshore oil and gas production. It was my first job out of school as a newly minted Electrical Engineer working as a systems engineer out of New Orleans. Technologies have advanced quite a bit since that time back in the mid-to-late ’80s. In an Offshore Design & Engineering Equipment magazine article, Better level measurement , the technologies used in measuring levels and their reliability…

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