COMPREHENSIVE LEVEL MEASURING SYSTEM FOR LEADING PET FOOD MANUFACTURER
A comprehensive and diverse range of Hycontrol level measurement technologies is playing a vital role at leading dog food manufacturer Gilbertson and Page’s plant in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. The systems have been individually tailored to measure products ranging from liquids to solids and powders to pellets, across a spectrum of different level applications.
Hycontrol level systems, including bespoke display and alarm panels, are installed on 35 different silos, tanks and bins, located at all stages of the manufacturing process; from external bulk raw product silos through to mixing tanks and finished product bins. In addition, blocked chute detection systems are fitted to a number of chutes around the plant for early warning of product blockages. The diverse level technologies employed have been carefully selected by Hycontrol engineers to provide optimum accuracy and reliability, taking into account vessel design features, product characteristics and plant process control requirements. Providing the correct technology for each application was essential to ensure the best engineering solution for long term level measurement success and sustainability. The different technologies include Radar, Ultrasonic, TDR, Paddle and Capacitance. The level information from Hycontrol’s measurement systems is critical to everyday production processes throughout the plant and is used for a variety of control and monitoring purposes via PLCs,
The raw material tank farm needed Hycontrol’s powerful Reflex Scanflex multi-point ultrasonic system to provide the continuous level measurement for the ten silos, which store raw materials including wheat, maize, fines and hypro soya flakes. Scanflex sequentially scans the signals from the ten ultrasonic transducers on top of the silos. This makes the system very cost effective for multi-point applications. The enhanced echo extraction feature ensures robust and reliable measurement signals under all operational conditions.
The Fats and Digester tanks are fitted with Hycontrol’s VF7 TDR guided wave radar systems, connected through to local display alarm panels. The Digest Acid Mixer tank is also fitted with a VF7 TDR unit which incorporates a compact integral HMI for local display. The VF7 is highly effective for traditionally difficult level measuring applications, especially where changes in process parameters such as temperature, pressure and viscosity can cause problems. The stainless steel waveguide is also unaffected by product build-up, ensuring long term maintenance-free reliability and accuracy in the ‘stickiest’ of applications.
The 20 finished product storage bins are each fitted with Microflex LR low frequency ultrasonic level transmitters. These 20 kHz units are ideal for measuring low dielectric product in very dusty environments where the transducers’ high power ultra low frequency signals, ‘cut’ though the dust and track the changing product levels with ease.
Hycontrol’s Sales director Nigel Allen is clear on the role his company’s equipment plays in such applications and as he concludes: “The wide range of technologies required at Gilbertson and Page clearly demonstrates our broad engineering capabilities in level measurement. Our approach ensures clients receive the best possible solution for their operational and safety critical process systems.”
Gilbertson and Page’s engineering manager Chris Hill is pleased with the overall installation and comments:-. “Accurate and reliable level measuring is critical to our overall manufacturing process. Working with one supplier for all our level related applications has significant advantages and the Hycontrol solution is an ideal blend of technologies backed by a confident service and support team. Their engineers have worked closely with our personnel to ensure the equipment integrates with our own PLC control systems and their after sales support has been extremely efficient and very helpful in completing the project.”
For more information contact;
Hycontrol Ltd, Redditch, Worcs.
Tel: 01527 406800 Fax: 01527 406810
E-mail: sales@hycontrol.com
Web: www.hycontrol.com
