Laser Instrumentation
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About Laser, Light Detection and Ranging - The Technical Benefits along with details on just what can affect measurements.
Laser Level
Laser Level Monitors - Applications
and Articles
Laser Level Measurement - The ultimate solution for industrial process challenges, laser exploits the unique properties of light to produce precise, reliable, fast measurements. High update rates provide accurate measurements even when objects move quickly or material levels change rapidly - from Optech and our sponsor Zedflo Australia.
The Laser Advantage - The ultimate solution for industrial process challenges, Optech’s laser rangefinders exploit the unique properties of light to produce precise, reliable, fast measurements. High update rates provide accurate measurements even when objects move quickly or material levels change rapidly. "Last-pulse logic" and internal windowing software filter out any false returns from obstacles passing between the rangefinder and the object or material
Level Monitoring the Level of Ore - In this rock breaker surge bin application rail car dumps ore, which contains large rocks, onto a grizzly platform thatseparates the large pieces of rock from other material. A rock breaker breaks the rocks into smaller pieces, which then pass through the grizzly into the bin. This required a sensor that could measure the level of this bin through the grizzly mesh, with high background noise as well as moderate dust.Level Monitoring in a Scrubber
- Continuous monitoring of the level of foam in a scrubber to avoid overflow. Power generation requires many processes that must be monitored continuously. One process requires cooling water and reagents in a very large vessel (a scrubber). Drawing vacuum on the scrubber is a large (typically 1,000 hp) fan. During cooling, steam and foam are generated. If not monitored continuously, the foam can escape into ductwork and damage the fan. A sensor was required to measure the level of the foam under these adverse conditions.A method of Monitoring the Level of Raw Lake Water in a Surge Compensation Tank
- In this application it was important to know the water level in the surge compensation tanks; the water has to be above a certain level before the pumps can cycle on or else the pumps can be damaged by pumping air. Other technologies were unsuccessful because of the narrowness of the tanks, and since nothing could be placed inside the tanks, the sensor had to be non-contactLevel Monitoring of #6 Fuel Oil - This application involved monitoring the level of #6 fuel oil for coarse inventory control. It required a level monitor to determine the quantity of #6 fuel oil in a 500,000 BBL capacity tank. After ultrasonics proved unsatisfactory in the presence of vapour layers and radar was hampered by the low dielectric constant of oil a laser sensor met the client's requirements perfectly.
Level Monitoring of Solid Granules
- Continuous and accurate monitoring of solid granules used in roof shingle manufacturing. A manufacturer of roofing shingles blends solid granules and stores them in hoppers prior to use as a coating material. It was necessary to establish an effective method of monitoring and controlling level in the hoppers toensure even coating and production efficiency.Bin Monitoring - A remote method of monitoring the level of ore discharged into a feed bin holding about 18,000 tons. During continuous operation, feed rates can vary between 7,000 and 8,000 tons per hour. The level of ore in the bin must be precisely monitored, since it can change very rapidly if feed rates or plant requirements change.
Complete Coal Bunker Automation
- Continuous, non-contact level and position indication with accurate, hi-definition output required for tripper car position and bunker inventory as a critical input to upgrading plant efficiency.Level Monitoring of Extruder Feed Tank - monitor the level of a feed tank supplying an extruder - A U.S.-based manufacturer of solid propellants and explosives wanted to accurately monitor the level in a feed tank supplying material to an extruder. The material, rubberized slurry, was extremely volatile. It was manuallyfed into a tank that supplied the extruder producing the finished pellets.
Level Monitoring of Gels - Continuous and accurate monitoring of a gel application process. A manufacturer of flooring products needed to accurately measure and control the level of gel as it is applied by rollers to vinyl sheets. Controlling the gel level is critical to ensure a consistent thickness and a quality end product.
Horizontal Wood Chip Storage Level Monitoring - An effective method of monitoring the level of wet and dry wood chips in horizontal bins.
Level Monitoring of Concentrated Nickel and Copper -Monitor the levels of nickel/copper concentrate in a 200 ton wet bin.
Level Monitoring of an Underground Rock Bin - Monitoring of the level of an underground rock bin to avoid overfilling.
Molten Material Loading - An application to determine the level of molten material poured into rail cars. Level measurement is an integral part of process control, and requires continuous and accurate measurements under all conditions. Part of the manufacturing process involves loading hot molten material onto a rail car ("sub") for transport. The requirement was to fill the subs to the brim but avoid overfilling, which can be very costly and time-consuming. Other technologies did not work because of smoke and the very small opening for the sensor.
Natural Surface Bin Monitoring - Monitoring the level of ore in a loading pocket. Ore is dumped directly into a loading pocket 337 feet (100 m) deep. Pan feeders located at the bottom of the pocket collect the ore for transport. These pan feeders can be damaged by falling ore if the loading pocket is too empty. It was necessary measure the ore level in the loading pocket so that they could keep the pocket at least 20% full.
Level Monitoring of Plastic Products - Continuous and accurate monitoring of polystyrene plastic pellets in silos. The ability of the plastic pellets to absorb sound waves rendered ultrasonics unfit for this application, and the material's low dielectric constant made it invisible to radar. Laser easily measured to the pellets with their high reflectance coefficient.
Level Monitoring in a Reactor Vessel - Continuous and accurate monitoring of the level of polystyrene polymer in devolumising reactor vessels. Production of food-grade plastic places stringent demands on continuous level monitoring instrumentation. Essential to quality control is devolumising, which in this application involves stripping off unreacted ethylene benzene and styrene monomers from liquid polymer. Typical reactor vessels feed liquid polymer from the top through a distribution ring at temperatures of 450°F - 550°F. Critical to the quality of the finished product is carrying out this operation under vacuum, in a Class I, Div 2 hazardous location.
Sag Detection Monitor -Determine the sag of tar paper as it passes through a rolling system. The application involved the production of tar paper as well as other products for the roofing industry. As part of the manufacturing process, the tar paper is fed through a series of rollers. It is very important that the sag through the rollers is monitored continuously.
Underground Ore Pass Level Monitoring - Monitoring the level of ore in the ore pass to determine when full capacity is reached, in order to prevent an overfill that could damage the rail cars above, as well as to ensure at least 20% capacity to avoid damage to the chute.
Level Monitoring of Iron Oxide Slurry - Continuous monitoring and control of the level of an iron oxide slurry.
Level Monitoring of a Pharmaceutical Chemical - Measure the level of a pharmaceutical chemical in tanks. The solution foams at varying heights depending on vacuum conditions and temperature. Turbulence is also present as a result of agitation. The area is classified as Class I Div I, requiring a sensor that is explosion-proof. Baffles and an agitator are also present in the tank, placing additional restrictions on the measurement technology used.
Other Laser Level Links
Laser
Level Measurement Techniques - From HiTECH Technologies
Lasers
come to Level Measurement - Laser-level technology is expanding options in
sensor applications and this article covers the good and bad points of this new
measurement technique.From David W. Spitzer and ControlGlobal.com
Laser Positioning
Steel Slab Positioning - An application detailing a non contact laser level monitor for hot materials, at a very large resource company operating a steel processing plant. The unit was tested as a hand-held unit to determine if it could measure the distance to a slab exiting the pusher furnace, as well as measuring into the furnace directly. Since the device can measure to objects with temperatures of up to 1,500°C, the tests were successful. This resulted in the client placing an order.
Log Length Measurement - Measuring the length of rough logs before further processing. An accurate, non-contact method of measuring the length of rough logs before they are cut and processed in a sawmill. In the past, a combination of human judgement and tape measurement was used to determine overall log length, resulting in a crude measurement. Since the wood being processed has an extremely high log value, every inch of optimized log length is critical.
Monitoring the Distribution of Wood Chips - Automate the distribution of wood chips in its storage bins. When wood chips are delivered to the mill they are dumped onto a large conveyor, travel up the conveyor, and are dropped onto a shuttle conveyor. The shuttle is used to distribute the wood chips into vertical bins. In order to distribute the wood chips evenly, the location of the shuttle conveyor over the bins, and the level of the bin at that location, must be known.
Tripper Car Positioning - Determine the position of a tripper car along a stretch of track. The laser-based unit monitors the location of a tripper car along a 1600 foot length of track above numerous coal bunkers used to inventory coal.
Collision Avoidance - Automated ship-to-boom collision avoidance. The system must provide automated spotting of the loading arm, servo control of the arm throughout loading, and redundant collision avoidance.
Laser Measurement
Aluminum Log Length Measurement - Determining the length of large aluminium logs before further processing.
Winder Roll Diameter -Accurately determine winder roll diameter on a paper machine. Paper machine operators require this input to know when to move another roll into winding position, thereby maximizing throughput.
Laser Ranging and Imaging Systems
Laser Ranging and Imaging Systems - Applications and Articles the following;
Mine Safety, Volume Calculation and Change Detection - This field note covers mining applications in these areas.
Bridge Scanning - This Field note details how two bridges were scanned in one day.
Civil Engineering - Bridge Deflection Analysis - This field note details Bridge Deflection Analysis using lasers.
Laser Cavity Monitoring Systems
Cavity Monitoring System - This system revolutionises the surveying of subterranean cavities. Custom designed for subterranean scanning this system meets the challenges of working underground. Measurements can be used to determine stope volume, stope dilution, and sloughing/backfill volumes, and to create detailed drawings.
Cavity Monitoring System - Applications & Articles
Lasers for Terrestrial and Marine Survey
Terrestrial Survey Laser - A technical overview of the technology.
Terrestrial Survey Laser - Details of applications.
Marine Survey Laser - A technical overview of the technology.
Marine Survey Laser - Details of applications.