Electricity + Control April 2015

COVER ARTICLE

FEATURES: • Control systems and automation • Electrical protection and safety • Flowmeasurement • Lighting • Transformers and substations • Energy and enviroFiciency

VEGAPULS 69 The ultimate bulk solids level sensor

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2015/03/23 09:41:34AM

V EGA, the market leader in solids ra- dar level for over 10 years, recently introduced the new VEGAPULS 69 - a non-contact sensor delivering the full performance spectrum in bulk solids level measurement. “What sets the VEGAPULS 69 apart”, says John Groom, managing director of VEGA Instruments SA, “is the performance of this new generation radar sensor. It has the ca- pability to meet the most diverse tasks; from level gauging downmine shafts, tomeasure- ment in small hoppers or bulk containers, and it even reacts fast enough for level or position control on conveyor cars”. He adds, “This new innovation takes radar level tech- nology very close to being a universal bulk solids level measurement sensor”. Good focusing is a critical factor for accu- rate and reliable measurement. A radar sen- sor can only measure the level correctly if a proper level echo is present.This is especially true for solids – if the noise (i.e. the jumble of interfering signals) is as strong the level echo itself, a consistent performance from a non- contact sensor is very difficult to achieve.

solids, for example very dusty, uneven surface profiles like fine ash, cement, flour, coal, plastic powders biomass and wood chips, can be measured confidently using this contactless technology, with no signal loss and minimal false echoes. “If you want to find out more about our lat- est offering, contact us for a demonstration with a battery powered device or to arrange a trial in your application”, John Groom of- fers. “We’re asking you ‘Is it time to focus on your bulk solids level measurement?’. If so, our team of sales engineers and staff is here to help and advise you every step of the way”. He concludes, “You might find that the VEGAPULS 69 is a game changer for contact- less level measurement of bulk solids”.

operates with a transmission frequency of 79 GHz and an antenna aperture of 75 mm. A beam angle of just 4 ° is achieved with this, making measurement more certain and reli- able.The focused 79 GHz beam simply avoids any internal installations and build-up on the vessel wall and the result is highly reliable measurement data. By comparison, a radar sensor with a transmission frequency of 26 GHz and an antenna of the same size has an aperture angle of approximately 10 °.The wider beam generates more false echoes as it strikes the internal fixtures and build-up on the vessel wall, making a precise measurement more difficult. The VEGAPULS 69 offers high frequency, optimum signal focusing – ideal for narrow containers and eliminating false signals, resulting in higher measurement accuracy and reliability, even over long measuring ranges. With an accuracy of ± 5 mm it is

Enquiries: Chantal Groom. Vega Instruments SA Tel: 27 11 795 3249 or email: info.za@vega.com or visit: www.vega.com/za

sensitive enough to detect the small- est of level reflec- tions. Difficult bulk

The beamangle of the emitted radar energy – and thus also the focusing – is dependent on two factors: trans- mission frequency and effective an- tenna aperture. This means that, with an antenna of the same size, considerably bet- ter focusing is achieved with a higher frequency. TheVEGAPULS 69

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