Etr-Unidata launch Zeta 5000 monitor

Protecting the environment is one of the biggest operational challenges facing many quarry operators. It is vitally important for companies to make accurate and reliable measurements of dust and particulate levels on site to ensure that the authorized emission limit value, set by the regulatory authorities, is not exceeded.  

Etr-Unidata have, therefore, introduced their Zeta 5000 dust monitor, which, they say, has been designed to provide better and more accurate measurements in quarries and material crushing plants, where changing feed stock and varying moisture content could cause problems in establishing an accurate measurement.

Unlike conventional optical-based dust monitors, the Zeta 5000 has its transmitter and receiver units located on the stack at 90° to each other. The transmitter fires a powerful large cone-shaped projection of light into the centre of the stack from which the receiver picks up the light reflected from the particulates.

This 90° configuration allows a much larger area of the stack to be monitored for particulates than with more traditional probe or cross-duct methods. The increased area could typically exceed 25% of the total stack area compared with less than 1% for other common techniques.

Users of the Zeta 5000 also benefit from low maintenance requirements, as there is no probe that needs regular cleaning. In addition, the dust-monitoring instrument, say Etr-Unidata, is stable and shows minimum long-term drift, which means results are accurate and reliable.  

David Curtis, an administrator at the Source Testing Association, considers Zeta’s innovative approach to dust monitoring as a significant step forward in providing a representative sampling area within the stack that could overcome limitations of some dust-monitoring techniques.

‘The Zeta 5000 optical measuring principle, combined with its high performance electronics, allows the instrument to provide immediate response to any changes in process conditions or abatement bag failure that may occur,’ he commented. ‘Slower-responding dust monitors may not pick up such incidents as quickly, thereby slower meters could result in undetected and exceeded dust levels.’  

The Zeta 5000 is currently undergoing the Environment Agency’s MCERTs accreditation, with approval expected to be granted later this year.  

Etr-Unidata Ltd, 6 Riverside Park, Sheaf Gardens, Sheffield, S2 4BB; tel: 0845 053 0909; fax: 0845 054 5079.