VEGA reach radar level sensor milestone
One hundred thousand non-contact bulk solid radar sensors produced and installed worldwide
IN February 2013, less than nine years after introducing VEGAPULS 68 – the first non-contact radar sensor for bulk solids – VEGA produced and delivered their 100,000th non-contact radar sensor for bulk solids, making VEGAPULS one of the best-selling radar sensors for bulk solids measurement.
‘This production milestone carries forward the success story of radar level sensors in process automation. Today, they are the all-round level transmitter for liquids and bulk solids,’ commented VEGA’s managing director Günter Kech.
‘Radar technology is on a success trajectory and we will ensure that it stays there by further simplifying it for level measurement of bulk solids in future.’
The 100,000th VGA bulk solids radar instrument is a VEGAPULS SR68. The landmark sensor went to Bühler in Switzerland, who are using it for level measurement in a 25m high cement silo.
VEGA Grieshaber KG launched VEGAPULS 68 – the first radar sensor specifically tailored to applications in the bulk solids industry – on to the market in 2004. Compared with radar sensors for liquids, the bulk solids radar sensor is capable of detecting and measuring signals one thousand times smaller – signals that were previously masked by ‘noise’.
The two-wire loop powered sensors have since become the main alternative to maintenance-intensive mechanical ‘plumb bob’ systems or ultrasonic sensors which require a clear, dust-free view of the product.
Thanks to simple application parameters, only a few settings are needed to fine-tune the radar sensor to the measurement. The result is reliable reading, completely independent of dust, filling noise, strong air currents and high temperatures, with no loss-of-echo issues.
Three sensor variants ensure the advantages of non-contact radar technology can fit all kinds of applications, as well as measuring and temperature ranges.
VEGAPULS 68 is optimized for ranges up to 75m and temperatures up to 400 degrees C, while VEGAPULS 67 and VEGAPULS SR68 are designed for standard applications.
One basic technology covers a wide spectrum – from level measurement in clinker coolers at 1,500 degrees C, to level monitoring in rock crushers.
