Vedacit required reliable level measurement in five asphalt boilers to ensure there was no risk of overfill, or interruptions to batch production. Asphalt is a very sticky product and was challenging to measure accurately. In addition, the boilers were injected with continuous steam to ensure the asphalt did not solidify, and this created heavy condensation and very steamy conditions.
The company had been using mechanical devices which were prone to clogging and were affected by the stickiness of the media – and the condensation in the boilers. Halting of production due to unreliable measurements was costly and there was also the safety risk of personnel needing to climb the tanks, which could be slippery due to overfill of product.
As a result, Vedacit did not feel they could trust their existing measurement and needed a reliable solution that would not be affected by the stickiness of the asphalt or the steamy conditions inside the tanks.
Vedacit wanted a solution that would utilise their existing wireless infrastructure so they would not need to add additional infrastructure and cabling. Rosemount™ 5408 Non-Contacting Radar Level Transmitters with Emerson Wireless 775 THUM™ Adapters provided the solution.
The transmitter is non-intrusive which meant there was no problem with material clogging the device and thereby producing incorrect measurements. The Rosemount 5408 proved to be reliable and robust and was able to manage the steamy conditions with ease.
Thanks to the Rosemount 5408 Non-Contacting Radar Level Transmitter from Emerson, Vedacit achieved the following results:
- Stable reliable measurement despite steamy, condensating conditions
- Measurement was unaffected by the sticky media
- Cost savings using wireless infrastructure
Douglas Rafael de Paula, Maintenance Manager of Vedacit, said: “The solution surpassed expectations and gained the trust of operators, and engineering and maintenance teams.”
For more information visit www.emerson.com
