Where's all that hot metal gone?
15 Jan 2000
Tracker HMD from Dorchester-based opto-electronics specialist IPL can detect the location of hot materials - particularly metals - in the presence of dense steam or thick scale.
These capabilities have seen the detector find application in three UK steel mills, as well as mills in Sweden, Australia, South Africa, the US and Canada.
IPL claims that Tracker HMD provides a faster signal, and a much higher degree of sensitivity, than was possible with previous detection methods. Because of its scanning technique, its accuracy is not distorted by the presence of water, steam or scale on the surface of the bar - all factors which confuse conventional single-point infrared detectors.
The scanning technique is based on the simple assumption that the hot material being gauged will always be at a higher temperature than its surroundings. As the unit electronically scans signals, via an array of germanium photodetectors, from both the material and its surroundings, it can detect the metal even if it is moving towards or away from the detector. The tracker is sensitive to temperatures from 350 degreesC upwards.
IPL says the Tracker HMD can be supplied to operate with either a wide or narrow field of view, and is mounted in a cooling jacket which in turn incorporates an air purging system.
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