Radar aids John Crabbie's ginger beer plant
7 Mar 2011
Broxburn, UK – Increased demand for alcoholic ginger beer has prompted Broxburn, West Lothian-based John Crabbie & Co. to upgrade the existing facilities and increase capacity at its production plant.
Earlier this year, the company added nine new storage tanks with a capacity of 54,000 litres each, as well as level measurement equipment, from Vega, for each new vessel.
Data from the measuring devices had to be shared with production planning to meet growing demand, as well as having a local display so that operators could readily see the level on each tank.
The Vegapuls Plics-Plus radar devices, which look at product level echo in high definition with an accuracy of +/-2mm, were installed on 3in ANSI flanges in the roof of each vessel and fitted with encapsulated antennas.
The radars were calibrated with individual vessel strapping tables, using the integral linearisation table programme within each sensor. The gauged tank volume is calculated internally by the instrument and the result is transmitted digitally without the need for external software, calculation or controller.
The sensors supplied for the tank gauging are connected using Hart multi-drop communications with a fixed current of 4mA, where each unit is connected in a ’star’ layout back to one main two-core screened cable, thus reducing cabling, trunking and conduit costs
Sensor data is carried back on the main signal cable to the Vegascan unit. This handles the information and converts it using an internal server to standard Ethernet computer protocols – enabling the tank inventory to be shared via the company local area network (LAN).
Vegascan can transmit level alarms via email and SMS or to publish level data to its own website. It also allows connection for using Pactware FDT/DTM universal sensor commissioning and maintenance software via the LAN with communication down to individual sensor level.
Local tank readout is achieved using the Vegadis 61, a display unit that connects to, and is powered directly from, the head of the transmitter. This unit can be mounted up to 50m away from the sensor and offers a five-digit scalable back-lit display and programming point at the base of each vessel.
