Careful Control of Moisture in Wheat Flour Process Prevents a Sticky Mess

Infrared moisture analyzer
(courtesy of Chino America)

Wheat flour production requires very accurate moisture control because wheat flour powder is easy to be converted into a sticky, doughy mess with excess moisture. In order to prevent excess moisture from “gumming” up the works, the use of infra-red light moisture analyzers are deployed.

IR moisture analyzers shine light onto the product as it passes along via conveyor belt. The instrument measures the light being reflected back by the sample. Since the moisture in the product will absorb some of the IR light, fewer of those particular wavelengths are reflected back to the measurement sensor in the instrument. By determining the amount of light absorbed you can calculate the amount of moisture in the product.

Moisture detection diagram for wheat flour process
(courtesy of Chino America)

The analyzers used in the wheat flour application measure from 5 to 15% moisture (with a ±0.2% accuracy) in the flour during the final processing before its packed into bags. By using this IR analyzer, maintaining very consistent quality and avoiding too much moisture in the product is possible.

Chino Infrared Moisture Analyzer

Additionally, production costs were lowered because of more efficient control of its drying process. To prevent over-drying, a cascade control scheme was adopted, where the signals from moisture gauge combined with temperature measurement are used to control temperature of the drier.

For more information on Infrared moisture analyzers, contact:

Power Specialties, Inc.
9118 E. 72nd Terrace
Raytown, MO 64133
Toll Free: (800) 432-6550
Phone: (816) 353-6550
Fax: (816) 353-1740

Pneumatic Combustion Air and Flue Gas Damper Drives Provide Greater Efficiency

Stack Damper at Refinery
(courtesy of Rotork Type K)

Combustion air and flue gas damper drives fill a critical role requiring safety, accuracy and reliability above all else. Pneumatic type, rotary damper drives improve the efficiency and reliability of large and small boilers, furnaces and process heaters by maximizing combustion efficiency, minimizing emissions and reducing installation costs.

Rotary pneumatic drives deliver quality and power, but most importantly the provide precise control and speed to improve the BTU/Fuel ratio and increase the MW/Fuel ratio. This "better burn" results in reduced emissions, lower fuel consumption and improved boiler draft control. Specifically, these drives provide:

• High speed continuous modulation of ID/FD fan and inlet guide vanes
• Improved modulation and control of secondary air dampers
• Improved automation and burner management
• Quick response to plant demand
• Improved reliability in high temperature environments
• Precise damper and burner positioning
• Simple commissioning and diagnostics
• Low running costs, virtually maintenance free
• Pneumatic, analog and bus network communications

Pedestal mount damper drive
(courtesy of Rotork Type K)

The heart of the rotary pneumatic drive is the high performance rotary vane actuator. The totally enclosed design eliminates internal gears, levers and crank arms where hysteresis is created, leaving an output that has no “lost motion”, “slop” or “backlash”.  The result is the most accurate and repeatable pneumatic damper drive available to the industry.

Finally, these damper drives are designed as a "drop-in-place" solution that precisely fits into the application with no field modifications.  The concept focusses on providing the end-user with a high-performance drive that can be installed without any field engineering or modification using basic hand tools in a few hours. Existing connecting rods and linkages are reused without modification. Retrofit drives fit directly on the existing mounting pad using existing hardware.

Before retrofit

After retrofit

For more information about pneumatic combustion air and flue gas damper drives, contact:

Power Specialties, Inc.
9118 E. 72nd Terrace
Raytown, MO 64133
Toll Free: (800) 432-6550
Phone: (816) 353-6550
Fax: (816) 353-1740

www.powerspecialties.com

Thermal Mass Flow Meters

Various styles of thermal mass flow meters
(courtesy of Fox Thermal Instruments)

Thermal mass flow meters measure flow by introducing heat into a flow stream and measuring the dissipation of heat between temperature measurement points. They are very popular because they provide a fairly unrestricted flow path, have no moving parts, are accurate over a wide range of flow rates, work well on large or small pipes, don’t require temperature or pressure compensation, and actually calculate mass flow rather than volume. In most cases, thermal flow meters are used to measure and monitor flowing gases, but in some cases they are used to measure the flow of liquids.

Fox Thermal Instruments, located in Marina, CA, manufacturers some of the most innovative and reliable thermal mass flow meters today. Their products are used in a wide variety of industrial gas flow and emissions monitoring applications.

Fox provides three basic models:

Model FT1:
Winner of the 2015 Flow Control Innovation Awards, is the newest Thermal Gas Mass Flow Meter offered from Fox Thermal Instruments.  The Model FT1 was nominated for this award because of its innovative design elements such as the DDC-Sensor™ technology platform that allows it to operate using the Gas-SelectX® gas menu selection tool.

Model FT2A:
The Model FT2A continues to accurately measure gas flow rate in standard units without the need for temperature and pressure compensation. Some additional features available on the FT2A include a standard display, a standard USB port to connect to a PC, and the option of BACnet MS/TP communication protocol.

Model FT3:
The Model FT3 measures gas flow rate in standard units without the need for temperature and pressure compensation.  Calibration Validation, using the CAL-V™ and Zero CAL-CHECK® features, is an in-situ calibration routine that validates the flow meter’s accuracy by testing the functionality of the sensor and it associated signal processing circuitry.

This following brief video quickly presents the specifications and features for each model.

For more information, contact:

Power Specialties, Inc.

9118 E. 72nd Terrace

Raytown, MO 64133

Toll Free: (800) 432-6550

Phone: (816) 353-6550

Fax: (816) 353-1740

www.powerspecialties.com

Unique DP Cell Design Allows for Simultaneous Differential Pressure and Static Pressure Sensing

Design eliminates additional
hardware requirements.

DPharp digital sensor has the unique ability to simultaneously measure static pressure and differential pressure. Additionally capsule and housing temperatures are also measured. Multi-sensing platform enables real-time dynamic compensation for unmatched precision and forms the basis for implementation of advanced diagnostics. These information are available through various digital communication protocols; providing additional insight into your process. Multi-sensing functionality with guaranteed accuracy of static pressure signal allows the process to operate with fewer devices delivering reduced lifecycle costs

For more information please read the document below:

Yokogawa DPharp Differential Pressure and Pressure Transmitters from Power Specialties, Inc.