In-Line Volume and Moisture Meter – VU

The In-Line Volume and Moisture Meter, VU, is a solution for any industry that wants to verify the moisture and volume of their material in conveyorbelts.

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Medidor de Volume e Umidade em Linha - VU

WHAT IS THE VOLUME AND MOISTURE IN-LINE METER VU?

The Volume and Moisture In-Line Meter, known as VU, is the result of integrating technologies found in the Volume X, UmiChip product lines, and their respective variations. Together, these devices offer a wide range of essential information designed to significantly enhance the energy generation process in industrial boilers. It is also possible to optionally add an integrating scale to generate weight and material density data.

This innovation plays a crucial role in improving the energy efficiency of industrial boilers, promoting resource savings, and reducing biomass consumption during the burning process. The VU Meter provides real-time insights into the volume and moisture of the biomass used, enabling precise and informed adjustments that contribute to optimizing the performance and sustainability of your energy generation system.

WHY USE A VOLUME AND MOISTURE IN-LINE METER?

Quantifying and qualifying raw materials or the final product on a production line is fundamental for effective operation.

Example: Knowing the moisture content of biomass feeding a boiler allows for correct adjustment, ensuring its efficiency. Knowing the volume of fuel used informs about its yield. Thus, these real-time insights ensure the effective operation of the system. The same reasoning applies to numerous industrial processes.

In the example mentioned above, when the wood chip is very moist and is placed in the boiler for burning, the boiler has to first evaporate the water (thus losing pressure) before burning the chip and generating energy.

While volume is important to avoid suffocating the boiler (as excessive material can risk creating too much pressure and causing the boiler to burst).

HOW CAN THE METER BE SO PRECISE?

The volume sensor uses laser technology and is not affected by temperature, light, or humidity when correctly installed. Furthermore, the accuracy is high, with a margin of error of only 3%.

The moisture part works through the capacitive method, meaning a sensor is installed on the conveyor, and as the material is loaded, it passes over the sensor, and the moisture of the product is read second by second. Thus, providing a real-time measurement of humidity.

What are the benefits of using an in-line volume and moisture control system?

  1. Quality control: The moisture meter ensures material compliance with necessary quality standards for boiler operation, preventing issues like incomplete fuel combustion and the formation of unwanted residues.
  2. Energy savings: The volume meter optimizes fuel consumption by preventing excessive or insufficient feeding of the boiler, resulting in reduced energy consumption and cost savings.
  3. Increased energy efficiency: Precise control of material moisture and volume enables the boiler to operate more efficiently, maximizing energy production from the fuel.
  4. Reduced maintenance costs: The moisture and volume meter helps cut down boiler maintenance costs by preventing problems like deposit formation and corrosion due to excess moisture.
  5. Reduced environmental impact: By maintaining precise control of material moisture and volume, the boiler operates cleaner, generating fewer emissions and residues, thus reducing its environmental impact.

Benefits for the safety of your operation:

The VU can identify deviations in rollers and conveyor belts with its sensors, helping to prevent accidents and damage to workers and equipment. Deviations can result in conveyor malfunction, misalignment, material falls, and collisions, which can cause injuries and significant material damage. Causes may include maintenance issues, natural wear and tear, and weight overload, and companies should regularly perform preventive maintenance and monitor conveyor belt performance to ensure worker safety.

The system goes beyond by monitoring conveyor belt rollers; it can bring various benefits to the process, such as reducing costs for repairs, maintenance, and injury compensation, improving the quality of transported products, extending the durability of associated equipment, and providing a safer work environment, thereby increasing productivity. By identifying and correcting roller deviations, it is possible to ensure the smooth operation of the conveyor belt and avoid accidents, resulting in a more efficient and safer process.

AND WHAT OTHER FEATURES DOES IT OFFER FOR MANAGEMENT?

The volume part also includes various performance features such as OEE, where you can view minute by minute, the time, downtime, and operation time of your machine, operator efficiency, material quality, and it even sends emails and alerts if there are any production issues. Combining these three factors gives you the efficiency index for that production or line.

While the moisture part can track real-time humidity second by second, it can also self-correct based on laboratory tests.

AND WHY USE MARRARI EQUIPMENT?

Our equipment is optimized for your company! We create ways to improve the performance of production processes without excessive loss, using methods such as OEE and Industry 4.0. Thus, creating a more efficient, productive, and modern production environment!

If you want to learn more about us and automation news, visit our blog, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

GUARANTEE

Marrari offers a 6-month warranty for all its systems and equipment to ensure that your process is always as productive as possible!

VOLUME

Static precision: better than 3% depending on the material’s granulometry.

Calibration: extremely simple, using a sample of material with a known volume or by simulating volume using a body of known dimensions.

Calibration frequency: under usual handling conditions of wood chips, the calibration frequency is around six months.

Assembly: done in a bridge-like form over the conveyor. Supports are adjustable based on the conveyor’s width and support structure. It doesn’t require mechanical changes in the conveyor, nor the exchange of rollers or special rollers.

Models: low-cost options for low capacities, high-precision scanners for belts up to 600mm, and scanners for belts up to 5m wide.

MOISTURE

Operation principle: the Umichip system is based on the analysis of the dielectric properties of the medium and correlates them with the material’s moisture content. In each transducer, a processor continuously executes measurements, and dozens of readings are taken every second. The result, after analysis, is sent to the central unit where it is correlated with the calibration curve corresponding to each material.

Calibration: the system’s calibration is done in-line, comparing the values read by the UMICHIP system with the values obtained in the laboratory.

Calibration frequency: it will be necessary to calibrate the system whenever the material in process is modified. For each material, a calibration curve will be created and stored in the system’s memory (up to 100 recipes).

VU GENERAL FEATURES

Volume Reading Speed: 60 readings per second
Volume Reading Speed: 60 readings per second
Working range: adjustable, 3 to 70%, BU
Working range: adjustable, 3 to 70%, BU
Analog signal outputs: 4-20 ma
Analog signal outputs: 4-20 ma
Moisture Reading Speed: 5 readings per second
Moisture Reading Speed: 5 readings per second
Accuracy of the volume measurements: better than 3.0% of the measured value (static)
Accuracy of the volume measurements: better than 3.0% of the measured value (static)
Communication Interfaces: ModBus and Ethernet
Communication Interfaces: ModBus and Ethernet
Frequency used: variable according to model
Frequency used: variable according to model
Accuracy of moisture measurements: better than 3 percentage units
Accuracy of moisture measurements: better than 3 percentage units
Application temperature: Sensors: up to 90 C. Central unit: up to 50 C
Application temperature: Sensors: up to 90 C. Central unit: up to 50 C
Sensor area: 150 x 150 mm
Sensor area: 150 x 150 mm
Central unit: in steel cabinet 400 x 300 x 200 mm
Central unit: in steel cabinet 400 x 300 x 200 mm
Process interface: analog signal 4-20mA / ModBus / Ethernet / PROFIBUS (Optional)
Process interface: analog signal 4-20mA / ModBus / Ethernet / PROFIBUS (Optional)
Measuring depth: up to 100 mm
Measuring depth: up to 100 mm
Power supply: 220/380 Vac, 50/60 hz, 200 VA
Power supply: 220/380 Vac, 50/60 hz, 200 VA

Common questions

Sustainability

Nossos equipamentos, além de oferecerem vantagens competitivas e financeiras, também auxiliam o meio ambiente, como:
Reduction of gas emissions by optimizing the use of biomass.

Reduction of gas emissions by optimizing the use of biomass.

We reduce material waste in different processes with fine control.

We reduce material waste in different processes with fine control.

Better use of raw materials with automation and automatic management of processes.

Better use of raw materials with automation and automatic management of processes.

Helps in ecologically correct decisions, due to the data offered by our equipment.

Helps in ecologically correct decisions, due to the data offered by our equipment.

It helps to use the raw material at the right time, with its moisture measurement for better use.

It helps to use the raw material at the right time, with its moisture measurement for better use.

It reduces times in the production process, streamlining the process and using less energy and biomass for burning.

It reduces times in the production process, streamlining the process and using less energy and biomass for burning.

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