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Non-contacting radar offers benefits in food and beverage applications

04 July 2024

Vladislav Snitko explains why the latest non-contacting radar level transmitters are now able to outperform ultrasonic level transmitters in food and beverage applications.

There are a wide range of applications across the food and beverage industry where level measurement is essential –  for example within brewing, distilling, beverage production, food processing and clean-in-place systems. Regular level monitoring and documentation is typically mandated in such applications because it serves key product safety functions and provides important metrics that impact product quality, texture, flavour, consistency and shelf life. Measuring levels accurately and reliably helps optimise processes, thereby increasing operational efficiency and profitability. It also plays an important role in improving sustainability, by increasing water conservation and energy efficiency, and helps to reduce waste.

Ultrasonic level transmitters have typically been deployed to provide level measurement in automated systems. However, a range of process variables or environmental conditions can affect the performance of ultrasonic level transmitters such that they do not always provide accurate or reliable measurements. These conditions can include temperature variations, particularly in high-temperature processes such as pasteurisation; pressure fluctuations, especially in processes involving carbonation, such as soft drink production; and turbulence and foaming, which can occur in processes involving agitation or mixing, such as brewing or fermentation. In addition, the accuracy of ultrasonic level transmitters can decrease over longer distances in larger tanks, and they also require significant amounts of maintenance to provide reliable performance.

Non-contacting radar
An alternative to ultrasonic level transmitters is provided by non-contacting radar level transmitters, which deliver a range of benefits. Changes in pressure and temperature, and most vapour space conditions have no impact on the accuracy of their measurements. Also, since radar level transmitters do not require recalibration after installation, their maintenance requirements are minimal, which helps them to deliver long-term performance and reliability.

Although non-contacting radar has long been acknowledged as the best technology to meet the requirements of level measurement applications, the use of these devices within the food and beverage industry has been limited. This is mostly because they have been considered too large, complex and costly. However, with the recent introduction of non-contacting radar level transmitters designed specifically to meet the demands of food and beverage applications, that is no longer the case. These new transmitters can provide the high levels of accuracy and reliability expected of radar, and are also very compact, cost-effective, and easy to implement and use.

Key to their adoption by the food and beverage industry is the fact that some of these transmitters have been specifically developed to provide extremely accurate and reliable level measurement in applications with the most stringent hygienic requirements. Others are well suited to use in more general food contact applications.

Compliance and accuracy
The latest level transmitters are compliant with the requirements of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Union’s EG 1935/2004 regulation, relating to the safety of instruments used in applications with foodstuffs. They are also compliant for use in drinking water applications. They feature 80 GHz fast-sweep frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) technology on a single electronic chip, which enables them to collect up to 40 times more information than legacy radar devices. It is this advancement that not only enables them to optimise processes by achieving outstanding level measurement accuracy of ± 2mm at a range of 15m, but to do so within a compact and cost-effective form that makes them suitable for deployment in applications with space constraints.

Communication
When implementing new technology, a potential limiting factor can be its ability to communicate over an existing network, where a variety of communication protocols can be used to connect equipment and devices. The latest non-contacting radar level transmitters meet this challenge and provide seamless integration with existing networks through their hybrid communication options. This means that they support both traditional process communications technologies such as 4- 20mA, HART, Bluetooth wireless technology and IO-Link.

IO-Link is backwards compatible with most fieldbus or industrial Ethernet host systems, including Modbus TCP, Ethernet/IP, OPC (Open Platform Communications) UA (Unified Architecture) and Profinet. IO-Link connectivity helps to minimise installation complexity and enables simple integration into high-level automation networks. It also enables remote configuration and monitoring and provides access to extended process and device health insights that can enhance operational performance and predictive maintenance practices. Like IO-Link, HART connectivity also provides access to advanced diagnostics from the level transmitters, which supports predictive maintenance and more effective troubleshooting. This increases operational efficiency and reduces downtime.

Reduced complexity
Although it is widely accepted that non-contacting radar level transmitters improve measurement accuracy and reliability compared to ultrasonic level transmitters, the technology has at times been regarded as difficult and time-consuming to set up. When set up incorrectly, devices can fall short of delivering the performance improvements that are possible. However, the latest non-contacting radar level transmitters have addressed these issues and can be set up quickly and easily, either with a smartphone over Bluetooth wireless connectivity, or via a controller with intuitive configuration wizard guides, such as Emerson’s Rosemount 3490 controller for level and flow measurement applications. These guides provide easy-to-follow on-screen instructions, making the set-up procedure significantly quicker and less complex.

These controllers enable users to transmit measured values back to their control room, and also display the values on a tank-side LCD panel for full tank insight. They also have relay outputs to operate valves and pumps for filling or emptying procedures, whenever a certain level is reached.

Vladislav Snitko is a market development engineer supporting measurement instrumentation at Emerson.


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