Author Archive

Want Better Inventory Accuracy? Know YOUR Stuff

Use of continuous level sensor technologies like wight & cable, radar, acoustic and others are almost always for inventory monitoring purposes when used with powders and other bulk solid materials.  In these inventor applications the sensor is…

Essentials of Modern Measurements —- Book Review

“Essentials of Modern Measurements and Final Elements in the Process Industry” is a new book assembled by author Gregory K. McMillan, with a host of contributing writers.  I first became aware of this new book  from a post at Cont…

Dust Explosions and Fires Analyzed … What You Don’t Know Could Hurt You

Many of us work in companies that process bulk solid materials.  Often this processing produces dust., lots of dust.  That’s why there are dust collection systems and many companies that specialize in that area.  Unfortunately sometimes …

Failure of Tank Overfill High Level System

What happens when your high level indicator fails without warning?  Everyone knows the answer and we have talked about it before.  The unknown failure of a high level sensor that is used for overfill protection can result in an overfilled con…

Six Sigma Works for Alarm Management

Managing any process will require continuous improvement, at least if you want to manage it well.  Aspects of continuous improvement, lean techniques and six sigma all call for metrics or measurements that are the standard the process needs to adhere to or exceed.  A white paper addresses the application of six sigma techniques to alarm management. Click Here.

Promoting Slurry Flows

In some applications a bulk powder, granular material and liquids may be combined to produced a thick slurry.  One example is the production of concrete, either in a batch plant, precast operation, block plant or other type of facility.  Depending on the angle of your discharge, the thickness of the slurry mix and the mixture ratios themselves, there may be a problem getting the mixture to flow readily. 

One example where this problem can occur is with the discharge of concrete mix from mix trucks.  Here’s a quick look at one of my concrete trucks, it’s a collectible die-cast of course.  The problem associated with bulk material flow, even concrete, is two things, the cohesive strength of the material and the friction between the material and the material of the vessel the material needs to flow down.  Check out the bulk solid material flow experts for more resources and information on flow properties.

The solution in most cases is using an industrial vibrator.  This is for very good reason.  For example, using our concrete truck illustration let’s look at an installation of a turbine vibrator on the discharge chute.  In this case (shown in photo at top) the vibrator is quietly introducing several hundred pounds of force into the material through the wall of the chute to promote and maintain the concrete flow.  In this case the Turbine vibrator replaced a piston type vibrator because of the noise associated with piston vibrators.  The Turbine type is very quiet, well within OSHA guidelines.

Need help with a material flow problem?  Give me a call at 800-262-2106 or 815-224-1200.

Joe Lewis