Plastic Pellet Silo and Bin Radar Level Measurement

When a Kansas bottle manufacturer needed reliable level measurement of their HDPE silos, they turned to Flowline. The firm produces plastic containers for motor oil, lubricant, chemical and fertilizer companies. The bottles are made in blow molding machines that convert plastic pellets into containers using heat, pressure, air and water. With the cost of plastic rising, the company shifted to a lower cost supplier of recycled plastic chips. The ground chips are of varying size and shape with burred edges, and they often attach to one another forming clumps. This made the surface topography uneven, which further scattered the acoustic signals, and caused their past ultrasonic level sensors to function intermittently as the level dropped low in the silos. For this reason, Flowline suggested our radar sensors that are unaffected by the surface characteristics of the media. The radar sensors provide reliable level data to the PLC, which monitors the silos and alarms for plastic chip replenishment. Flowline is reliable level measurement.