ASTON MARTIN SELECTS VEGA RADAR LEVEL TRANSMITTERS A
ll Aston Martin models are hand-built and bespoke, with
each car painted and finished by hand and receiving up to nine applications of paint – a process that takes more than 50 man-hours. To ensure the paint finish is
perfect from every angle, all aspects within the Paintshop Facility must be controlled, including the environmental impact. All the wastewater is recycled, with one of the initial treatment stages being the ‘Coagulation Tank’, where entrained
solid materials are removed. At the tank inlet, two large transfer pumps force the incoming stream downwards, heavily aerating the water to accelerate and improve the separation process. The coagulated solids settle at the bottom of the tank and the clean aerated water at the surface flows over a weir to be further treated and re-used in the Paintshop. The Coagulation Tank is around
3.5m deep, 5m wide and 8m long, with a strong effluent flow of up to 140000L/Min. Controlling the optimum level or stopping any overflow is crucial. However, the surface is turbulent, it foams readily and heavily, and build up on any form of ‘contact’ device can happen quickly. In addition, the tank is very hazardous – as the water is heavily aerated, anyone falling in would sink ‘like a stone’. The company was using a guided
wave radar and tried various point level switches, but found the high build up levels and contamination were causing false readings. So,
almost two years ago the units were changed for a contactless VEGAPULS WL61 radar level sensor. Designed for water and wastewater applications, this has an IP68 housing with an encapsulated antenna, ideal for the harsh operating environment in an effluent plant. The sensor is also ideally suited as the liquid density and substances contained within the liquid have no bearing on measurement accuracy. The device can also cope with all reasonable levels of foam due to its signal sensitivity and the 80mm antenna, which focuses signal for optimal performance. The readings are now to the mm,
providing a greater level of control, especially as this measurement also governs the ‘Water Make Up Valve’ which operates to re-level the Tank as water evaporates due to the process. In addition, all the control strategy for the Water System was re-written after installation due to the greater level of accuracy; and safety surrounding the ‘Coagulation
Competition! VEGA is offering one
lucky reader the chance to win a track day to drive an Aston Martin
Tank’ has also been increased as no one has to enter the guarded area around the tank to clean off build-up. Being non-contact is ideal in this application, so if the pit is cleared out there is no risk of sensor damage. VEGA is offering a reader the
chance to win a track day to drive an Aston Martin at one of five UK locations. Send in your details, discuss an application or request a brochure, and you will be entered into the prize draw. For terms and conditions please contact VEGA. The draw will close on 31st December 2014. Contact
info.uk@
vega.com or call T: 01444 870055 and ask for the sales team.
www.vega.com/uk
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CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR MOLECULAR SCIENCE
The University of Edinburgh has made a £1.2 million investment in some of the world’s most advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Mass Spectroscopy instrumentation. This will further consolidate its position as a ‘centre of excellence’ for its acclaimed research in cutting-edge
molecular science. Professor Eleanor Campbell, head
of the school of chemistry, said: “We now provide full access to the latest analytical instruments and expertise, and I’m confident we’ll see fruitful national and global collaboration.”
www.research-innovation.ed.ac.uk
NEW DISTRIBUTOR FOR PICO TECHNOLOGY
I
nstruments are used around the world in all
manner of applications and industries. In all these, however, each needs to offer the highest levels of accuracy possible –meaning calibration at regular intervals is essential. Our calibration section this month (starting on page 13) therefore provides advice and information concerning not only calibration itself, but also the development of calibrators.
Rachael Morling - Editor
Anglia Components has been appointed UK and Ireland distributor for Pico Technology, the manufacturer of PC oscilloscope and data acquisition instruments. David Pearson, technical director,
said: “We are excited about extending our instrument portfolio by adding a world leader in the field of PC–based test equipment and data acquisition. “We can now help our customers
make the right choice of test instrument by offering on-site demonstrations by our FAEs. If necessary, we can ship their chosen instrument to them the same day from stock.”
www.anglia-live.com
/ INSTRUMENTATION
AUTOMATED TEST SUMMIT ANNOUNCED
National Instruments UK & Ireland’s free, one day, Automated Test Summit will allow delegates to learn about the trends and technologies influencing automated test through presentations, discussions and ten hours of hands-on training. Brendan Davis, industry
expert and author of ‘The Economics of Automatic Testing’, will make the keynote address; and delegates will have a choice of five dedicated tracks. One will focus on RF and will explore topics such as envelope tracking, testing RADAR system, etc. Delegates will also discover what’s new in NI TestStand 2013. Hands-on training will include acquiring wireless measurements with PXI, and maximising measurement speed with FPGA-based hardware. The event will take place on
19th June at the Madejski Stadium, Reading.
uk.ni.com/testsummit
Agilent Technologies has named Jay Alexander as Keysight Technologies’ chief technology officer. In his new position, Alexander will
lead Keysight’s technology development, drive its product roadmap, and manage the company’s resource allocation across divisions to transform Keysight’s portfolio to proactively meet customers’ needs.
www.agilent.co.uk
The exhibition that will run alongside WWEM 2014 is now almost fully booked. The event will return to the Telford International Centre on the 5-6th November and will seek to provide the latest information on the techniques, technologies, methods, standards and regulatory requirements that relate to the monitoring which takes place both on-site and in the laboratory.
www.wwem.uk.com
Ashtead Technology has been appointed ‘preferred rental partner’ for the Ectane tube and surface inspection system by the Canadian instrument manufacturer Eddyfi NDT. Ectane is a surface array and
multi-technology tube inspection system employing ultrasonic, eddy current and electromagnetic technology for the detection and assessment of flaws such as cracks or corrosion in conductive materials.
www.ashtead-technology.com
INSTRUMENTATION | JUNE 2014 5
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