Case Study: Model WC Automates Inventory Monitoring of Cement and Flyash

Coalhurst, AB Canada

We are pleased to have provided the inventory level sensor solution for this interesting application at a precast product manufacturing facility producing concrete buildings, catch basins and other structures.

Problem Summary

Concrete is used to manufacture precast products in thousands of facilities around the world. Here at this facility in Alberta, Canada the concrete is used to make a variety of structures including small buildings, catch basins, manhole fixtures, panel walls, vaults and other structures. In the production of the concrete there is a mixture of cement powder, flyash, water and aggregate in a particular recipe. The cement powder and flyash powder are kept in bulk in large silos. Monitoring of the amount of material in the silos to determine inventory quantity and whether or not there was room for another truck load of the material had been done by hand. This requires personnel to climb to the top of each silo, open a man hatch and manually gauge the empty space distance with tape measure or knotted rope. Since these silos are very tall (near 40-60 or so feet high) this manual process was time consuming and sometimes dangerous, especially during bad weather.

Solution

The Model WC inventory monitor was offered and accepted for automating the process of determining the level of the cement and flyash in the silos. Measurements are initiated periodically and reliably made then indicated on a remote readout and control unit (Model RCU). The Model WC uses third generation weight & cable technology and other smart electronic sensing techniques to measure the empty space distance automatically on demand. The sensors communicate the measurement and other data via MODBUS serial communications to the remote readout and control unit. The use of the Model WC smart inventory monitoring system has eliminated the costly and dangerous manual process of determining the material levels.