With the new VEGAPULS 64, the world's first radar level sensor for liquids operating at a frequency of 80 GHz, a new era in radar measurement technology has begun. When it comes to dealing with concentrated active ingredients in the cosmetics industry, precision is essential, and there's no room for complacency. Vega, a major player in the field of level measurement, is going all-radar, a technology now available to the cosmetics sector.
Since September 2014, the VEGAPULS 69, designed for continuous measurement of bulk solids, has met with great success. It, too, has switched from the hitherto widespread 26 GHz frequency to a 3-fold higher emission frequency. In particular, these sensors stand out when it comes to measuring products that reflect electromagnetic waves poorly. They also push back the limits when it comes, for example, to measuring in extraction shafts up to 120 m deep, or silos with numerous internal structures that generate significant interference signals.
Its successor this spring is the VEGAPULS 64 for liquid applications. It marks a turning point in measurement instrumentation with its high dynamics and improved focusing. " Products with low reflectivity, i.e. low dielectric constants, are now easier to measure than with previous generations of radar sensors. "explains the company. With its improved focus, the beam easily avoids obstacles such as internal structures and deposits. Interference, which previously had to be eliminated by means of an additional signal recording step, now has virtually no influence on measurement reliability.
This new technique enables the level to be measured very close to the bottom of the tank. This opens up new possibilities for determining the level of small tanks in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, but also enables residual fuel quantities to be determined in large tanks. Accuracy is as high as ±2 mm, even over a measurement range of 30 m.
Over the last few years, non-contact radar measurement technology has established itself in many applications in the chemical industry. Its great advantage is its insensitivity to process factors such as temperature, pressure or density. Another strong point for the chemical or cosmetics industries is the possibility of non-intrusive measurement, as the radar can pass through the tank, for example. The measurement principle is therefore not influenced by the external environment.
