Friday, May 27, 2016

Measuring the Flow of Liquids and Economic Growth

In the domain of fluid flow measuring instruments Katronic ultrasonic flow meters command pride of place among others. Established in Britain in 1996 as a distributor of process measuring instruments the company quickly shifted into manufacturing and very soon became a force in clamp-on flow meters. They have not looked back and maintained their supremacy in ultrasonic flow meters that gives their brand instant name recognition and trust among customers.

Ultrasonic flow meter principle

Building on Katronic's core belief that their flow meters should be simple as well as the installation should be straightforward and easy to operate their design has incorporated into each and every Katronic clamp-on flow meter an intuitive menu, instrument setup wizard and the patented Audible Sensor Positioning Assistant, which makes it very easy to use clamp-on ultrasonic flow meters. This link provides a quick glimpse of Katronic's installation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UdIX_e15jU&feature=youtube 


Katronic ultrasonic flow meters can measure flow of liquids on large diameter pipes of all standard materials and are used for process liquids from pure water to chemicals and effluents like waste water. The Katronic flow meters work on the transit time ultrasonic principle. Two matching transducers on the external surface of the pipe are mounted.. The transducers generate ultrasonic pulses. These signals travel through the pipe wall and liquid medium from one sensor to the other both with and against the direction of flow.


The principle is that sound waves travelling with the flow will move faster than those travelling against it. The difference in the transit time of these signals is directly proportional to the flow velocity of the liquid and therefore flow values can be calculated.

Tridinamika and Katronic

Tridinamika is the authorized distributor of the world's best brands in ultrasonic flow meters. They represent among others GE, Primayer, Katronic and Fluke brands. Tridinamika was founded in 2002 in Indonesia. Committed to building a service organization based on strong technical foundation and values they have set themselves on the right path by achieving the status of Indonesia's premier test and measurement supplier

Tridinamika is at the forefront of Indonesia's economic surge. As the GDP (gross domestic product) of Indonesia is on an upward trajectory the emphasis of oil and petrochemical industries as well as mining is leading the way. They have a well-trained human resources team that provide the necessary technical skills for a smooth sales and service operation.


Tridinamika's reach in the industries of Water Supply, Wastewater treatment plants, Manufacturing, Aviation, Aerospace, Shipbuilding, Oil & Gas, Power Generation, Office and Residential Building Services, Pharmaceutical, Process Industries, Petrochemical, Semiconductor, Food & Beverages has helped Indonesia's growth story. Katronic flow meters hold the latest version of ISO 9001: 2008 and the company is a respected member of the Institute of Measurement and Control, and the British Standards Institution (BSI)




Monday, May 23, 2016

Understanding Frequency Counters

Frequency counters and timers can be used for measuring many signals like

  • Digital logic signals
  • RF (radio frequencies)
  • Microwaves. 

Counter technology has evolved so that these frequency counters and timers are able to measure time intervals as well as frequency. Time interval is an inverse function of frequency that allows digital processing technology to measure.

How frequency counters work?

The number of events occurring within a specific period of time is counted. The preset (specific) period is called the gate time and after every accumulation is transferred to a display the counter is reset to zero.A clock oscillator is used that allows the resolution of the measurement. This can be improved if the number of cycles is counted over a set period of time rather than counting the cycles for a set time. The internal oscillator is referred to as the time base and this needs calibration. The stability of time base is directly proportional to the accuracy of the frequency counter.

When using a frequency counter, it is necessary to select the time base interval. Generally options of 0.1s, 1s, 10s are the most common. These refer to the length of time over which the frequency counter gate is open and incoming pulses are counted. Thus, for a gate time of 1 second, 1 000 000 pulses will be counted for a 1 MHz (mega hertz) signal or if five pulses are counted, with a gate time of a second, then the frequency is 5Hz (hertz). Hertz is the frequency unit in the International system of units. It is named after Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1857 - 1894) the German scientist who proved the theory of electromagnetic waves.

The Tektronix FCA3000 and FCA3100 Frequency Counter Series are most commonly used as these instruments combine many features and several functions.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Elements of Ultrasonic Flow meters

Sound waves are organized mechanical vibrations traveling through a medium, which may be a solid, a liquid, or a gas. These waves will travel through a given medium at a specific speed or velocity, in a predictable direction, and when they encounter a boundary with a different medium they will be reflected or transmitted according to simple rules. This is the principle of physics that underlies ultrasonic flow measurement in fluids or gases. 

All sound waves oscillate at a specific frequency, or number of vibrations or cycles per second, which we experience as pitch in the familiar range of audible sound. Human hearing extends to a maximum frequency of about 20,000 cycles per second (20 KHz), while the majority of ultrasonic applications utilize frequencies between 25,000 and 10,000,000 cycles per second (2 KHz to 10 MHz). At frequencies in the megahertz range, sound energy does not travel efficiently through air or other gasses, but it travels freely through most liquids and common engineering materials. 

The speed of a sound wave varies depending on the medium through which it is traveling, affected by the medium's density and elastic properties. Different types of sound waves will travel at different velocities. 

Ultrasonic Transducers in ultrasonic flow meters

A transducer is a device that converts energy from one form to another. Ultrasonic transducers convert electrical energy into high frequency sound energy and vice versa. A pair of transducers transmits sound waves through a medium and the time taken for the travel with the flow of the liquid and the time taken against the flow determines the velocity and other measurements.



Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Air Quality Monitoring - TRIDINAMIKA

The sale of particle counters will witness an upward spike considering the uncontrolled wild forest fire in Fort McMurry, Alberta in Canada. Huge tracts of forests are causing untold havoc as more than 100,000 residents have been evacuated as their homes have been consumed in the advancing fire. There is a danger that oil facilities in Alberta which are in the path of the fire is in danger. It is predicted that the wind will take the smoke and debris in the air as far as Florida.

The only way to monitor the air quality is employing particle counters in determining the state of the air for health as well as environmental hygiene is concerned. Particle sizes from 0.1 to 100 micrometers can be detected.

A particle counter counts the number of particles. The methodologies used are by 

1. Light scattering (for smaller sized particles)
2. Light blocking
3. Direct Imaging

1. Light scattering:  the amount of light that is redirected by a particle when subjected to a light passing through it in a given area. The redirection is called light scattering. This technique is also utilized in monitoring ultra pure water in semiconductor fabrication.

2. Light blocking method is used to find contaminants in hydraulic fluid.

3. Direct imaging technique is used in detecting particles when a cell is illuminated by laser where particles are passing the cell.


 A typical particle counter use is maintaining a clean room; continuous monitoring by an array of sensors and connected to a remote facility monitoring system with programmable logic controllers can immediately signal when the air quality of the given area crosses a predetermined threshold. Hand held particle counters are being increasingly used in monitoring indoor office and school environments that are stressed. They are going to be particularly useful in North America at the present time.