Portable Scanner for Volumetric Measurement of Solids

[civilbill]

I am in need of a portable unit that can be used to volumetrically measure the surface of a solid (i.e. grains within a silo) from an opening in the top of a silo. Before the posts start coming, I am well aware that several fixed scanners exist for mounting; however due to the fact that I am dealing with over 100 silos which are used sporadically, it is cost prohibitive to invest in devices such as this. The intent is to have an operator collect measurements on a daily basis based on the silo we are filling or emptying in order to generate a volume within the silo and account for cone up and cone down conditions. In some cases, the silos are up to 150' in height. Any suggestions on such a unit would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[dhengr]

Civilbill:
I assume the following: many different height and dia. tanks; I don’t see how you can avoid climbing to the tank roof to do your measurements; you have one or a couple of identical scanners for interchangeability and compatible readings when you move them, maybe 6 or 8 so a few can be left in place for a week or so, saving climbing, when there is much activity at one or another tank.

Mount the scanners on identical fixed base plates or frames, with three locating pin holes. The pin holes should not form an equilateral triangle, to assure only one mounting orientation. There is a three pinned frame on the tank roof over the viewing port. These frames will have to have some variations for the different tank roof configurations. But, the essence is that they are bolted to the roof and leveled, and the three pins have leveling and locking nuts on which the scanner base plate sits and is lightly locked down onto. The viewing port can be opened within this mounting frame and the scanner installed. There may be some weather proofing system around the scanners left in place for a few days. I would assume you would have to scan each tank when it is empty to get a base line model for that tank and its roof frame location. Then every time up put the scanner up there you should read the top of the contents pile and the empty tank above that.

 

[GregLocock]

civilbill, that's a pretty interesting requirement. Why can't you use a fixed scanner and just move it around between silos as dhengr suggests? What technology do these things use to scan with? Are you looking for alternative technologies to measure the location of the surface, or even perhaps the empty volume in the silo?



Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

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[civilbill]

Thanks for the responses. We currently measure from the top of the silos using a single open hatch and a measuring tape which does not accurately measure cone up and cone down conditions. Because of the number of silos (100) and the transfer of product between silos on a regular basis for rotation, product in and out, it is not feasible or cost effective to use a fixed mounted system. I am simply troubleshooting to see if there is a portable unit out there that will give us a better level of accuracy than our current method. Thanks.

 

[IRstuff]

I think you've misread the postings. They are talking about using a single system with identical mountings for each silo. This is in any case necessary to ensure comparable and repeatable measurements, since you must have a single reference surface for each silo being tested.

TTFN
faq731-376