Melting furnace level measurement with real-time monitoring
Kuhn Innovation, part of the Kuhn Group, recently implemented a project that was literally “hot.” Together with Asinco, experts in radar-based measurement technology for metal processing, they developed a radar-based measurement system for the level of melting furnaces. Continue reading
Melting steel is a hot business: depending on the type of steel, temperatures of around 1,500°C are reached in the melting furnaces – an extremely challenging environment for sensitive measurement technology. Monitoring the level of the mould is an important factor in the casting process. This contributes to process control and quality assurance, enables precise control of the casting process, prevents errors such as overflows, and helps to improve foundry products.
In order to develop a precise and robust system for the melting furnace level measurement, Kuhn Innovation worked together with Asinco GmbH from Duisburg on an innovative solution. Using tried-and-tested standard modules, a sufficiently temperature-resistant and reliable measuring system was developed using robust and complex metallic cavity conductors and mirror reflectors.
This allows the measurement signal to be fed in even at some distance from the measurement object, thereby reducing the environmental impact on the sensor. These components form the heart of radar-based level measurement and guarantee precise and reliable performance even under highly demanding conditions in foundries.
The radar sensor used operates in the 120 GHz ISM band and is robustly constructed within an innovative housing concept. An optional air-cooled housing add-on module has been developed, which ensures sufficient heat resistance and a long service life for the measuring device even at very high temperatures. The solid mechanical construction of the housing ensures reliable and long-lasting measurement performance even at very high ambient temperatures.
The sensor can be easily configured via an IO-Link interface and the measurement data can be retrieved directly from the process register. In addition, the sensor offers both an analog and a digital interface, which can provide an optional switching signal in addition to the measured data. This design enables interference-free and precise measurement even in areas with strong electromagnetic interference, such as induction furnaces.
Image: Fa. Breuckmann GmbH & Co KG
The system was set up and tested at several companies, most recently at Breuckmann GmbH & Co. KG in Heiligenhaus. Contact has already been established with other interested customers, so that the melting furnace level measurement system is expected to find further users in the coming months and can be rolled out on a large scale.