Chemical Industry
Cleaners, herbicides, fragrances, insecticides, additives and corrosive chemicals of all kinds are manufactured worldwide. Load Cell Central has over thirty years’ experience supplying load cells, signal conditioners, amplifiers and digital displays to chemical industries.
Harsh chemicals can be a hazard to both people and devices. The load cells and electronics used in manufacturing processes are no exception. The tendencies of some chemicals to break down traditional load cell cable, corrode load cell housings, and damage internals when allowed to ingress, requires us to take extra precautions. To combat these concerns, we offer many of our load cells with stainless steel housings, and as an added protection, hermetic seals.
Hermetic IP68 rated seals are effective for complete washdown. In addition to deterring unwanted chemical reactions, we can also provide high temperature load cells and cable to bolster the reliability and dependability of our load cell systems.
Chemical processing often requires “intrinsically safe” load cells and displays. These hazardous areas can contain combustible gases or powders that may ignite with a relatively low energy spark. Intrinsically safe devices can pass certification by using low power, or through the use of explosion proof enclosures. The potential for explosion in these environments is a condition that must be taken seriously. Upon request, we can provide FM approved load cells and components.
Some of the relevant applications include:
- Vessel Weighing
- Batching
- Recipe Management
Case Studies
In 2015, we were invited by a candle manufacturer to provide load cells and systems for eighteen of their 1000 gallon mixing tanks. We supplied our DM3E/LCS9-5Kse single ended shear beam load cells with center-pivoted, tension loaded mounts. The design of this mount allows removal of load cells without lifting the tank off the mount.
Each system includes a summing box and individual digital display. Since operators are present at each tank, our customer requested separate displays and printers. Any process control is performed by a PLC receiving 4-20mA analog output signals from our indicators. In 2017 we provided eighteen more systems for a new manufacturing plant in Europe.
For over a decade, we have had a mutually successful relationship with a company providing fire suppression systems to manufacturing facilities. A fire suppression system is any system used to extinguish and prohibit the spread of fires in vehicles or buildings using wet agents, or in this case, chemicals. Chemical based systems typically offer superior protection over sprinkler systems, especially for volatile applications. There are a number of chemicals used in fire suppression systems, but the most common is carbon dioxide.
The systems we provide monitor the weight of between 50 and 100 tanks. We custom build a robust, 11”x11” scale, featuring a 300KG single point load cell. This powder coated, alloy steel scale includes a conduit thread and low profile design.
The electronics for this system were designed and built in-house. The customer elected to forgo a display and instead requested only relay outputs, LEDs, and a tare button for use when replacing empty tanks. The signal conditioners were private labeled for our customer and are used 24/7. We later designed a touch screen version using RS485 to address 128 tanks, log activity, set and reset alarms all from the HMI (human machine interface).
