Pizza Production Plant Uses Remote Sensing System To Monitor Flour

A regional pizza commissary will soon be able to remotely and more efficiently manage flour storage silos at its production plant from locally-networked personal computers. VEGA Americas and SignalFire Wireless Telemetry have teamed up to couple VEGAPULS69 radar level instruments with a SignalFire Remote Sensing System (SFRSS) to provide a wireless remote monitoring and control solution to track flour usage.

Previously, operators at the pizza production plant would only know their flour levels were low when the vibrator on the silo began to make a loud, banging noise. Based on production needs, the pizza plant requires up to three flour deliveries a week to support their output of over 50,000 crusts. With no measurement instrumentation, the plant must rely on the delivery company’s word that they delivered the requested load amount. As a result, the pizza plant is less efficient with production schedules than it could be and risks inaccuracies in product delivery quantities which can be costly. SFRSS integrated with the VEGAPULS69 level sensors will wirelessly transmit flour usage data to the plant network where it is accessible by personal computers and other devices. Installed atop the silos, the VEGAPULS69 level sensors provide continuous measurement of bulk solids in storage silos under different process conditions.

The VEGAPULS69 is the ideal level instrument for this application as its maintenance-free design works flawlessly in explosive and dusty environments such as the pizza flour silo. Offering superior signal focusing and high sensitivity to detect small signals from powdery solids, the VEGAPLS69 sensors ensure reliable level measurement. A HART data interface minimizes power usage, which is important when paired with the wireless SignalFire HART Sentinel node. The Sentinel not only powers the instrument, but manages its power to greatly extend its battery life. With 30-minute check-in intervals, battery life is estimated to exceed 5 years, without running expensive EX conduit.