Guided Wave will be at IDRC in Chambersburg

Guided Wave will be exhibiting at the IDRC meeting in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania from August 1 – 6th. You can find out more about the IDRC meeting at www.idrc-chambersburg.org.

Guided Wave Receives Award in US Department of Energy’s Industrial Energy Efficiency Grand Challenge

The U.S. Department of Energy announced that a research and development project submitted by Guided Wave Inc. has been selected as an award winner in its Industrial Energy Efficiency Grand Challenge. This initiative provides funding to various research and development projects across the country for the development of transformational industrial processes and technologies that can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the industrial sector.

As a grantee, Guided Wave, a leading manufacturer of process chemical analyzers, will receive significant funding towards the development of an advanced on-line sensor for polymer processing. “This is a unique technique to control the plasticizing process,” states, Guided Wave, Corporate Fellow Dr. Terry Todd. “A high rate of scrap recycle is caused due to color problems. This new sensor may reduce this scrap significantly, thus minimizing energy consumption in the polymer extrusion process.”

According to the Department of Energy, American industry accounts for more than 30 percent of the energy used nationwide, is responsible for 27 percent of the country’s carbon emissions, and supports nearly 13 million core manufacturing jobs.  With such a large impact on the nation’s economic and environmental interests, the industrial sector remains a major part of the Nation’s clean energy equation. This funding will promote breakthrough achievements in the development of energy-efficient technologies and practices that will lower the energy demand of industry, open up new potential markets, and enhance the competitiveness of American business.

Instrument Selection Criteria

Near-Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has proven to be a valuable tool in monitoring many different process applications ranging from refinery easurements to pharmaceuticals to chemical production to sterilization. One key consideration when developing a NIR process measurement application is the wavelength range of the spectrophotometric analyzer. A full scanning spectrometer will provide the most flexibility when making measurements, but often times a measurement can be made with one or a handful of wavelength points.   The linked pdf (GW-Instrument Selection) gives a discussion of instrument selection criteria (photometer / spectrophotometer) accompanied by related application data.

MultiView™ NIR Process Photometer

MultiView is a simple and economical fiber-optic based multiple-wavelength NIR photometric sensor system.   MultiView is intended for continuous, low-maintenance monitoring of composition in chemical and material processing operations.   Multiple filters (up to 18) permit simultaneous determination of the levels of several components with a single instrument.   Packaged in an explosion proof housing, the Photometer module is mounted near the point of measurement.  Short fiber optic cables connect it to a probe or flow-cell inserted in the process line. A single cable carries signals and power (24 VDC) between the Photometer and a separate Instrument Control Unit that contains the control and communication electronics.   Five 4-20 mA signals and five discrete alarm signals, along with an RS-232 port are available for external communications.

Photometer Module Shown With Optional Probe

FEATURES
• Up to eighteen wavelengths for multi-component analyses
• Small footprint, explosion-proof housing
• Short fiber-optic link to flow cell or insertion probe
• Low installation and maintenance costs
• PC required only during set-up and service
• Windows® XP based set-up program
• Outlier Detection and temperature compensation capabilities

Axial Flow Cell

One of the most critical decisions in designing a successful on-line analyzer system is the selection of the sample interface.  While an insertion probe approach can often reduce installation costs, sometimes safety, servicing, and/or sample conditioning requirements make it necessary to integrate a sampling loop or slip stream.  Guided Wave’s Axial Flow Cell is preferred whenever (a) direct insertion probes are inappropriate and (b) the required optical path length is 30 mm or greater. The Axial Flow Cell is a convenient, compact, rugged sample interface that is easy to install and even easier to service.

Guided Wave’s Axial Flow Cell

Features — A Simple, Serviceable Design

• High optical throughput for low noise spectroscopy.
• Suitable for liquids and vapors.
• Cleanout ports at each window make cell maintenance a snap.
• Collimated beam for consistently accurate measurements.
• Reproducible pathlength permits servicing in the field.
• Compatible with 200 through 600 micron fiber.
• Compatible with all fiber optic based UV-VIS-NIR instruments.
• 9 mm diameter optics minimize divergence losses.
• O-ring sealed optics to prevent ambient moisture infiltration.

For full product specifications and complete information on the new Axial Flow Cell, email Janell at gwinfo@guided-wave.com and request a copy of the new data sheet #1043-08-08.

Guided Wave’s blog

From simple measurements of water in acid to more complex measurements, such as octane and oxygenates in refineries, or acid value and hydroxyl number in polymer melts, Guided Wave is your single source process measurement solution. We manufacture complete systems, including spectrophotometers, photometers, optical fiber cables and sample probes. We provide you with just the level of complexity you need to solve your problem with minimal after-installation maintenance.

Our mission is to guide you through your on-line process application assessment, analyzer selection, calibration development, training and after-installation support. Guided Wave pioneered remote NIR process analysis. As industry applications have evolved, so have our solutions, so you get the most reliable, affordable products available.

Visit our website at www.guided-wave.com