Electricity and Control March 2020

MEASUREMENT + INSTRUMENTATION

temperatures remain accurate. A two-colour temperature sensor performs effectively in those conditions that limit the effectiveness of a one-colour temperature sensor. These include the conditions noted above as well as where: - measurements are made through items or areas that reduce emitted energy, such as grills, screens, small openings or channels - measurements are made through a viewing window that has unpredictable and changing infrared transmission due to accumulating dirt and/or moisture on the window surface - the sensor itself is subject to dirt and/or moisture accumulating on the lens surface. Targets smaller than field of view Similarly, when a target is not large enough to fill the field of view, or if the target is moving within the field of view, radiated energies are equally reduced, but the ratio of the energies is unaffected and measured temperatures therefore remain accurate. This remains true as long as the background temperature is much lower than the target’s.

The following examples illustrate where two-colour sensors can be used when targets are smaller than the field of view. In measuring wire or rod – where the product is often too narrow for the field of view or moving or vibrating unpredictably – it is much easier to obtain accurate results because sighting is less critical with two-colour sensors. In measuring molten glass streams – which are often narrow and difficult to sight consistently with single- wavelength sensors – two-colour sensors can deliver accurate measurements. Uncertain or changing emissivity When the emissivity of the target is uncertain or changing, a two-colour sensor can be more accurate than a one-colour instrument as long as the emissivity changes by the same factor in both wavelength bands. Accurate measurement results are dependent on the application and the type of material being measured. The emissivity of all real objects changes with wavelength and temperature, at varying degrees, depending on the material. □ The new analyser features SPECTRO’s proprietary iCAL 2.0 calibration logic, which provides for quick simple standardisation. It needs only five minutes and a single sample per day, rather than the 30 or more minutes needed by conventional analysers. With iCAL 2.0 the analyser compensates for most changes in environmental temperature or pressure without requiring reruns. SPECTRO’s Spark Analyser Pro software features a simplified operator view and programmable application profiles to ensure ease of use for less experienced personnel. This results in stability, productivity and savings. The new SPECTROMAXx also minimises the use of costly argon gas, reducing operational expenses without sacrificing analytical performance. Low maintenance requirements contribute to a lower cost of ownership overall. Advanced diagnostics with critical status indicators make maintenance easier and reduce downtime to deliver higher availability. In addition, AMECARE services help promote unin- terrupted performance and maximise the return on investment for customers withmachine-to-machine support that allows proactive alerts, backed up by an on-request PC connection with a remote SPECTRO service expert. For more information contact SPECTRO Analytical Instruments. Visit: www.spectro.com/maxx or email: spectro.info@ametek.com

MEASUREMENT + INSTRUMENTATION : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Fast, accurate elemental analysis in metals industry SPECTRO Analytical Instruments has introduced the eighth generation of its SPECTROMAXx with iCAL 2.0 ARC/ SPARK OES Analyser – with innovative new capabilities and advances in performance to achieve fast, accurate elemental analysis precisely tuned for material control and foundry applications.

The SPECTROMAXx is one of the industry’s leading OES (optical emission spectroscopy) analysers, with more than 13 000 installations. The latest generation instrument features outstanding speed, quick and simple standardisation, reliable and accurate results, minimal gas consumption, and a low cost of ownership for a more intelligent elemental analysis of incoming source materials, for in-process testing and traceability, and for final quality inspection. With its faster measurement times and low consumables consumption the new SPECTROMAXx analyser enables greater productivity, analytical performance, ease of use and cost-effectiveness than before. Outstanding speed is achieved with optimised spark parameters which deliver a 12% reduction

The new SPECTROMAXx with iCAL 2.0 enables rapid analysis of materials for material control and foundries.

in measurement times. Rapidly available infor- mation means users can respond quickly to changing process conditions to gain substantial savings in time and energy costs.

16 Electricity + Control

MARCH 2020