Devar Inc.

“Hear” and Now: Acoustic Telemetry Under the Sea

2012-02-20T14:52:00.000-08:00

Pipelines are such a natural part of our daily life that you may not think much about what goes into their successful operation. Carrying everything from water to oil to natural gas, so many of our daily activities are directly or indirectly made possible thanks to well-constructed and reliable pipelines. The stresses on these systems are many: friction and pressure from the flow of liquid, pressure buildup from valve operation, vibration, and, perhaps most crucial, temperature. As this article from Offshore magazine illustrates, underwater natural gas pipelines are especially susceptible to the dangers of cold ambient temperatures: if they fall too much, crystals can form, slowing the flow of gas. If it goes unnoticed or unaddressed, that inconvenience turns into a burst pipe. In other words, a disaster.

Telemetry innovation plays a major role in preventing such situations. Through acoustic telemetry, the water temperature can be monitored, and maintenance personnel can be alerted when dangerous levels occur. Although we at Devar deal mostly in wired, electronic monitoring, we applaud the ingenuity of the acoustic model: it’s especially well-suited to deep-sea applications thanks to the lack of cables and wiring. As monitoring and alarm specialists, we’re here to answer any questions you might have about your own telemetry needs: be sure to visit our website for more information.

Plight at the Museum: Preserving Precious Artifacts through Humidity Control

2012-02-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

Books, pictures, old letters – whether sitting on a shelf, hanging on our wall, or in a box in the attic, it’s likely that you’ve seen the effects of time and age on any or all of these items. Breaking down that idea of the effect of time, though, what does it really mean? Typically, it refers to the ravages of handling, temperature, and humidity on paper, an organic substance especially vulnerable to these environmental factors. Most people aren’t overly concerned about maintaining these items for all posterity, though – usually, a few decades will suffice. But what about objects that are hundreds of years old? How are they still around, and in as good of shape as they are? The answer lies in humidity and temperature control.

Of course, digital monitors like the ones that Devar supplies weren’t around when, say, Van Gogh painted his Starry Night, let alone when da Vinci gave us the Mona Lisa. But make no mistake about it – there was some type of environmental monitoring and control at work to ensure that these masterpieces stood the test of time. Products like ours just make that task easier for today’s museum curators. Humidity and temperature transmitters can be outfitted for entire buildings – after all, most museums keep paintings bare of any sort of glass covering – or for more intricately controlled environments, like the small housing in the Louvre that contains the Mona Lisa. And back to those dusty letters and old books? Humidity monitors aren’t just for institutions. Plenty of amateur archivists keep those objects precious to them in climate-controlled environments, giving them the same care and protection afforded to the great works. Here at Devar, we’re happy to serve both types of customer, helping those who care enough to save a piece of today for tomorrow.

A Clean Sweep: Cleanroom Moisture Monitoring

2012-01-22T11:14:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen some of the amazing images produced by the Hubble Telescope? Browsing through them, it’s hard to believe that it actually went into orbit with a defect, and for a time, did not perform as intended. But it’s true – and that defect was caused by a particle less than 1/200 the width of a human hair. How is that possible? The circuitry used to produce such an advanced piece of equipment as the Hubble is, as you might expect, very delicate and precise. PCBs and wiring of that nature – finely-tuned, yet able to withstand the harsh demands of space – need to be developed in an environment that allows them to work exactly as intended, free of any variables like dust, moisture, or other tiny particles. Cleanrooms provide just that type of environment.

There are many factors that go into creating and maintaining a cleanroom environment (and there are many different levels of cleanroom environments, which you can learn more about here): filtration and design are among the most important, and so is monitoring. Without moisture monitoring, any potential breach of the cleanroom environment would not be discovered until later inspection or testing – or potentially not at all. As mentioned in our previous blog on pharmaceutical production, such contaminants can lead to dangerous products. In the case of things like the Hubble and other technical products, contamination can lead to downtime and deficiency costs in the billions or trillions of dollars.

For more information on Devar’s line of moisture monitors and other monitoring products, be sure to visit our website at http://www.devarinc.com!

Watch the Monitor: Pharmaceutical Humidity Transmitters

2012-01-16T09:30:00.000-08:00

Have you ever spent hours writing a long email or report, only to lose some or all of your work thanks to a mistake on your part – forgetting to hit “Save” – or something beyond your control, like a power outage or computer malfunction? Unfortunately, most of us can share a tale or two like this. On the plus side, it’s mostly a time investment that we’re losing, as opposed to a financial one. For pharmaceutical manufacturers of highly refined compounds and medicines, though, it’s an issue of both money and time – lots of each – to lose a batch of product. One of the most common causes of such an occurrence? Believe it or not, it’s a change in humidity.

That’s right, a humidity shift as small as 0.5% – that’s one-half of a percentage point – can make all the difference in whether a run of, say, aspirin can be shipped out, or tossed out. The chemical compounds involved in manufacturing products like these react differently in different environments, and can become ineffective – or downright dangerous. Obviously, the utmost care must be taken with medicine products like this, which is why the standards are so rigorous, and why humidity monitors are so important to the industry. When miniscule shifts are noticed, corrective measures can be started to ensure that safe ranges are maintained. Also, it lets the operator know if the unfortunate event of a mishandled batch does occur, allowing the manufacturer itself to take the proper disposal measures.

For more information on our precision monitoring products, visit Devar’s full site today!

Get to the Chopper: Humidity Monitors in Helicopter Manufacturing

2012-01-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

There’s no denying it: here at Devar, we get to see some fascinating uses of our products. Since humidity and temperature monitoring are so critical to so many intricate manufacturing processes, our indicators are used in lots of interesting and cutting-edge applications. In this case, though, “cutting-edge” means a little more than just “innovative.” A major helicopter manufacturer has, over the past several years, used Devar as the main source for humidity monitors for testing helicopters and helicopter components under all types of simulated weather conditions.

Think of one of the primary uses of helicopters – for most people, the military is what first comes to mind. In climates from arid deserts to soggy jungles, these finely tuned machines need to be able to operate reliably and safely, keeping their crews and passengers secure and well-protected. Of course, equipment can’t be tested first-hand in every type of environment where it might be used. This is where Devar comes in. Our monitors allow testing personnel to easily simulate all types of situations with ease and precision, with accuracy to within 3% relative humidity. Whether heavy rain or the driest heat, our monitors allow helicopter engineers to send their products out into the world with the utmost confidence that they can stand up to the harshest conditions.

Water Monitors in Action

2011-12-15T11:13:00.000-08:00

Thieves, vandalism. . .and thousands of irate phone calls. All in a day (or two’s) work for the municipal water department in the South African province of Pietermaritzburg. As this story details, a water outage a few weeks ago led to a bit of detective work, lots of walking, a night robbery, and, ultimately, a happy ending for a dried-up city and a few workers. And it all started with telemetry.

The first sign of a problem – even before citizens began complaining about a lack of running water – was detected at a central station connected to the system of water monitors in place throughout the city’s reservoirs and pipelines. Since municipal monitoring equipment is a specialty of ours here at Devar, this prelude to what followed is what caught our eye. As the water superintendent and other workers set out to discover the cause of the problem, a remarkable convergence of science and intuition allowed the chief to determine just what was going on, and where it was happening.

State-of-the-art monitoring equipment is often indispensable, and at the least, a key supporting element of any water system. But 30 years of human experience can’t be replicated by a machine, and that’s what the superintendant drew upon when his ears told him that the water flowing through the pipes just didn’t sound right. For all the talk of real-time monitoring and instant fixes, there’s no method more direct than just listening, if you can.

For the full story, be sure to read the article. It’s quite a tale, and – spoiler alert – the water does get turned back on in the end. For answers to any further questions about water monitoring and telemetry, contact Devar today!

Why and How? A Discussion of Loop Powered Indicators

2011-12-06T08:57:00.000-08:00

When selecting a signal indicator, “loop powered” is a phrase that you may come across often. While extremely useful, it’s not always clear to our customers what, exactly, this technology consists of – and how it can help them. This is a very basic explanation of the theory behind, and the purpose of, loop powered indicators.

The most important thing to understand about loop power (or “current loop”), is that it helps maintain the accuracy of signal readings when the distance between a sensor and the monitor is very long. This is because, traditionally, a sensor will transmit information as electrical voltage. Voltage can be lost due to resistance during transmission, resulting in an inaccurately low reading by the monitor. Loop powered indicators solve this problem by converting voltage to electrical current, which is, by definition, the movement of electrons from one point to another. Electrons are much less likely to be lost in transmission than voltage.

So, a loop powered indicator converts a unit reading to a voltage, which is in turn converted to a proportional current figure between 4mA and 20mA (the meaning of the typical 4-20mA current loop). This is converted back to a voltage on the monitor device, either appearing as a display or being processed as a data reading.

For greater detail on the current loop process, see Current Loop.

Which Alarm is Right?

2011-11-28T09:41:00.000-08:00

It can be daunting to choose the correct alarm or annunciator for your monitoring and control systems. There are seemingly endless options, which can get overwhelming. Below, we’ve listed five tips to organize your needs and simplify your selection process.

What Will the Alarm Be Measuring? Options include temperature, voltage, and current. Select whichever input is critical to the application.
How Will the Signal Be Measured? Alarms can be set to trip when a signal reaches a certain percentage of the setting, say 75%, or when it reaches a set amount in engineering units, like 120V, for example.
What Type of Display Do You Need? Some alarms feature LED status indicators, which show whether or not the signal has exceeded the set point. Some alarms feature full LED displays for active, real-time monitoring of reading levels. Determine whether you need constant level displays or simply “on” or “off” readings.
What Type of Housing Do You Need? The environment where the alarm will be installed is the most important feature in determining this. We generally feature NEMA housings, with an option for NEMA explosion proof housings, if the nature of the facility dictates that requirement.
How Will the Alarm Be Mounted? All facilities are configured differently, and alarms have options to reflect that. Locate the safest and most convenient place to mount the alarm, and choose from options including Wall/Surface Mount, Rail Mount, and Pipe Mount.

At Devar, we’re always ready to help with product selection, and we hope that this list provides a good primer to get you started on the process. Use our Contact Us link for any further questions.

After the Storm: New York Waterways and Monitoring Systems

2011-11-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

Several weeks after Hurricane Irene’s path up the East Coast, many water sources in New York State remained affected by flooding and swollen bodies of water, says this article. Municipal water monitoring applications like this one are among the most important uses of telemetry and other data reading and transmitting devices. Early in the article, an official speaks about the “turbidity” of the water. Turbidity refers to the level of impurities in water and other fluids, and cannot usually be gauged by the naked eye.

Monitoring systems like those used by the New York Department of Environmental Protection are critically important to public health. In this case, monitoring systems allowed officials to determine that turbidity was improving but was still at unsafe levels, enabling state health agencies and water providers to inform their customers to boil water before drinking or using. Impurities can range from bacteria to chemicals and beyond, none of which can be safely ingested. The use of advanced monitoring systems here prevented illness and public health problems beyond the damage initially caused by the storm, a service application we couldn’t be happier to be part of.

Close to Home, A Quality Assurance

2011-11-14T12:20:00.000-08:00

Some of our favorite aspects of working here at Devar Inc. are the longstanding relationships we’ve formed with so many of our customers. Our commitment to our instrumentation and monitoring products, to safety, and to our customers is readily apparent, and is a big part of why our partners continue to work with us. Our manufacturing facility bears the hallmarks of a company that truly cares about what we do, and the people we work with. Our experienced and passionate staff, from the front office to the engineers on our manufacturing floor, are all united in one pursuit: quality in the production of our control and monitoring products.

We will often receive inquiries about our products where the bottom line is always price, no matter what. While our facility doesn’t offer the bargain-basement pricing of some overseas facilities and importers, we do offer the top-of-the-line service and product quality that those companies can’t reproduce. Our people make the difference, and we’re always happy to point to our facility right here in Bridgeport, CT as one of the top factors behind our success. Whether you’re one of Devar’s longstanding partners, or just interested in what we do here, we welcome you to our new blog and look forward to the next time we work together.

Scientific and Medical Telemetry: Uses for the Greater Good

2011-11-07T15:23:00.000-08:00

Telemetry, or remote monitoring equipment, is used in industries ranging from municipal water to environmental protection. We came across two interesting articles recently that described some of the more rewarding applications of telemetry equipment, and thought that we’d share with our readers. This piece discusses telemetry and conservation, helping the overseas UK Environment Agency track endangered eels attempting safe passage to fresh water. The new telemetry system there allows scientists to gauge the success of an “eel pass” device installed to aid in this process.

We also found this news from Niagara Falls, NY, describing highly advanced telemetry equipment purchased by a hospital there. Direct access to patient data has never been easier, even remotely, and allows doctors to make quicker and more accurate diagnoses. One of the most interesting features is the ability to transmit data to a doctor’s smartphone or iPad. As technology continues to expand, keep following our blog here at Devar, Inc. for all the information.