A Clean Sweep: Cleanroom Moisture Monitoring

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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.