Solids Impact Flow Meter Weighing Technology “Think Outside the Box”

Clarence Richard President, EZ-Flo Solid Impact Flow Meter and Scale

The application is for ‘Continuous Weighing’, sometimes referred to as ‘Dynamic Weighing’. Unlike Belt Scales, we measure the weight as material falls at transition points from one conveying device to another. As material flows through the scale (Flow Scale), 1. the flow rate is measured (in tons/hour, pounds/ minute, etc.) and 2. the units of measurement are counted (in tons, pounds, kilograms, etc.).

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The industry may call them impact flow meters, impact scales, impact plates, pressure plates, mass flow scales or solids flow meter. We prefer to simply call them ‘Flow Scales.’

Flow Scales (Solids Impact Flow Meters) are used to improve the quality of a mix in a continuous blending process or can be used in a batching process or can be used for inventory control or estimating.
Solids Impact Flow Meter applications are more difficult than static scale applications.
Many times imagination is required to make Dry Solids Impact Metering possible.
Solid Impact Flow Meter solutions are usually much cheaper and many times more practical than static weighing solutions or other dynamic weighing solutions (belt scales, weight loss, etc.). EZ-Flo has a standard product line. One of the most common models we have is the custom model. The custom model is a model that if we do not have a standard model available, we’ll design and build to the application. In these particular scales shown below, the material slide is directed down a pipe toward a plate that will push against the load cell. The more flow, the more weight being accounted for.

Where to put the Solids Impact Flow Meter in the system is very important. There may be good ways to do it or no way at all. And then, ‘Thinking outside of the box’ is all to takes to get the job done. We encourage potential uses to contact our applications engineers about their situation especially when they feel there is no way to place a scale in their system. The following actual case demonstrates this point. The user wishing to measure never contacted our department about their application. It was a site visit by the Solids Impact Flow Meter salesman that pointed out how vertical space for scale implementation could be accomplished by merely moving the surge bin up hill along the discharge auger.

The position and slope of the plate can be adjusted to the amount of flow and the type of material being weighed. In some instances the application does not allow for much vertical height at the point of transition. The short scale may fit the space available and work well for the material being weighed at the specified flow range.

Applications are different from one another, even in the same industry. Most require special attention to detail. The Impact Flow Meter Sales Person is not required by EZ-flo Scale to qualify the Impact Flo Meter for an application. That responsibility falls upon the Ez-Flo Application Engineering department. The Sales Person works with the end user to fill out the Ez-Flo Application Data Sheet about their application. From that point, Ez-Flo can offer solutions to the end users problems. The 4 different schemes below are not meant to be read and deciphered. The graphic point being made is that the Flow scale is more part of the process than any other type of scale is, because the material being weighed not only flows through the scale but comes in contact with it.

The scale encloses the flow entirely. The makeup of the material and the method feeding to the scale and method of evacuating the material from the scale all affect the desired results. When a completed Application Data Sheet is received, Ez-Flo Applications Engineers know what the customer wants and why. We know something about the material and process and what is to be accomplished, and so we have an idea of what scales and options to propose. We understand that the scale is just a part of process control and therefore we are prepared to provide the signals that are required of the customer’s controls. When a customer does not have the resources for controls, we can provide them as well.

Ez-Flo Weighing, Minnetonka, MN 55345 www.EzFloWeighing.com 952 939 6000