VEGA’s level measurement sensors are installed at Fulton Hogan’s Eastern Creek asphalt plant in New South Wales.
BEHIND FULTON HOGAN’S
‘LEVELLED’ ASPHALT PRODUCTION
VEGA’S RANGE OF NON-CONTACT RADAR LEVEL TRANSMITTERS AND PRESSURE TRANSMITTERS HAVE SPELLED SAFETY AND RELIABILITY FOR FULTON HOGAN’S ASPHALT PLANTS IN AUSTRALIA. MARK WHEATLEY, THE TECHNICAL MANAGER-PRODUCTION AT FULTON HOGAN INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES IN NEW SOUTH WALES, EXPLAINS WHY.
A
s Technical Manager-Production for infrastructure construction company Fulton Hogan, Mark Wheatley oversees asphalt production processes across a number of Fulton Hogan plants in New South Wales. A common element in these plants, apart from the usual hubbub of asphalt production, is the presence of little, yellow-coloured sensors hidden in the – often difficult to access – nooks and crannies of the plant, sending real-time level measurement data to the control and monitoring systems. These sensors, supplied by VEGA Australia, make sure the level of liquid and solid materials that make up the asphalt mix are reliably measured at any given time, so there’s no overfill or over-draw from the tanks. 82
ROADS APRIL 2022
With all the complexity and magnitude of an asphalt production plant, it’s easy to overlook the critical role the humble level transmitter plays in ensuring the plant’s reliability, Wheatley observes. “You may not think a lot about the bitumen road pavement that you drive on, or the bitumen tarmac at airports, but these can be tricky products to manufacture and store. We deal with elevated temperatures in our tanks, fuming product, the existence of potentially flammable gases, and we handle not only liquid materials but also solids such as lime and dust,” he tells Roads & Infrastructure. “We have different bitumen manufacturing plants which, for various reasons, have different approaches to tank level measurement. Some plants were constructed
to measure liquid level via pressure instruments at the bottom of the tank, and some have top-mounted level instruments. We also have tanks of various shapes and sizes. I have found VEGA has the instruments to meet all our level requirements,” he adds. NON-CONTACT LEVEL MEASUREMENT In recent years, advancements in non-contact level measurement with radar technology have made it easier to configure devices that are difficult to reach or located in harsh environments. VEGA, as a sensor manufacturer for high demand industries like mining and transport, has been a frontrunner in this space. While conventional pressure gauges used for level indication were common in the
