WORLD PULP&PAPER 84 • unscheduled machine downtime; • scheduled machine downtime for ordinary maintenance. One extremely important element concerning the use of these AMS sensors (apart from being able to use correlated measurements, delivered continuously and in real time during the machine’s normal operation), is simultaneously avoiding having to make these measurements manually, thereby removing the need to expose operators to a potentially serious risk. Collecting data manually, as well as being hazardous, is also relatively significant in terms of the process. It is a “spot” activity, frequently done on more than a weekly basis, and correlating manual measurements is impossible, both in terms of timing and in terms of metrological reference (calibration). Moreover, given how hazardous it can be to take these measurements manually, this task is being prohibited in more countries around the world. Thus, the AMS system also radically improves employee safety by removing the need for such hazardous activity whilst the plant is in operation. R1 CONTACTLESS MOISTURE METER FOR PAPER SHEETS OR PULP AMS_R1 represents real innovation in microwave sensors in terms of measurement technology and, above all, because it does not need to be in contact with the material to be measured. Being able to use the sensor in the most disparate types of production – from tissue paper to pulp – two of the most stringent requirements were: pressure and so on. Aggregating and correlating information allows a better understanding of how the various parts of the machine interact and how this interaction is reflected in the characteristics of the finished product and, therefore, how checks can be managed to optimise production, quality, energy consumption, the environmental impact, and so forth. The intelligent, integrated use of this information allows the person managing the machine to perform timely, automated checks to improve production efficiency and energy usage, runnability and the uniformity of the finished product quality with regards to the requirements set by clients. To achieve this, the AMS system was designed so that every sensor in the system uses the same digital protocol and is “orchestrated” by one device: the AMS_HUB. This single device handles the true integration of the entire system: it receives and aggregates the data coming from the sensors, guaranteeing temporal correlation and integrity before sending the data to the process control system (the DCS/QCS) in the most appropriate format. Correlating and integrating the data obtained in this way allows every phase of the various parts of the machine’s operation to be “viewed” in real time, allowing the best possible management and control of: • the quality of the product; • energy usage and emissions; • the use of chemical products; firstly, to have a wide active range of measurement (0-1500 gr/m2); and secondly, to have extremely high resolution and accuracy (< 0.1 g/m2). Today, AMS_R1 is an incredibly advanced moisture sensor. It uses innovative contactless technology, derived from sophisticated microwave radar technologies, to take continuous and extremely accurate measurements on “sheet like” materials such as paper sheets or pulp or felts. The measurements are provided in real time during plant operation, without ever coming into contact with the sheet itself (or with any machinery in movement) and the sensor is able to meet, with extreme reliability, the requirements of the measurements requested. The ability to take measurements without contact is absolutely critical to this application given the fragility of the sheet. Simultaneously, it allows the reliability index of the equipment itself to be considerably improved during operation, as it is not subject to mechanical stress; furthermore, neither the machine, nor the finished products, are in any way interfered with. HOW IT WORKS The AMS_R1 sensor has both an active and a purely passive component. At the radio level, the active component generates a microwave signal that is transmitted via passive reflector towards the interposed material (the paper sheet) that runs between the two components. This signal is reflected back to and received by the same active component. The moisture measurement is obtained by accurately measuring the energy dissipated on this path which passes through this information allows… timely, automated checks to improve production efficiency and energy usage, runnability and the uniformity of the finished product MOISTURE MONITORING SENSORS