IMPROVING GROWTH & STORAGE OF BULK CROPS

Hygiene and the elimination of pests and fungus is a major problem when it comes to the growth and storage of bulk crops in modern agriculture. From the preparation of the buildings used for food production to the silos containing the mass storage of products, cleanliness is essential in ensuring the quality of the produce. Applying certain chemicals extends the life of the produce, even when produce is being put into storage. A system for ‘fogging’ crop storage spaces Agrochemical specialists, Stored Crop Conservation Limited (SCCL), have created a system of ‘fogging’ crop storage spaces with a very fine mist which guarantees the whole volume is coated with the appropriate chemical. Over time, by developing its own equipment and methods, SCCL figured out a way to get a much more even treatment than conventional methods. The chemicals used are often regulated substances, and careful control of the application volume is absolutely critical. Since SCCL knows how essential the chemical dispersal process is, for nearly 15 years the company has used Titan Enterprises flow meters to record the amount of chemical used. A pedigree in agrochemical flow measurement Titan Enterprises, has been involved with agrochemical flow measurement since back in the early 1970s. Having been involved in developing flow metering solutions for that same industry on and off since then, Titan has a simple answer when asked why their flow meters work so well in the crop conservation business. The use and deposition of powerful agrochemicals is critical for a safe and effective spread. Metering the actual volume used against a known enclosed volume (a building), or a known acreage (a field), is vital. Historically, users would have to check what they used after it had been sprayed or dispersed and not during the process. Handling aggressive chemicals Problems that arise to accurately record the volume of dispensed chemicals that protect crops include that many of the fluids are extremely aggressive and the volumes dispensed can often be quite small. This requires a combination of chemically resistant flow meter design and low flow rates to ensure precision – both areas where Titan have considerable expertise. Today’s solution On current generation SCCL machines, the volume of dispensed chemicals is recorded using Titan 900 series mini-turbine flow meters. These flow meters are coupled to a panel indicator recording total volume throughput on a re-settable display. Titan’s 900 series mini-turbine flow meter is a very compact meter manufactured in 316 stainless steel and PVDF with Viton seals. Not only can the 900 series satisfy the flow and chemical resistance parameters, it is easy to install in a cabinet. The panel indicator gives the machine operator the ability to check the desired dosage for an area against the actual volume of chemical used thereby ensuring safe dispersal of the controlled chemicals. In addition, SCCL’s in-house calibration rigs utilize Titan’s highly accurate oval gear (OG) flowmeters to make sure consistent, reliable measurements always take place. In conclusion Many of the chemicals SCCL uses are controlled substances, meaning recording their application is important to the company’s quality guarantees. For some time, Titan re-calibrated SCCL’s meters every year, but they wanted to bring this facility in house, so a transfer standard flow meter appeared to be an ideal solution. Now, we certify that meter once a year and SCCL calibrate their other Titan Enterprises flowmeters in-house, saving down time and money in the process. Titan’s oval gear meters are positive displacement devices where a swept volume of fluid is passed with each rotation of the gear. They are very efficient as the pressure imbalance across the chamber that drives the gear is high, even at low flows. The clearances around the gears are tight, giving good accuracy, and making them ideal for this type of transfer calibration.” Further Information For further information on flowmeter systems for precise measurement of small volumes of dispensed agrochemicals, or other regulated chemicals, please visit our homepage or contact Titan enterprises on +44-1935-812790 / neil@flowmeters.co.uk

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