Radar level meter to secure the Panama Canal
November 2000
News
As part of the US$1bn Canal modernisation programme, the Panama Canal Authority, Autoridad del Canal de Panama, decided to equip the locks with reliable level gauges. Several ultrasonic and radar gauges were tested.
Commissioning of the Saab TankRadar Pro gauge – the customer and Dora Espinoza, Doger Technology. The gauges are installed in shafts communicating with the basins
Reliable measuring critical
Every year climatic changes make the use of water in the canal more critical. The locks work with a small hydraulic system thanks to good design. Sloppy tolerances in level on both sides of the lock make the operation inefficient, making reliable and accurate level gauging essential.
47 Saab TankRadar Pro level meters measure the water levels at the 23 locks. The upgrade from mechanical gauges to radar ease the transition to a computer-based control system that will enhance safety in operations and reduce maintenance costs. Dora Espinoza and Roger Flores at Doger Technology have actively convinced the customer to change to a noncontact system and a new display system for the control room.
The lock gates at Miraflores are the tallest in the system because of the extreme tidal variation in the Pacific Ocean
The Panama Canal
The canal is important to world trade because it is a major transit centre for shipments from the Atlantic to the Pacific, saving time for the ship owners. For example, ships sailing from Ecuador to Europe save about 5000 miles by going through the canal. About 35 ships cross daily, paying US$1m in tolls. Since it was opened in 1914, around 700 000 crossings have been made.
The canal includes the Lake Gatún, one of the world's largest artifical lakes. The ships travel a further 27 miles to Corte Culebra, an 8 mile long section, excavated from solid rock. Afterward, they pass through the Cerro de Oro, the highest level of the entire canal, at 580 feet above sea level. The ships then enter the Pedro Miguel locks, where they are lowered 26 feet in one step, to reach the level of Miraflores Lake, which has two sets of locks before reaching the Pacific
Further reading:
4Sight OT Automation achieves prestigious AVEVA Endorsed Partner status
News
4Sight OT Automation, a leading industrial software solutions provider, has achieved Endorsed Partner status within the AVEVA Partner Network.
Read more...
Schneider Electric announces 2023 Global Alliance Partner Programme award winners
Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric has announced the winners of the 2023 Global Alliance Excellence Awards. Throughout 2023, Schneider Electric’s Alliance Partners supported customers in the digitalisation of industrial automation, delivering value with innovative initiatives, solutions and services.
Read more...
Custom containerised lubrication dispensing system
News
Bosch Rexroth Africa recently supplied and installed a customised environmentally friendly and dust-proof lubrication dispensing system for a leading earth-moving equipment supplier.
Read more...
Siemens to acquire industrial drive technology business of ebm-papst
Siemens South Africa
News
Siemens has signed an agreement to acquire the industrial drive technology business of ebm-papst. The business includes intelligent, integrated mechatronic systems in the protective extra-low voltage range and innovative motion control systems.
Read more...
Bearings International fosters a segment strategy
Bearings International
News
Bearings International has a segment approach to the market, which places an intentional focus on key industries in South and sub-Saharan Africa in a bid to optimise operations, enhance uptime, and drive business sustainability and increased profitability outcomes for customers.
Read more...
Local robotics team’s journey to the world stage
News
In the heart of Cape Town, a group of young visionaries aged 12 to 17 is making waves in the world of robotics. Known as Texpand, this team from Pinelands has not only dominated the First Tech Challenge (FTC) in South Africa, but has also earned international acclaim for its innovative approach to engineering and problem solving.
Read more...
RS Group expands by 10 000 products
RS South Africa
News
RS South Africa has announced its Better World Claims Based Framework, enabling customers to select verified sustainable product alternatives. This provides suppliers with a standardised framework to accelerate the development and manufacture of more sustainable and responsible products.
Read more...
IRP 2023 could reset SA’s social and economic problems
News
ACTOM recently held a webinar on the ‘Draft IRP2023 Impact on the Manufacturing Sector’. South Africa’s Draft Integrated Resource Plan 2023 is a key document that outlines a comprehensive strategy for addressing the country’s energy security challenges, while also setting out its transition to a diversified energy mix, including renewables.
Read more...
Young scientists to showcase innovative research
News
Innovative South African research which includes a cost-effective triage test for real-time detection of TB and a nature-based technology that brings about environmental remediation, will be showcased at this year’s International Festival of Engineering, Science and Technology in Tunisia.
Read more...
Moog takes a leadership position in lunar exploration
News
NASA is planning for a sustained human presence on the Moon, and resources such as water could eventually be harnessed from the lunar surface instead of being transported from Earth, and it has turned to industry to find ways to excavate and transport that icy regolith.
Read more...
printer friendly version