Fibre-optic spectrometers for process measurement
July 2005
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
Surveillance
Fire & Safety
In the chemical, manufacturing, food, beverage, dairy, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, spectroscopy using ultra-violet/visible and near-infrared light is safe and convenient and suitable for rapid in-line and laboratory determination of the colour, chemical components and purity present in raw materials, in-process materials, and finished product.
Process control applications include:
* Direct monitoring of chemical reactions.
* Quality measurement of intermediate and final products by the determination of homogeneity of blending processes.
* Measurement of concentrations of constituent chemicals in refining operations in the chemical and petrochemical industries.
* Determination of the state of polymerisation processes in the chemical and polymer industries.
Fibre-optic PC-based spectrometers provide a good solution for process measurements because of their ability to rapidly perform measurements at multiple remote locations via quartz fibre-optics. Process probes may be located directly in process streams at a distance of hundreds of meters from the spectrometer. Multiple probes may be either attached to a single spectrometer via a fibre-optic multiplexer, or a multichannel spectrometer system can be used.
The spectrometer is connected via USB or a serial link to an embedded or desktop PC, which, in addition to controlling and acquiring measurements from the spectrometer system, can process the data, provide closed loop control, and communicate with external scada systems or a database.
Avantes is offering a comprehensive range of spectrometers, light sources, fibre-optic cables, probes, accessories and software for any spectrometer application.
The spectrometers cover the UV/VIS/NIR spectrum with high resolution, and are low-cost, sensitive, fast and accurate. The standard software controls the spectrometer system, displays and records transmittance, absorbance and relative irradiance spectra. Software modules for precision colour, irradiance, chemometry, photon, oxygen and thin film measurements can be added.
Alternatively, the DLL interface packages for Linux, Windows, USB and LabVIEW allow flexible and powerful solutions for specific applications. Avantes is represented in South Africa by Westplex.
Further reading:
Axis signs CISA Secure by Design pledge
Axis Communications SA
News & Events Surveillance Information Security
Axis Communications has signed the United States Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Secure by Design pledge, signalling the company’s commitment to upholding and transparently communicating the cybersecurity posture of its products.
Read more...
Five key technology trends for the security sector in 2026
Axis Communications SA
News & Events Surveillance
Axis Communications examines trends it considers important for 2026, as technology and customer requirements continue to evolve, but the basic security needs of end users remain constant.
Read more...
AI agent suite for control rooms
Milestone Systems
News & Events Surveillance AI & Data Analytics
Visionplatform.ai announced the public launch of its new visionplatform.ai Agent Suite for Milestone XProtect, adding reasoning, context and assisted decision-making on top of existing video analytics and events — without sending video to the cloud.
Read more...
The smart choice for test and measurement solutions
RS South Africa
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
As the demand for precision and efficiency continues to grow across industries, RS PRO, the own brand of RS, provides a complete portfolio of test and measurement equipment engineered to meet the highest standards of performance, safety and value.
Read more...
Dahua showcases smart city solutions
AI & Data Analytics Fire & Safety IoT & Automation
Dahua showcased its smart city solutions at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, which brought together experts, innovators, and city leaders from around the globe to explore the future of urban transformation.
Read more...
The role of safe storage in mitigating burglary and fire risk
Smart Home Automation Fire & Safety
Household burglary and fire remain amongst the most common threats to household assets in South Africa. Statistics South Africa’s 2024 Victims of Crime Survey reported approximately 1,5 million incidents of housebreaking in a single year.
Read more...
ONVIF to end support for Profile S
News & Events Surveillance
ONVIF has announced that it will end support for ONVIF Profile S and recommends using its successor, Profile T. Profile S is the first-ever profile introduced by ONVIF in 2011.
Read more...
IQ and AI
Leaderware
Editor's Choice Surveillance AI & Data Analytics
Following his presentation at the Estate Security Conference in October, Craig Donald delves into the challenge of balancing human operator ‘IQ’ and AI system detection within CCTV control rooms.
Read more...
New Edge AI Plus PTZ cameras with analytics
Products & Solutions Surveillance
IDIS has unveiled two new PTZ cameras that are NDAA-compliant, delivering AI auto-tracking, rapid 40x zoom, EIS image stabilisation, and advanced automated AI functionality.
Read more...
New frequency counter with 10 digits of resolution
Comtest
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
B&K Precisio has a new series of universal frequency counters designed for a wide range of frequency measurement applications.
Read more...
printer friendly version