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Batch and Dispatch Automationfor Concrete Plants

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Why use automatic moisture control?

Youve worked hard to optimize your mix designs andyour TouchBatch system will take care of weighing upmaterials accurately. But if youre still guesstimatingaggregate moisture percentages, you may be seriouslythrowing off the proportions in your mixes.

Consider the following facts:Moisture contained in aggregates can represent as muchas 2/3 of the water target in the mix design. If this mois-ture is not properly accounted for, it will affectboth the water and the dry aggregate tar-gets. Your original mix design is al-tered and factors such aswater/cement ratio,yield and slumpcan all be compro-mised.

Moisture variations in aggregates are difficult to evaluatebecause they depend on so many factors. For example,aggregate moisture tends to accumulate towards the bot-tom of a bin; as a result, even within the same batch themoisture in the aggregates may change rapidly as thematerial flows from the bin into the scale hopper.

A microwave moisture sensor will accurately measurethe moisture levels in your aggregates. By eliminatingthe guesswork, you will be able to:

Automatically adjust the water and the aggre-gate targets to compensate for water presentin the aggregates.

Reduce material wastage due to dry-upbatches.

Improve the quality and consistency of yourproducts for increased customer satisfaction.

Moisture probes and batch softwareThe TouchBatch system dynamically adjusts both the aggregates andwater targets to compensate for the moisture in the aggregates

Bin probes measure moisture levels as materials flowfrom bins or conveyors. Mixer probes will measure mois-ture levels directly in the concrete mix. A Hydronix probewill take 25 readings per second as the material flowsover or around the probe. These measure-ments (readings) are then fed back to theTouchBatch control system in real time.

As the aggregates are being weighed duringa batch or as the concrete is being mixed ina mixer, our software dynamically adjustsboth the water and aggregates targets tocompensate for the moisture in the aggre-gates. This continuous re-adjustment of thetargets maintains correct proportioning andaccurate weighing of the materials.

The result is consistent concrete at any time of the dayregardless of weather conditions. The TouchBatch willthen log both the water present in the aggregates andthe actual water batched for quality control reporting.

Of all aggregates, sand traps by far themost water and the sand bin is the firstlogical choice for a moisture probe. Thesand's moisture will typically accountfor most of the aggregates' water con-tent. However, especially when produc-ing architectural concrete withaggregates of different colors, yourplant should ideally have moistureprobes in all fine aggregate bins.

Hydro-mix VII, forconcrete mixers

Info Sheet

Hydroprobe-II, for sandand aggregate bins.

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Batch and Dispatch Automationfor Concrete Plants

2

We recommend Hydronix based on our more than 22years experience with various moisture probe suppliers.Hydronix was the first company to develop a microwavemoisture sensor for the concrete industry and to this dayremains the world leader in moisture sensing technology.They are regarded by our clients as the best choice be-cause of the quality and durability of their products.

Manufactured of cast stainless steel and with an aluminaceramic faceplate, Hydronix sensors are built to last(over 10 years in many cases). They can be installed in avariety of locations where there is flow of material andeach sensor is calibrated at the factory with identical pa-rameters, ensuring that sensors can be easily replacedwithout the need for re-calibration.

The latest Hydronix probes offer a new digital filteringfeature. When combined with the normal analog filtering,sophisticated software logic produces a linear and cleanoutput measurement, even in difficult cases.

Why Hydronix? SupportWe understand the conditions of concrete production andthe level of urgency when support is needed. Once yourely on automatic moisture measurement its hard to goback to guessing the moisture of the aggregates for eachbatch. When you call us for support we have knowledge-able technicians to assist you, to troubleshoot the hard-ware and software involved and if the sensor issuspected, take care of logistics to provide a quick re-placement. We work as a team with Hydronix to provideyou with the training and assistance you need to take fulladvantage of you moisture sensor. The combined sup-port of MPAQ and Hydronix is hard to beat!

The two-year standard Hydronix warranty provides forimmediate replacements and can be optionally extendedto four years. All repairs have a minimum 6 month war-ranty reflecting Hydronix confidence in their products.

Hydronix warranty

Hydro-Probe-II, clampring and mounting

Hydro-Mix-VII, clamp ringand replaceable ceramicelement.

Hydro-Mix-VII, typicalmounting locations.

Hydro-Probe-II,typical mountinglocations.