Conveying bulk granular materials is common in Pulp and Paper, Coal Fired Power Plants, Agriculture, Food products, Aggregates, and Mining industries. Chutes used to convey these materials are prone to plugging resulting in down time and possible material overflow.

Measuring granular materials in a chute is an extreme environment for any sensing element. The material is often damp and can leave a thick coating on the chute wall and sensing element. Material can be abrasive and heavy, causing insertion type sensors to quickly wear, bend, or completely shear off. Often times insertion type sensors contribute to plugging by interfering with the free flow of material.

A reliable means of indicating when a chute is plugged allows operators to clear the blockage in a timely manner. A point level switch set to ignore free flowing material but alarm on a blockage will save considerable downtime and clean up.

Drexelbrook has installed thousands of plugged chute detectors in paper mills, mines, power plants, and grain conveyors over the past 40 years. 

The Drexelbrook RF Admittance Plugged Chute Detector is clearly the most reliable and economical method of indicating plugged chutes.