Lyotrack 100 is a brand new moisture sensor specially developed for the freeze-drying application. It is particularly convenient on production freeze-dryers thanks to its capability to be steam sterilized. It can also be used on pilot and scaling up freeze-dryers for process development and scaling up studies.

Lyotrack 100 measures the humidity which is present in the freeze-dryer's atmosphere extracted from lyophilized products. Hence, humidity measurements are representative of the full batch, which is of high interest for process monitoring in parallel with temperature's probes. The correlation between both techniques all along the freeze-drying process is proven, and Lyotrack can precisely indicate the endpoint of the primary drying process.

Lyotrack 100 relies on ICP/OES technology (Inductive Coupled Plasma /Optical Emission Spectroscopy) which is a common high-tech solution used in chemistry analysis, mainly in Semiconductor industry. Alcatel Vacuum Technology has taken the advantages of this technique to adapt it to freeze-drying market.

Lyotrack is as easy to connect as a pressure gauge, its 1,5" triclamp vacuum connection makes it compatible with all the equipments. A user-friendly software is delivered with the Lyotrack 100, making it possible to run the sensor and to configure the measurements very easily.

All those advantages makes the Lyotrack 100 sensor suitable for the PAT approach.

Moisture measurement in low parts-per-billion measurement ranges for ultra-high purity (UHP) gases is critical to a variety of semiconductor, LCD, and other manufacturing processes. HygroTrace™ uses a newly patented technique to provide accurate and reliable measurement for 0-100 PPB moisture levels with the sensitivity and speed of response matched only by current technology analyzers that are much larger in size and more expensive in price. Typical semiconductor applications include measurement of moisture in UHP gas delivery and distribution systems and point-of-use moisture measurement protection.

Current technologies for low PPB moisture measurement include tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS), vibrating quartz crystal, and phosphorous pentoxide. However, these technologies typically require a rack mount instrument package that is relatively large in size and includes complicated parts and temperature control. As a result, these analyzers cost $20,000-$50,000 per point of measurement. The new HygroTrace meter from GE Sensing uses aluminum oxide technology with a newly patented technique that vastly improves sensor speed of response to provide PPB moisture measurement in minutes. In addition, HygroTrace has the form factor of a transmitter package with the only wetted parts being essentially a flow-through ¼" VCR tee fitting. The HygroTrace package is 80-90% smaller than competitive analyzers and cost 50-70% less.

"Customers have always liked the form factor of aluminum oxide moisture sensor technology for moisture measurement in UHP gas systems because it's small and it can be mounted closer to the sample point than other technologies," says John Kerney, Moisture Product Manager for GE Sensing. Continuing his discussion of the new technology, Traditional diffusion-based aluminum oxide sensors have proved just too slow in terms of response time that customers need. We took a fresh approach knowing that these sensors tend to wet-up very rapidly. The new sensor technology employed in the HygroTrace applies a temperature pulse to 'dry' the sensor. Then the re-adsorption rate is measured while holding a constant sensor temperature. This measurement is proportional to the moisture concentration in the sample gas and provides the sensitivity and response time needed to effectively measure parts per billion levels of moisture.

HygroTrace™ features a large integrated backlit display, which users can easily read from several feet away. An integral six-button keypad allows users to program the unit for output range and to check on performance. The unit is loop powered using a 20-28 VDC source and provides a 4-20 mA output proportional to a user-programmed range.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is Imagination at Work—a diversified technology, media and financial services company focused on solving some of the world's toughest problems. With products and services ranging from aircraft engines, power generation, water processing and security technology to medical imaging, business and consumer financing, media content and advanced materials, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.

About GE Sensing

GE Sensing is a world leader in advanced measurement and sensor-based technology solutions. GE Sensing designs and produces precision instruments and systems that measure temperature, pressure, liquid level, humidity, gas concentration, and flow rate for the most demanding customer applications. GE Sensing serves customers around the world in the aerospace, healthcare, transportation, process and industrial businesses.

Druck, General Eastern, Kaye, NovaSensor, Panametrics, Telaire, Thermometrics and Ruska are now part of one team, under one name: GE Sensing. For more information, visit http://www.gesensing.com.

For more information about the product, contact:
John Kerney, Moisture Product Manager
Email: john.kerney@ge.com

The MESA TRIME GW2 measures material moisture in organic or inorganic materials in industrial processes, up to 300 F. The flexible design offers precise, accurate and repeatable measurements of material moisture over a 0% to 48% wet weight moisture range.

The GW2 is paired with a rod-type WS2 probe, for dynamic operation. The WS2 probe rods are PEEK-coated, for wet and high electrical conductivity environments. The measurement principle is based on the proven TDR-technology (Time Domain Reflectometry.

When one or more TRIME-GW transmitters are remotely located and will be interfaced to a PLC or SCADA system, the MESA M-PIM-0212 Process Interface Module connects up to 16 points with a reliable serial data bus.

The M3F surface probe measures the moisture of solid or powedered materials including paper, ceramic and other organic or inorganic materials. The M3F is connected to the IPH (Intelligent Probe Head) and used TDR dielectric determination to measure the moisture in up to 50% dry weight.
The probe can be connect to the HD hand-held display device for battery operation or a PC, notebook computer or the TRIME Data Pilot for the option of recording measured values.

Mission Critical Applications
Xentaur's Mission-Critical Moisture System Model ESS-SCVP has been designed for applications where the precise control of moisture concentration is mission-critical for a process.

The Challenge of Moisture Measurement
Conventional methods to measure moisture have so far proven too unreliable for industrial process control and are mostly used as indicators and alarm tools, using large safety margins.

Xentaur HTF™ Moisture Technology
Xentaur's breakthrough HTF™ aluminum oxide moisture technology has overcome the deficiencies inherent with conventional sensors, thus providing an accurate, stable and close to maintenance-free measurement solution, which in combination with our ESS modular sample conditioning solutions is suitable for mission-critical process control applications.

Self-Calibrating Moisture System
Additionally, in order to assure highest measurement accuracy and reliability in mission critical process control or alarm applications, Xentaur's ESS sample systems are available with a fully automatic self-calibration feature, in which the sensor is periodically exposed to a certified calibration gas.

By periodically adjusting the sensor calibration to read accurately when exposed to a certified calibration gas, accurate measurements in the vicinity of the calibration gas's moisture content are also assured when measuring in the sample gas, even if a sensor has drifted as a result of exposure to gas contaminants.
Xentaur's Mission-Critical Self-Calibrating Natural Gas Sample System takes advantage of the uniquely large and quasi linear response to moisture of Xentaur HTF™ sensors. The large response to moisture of HTF™ sensors is an absolute requirement for adjusted moisture computations based on a single point calibration.

Xentaur's Self-Calibrating Sample System is available in hazardous area approved versions for Class 1 Div 1 as well as Class 1 Div 2 applications.

Self-Calibration Procedure
To perform the calibration procedure, an electrically or pneumatically actuated 2-way valve is activated to feed calibration gas supplied from a certified bottle to the sensor. The sensor output is monitored and after equilibrium with the calibration gas is detected, the calibration curve is linearly adjusted over the full range to provide measurement computations which correspond to the known dewpoint. The 2-way valve switch deactivates, exposing the sensor again to the sample stream.
The interval at which the sensor needs to be re-calibrated is user programmable and application dependant. A bi-weekly calibration schedule has proven successful in tough industrial applications after glycol drying.

Certified Calibration Gas
The calibration gas is supplied in specially manufactured passivated aluminium bottles, which are certified to discharge gas with a constant moisture content. The moisture standards can be custom ordered in different bottle sizes with moisture contents ranging from 1-140ppm. The life of a calibration bottle is typically in excess of one year, based on a biweekly calibration interval.
The use of certified calibration gases is well accepted in most industries, and used for most process analyzers, such as chromatographs and spectrophotometers.
Manufacturers of conventional aluminum oxide sensors recommend sending sensors twice a year for recalibration at a considerable cost. The Xentaur Mission-Critical sample system provides 26 calibrations per year at a total cost of $300 (Cost of calibration gas based on biweekly calibrations.)

Field Proven in Challenging Applications
Xentaur's Mission-Critical Sample system is field proven to work in challenging applications. Download a PDF file describing a sample case of a natural gas application. For references please contact your local representative.

The WS3 probe is currently in use to measure the moisture contact of spent grain (grain remaining after brewing of beer) at multiple locations, in a bio-dryer with moistures ranging from 60% to 25%. This energy saving process starts by dewatering the spent grain which can contain up to 90% water. Using a screw press, the spent grain moisture content is reduced to 60% moisture. The 60% moisture spent grain is then conveyed to a fluidized bed dryer and further dried to an end-moisture of 25%. Once the spent gain is dried to 25% moisture, it is pneumatically conveyed to a boiler and burned to produce process steam. The multiple WS3 moisture probes are connected to the plant process computer using MESA Systems Co. M-PIM process interface module.