Why Petrochemical, Chemical & Plastics Industries Need the SLDL53 3D Radar Level Scanner

SOLIDAT · SLDL53 3D Radar Level Scanner | Industry Application Series 6

Solution overview: The SLDL53 3D Radar Level Scanner - also referred to as a 3D Radar Level Meter, Radar Level Scanner or 3D Level Scanner - is both a bulk solids level sensor and a bulk solids volume measurement system that forms a silo inventory monitoring system. Using non-contact 3D level measurement, it performs 3D material surface mapping and 3D radar volume measurement across the whole surface and provides average/minimum/maximum level monitoring; it delivers reliable level measurement in dusty silos, supports silo wall build-up monitoring and silo bridging and ratholing monitoring, scales across multiple silos and yards with multi-scanner data fusion, and through ERP integration for silo inventory feeds a silo digital twin and smart inventory management.

The petrochemical and chemical value chain is long, continuous and diverse: polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin, polyester, ethylene, salt, additives and detergent dry ingredients are mostly stored as pellets or powder in blending, finished-product and packaging silos. Polymer pellets are high-value with strict custody metering, so silo inventory accuracy directly affects output statistics, packaging/dispatch and production scheduling. The SLDL53 3D radar level scanner is a high-precision bulk-solids volume measurement system for PE/PP/PVC pellet silo level and plastic pellet silo level and volume measurement.

Fig.1  PP/polyester processing - distillation, cracking and polymerization process and finished silos

1. Measurement Pain Points in Chemical Polymer Silos

• Irregular pellet/powder surfaces: Blending and finished silos show pronounced cones, off-centering and wall build-up that single-point instruments cannot represent.
• Dusty, electrostatic conditions: Resin powder and detergent ingredients generate heavy dust with static, demanding high instrument stability.
• Strict metering of high-value material: PP/PE/PVC pellets are valuable, so output, inventory and custody transfer require high accuracy and traceability.
• Hazardous areas and continuous operation: Chemical plants are mostly explosion-proof zones running continuously, where frequent manual silo opening is not allowed and non-contact 3D level measurement is required.

Fig.2  Stainless-steel plastic-pellet silo farm - high-value polymer pellets demand precise inventory metering

Fig.3  3D material surface mapping and point-cloud inventory model generated in SoltaView (non-contact whole-surface scanning).

2. Targeted Capabilities of the SLDL53

• Whole-silo volume/weight: 3D point cloud reconstructs pellet/powder surfaces with 3D radar volume measurement accuracy up to about +/-2%, and with density outputs mass for output and custody settlement.
• Dust-penetrating, static-resistant: The 120-140 GHz terahertz wave penetrates resin dust for non-contact measurement with no moving parts and no silo clearing - reliable level measurement in dusty silos.
• Build-up and blending monitoring: Clearly shows blending-silo wall build-up, cone-bottom residue and off-centering to aid cleaning and batch management - silo wall build-up monitoring.
• Hazardous-area and full protocols: Suitable for explosion-proof zones, with 4-20 mA, HART, PA, FF, Modbus, TCP/IP, AUTBUS and Ethernet-APL outputs.
• Multi-silo networking: The SLDL53-20 supports centralized multi-scanner data fusion of finished and blending silos, connecting to DCS and MES.

Fig.4  Stainless-steel plastic-pellet silos - online inventory of finished and packaging silos

Fig.5  PVC processing - flexible PVC resin, PVC powder and additive silos

3. Extended: Detergents, Salt Chemicals and Fertilizer

In detergent production, dry-ingredient, catalyst and finished silos likewise need dust-tolerant proportioning metering; in salt chemicals, soda ash and fertilizer bulk plants, raw and finished silos can use the SLDL53 for chemical powder silo level monitoring and fertilizer storage inventory monitoring. One bulk-solids level sensor unifies inventory measurement across pellets, powders and mixtures.

Fig.6  Detergent processing - dry ingredients, process residue and finished silos

Fig.7  Petrochemical tank farm and unit area - solid-silo 3D inventory integrated with DCS

4. Software, Integration and Selection

SoltaView provides 3D imaging, batch inventory, historical trends, multi-silo monitoring and reports, with open OPC UA/Modbus TCP/REST API for seamless integration with chemical DCS, SIS, MES and ERP, delivering ERP integration for silo inventory and meeting the trustworthy, traceable data needs of continuous production and custody transfer through a silo digital twin and smart inventory management.

Fig.8  SLDL53-10 Soltascan3D radar head (left) and controller (right), roof-mounted for non-contact 3D level and volume measurement.

5. Model Selection

Model	Key Features	Range / Scan	Typical Applications
SLDL53-10	Soltascan3D single head, 120-140GHz terahertz, point cloud + AI 3D modeling	120 m, 360 deg H / 110 deg V	Single / standard silos, bins & hoppers
SLDL53-20	Multi-head data fusion, up to 255 units networked, 5G/AUTBUS	120 m, scalable stitching	Large silo farms, multi-silo monitoring
SLDL53-30	6-radar parallel fast scanning, rapid inventory	300 m	Large open / circular stockyards, coal yards
SLDL53-40	Phased-array 3D radar, optional ceramic antenna, heavy dust	120 m, 90 deg V	Heavy-dust, severe-service silos
SLDL53-60	Sonic3DScan ultrasonic 3D, corrosive / foam media	Per application	Special media, ultrasonic-suited cases
SLDL53-70	Laserscan laser stockpile scanner, high-density point cloud	Large stockpiles	Coal/material inventory, stacker-reclaimer automation
SLDL53-80	StrlightScan conveyor belt 3D inspection	Online	Flow/volume/foreign object/belt misalignment/tear

Recommendation: SLDL53-10 /40 for PP/PE/PVC finished, blending and packaging silos; SLDL53-20 network for silo farms; select Ex d/Ex ib for hazardous areas; SLDL53-30 /70 for large warehouses/logistics yards; SLDL53-80 on conveying and packaging lines.

About SOLIDAT

SOLIDAT Applied Technologies, a member of the SOLIDAT group, was founded in 1981, initially providing radar and vibration-analysis technology for the aerospace industry. In 1996 it acquired SOLID Scientific Research & Development, gaining advanced ultrasonic and sonar technology together with the MonoScan and SMARTSCAN trademarks; in 1999 it acquired SOLTA Advanced Technologies, gaining advanced radar technology and the SOLTASCAN trademark. After more than four decades, SOLIDAT has become a globally recognized high-technology intelligent-instrument group at the forefront of radar, ultrasonic, sonar and electromagnetic sensing.

The SLDL53 Soltascan3D 3D Radar Level Scanner is a bulk-solids level sensor and bulk-solids volume measurement system, widely applied in power, metallurgy, cement & building materials, coal & mining, grain & food, petrochemical & plastics, pulp & paper and biomass industries, forming a silo inventory monitoring system that delivers a "transparent silo, smart inventory and unattended operation".

Website: www.solidat.net  |  China Office: +86-10-86468485

Send us your silo dimensions, material, range and communication requirements; SOLIDAT engineers will provide a selection proposal and instrument layout drawing.