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Announcing the Launch of the Interface Pressure Compensated Downhole Load Cell

Interface is excited to announce the release of a new downhole solution for the energy industry, the Interface Pressure Compensated Downhole Load Cell (IPCD).

The IPCD is a Wheatstone bridge foil-gaged-based force measurement solution using proprietary compensation methods and designed to provide highly accurate force data in harsh environments, like those found in the oil and gas industry, while requiring limited maintenance compared to similar solutions on the market. This is a product line that is many years in the making, as we’ve offered it as a custom solution. In fact, it has been developed across multiple applications to meet the needs of the oil and gas industry.

Interface’s new IPCD product is best suited for tension head applications of wireline services, particularly useful in deviated or horizontal wells where topside measurements are no longer reliable. Many applications include conveyance, pump down, perforating, tractor, and high pressure high temperature deep offshore use.

The key benefit the IPCD provides over existing solutions, commonly referred to as “wet” load cells, is its method of compensation. Wet load cells have a hydraulic compensation mechanism that uses pistons and seals, requiring frequent maintenance. Hydraulic compensation is complex for smaller tool providers and performance was suboptimal. For the IPCD, Interface developed a proprietary technology that compensates for that pressure influence and allows for bridge isolation. This means that the IPCD is far more rugged, needing little to no repairs, and it can be used downhole without risk of damage, a first of its kind in the industry.

It provides accurate measurement of downhole tension conditions in both vertical and horizontal wells and the proprietary internal compensation actively measures only the portion of the load caused by axial force, ignoring the portion of the load caused by pressure. Since it is an inherently passive system with no active pressure measurement being made or using a separate transducer, it is a completely analog solution for reliability and temperature stability.

We also test the IPCD heavily before it leaves our doors. The oil and gas industry can be extremely volatile, so we understand that our load cells need to be at peak performance for every use. Each load cell is tested individually on force, creep, temperature and pressure.

Advantages of the new proprietary Interface Pressure Compensated Downhole Load Cell include:

  • IPCD is a standard product from Interface and available today
  • IPCD offers maintenance-free service with significant long-term payback by eliminating disassembly, downtime, calibration, and instrumentation configuration
  • Interface’s new product is a precision with unmatched performance
  • IPCD has minimal thermal and pressure error, combined with world class linearity and hysteresis
  • It has field proven reliability and was designed based on a decades of engineering and force measurement experience

To learn more about the IPCD, we recently published a white paper that goes deeper into how the unit works, the specifications of the solution, as well as providing additional information on our testing process. You can read more about the IPCD in our new technical overview, Interface Pressure Compensated Downhole Load Cell White Paper available online for download.

We also issued a press release announcing the launch of IPCD.

This new product launch is a collaborative effort involving many of our team members in engineering, production and sales.

 

Solutions to Advance Agriculture Smart Farming and Equipment

The agriculture industry is no stranger to technology. In fact, it’s among the most advanced industries in the world. With advancements in IoT, e-agriculture and smart farming are now core operations for most large producers and crop managers, while equipment and components look for more data for work efficiencies and improving production quality.

The global agribusiness industry is estimated to be $5 trillion and growing rapidly. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) notes that agriculture innovators and product developers are contributing to improved quality of life, economic growth, employment, and environment in a big way.  In developing this technology, one of the most critical supporting tools is force measurement sensors.

From heavy machinery used in working the fields to industrial weighing applications for livestock, there is a massive market of manufacturers serving farmers and the supply chains that support agriculture. Interface sensor technologies continue to play an important role in these advancements and use cases in the agriculture industry.

Interface products are a top choice for agriculture technology manufacturers because they provide the accuracy and reliability necessary to enhancing performance and ensuring safety. We have a variety of force measurement sensors that are designed for modern agricultural testing projects and as components for OEMs. Our expert application engineers help customers with standard products as well as design customized solutions for all types of applications using our products that are used for extreme environments, UAV and drone inspections, material handling, complex agricultural machines, and extreme weather conditions, engine testing, all ensuring maximum safety and efficiency.

Interface’s wide range of load cells, torque transducers, and DAQ systems are ideal for all types of advanced and simple agricultural applications, like weigh checking, lifting equipment, electrical and motorized farm vehicles, even drones used during the production and inspection. We have outlined these examples in our case study, Interface Solutions Used in Growing Agriculture Innovation. In this profile, you can see how our sensor technologies are used to ensure efficiency, sustainability, and proper production.

Common Agriculture Use Cases for Interface Products

  • Tractor and equipment testing
  • Production lines
  • Greenhouse facility management
  • Robotics and automation tools for farming
  • Livestock weighing
  • Feed and water monitoring
  • Storage, silo dispensing and weighing
  • EV engine testing
  • Field inspection and drone sensor testing
  • Wireless equipment for field management and remote monitoring
  • Gate and fencing field security solutions

Two very popular product categories in the agriculture industry include torque sensors and wireless products. Torque sensors are used in heavy machinery like tractors, plows and other vehicles that require immense power to move equipment and crops. For torque applications in tractors and other vehicles, we have different USB options for torque transducers such as the T12, T15, and T25 Rotary Torque Transducers. These options allow for easy integration with our numerous instrumentation solutions, including both digital and analog.

Wireless solutions have increased in popularity across all industries, but especially in farming where engineers and manufacturers are running tests in the field and don’t want to run long wires that can get in the way. Interface provides a wide range of wireless solutions including our Wireless and Bluetooth® Telemetry Systems, which include sensor transmitters, receivers, and displays. These systems help our customers create a test network that is more convenient and just as accurate as its wired counterparts.  You can view multiple agriculture applications using Interface solutions online. Here are a few examples.

Interface Applications in Agriculture

Tractor PTO Torque Testing

A customer wanted to measure the torque and speed of their tractor’s PTO (power takeoff test) system, ensure the tractor’s PTO system was functioning properly, and measure the torque being delivered to an implement. Interface’s solution was to use its T27 Bearingless Hollow Flange Style Rotary Torque Transducer to measure the tractor’s torque and speed of their tractor’s PTO system. The T27 Bearingless Hollow Flange Style Rotary Torque Transducer is bolted to the tractors PTO shaft. A dynamometer is attached on the other end and the transducer can measures the tractor’s torque and speed with high accurate results. With the INF3-USB PC Interface Module the customer was able to display, graph, and log the recorded torque and speed of the tractor’s PTO system with the supplied INF3-USB software. Using this solution, the customer was able to successfully and accurately measured the torque and speed of the tractor’s PTO system. Read more about tractor PTO torque testing here.

WTS Equine Bridle Tension System

The customer needed to quantify the so-called “poll pressure.” Bits designed to give strong poll pressure using simple pulley lever principles show a much-attenuated transfer of the rein tension through the bit to the poll. The attenuation is readily understood when the equine mouth is recognized as a “floating” fulcrum degrading the otherwise required fixed pivot point of an ideal lever. Interface provided a WTS Equine Bridle Tension System, with 2 SMA Miniature S-Type Load Cells in both the line of the reins and that of the cheekpiece on one side of the horse. This system was used to study the dynamic response of the cheekpiece tension to rein tension in the ridden horse. The WTS provided the valuable data can be displayed and/or recorded in real time using a PC and/or a handheld receiver depending on the requirements and preferences of the customer. The fundamental operation of the bits could in principle be discovered on the laboratory bench. But in practice of course, the equine mouth is expected to provide the fulcrum. Within the real experimental system comprising the rider’s hands, the horse’s mouth, and the bit, the elasticity of the equine mouth provides a “floating” fulcrum and a potential source of time-lag and decoherence between the dynamic rein and cheekpiece tensions. Read Testing the Reins for more information.

Interface is a valuable partner to the agriculture industry and has developed a wide range of standard and custom solutions to meet the varying needs of manufacturers. You can read more about our products used in the agriculture industry, as well as some application examples available in our industry Agriculture Solutions Brochure.

Additional Resources

Interface Supplies Agriculture Industry with Sensor Technologies

Interface Helps to Move Agriculture Innovation Forward

Interface Solutions Used in Growing Agriculture Innovation

Tractor Linkage Draft Control

Silo Monitoring and Weighing

Chicken Weighing

Interface Helps to Move Agriculture Innovation Forward

The agriculture industry is the backbone of most economies, as food production and farming are essential to everyone’s existence around the world. Advancements and innovations in this market are core to growing a sustainable food supply as well as for safety and productivity management across the agriculture supply chain. Interface is proud to support a range of customers developing innovative sensor-based tools and equipment used in the field.

As a complete solutions provider, we provide standard and engineered to order measurement products that are designed for modern agricultural testing projects and as components for OEMs. Our Interface expert application engineers can also help in the design of customized solutions for all types of applications using our products in harsh environments, for material handling, within complex agricultural machines, and for extreme weather conditions, and engine testing. These are typical use cases that rely upon the quality, accuracy and reliability of measurement solutions from Interface.

Our customers are in a range of agriculture submarkets, from heavy machinery to food production. The common products Interface supplies to these segments include our precision load cells, torque transducers, multi-axis sensors and miniature load cells, along with the popular tension links, load shackles, and wireless instrumentation. We also provide advanced sensor technologies and digital monitoring equipment for agricultural-based manufacturing, farm and field management, inventory monitoring, equipment testing, livestock weighing and ranching, as well as food processing and grain monitoring.

In the application use cases below, we provide a few examples of agricultural solutions that are using various Interface force measurement products.  To review a larger series of applications, visit our Interface Agriculture Solutions here.

Silo Monitoring and Weighing

For customers who need to weigh and monitor the content inside their silos, Interface can offer our A4200 Zinc Plated or A4600 Stainless Steel Weigh-check Load Cells, paired with 1280 Programmable Weight Indicator and Controller. Using these products, the customers can monitor the amount of content by weight in their silo. In this application example, the customer was provided a customizable solution to monitor and weigh their silo. Results from the 1280 Programmable Weight Indicator and Controller were sent to the customer’s control center. Read the entire application note here.

Tractor Linkage Draft Control

A large commercial farmer group wanted to measure to measure the forces applied on their tractor’s draft control, between the tractor and any linked-on attachments. Measuring the force will help the farmer be able sense any strains on the hitch of the tractor and will be needed to apply any specific settings to the draft control when the tractor encounters rough terrain. Interface supplied a WTSLP Wireless Stainless Steel Load Pin, which is a wireless load pin that can be installed directly in the hitch, replacing the normal shear pin of the tractor. Force results are transmitted wirelessly to the WTS-BS-4 USB Industrial Base Station, where the farmer can view the results on their PC computer or laptop with the supplied WTS toolkit. The customer can also view results on the WTSBS-1-HS Handheld Display for Single Transmitters in real-time. Using these products, the farmer can determine the specific draft control settings for their tractor. Read more about the tractor application here.

Poultry Feeder Monitoring

A customer wanted to monitor the motor that operates their poultry feeders. The poultry feeders must give out an equal distribution of feed per poultry house. We provided a solution using the T5 Standard Precision Pedestal Mount Shaft Style Rotary Torque Transducer, with the speed and angle options, which will be attached between a poultry feeder and a motor with Interface’s couplings. Torsion measurements can be graphed and logged sing the 9850 Torque Transducer and Load Cell Indicator. With this solution, the customer was able to monitor their poultry feeders and ensure that every feeder got the same amount of food distributed to it.

Interface load cells, torque transducers, and data acquisition systems are ideal for a wide variety of agricultural applications. These products can be paired together to measure and ensure efficiency, sustainability, and proper production planning. Interface products can also regulate through harsh weather conditions such has humidity and unbearable temperatures while still maintaining a high testing and measurement performance. Our custom solutions application engineers will work alongside you to create the most effective and efficient solution based on your needs if standard does not fit your exact requirements. Read more here.

To check out additional application examples related to the agriculture, and other industries, please visit our website at www.interfaceforce.com/application-notes/.  Be sure to check out these great new farm applications.

LIVESTOCK WEIGHING

 

CHICKEN WEIGHING

 

EQUINE REIN TESTING