Country: Saudi Arabia | Product: Soliphant M FTM50 | Configuration: FEM58 NAMUR electronic insert + Ex d flameproof housing + standard fork (155mm) | Quantity: 8 units | Lead Time: 4 weeks | Application: Cement finished product silos, Dust Zone 21, medium temperature up to 120°C, bulk density approx. 1.2 g/cm³
Market Background
Cement plants across the Middle East face a common challenge in recent capacity expansions: high failure rates of point level switches in powder silos under high-temperature and high-dust conditions. Traditional paddle wheel switches experience mechanical wear, typically failing or jamming every 6-8 months, leading to unplanned shutdowns or silo overfills that directly impact production continuity and site safety.
The customer, a 5,000 tons-per-day clinker cement plant in Saudi Arabia‘s Eastern Province, had experienced two overfill incidents and one conveyor dry-run damage in the past year due to paddle switch failures.
Customer and Application Scenario
The customer needed to retrofit 8 cement finished product silos, with 2 switches per silo (high-level alarm + low-level interlock). Operating conditions are as follows:
Core Requirements: Replace failing paddle switches. New solution must: (1) carry dust explosion area certification; (2) have no moving parts to eliminate wear; (3) withstand 120°C medium temperature; (4) provide output signal compatible with existing DCS.
Our Solution
Recommended configuration: Soliphant M FTM50 with FEM58 (NAMUR) electronic insert + Ex d flameproof housing + standard fork (155mm).
Key Technical Parameters
Selection Rationale
Application Match: Cement powder is a fine-grained bulk solid, precisely the target application for FTM50‘s universal point level switch design. The standard fork (155mm) with 10 g/l minimum detectable density provides ample margin for 1200 g/l cement powder.
Safety Compliance: The site is classified as Dust Zone 21, requiring Ex dust ignition protection. FTM50 offers Ex ta/tb IIIC protection types suitable for Zone 20/21/22 dust explosion hazardous areas.
System Compatibility: The customer‘s DCS is equipped with NAMUR input modules (IEC 60947-5-6). FEM58 can be directly connected without additional signal converters. FEM58 also supports SIL2 functional safety (IEC 61508), preserving options for future safety loop upgrades.
Reliability: Paddle switches in cement dust environments commonly fail due to bearing contamination. FTM50 uses a piezoelectric tuning fork with no mechanical moving parts and is documented as “insensitive to external vibration and buildup, unaffected by bulk solids”. The 316L fork material withstands long-term abrasion from cement powder.
Customer Feedback
“The FTM50 units have been running stably for over 7 months with zero failures. Previously, paddle switches required replacement or maintenance every 6 months on average. The NAMUR signal connects directly to our DCS, and commissioning took only 15 minutes per unit – no complex calibration required.”
— Instrumentation Lead Engineer, client plant
The customer particularly noted that no on-site calibration required (plug-and-play) significantly reduced commissioning time, and the no-moving-parts design eliminated the most persistent wear issue. All 8 units are now in service, and the customer plans to specify the same configuration for next year‘s Phase 2 expansion.
Summary
The Saudi cement plant case demonstrates that under the dual constraints of high-temperature powder + dust explosion protection, Soliphant M FTM50 effectively replaces traditional paddle switches through a combination of tuning fork wear-free design + Ex certification + NAMUR standard output. The technical parameter matching (280°C temperature rating vs. 120°C actual; 10 g/l minimum density vs. 1200 g/l actual) ensures ample safety margin, while no-calibration, maintenance-free operation further reduces on-site maintenance burden.
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