Fluke Datapaq Furnace Tracker User manual

Datapaq
®
Furnace
Tracker
®
USER MANUAL
for use with
Insight™software
Issue 2a
MA5070A

Datapaq
®
Furnace Tracker
®
User Manual
for use with Insight™software
Issue 2
DATAPAQ PART NO. MA5070A
Datapaq is the world’s leading brand of
process temperature-monitoring
instrumentation, and maintains
this leadership by continual development
of its advanced, easy-to-use Tracker systems.
Europe & Asia
Fluke Process Instruments
Lothbury House, Cambridge Technopark
Newmarket Road
Cambridge CB5 8PB
United Kingdom
Tel. [phone]
[e-mail]
www.flukeprocessinstruments.com
North & South America
Fluke Process Instruments
6920 Seaway Boulevard
Everett
WA 98203
USA
Tel. [phone]
[e-mail]
www.flukeprocessinstruments.com

SAFETY
WARNINGS
For safe use of Datapaq equipment, always:
•Take care to follow its supplied instructions.
•Observe any warning signs shown on the equipment.
Indicates potential hazard.
On Datapaq equipment this normally warns of high temperature, but,
where you see the symbol, consult the manual for further explanation.
Warns of high temperatures.
Where this symbol appears on Datapaq equipment, its surface may be
excessively hot (or excessively cold) and may thus cause skin burns.
© Fluke Process Instruments, Cambridge, UK 2021
All rights reserved
Fluke Process Instruments makes no representations or warranties of any kind whatsoever with respect
to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for
any particular purpose. Fluke Process Instruments shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for
incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance or use of
the Datapaq software, associated hardware or this material.
Fluke Process Instruments reserves the right to revise this publication from time to time and to make
changes to the content hereof without obligation to notify any person of such revisions or changes.
Datapaq, Furnace Tracker and the Fluke Process Instruments logo are registered trademarks of
Fluke Process Instruments. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Manual set in 10 pt Gill Sans.
User manuals are available in other languages; contact Fluke Process Instruments for details.

CONTENTS
7 Introduction
8 System Components
9 Basic Hardware
9 Thermal Barriers and Heatsinks
10 Selecting the Thermal Barrier
16 Care and Maintenance of Barriers and Heatsinks
19 Thermocouple Probes
20 Thermocouple Specifications
21 Thermocouple Cables
22 Datapaq Thermocouple Probes
23 Care and Maintenance of Thermocouples
25 Furnace Temperature Profiles: Creation and Use
26 The Furnace
26 Atmosphere
26 Specification
27 Thermal Mass of the Tracker System
27 Thermal Barriers, First Use
27 Probe Location and Attachment
28 Preparing the Logger
29 Installing the Logger in the Thermal Barrier
31 Placing the System in the Furnace
32 Removing from the Furnace and Downloading Data
34 Troubleshooting
34 Checking the Data
35 Testing the Logger and Thermocouples
35 Datapaq Service Department
36 INDEX

FURNACE TRACKER Introduction 7
Introduction
Datapaq
®Furnace Tracker ®, incorporating Insight™software, is a complete
system for monitoring and analyzing the temperature profiles of products within
all types of furnace processes. Power and flexibility make it a perfect tool for
process temperature monitoring, from commissioning and troubleshooting to
process optimization, ensuring consistent quality of product, consistent furnace
performance and maximum efficiency. Innovative analysis techniques help in
identifying problems, fine-tuning the process and reducing running costs.
Telemetry options allow full monitoring of temperatures in real time while a
job is actually in the furnace: hardwired telemetry is part of the standard system
(see the dedicated User Manual supplied with your data logger), and Furnace
Tracker can be specified to include the TM21 radio-telemetry system.
Statistical Process Control (SPC) allows easy analysis of the results of
profile runs over time, highlighting trends in the performance of your process,
and allowing potential problems to be identified and dealt with before they
occur.
Powerful reporting facilities allow the user to generate customized printouts,
including any or all of the analysis results or raw temperature data.
Systems can be specified to include additional or alternative hardware for a wide
range of different purposes – and in some cases additional software, including:
•Furnace Surveying – conduct and analyse wizard-driven temperature
uniformity surveys to assess the accuracy and uniformity of heating within a
furnace.
•CAB Surveyor – monitor the performance of a furnace by running a
standard instrumented survey jig through it to gather and analyse
temperature data.
This manual contains the following sections:
•Basic Hardware (p. 9) – The standard system’s thermal barriers and
thermocouple probes, their specifications and their care and maintenance.
•Furnace Temperature Profiles (p. 25) – All the stages of obtaining a
temperature profile from a typical furnace process, including setting up the
hardware, running the system through the process, and downloading the
data.
•Troubleshooting (p. 34).
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8 Introduction FURNACE TRACKER
The dedicated User Manual supplied with your data logger should be read in
conjunction with this manual. It provides information on operating the logger,
including:
•Installing Insight and establishing communication between logger and PC.
•Resetting the logger with new data-collection parameters.
•Downloading the collected data to the PC.
•Use of hardwired telemetry.
•Troubleshooting logger problems.
For full details on use of the Insight software, refer to the online Help system
available when the software is installed.
System Components
A typical Furnace Tracker system comprises:
•Data logger, with communications lead and charger; logger with radio-
telemetry option includes internal transmitter.
•Receiver (radio-telemetry option only).
•Thermal barrier – to protect the logger during its time in the furnace.
•Thermocouple probes.
•Insight Furnace Tracker software.
•User documentation:
○Datapaq Furnace Tracker User Manual.
○Data logger User Manual (specific to the logger model).
○TM21 Radio-telemetry System User Manual (radio-telemetry option only).
Additional hardware, software and documentation are supplied with Furnace
Surveying, CAB Surveyor and other systems, as appropriate.
This manual, and other Datapaq user documentation, in various languages, is
available on the Insight installation DVD or USB key included with Datapaq systems.
During the software installation, you may select documents to be copied to your PC
for rapid on-demand viewing through Insight.

FURNACE TRACKER Basic Hardware 9
Basic Hardware
The standard Furnace Tracker system includes one or more thermal barriers
and appropriate thermocouples.
For use of the data logger, and for other special-purpose hardware,
see the documentation supplied with it.
Thermal Barriers and Heatsinks
The thermal barrier provides the thermal and mechanical protection
necessary for the data logger to survive in the hostile environment of an
industrial furnace.
WARNING
It is essential to use the correct Datapaq thermal barrier for your individual process,
as supplied and approved by Fluke Process Instruments. Failure to use the
appropriate approved barrier, or the use of a barrier in an unapproved manner (e.g.
using above the specified temperature, or for longer than the specified time, or with
insufficient opportunity for adequate cooling between profile runs), can cause
catastrophic damage to the data logger or to other equipment, can endanger
health, or (if lithium batteries are being used)may lead to severe injury or death.
For the same reasons, never use a damaged thermal barrier.
Ensure that all dimensions of your logger/barrier/accessory assembly are such that it
will fit comfortably within the furnace through all stages of the process. Pay
particular attention to handles, catches, etc., and to trailing thermocouples. Failure
to do this can cause the assembly to jam in the furnace with consequent
overheating and potentially-severe damage to the equipment. Resultant battery-
leakage, and the act of recovering the equipment, may cause skin burns and
respiratory irritation.
Microporous insulation covered by a Mullite fiber cloth provides the primary
thermal protection. Heatsinks – stainless steel containers filled with a non-
toxic, non-flammable phase-changing material – provide additional, secondary
protection when the system has to operate at high temperature for extended
periods. The phase-changing material absorbs the heat and maintains a
temperature of 58°C/136°F until all the material has changed from solid to liquid
state.

10 Basic Hardware FURNACE TRACKER
Heatsinks have a temperature-sensitive label to provide indication of the
maximum temperature experienced by the data logger, and a warning should
the temperature exceed 77°C/170°F. This warning is important: see p. 17.
The Microporous insulation material will absorb moisture if stored in a damp
environment. Although this will not result in damage to the thermal barrier, its
performance will be degraded until the moisture is removed.
All Datapaq thermal barriers for furnace use have an adjustable lid to
compensate for any shrinkage of insulation material, and TB4900 and most
TB4000 series barriers (see below) also have provision for renewal of the
Mullite fiber used to clamp the thermocouple cables (see p. 18). Thermal
barriers with lid secured by catches have adjustment in the catches to
compensate for shrinkage (see p. 17).
Materials used for any fasteners in the TB4900 series barriers (nuts and bolts)
are normally 310 stainless steel, and are selected to avoid seizure at high
temperature.
Selecting the Thermal Barrier
The selection of barrier type depends principally on the height and width
limitations of the furnace, the data logger type, process duration, temperature,
time at temperature, furnace atmosphere and whether the process includes a
quench cycle.
When assessing the barrier’s required thermal performance, include within the
overall process duration the time taken to retrieve the Tracker system from the
furnace and to remove the data logger from the barrier.
Consult Fluke Process Instruments for advice on selecting a thermal barrier.
When changing the parameters of your process, be aware that using your
thermal barrier for conditions other than originally specified (i.e. longer
durations and/or higher temperatures) may cause serious damage to all parts of
your Datapaq system. We strongly advise you to contact Fluke Process
Instruments to confirm that your system is suitable for your new process. You
will require the following information about the new process:
•Heating phase (time to reach soak temperature).
•Soak time and temperature.
•Cooling phase (time from soak temperature to end of process).
•Furnace atmosphere.
•Time from end of cooling phase to removal of the thermal barrier and
dismantling of the system.
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