 Data
Loggers Uses and Applications
Outlined
below are the many applications and industries our data
loggers are now serving.
Pharmaceutical Industry
Our range of
Tinytag
Data loggers are used extensively
in Pharmaceutical industry.
Areas of use include life cycle testing, shipment of
temperature sensitive products, ethylene oxide
sterilization and process monitoring.
Life Cycle Testing
Where new products are being tested under accelerated an
ageing process, Tinytags can prove particularly useful
to keep records of the process, particularly as they
have long battery lives and are highly stable. This
application usually requires the monitoring of both
Temperature and Humidity which makes our two channel
Temp/RH units particularly suitable. Either in the
Tinytag Extra format or the
Tinyview format with built
in display. Results can easily be downloaded, stored and
compared against previous results.
Ethylene Oxide Sterilization
Our Range of
Intrinsically Safe
data loggers is ideal for
independent verification of the Ethylene oxide
sterilization process. Most companies use several of
these loggers in a validation run and then "time slice"
the data at certain points in cycle to provide a "map"
of the chamber conditions. This can be achieved using Easyview software which interfaces directly to the
Tinytag data loggers.
Software and Validation
It is currently not possible for us to fully validate
our standard Tinytag Explorer software package although
it is possible to validate the entire process, this is
discussed in this article. However, we can offer
Easyview QA which is a validate software package with
built in audit trail and other features which make it
suitable for the pharmaceutical industry. Additionally
we now have a fully validated, web enable, software
platform designed for the industry. This new package is
called PTMS as is discussed below.
Shipping of Temperature Sensitive Products
Gemini has a range of small light weight data loggers
designed for use in drug shipping. The
Tinytag Transit
is based on a new inductive technology which provides
fast launching and data transfer.
Pharmaceutical Temperature Monitoring System
Gemini's Pharmaceutical Temperature Monitoring System (PTMS)
is a powerful web-based automation and management
solution to critical temperature monitoring of cold
chain distribution.
Food Industry
Processing
Tinytags have been successfully used to profile cooling
and chilling tunnels, broilers and ovens enabling
customers to make savings on gas and electric bills. One
customer managed to save in excess of 96 thousand
dollars in
electricity by profiling their cooling tunnels using
Tinytalk
data loggers.
Shipping
Tinytag Transit loggers are ideal for slipping in to
individual pallets or boxes as they are light and
inexpensive. Tinytag Extra loggers are regularly used
inside REEFER containers being shipped around the world;
they provide excellent value for money when protecting
high value, vulnerable cargo such as fruit.
Storage
Cold rooms, chillers and ordinary store rooms can all
benefit from the introduction of a
Tinytag Ultra
temperature or Temperature/RH logger. Many customers who
have warehouses with fork lift trucks prefer using
Tinytag Plus or Tinyview loggers as they are extremely
rugged. People often install them to ensure there
automated environmental systems are performing
correctly.
HACCP
Temperature monitoring forms a major part of HACCP
compliance. While it is possible to record temperatures
manually, using a
Tinytag Extra
data logger provides a
much stronger defense in a court of law should you be
required to prove a control point temperature. In fact
many EHO's used Tinytags to check fridges and cool rooms
by leaving them at the customers' premises.
Medical Industry
Drug shipping
More and more temperature sensitive drugs are coming on
to the market. In order to address this market Gemini
has developed a range of small, light weight data
loggers
designed for use in drug shipping. The
Tinytag Transit
is based on a new inductive technology which provides
fast launching and data transfer.
Drug Storage
Most doctor’s surgeries and hospitals have fridges for
storing vaccines and drugs, but very few use data
loggers
to monitor their temperature.
Tinytalks are ideally
suited for this application being low cost.
Alternatively some surgeries choose
Tinyview
data loggers
where the display can be seen outside the fridge. Using
a data logger provides a fully traceable record in case
of future problems.
Organ and Blood shipping
Highly sensitive products need shipping quickly. In many
instances ensuring the organ or blood is maintained at
the correct temperature is critical.
Tinytalks are
extensively used by various institutions around the
world for this purpose. The quick release lid, ease of
programming and quick download ensures the information
is available virtually instantaneously when the shipment
arrives.
Aid Agencies
Both
Tinytalk and
Tinytag Plus are used by aid agencies
world wide for shipping drugs and vital supplies
Sterilization
Our
Intrinsically Safe Tinytags are suitable for
ethylene oxide sterilization and we do provide the
Tinytag Splash logger for washer sterilizers up to 100
degrees. Any of our temperature loggers with a probe can
of course be fitted to an autoclave but the logger will
need to remain outside the chamber.
Calibration
All Tinytag data loggers can be calibrated by us. We have
a full calibration facility and can provide NAMAS
traceable certificates. Tinyview data
Transport Industry
Road Transport
Most large Lorries use a system of two
Tinytag Plus or
Tinytag Extra logger’s one fitted near the cooling plant
and the other near the doors. This gives a good
indication of the whole load temperature. Alternatively
the Tinytag Transit loggers can be inserted into
individual pallets or trolleys and follow the whole
consignment through your chill chain.
Air Transport
The light weight of the
Tinytag Transit makes it ideal
for adding to air freight. All Tinytag loggers are
fitted with batteries cleared for use in un-pressurized
aircraft holds. Many customers find including a Tinytag
an excellent way of safeguarding a shipment from being
left in the sun while waiting to be loaded.
Monitoring systems
For people who are shipping large amounts of temperature
sensitive materials around the world, Gemini has
developed GDM. This is a WEB based system designed to
download and transfer important temperature information
around the world quickly and easily. In doing this it
can provide acceptance and rejection criteria quickly,
to people who need to release shipments based on this
information.
Fragile Goods
Tinytag Shock and Vibration loggers can be used to time
and date stamp rough handling on any fragile material
such as glass, strawberries or computer hard drives.
This unique product has provided many customers with
exact information about the treatment of there cargo
while with a carrier. The product has helped prove many
insurance claims by helping to establish the time of
damage and, consequentially, who had control of the
shipment at that time.
Schools and Colleges
Tinytalks and
Tinytags have been used by many schools to
comply with the requirements of the national curriculum.
We have found the combination of GLM software and
Tinytalk data loggers to be very intuitive in helping
young people to understand the basic concepts of
data logging. They also provide a cheap, cost effective
method for undertaking longer term monitoring projects.
Weather Stations
Many schools and colleges have combined a temperature
and RH Tinytag with one of our Stevenson's screens to
provide a basic weather station. It is also possible to
connect our
Tinytag re-educatable
data loggers to various
sensors enabling them to monitor wind speed, wind
direction and light levels.
Science Experiments
Most of our temperature data loggers can be supplied
with different probe styles from very fast response
probes for measuring chemical reactions, to surface
temperature probes and very low temperature probes. This
gives them great flexibility.
Research
The
Tinytag Instrument range is designed primarily for
research applications with a much higher resolution than
our standard loggers. Thus enables them to be used where
much finer changes in temperature need to be examined.
The
Tinytag mV, mA, V and pulse loggers add a huge
number of parameters to the standard temperature and
Humidity you can already measure. By coupling them with
our Re-educator software it is possible to educate the
units to record different parameters for instance an mV
logger can be made to read in units of dissolved oxygen
given the right sensor. This makes the product
incredibly flexible for experimentation. We can also
supply data loggers with extra battery packs to power
external sensors.
Field Research
Due to the extended battery life and our ability to
custom design probes, Tinytags have been used in many
long term monitoring projects. For example, The RSPB
recently used the loggers to monitor tern nests around
Poole Harbors. Tinytag Plus has been used to monitor
turtle nest and bat cave temperatures.
Marine Research
The aquatic Transit has been proven to work well at
extreme depths in various oceans around the world. They
have been recorded working at depths of 1800m helping to
profile water temperatures and current flow in the South
Atlantic. One customer even recovered his logger after
loosing it for two year in the English Channel.
Defense Industry
Weapons Life and Storage
Intrinsically safe Tinytags are been used to monitor
active material contents. The long battery life and
small size provides potentially huge savings across the
life span of these materials and in some instances has
lead to the extension of their life span. Customers have
also found our shock and vibration loggers and Palm
software to be invaluable in this application.
Catering
Forces catering work hard to maintain the standards of
hygiene we have come to expect in most commercial food
outlets. Therefore HACCP requirements are very much part
of this application.
Tinytag plus provides a good tough
data logger which is ideal for use in field catering.
Maintenance
Tinytag plus temperature and vibration loggers have been
used very successfully to monitor many different
parameters in fixed and mobile equipment and to help
identify potential failures and plan maintenance
schedules, including helicopter gear boxes, aircraft
corrosion, vehicle base electronics and generators.
Environmental Industry
Building Energy efficiency
Dual Channel
Tinytag Ultras have been used to monitor
house insulation efficiency. By placing one probe inside
and one outside it is possible to calculate thermal
losses and energy efficiency.
Tinytalks with their small
size are also routinely used to independently monitor
the environmental conditions of buildings, especially
where the building has an automated climate control
system. They can easily be left in air ducts and out of
the way places for long term monitoring.
Surveys
Companies who specialize in doing energy audits use
Tinytag Ultras and
Tinytalks
as their preferred
data logger coupled with palm software for easy download
and Easyview for final data presentation and analysis.
Oceans and Rivers
The NRA has used Aquatic
Transit loggers for the long
term monitoring of stream temperatures as part of a
study to clean up rivers and re-introduce fish species.
The Aquatic Transit has also proven to work well at
extreme depths in various oceans around the world. They
have been recorded working at depths of 1800m helping to
profile water temperatures and current flow in the South
Atlantic
Weather Stations
Many companies have combined a temperature and RH
Tinytag with one of our Stevenson's Screens to provide a
basic weather station. It is also possible to connect
our Tinytag re-educatable data loggers to various sensors
enabling them to monitor wind speed, wind direction and
light levels.
Aquaculture and Horticulture
Aquaculture
The aquatic transit logger is designed specifically to
monitor water temperature in harsh environments; they
have been successfully used in Scottish and Australian
fish farms.
Horticulture
Temperature, humidity, dew point and leaf wetness are
all parameters which need careful monitoring in
Horticulture. These are all parameters which
Tinytags
can record and calculate. Tinytags can also be connected
to an alarm to provide frost warning or, using a
Stevenson's screen, they can be left on site and
download via a palm unit to give degree day calculation.
Land evaluation
Tinytag plus
data loggers have been successfully used as
part of a land mapping project to determine land usage
in various places in the southern hemisphere. This
project is called Top climate and has been deemed a
great success in adding to land productivity and
profitability where it has been used. |