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Raising the bar


Measurement technology is gaining importance thanks to rising demands in the valve sector. Data is forming the basis for automation and industry 4.0.


of business sooner than later, as competition is tough in the international market. Nowadays, the bar is being raised for measurement technology, up into unimaginable heights. Valves can only be efficiently controlled and automated based on precise and significant data.


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For end users, the developments are worth hard cash – and for some companies, usable measurement data already forms the basis for the Internet of Things. Data is continuously being collected and exploited, and merged with even more data from the surrounding environment.


Sales on the rise


“Measurement technology for valves is essential, in order to ensure safety and accuracy in processes,” emphasises Alexander Lell, a development and application engineer at Rotech. The success story for this important valve component is far from over. Increasing requirements and demands for manufacturing, safety


38 IMT September 2016


or quite a long while, making rule of thumb estimates will have seen a company go out


and process accuracy are becoming more important for measurement technology, and are having an impact. “Apart from the small crisis in the plant engineering sector, sales have definitely increased in the last few years,” reports Lell. The path hasn’t been an easy one, and now there is no turning back. Users and valve manufacturers “are meanwhile noticing the possibilities measurement technology has to offer, and the degree to which certain steps in the production process can be simplified, respectively speeded up,” underscores Lell. The trend is making itself felt across all industries – from the chemical industry to the energy sector, food and beverage industry, refineries, pharmaceutical industry, water and wastewater industry, as well as oil and gas.


Optimal control


“Energy is the lifeblood of an industrial plant,” emphasises Emerson Process Management. It has the highest share of operating costs, next to cost of raw materials. In view of rising energy costs and stricter emission standards this


will become more of a problem. Plant operation can be optimised using accurate measurement data. Waste is diminished, while at the same time efficiency is increased. This in turn reduces costs, lowers emissions and increases reliability. Take, for instance, the biomass power plant operated by Enomondo S.r.l., in Faenza, Italy. The company uses wireless measurement devices to control and monitor a complex fuel pretreatment, an optimisation process and a new boiler in the plant. Thanks to the devices, plant efficiency was increased by five percent. Data acquired through the measurement devices has also simplified predictive maintenance.


Improving efficiency


The biomass power plant in Faenza, located at the Caviro distillery for wine and denatured alcohol, uses 140,000 t/a of waste products from the alcohol production process to create energy for 29,000 households in the region. Forty-eight wireless measurement devices made by Emerson Process Management transmit their data over a wireless gateway to a digital automation system, where the


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crew on site receives deep insight into the process. Adjustments can be made to increase efficiency. Thanks to the fitting measurement technology, Enomondo was able to optimise its process, improve plant efficiency and increase the electricity output. Measurement technology


collects and delivers any data required – such as pressure levels, temperatures, density, concentration, flow rate and filling levels. Such data is gathered by, for instance, using radar, transducers, valve sensors and time delay relays. “A sturdy design and advanced digital signal processing (DSP) technology allows detection of low flow signals and minimizes the effects of pipeline vibration and interference,” explains ABB. As such, this development significantly increases the amount of digital and electronic equipment in a plant. For end users, measurement technology needs to be easy to handle, making a user- friendly graphical user interface a necessity. The display shows data such as mass and volume flow rate, percent maximum flow, and the flow rate as a bar graph. ABB’s “DensiMass software simplifies


Photo: ABB


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