Chemical Engineering May 2019 - 20

Emerson
NEW SMART SENSORS
Providers of smart sensors continue to innovate based on the needs of the chemical process industries,
so product launches are happening frequently. Here's a roundup of the latest in the space.
Pepperl+Fuchs is launching a new IIoT-ready system, dubbed Wilsen. " The idea behind the
Wilsen concept is that we provide sensors that are self-contained, battery-powered and can
communicate via one of many networks, " says the company's Hornis. " We can take one of
these sensors, attach it to a tank in the middle of nowhere and, as long as there's a cell tower
in the vicinity, transmit data. " While there will be an entire family of Wilsen sensors, Wilsen.
sonic.level, a wireless sensor with integrated ultrasonic module for fill level detection, will be
the first technology available in the U.S. this year from this line (Figure 2).
Emerson recently launched a new Location Awareness system (Figure 3) that provides
realtime, safety-focused monitoring of employees. Enabled by WirelessHART Anchors and
battery-operated personnel and asset tags, the system includes geofencing, safety mustering
and man-down alerts. " It allows management to understand where assets and people are in
the plant at any given time to make sure that employees are safe and that management can
send help if there's an issue, " says Emerson's Karschnia.
Yokogawa recently announced the release of its Sencom Smart Adapter SA11 (Figure 4).
The data gathered by the adapter, through an interface mechanism, can be uploaded to the
cloud and used for optimization of plant operations, efficiency and asset management.
ABB Ability Digital Powertrain is a recently launched suite of digital solutions, including sensors,
software and services, combining connectivity and data analytics (Figure 5). " The Digital Powertrain
combines our existing sensing technologies for monitoring motors, bearings, pumps and
drives all in the same portal where users can either analyze a particular element of the system or
take a look from a high level at the complete powertrain, " says ABB's Rdzanek.
Honeywell introduced the SmartLine Wireless Pressure Transmitter (Figure 6), which offers a
flexible, scalable, secure and cost-effective solution for both pressure monitoring and control
when combined with the company's wireless network technology. The OneWireless Network
infrastructure supports two of the leading industrial wireless protocols - ISA100 Wireless and
WirelessHART, providing flexibility when implementing wireless systems.
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retiring workforce, while initiating a
new breed of millennial employees,
says Asheesh Arora, vice president
of the Field Instrument Business
within Honeywell Process Solutions
(Houston; www.honeywellprocess.
com). " Industry 4.0 technologies
allow us to capture information from
the aging workforce while fulfilling
the needs of the new millennials who
would like to have data at their fingertips, "
he says. " Younger engineers
want to spend time using available
data rather than questioning what
the data means. On the other side,
we can capture the knowledge of
the seasoned engineer, digitize and
model it to provide knowledge to the
new workforce before those industry
veterans walk out the door. "
Increased safety is another huge
win currently available thanks to early
Industry 4.0 capabilities. " Safety is a
critical benefit of embracing 4.0 technology, "
says Artur Rdzanek, global
product manager for Sensored Products
with ABB Motors and Mechanical
(Greenville, S.C.; www.abb.com).
" Especially in a chemical plant, there
can be dangerous equipment and
processes where you don't want operators
and maintenance staff going
if they don't have to. Today's sensing
20
technologies coupled with the ability
to send information to computers
and handheld devices reduces the
amount of time that employees need
to be in these hazardous locations,
because they can check the data related
to the machine or the process
from the safety of their PC or device,
as well as know what needs to be
done before they enter the area when
it does become necessary. "
Today's available technologies are
also being applied to improve maintenance.
" The question we are regularly
asked is: 'How can the value
proposition of IIoT be implemented
in daily maintenance and asset management?' "
says Anupam Durani,
BU manager sales and marketing
for Analytical Instruments with Yokogawa
Europe. " IIoT has the potential
to have a dramatic effect in how
maintenance is carried out. It can
allow technicians to diagnose a device
from any location and access
the valuable information to troubleshoot
and solve a problem. Operators
can be notified immediately
whenever an asset fails to operate
within a normal range and receive all
necessary instructions for returning
the asset back into operation. "
In a similar vain, Industry 4.0 is
FIGURE 3. Enabled by WirelessHART Anchors and
battery-operated personnel and asset tags, the
Location Awareness system includes geofencing,
safety mustering and man-down alerts
FIGURE 4. The data gathered
by the Sencom Smart
Adapter, through an interface
mechanism, can be
uploaded to the cloud and
used for optimization
of plant operations,
efficiency and asset
management
Yokogawa
also shining in the arena of overall
plant optimization. Rockwell's Bordelon
says the technology is currently
being used to improve product
quality and asset utilization. " Today's
connected chemical plants have an
entirely new way of doing business.
They know, in real time, when a process
isn't where it needs to be or if
there's a problem with equipment or
unskilled operators causing quality
issues. They have the data to support
continuous improvement engagements
and root cause analysis,
as well as real-time alarms that tell
them how to modify the process to
remove the quality issue or safety
concern. We call it asset utilization
and by using digitization to optimize
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Chemical Engineering May 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering May 2019