Improve Flow Flexibilitiy

8/8/2019 Improve Flow Flexibilitiy

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Technical Publicati

Improve Flow Meter Flexibility and Simplify Maintenance

By Combining Wired and Wireless TechnologiesBy Gerardo Vargas, Electronics Design Engineer,

Fluid Components International



Tech Article

Improve Flow Meter Flexibility and Simplify MaintenanceBy Combining Wired and Wireless Technologies

By Gerardo Vargas, Electronics Design Engineer, Fluid Components International

While wireless technology has grown rapidlyin terms of devices, functionality andavailability in the consumer and commercialelectronics markets, the wireless revolutionis today a bit further behind in terms of adoption in the process control markets.Reliability and security remain primary

concerns for adoption in critical productionprocess measurement and controlapplications, including flow. The industriallandscape, however, is changing asavailability of wireless control systems,networking products and field devicesincrease and as industry standards becomea reality.

Some market analysts predict the demandfor wireless communication in theautomation industry to grow more than 25percent per year over the next 3 to 5 years.Many of the applications will revolve around

monitoring, data collection andprogramming. The known industry concernsabout reliability and data security arebarriers to wider adoption that wirelesstechnology developers will continue to try toovercome and no doubt strengthen their products.

If you’ve been thinking that wirelesstechnology for process control is still too far away or not as reliable as you would like for critical or hazardous applications in your plant, there’s a new reason that you might

still want to evaluate it. Now you can get thebest of both the “wired” and “wireless” worldin a flow meter that let’s you read and sendflow data with high reliability of conventionalhard wire communications while at the sametime simplifying maintenance and other routine tasks with wireless technology.

Fig 1—ST50 Wireless Flow Meter

With this approach, you won’t achieve themajor cost advantage of wireless—eliminating the wire and reducing installationlabor—but you will get the flexibility and

portability advantages of wireless whilemaintaining a high reliability operatingenvironment. Employing a dual combinationof wired/wireless flow measurement givesyou the best of both technologies. At thesame time, you’ll be gaining experience withwireless technology for potential futureapplication in your plant.

This dual technology approach is likely togain traction with many field devices, wherethere is a need for local technicianmonitoring, trouble-shooting and/or

maintenance of the device at the point of installation. It is particularly effective for devices installed in crowded, hard-to-reachareas or when access is unsafe and willsave field technician’s time and improvetheir safety.

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How A Wired/Wireless Flow Meter Works

The newest generation of mass flow meters,such as FCI’s Models ST50 and ST75,come with conventional hard-wired 4-20mAanalog outputs and an RS232C serial I/Ocommunication link, and they offer anoptional built-in wireless infrared (IR) link.The hard-wired 4-20mA signal and serial I/Oprovide well established and highly reliablemeans of communicating the process flowdata to the DCS and control room.

The IR link provides both an auxiliary devicefor reading the same measured data as wellas access to the electronics for set-up andsystem diagnostics at the field installation.This replaces the need and eliminates theextra cost for an on-board keyboard,hardwired PC or custom field device to gain

access to the flow meter. The IR linkcommunicates with any Palm-0S-basedpersonal digital assistant (PDA). With thewireless IR link, the PDA facilitates theperformance of a wide range of commonflow meter tasks, such as:

• Field Readings of Measurements

• Changing configuration settings

• Reviewing self-diagnostic codes

• Downloading calibration updates

With a PDA and a wireless flow meter, you

are free to view measurementsindependently in the field any time andwithout any disruption to the flow meter’snormal operation or hardwired 4-20mAsignal output You may need to adjust your process, which might mean updating theconfiguration settings on your flow meter.All readings as well as any adjustments or changes can be done easily from a distancewithout ladders, scaffolds, or even openingthe enclosure, with a few clicks on the PDAvia the wireless IR link.

Trouble-shooting is another potentialapplication of wireless flow meter technology. To resolve some problems in aprocess, field technicians must haveaccurate flow data at their fingertips.Sometimes, it can be really handy for amaintenance technician to obtain local,instant flow measurement data. This alsoeliminates the need for remote displays,

ancillary readout devices and additional longwiring runs to suitable viewing locations.

Fig 2—ST75 Wireless Flow Meter

If the field technician wants to test andvalidate the flow meter, the wireless PDAprovides a list of instrument self-diagnosticcodes that can simplify resolution of the

issue. Routine factory calibration updatesalso can be downloaded directly from thefactory and delivered to the flow meter without removing it from service or openingthe device’s enclosure.

Choosing A Flow Meter

In selecting a wired or a wireless flow meter for any application, the first step is choosingthe appropriate flow technology. There aremultiple flow sensing technologies available,and the major ones now include:

• Differential Pressure

• Positive Displacement

• Turbine

• Electro Magnetic

• Ultrasonic

• Vortex Shedding

• Thermal (Mass)

• Coriolis (Mass)

All these technologies have their advantages/disadvantages, depending onthe media (air, liquid, gas or steam) and

your application’s requirements. Some maybe the only choice in certain media for your application. By looking at these factors, aswell as your plant’s layout, environmentalconditions, maintenance schedules, energycost and ROI, you will quickly be able tonarrow the field to one or two best choices.When looking at any flow technology, after

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you consider the media, there are severalother factors to always consider:

• Accuracy and repeatability

• Plant environment

• Installation requirements

•

Maintenance and life

Accuracy and Repeatability. You need toknow the accuracy, repeatability and flowrange of the flow meter that you plan to use.The specifications for these parameters inwater, air or a specific gas are provided bymost manufacturers. For example a typicalair flow meter, such as FCI’s insertion-style,thermal mass ST50 Series, operates in air over a flow range from 1.5 to 150 SFPS(0.46 to 46 NMPS) with an accuracy of +2%of reading, +0.5% of full scale, with arepeatability of +0.5% of reading.

You’ll want to be sure that the accuracy,repeatability and flow range in themanufacturer’s specification aligns with your process media. Accuracy and range can bedifferent in water, air or gas. Don’t forget tocheck out a flow meter’s repeatabilityspecification, which tells you how reliably thedevice will maintain its specified accuracylevel.

Plant Environment. Your plant’s operatingconditions can play a major role in accurate

flow measurement. When consideringfactors such as climate (hot/cold extremes),specific process requirements for humiditylevels, etc., you will find that some flowmeasurement technologies are better ableover time to measure extremely low flowsaccurately, deal with wide swings in flowvolume (turn-downs) and pressure drop.

In addition, your flow meter’s packaging andelectronics housings can widely vary.Where a plastic housing may be fine for protected and climate controlled indoor applications, a rugged, metal andappropriately rated NEMA/IP enclosure willensure longest service life in non-climatecontrolled or outdoor applications.

Installation Requirements. Some flowmeters are more straightforward than otherswhen it comes to installation. Be sure to askif the flow device can be inserted directlyinto the process pipe or if it requires aninline configuration that will require you tocut and splice your pipes in multiple places.The more penetrations required into thepipeline or duct-work the greater the risk of pressure drop and increase in thecomplexity and overall cost of the installation

Some flow measurement devices featureminimally invasive or non-intrusive sensingtechnology, which make them much easier to install and require the least amount of installation time and labor cost.

Wireless Flow Meters—The Future?

If for no other reason than simplifyingtroubleshooting and maintenance for flowmeters that are in difficult to reach or hazardous locations, a flow meter withwireless capability is worth considering for

your next flow meter retrofit or upgrade.The use of dual wired/wireless configurationfield devices is a practical solution in manyflow and other sensing or monitoringapplications where high reliability is a major requirement.

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Improve Flow Flexibilitiy