Goodbye Transmitters! New Sensor Technology Offers Safe and Reliable Operation

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Smartsens offers a safe alternative here, as all Smartsens sensors are digital by design and can be calibrated and recalibrated offline, under controlled conditions, in a laboratory. The sensors save the calibration data and can be easily installed back at the respective measurement point. Offline calibration can be performed by connecting the sensors to a PC via the Hart USB interface, which energizes the sensor and carries out the bidirectional Hart 7 communication. The PC uses the same Pactware (FDT/DTM) user interface as the asset management system. Benefits with respect to safety and reliability: By leveraging the controlled conditions in a laboratory, offline calibration offers a high level of reproducibility, reliable measurement accuracy, and a substantial cost advantage due to the fact that the sensor's service life is extended by 200 to 400 percent.

Open System Solution for Sensor Technology

Designed, approved, and certified for explosion hazard zones (up to zone 0) and hygienic applications in particular, Smartsens sensors are equally well suited to other industries. Applications range from ultra-pure water to drinking water and from chemical substances to waste water. The sensors will be initially introduced for pH, redox, and conductivity parameters, with additional parameters to follow. Smartsens sensors were developed with a view to the installed basis present at the user and mechanically fit into 98 percent of process fittings as determined in a study involving more than 2,500 such fittings conducted by Krohne. The Smartsens portfolio comprises a limited number of electrodes that, despite their small variety, represent what is currently possible from a technology and quality perspective. The units are also attractively priced thanks to large-scale production - in addition, the manufacturer offers a whole range of accessories..

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Together with the sensor family, Krohne likewise offers a large selection of accessories, including current-loop fed displays, Hart USB interface cables, fittings, and a dual-wire transmitter. These components are also available for IECEx zones 1 and 2.

Additional Information

INTERVIEW

Extending Service Life by 400 Percent

For Dr. Wolfgang Babel, Managing Director at Krohne Analytics, calibrating analytical sensors offline is the topic and one of the main reasons why Smartsens technology is more than just an evolution.

Dr. Babel, what is actually important to users when it comes to analytical sensors? Investment costs?

Babel: Not at all. Users know exactly what costs are involved. Today, when a manufacturer introduces a new sensor, the initial investment is not the most important aspect considered, but instead the maintenance costs. The user asks himself what the sensor really costs down the road, because he’s thinking of having to “discard and replace it a dozen or more times”.

Offline calibration and the benefits it offers are closely linked to maintenance. A little persuasion is required in this regard ...

Babel: Offline calibration is the topic for me. Several customers, in particular larger ones such as Bayer and Lanxess, are very well aware of the benefits of this option. A lot of other customers, however, still don’t know what offline calibration can offer. Many say that they do not have the logistics required for such a setup. Explaining the benefits of offline calibration to the market can be real missionary work at times. The fact of the matter is that offline calibration extends the service life of sensors by up to 400 percent!

Now that’s a statement! Why is this?

Babel: It’s quite simple. When you’re in the field standing on a ladder with your buffers and cleaning fluid and have to recalibrate your electrodes in the elements, you make mistakes. You’d be surprised at what can happen! With offline calibration, you bring the sensors to the laboratory and start by cleaning the diaphragm and regenerating the ion-selective glass. This is followed by the calibration routine, which is performed under factory conditions. These are the reasons why such sensors suddenly need to be calibrated only every three months instead of on a monthly basis, or why they can be discarded quarterly and no longer every month or even every two weeks. Many customers are not yet aware of this.

An Overall Analytical Sensor System that Eliminates the Need for Transmitters

In summary, Smartsens analytical sensors realize safety and reliability along the measurement chain, from the sensor through to the PLC, in a way that no other sensor can currently match in an analytical measurement application. Krohne developed the family not only as a line of sensors, but also as a well-rounded overall system that is easy for customers to use and considerably reduces potential sources of error. The Smartsens was developed entirely by Krohne and allows the manufacturer of measurement tools and technology to do away with the majority of weaknesses associated with classic analytical measurement points.

* The author is Managing Director of Krohne Analytics GmbH, Duisburg/Germany.Contact: Phone +49-203-301-0

(ID:39602340)

Analytical Sensors

Goodbye Transmitters! New Sensor Technology Offers Safe and Reliable Operation

Open System Solution for Sensor Technology

An Overall Analytical Sensor System that Eliminates the Need for Transmitters