The tech industry figured out long ago that if a product goes more places and does more things, the market will find it. Smartphones and laptops are getting smaller and more functional, and wearable tech like smart watches is continuing the trend toward mobile convenience. Recently, smart wireless technology made a big splash in the field of process instrumentation.
VEGA introduced a version of its Plicscom display and adjustment module that features Bluetooth technology. This innovation represents a major step forward for process display and adjustment. The new Plicscom with Bluetooth increases operator safety and convenience, while at the same time keeping plant data safe and secure.
A new version of an old favourite
Plicscom display modules are nothing new in the process instrumentation world. In fact, they have been on the market since 2002 when VEGA introduced the plics instrument platform. Plicscom displays are famous for their modularity, a quick 90° turn allows users to move the same small display puck from instrument to instrument within a facility. This mobility is especially important when combined with Plicscom’s exclusive copy function. Simply put, a display can store a vessel’s measurement parameters and copy those parameters to the next vessel. Operators in facilities with many vessels, therefore, only have to set up one instrument – Plicscom does the rest. Vessel setup may only take a few minutes, but in applications with scores of tanks, those few minutes add up to several hours. The Plicscom copy function saves users a significant amount of time.
The system has also been heralded for its ease of use. The digital module is faster to adjust than HART displays, and its four-key operation pairs nicely with a clear, graphic-capable display for simple use. It even contains integrated lighting, and the heated version is designed to perform in low-temperature applications. Operators in need of various measurements across multiple industries have been pleased with the performance for over ten years, but Plicscom with Bluetooth is bound to open up a new world of possibilities for the display and adjustment of all plics sensors.
Safety first
Process instruments are used in some dangerous places. Grain, flour and commercial animal feed are often stored in silos well over 25 metres high. Making the best use of space and getting an accurate level reading typically means installing a radar sensor at the top of the silo. This puts operators in a dangerous position when they want to make onsite adjustments, as they have to climb a narrow ladder while carrying a heavy backpack full of equipment. When they finally reach the top, they still have to cable their laptop into the sensor and manually make adjustments without falling, or letting their equipment take a long tumble to the ground. The process can be exhausting, time-consuming, and dangerous.
Refineries, chemical plants, and aggregate facilities are home to outdoor tanks and vessels that need monitoring and adjustment. Unfortunately for the people working at these facilities, that often means fighting the elements. Dust, rain, strong wind, extreme temperatures, and even snow are common environmental challenges faced in the process industry. Operators at outdoor plants often have to brave rough weather to keep the enterprise running at optimal efficiency.
The new Plicscom with Bluetooth helps to minimise these dangers, and in many cases eliminates them completely. Operators can now wirelessly connect to devices from a smartphone or tablet via the VEGA Tools app. The app, with an interface that looks nearly identical to PACTware/DTM software, allows users to check the measurements of a particular vessel and make minor adjustments from the safety and comfort of an indoor control area or a vehicle. Operable from a distance of approximately 24 metres, the app shows the device type, serial number and tag number of measurement instruments in range, the same way a smartphone connects to wireless headphones or speakers. For a quick check of diagnostics or a look at current tank levels, Plicscom with Bluetooth is extremely convenient.
For a complete picture of what is happening in a vessel, and the power to make complex, granular modifications, plant operators can connect remotely via laptop using a Bluetooth Smart USB adaptor. With this simple and fast connection, users can configure their process as usual with the established PACTware and DTM drivers, but now they can do it from a safe, comfortable place.
Use in Ex areas
Working in an explosive atmosphere adds an extra layer of complexity to modular adjustment. For obvious safety reasons, the law requires plants to contain fires and explosions as much as possible in these hazardous locations. Typically, operators are mandated to use flameproof measurement sensors to remain legally compliant, and they are compelled to leave sensor lids closed until they obtain the proper authorisations and permits. Additionally, the law often prohibits commercial-grade laptops, smartphones, and tablets from use in Ex areas. VEGA has developed a solution for this problem as well.
Every Plicscom module with Bluetooth ships with a magnetic pen specifically for use in Ex areas. The pen can make adjustments through the window of a closed housing. In difficult, dirty environments, the magnetic pen allows users to get close to a sensor and make modifications without removing their gloves. Best of all, keeping the housing lid closed during adjustment means hot work permits are unnecessary, saving plants money, time and stress.
A secure connection
Data security is of the utmost importance in the digital age. The free flow of information across wireless networks demands companies of all kinds to erect digital fortresses to protect themselves from hackers and cyber criminals. Plicscom with Bluetooth is armed with two shields of data security. The first is a PIN that synchronises an individual device with the VEGA Tools app, similar to what one would input to open a safe or to access a checking account at an ATM. Authorised users have the ability to change the PIN at any time to maximise security. The second line of defence is encryption software that keeps unapproved users from accessing data. This dual-approach to data security keeps process information in trusted hands.
The future is now
VEGA’s Plicscom with Bluetooth moves process instrument display and adjustment technology into the 21st Century. Wireless connection to plics instruments brings safety, mobility and convenience to users in all industries. Instruments installed in challenging locations and applications vulnerable to weather or hazardous area environments are easier to reach than ever before. Users are not even required to buy new sensors to use Plicscom with Bluetooth. The module is backwards compatible with the entire installed base of more than 1,5 million plics sensors in use around the globe. Plicscom with Bluetooth is just the latest way VEGA is looking forward.
For more information contact Chantal Groom, VEGA Controls SA, +27 (0)11 795 3249, chantal.groom@vega.com, www.vega.com
| Tel: | +27 11 795 3249 |
| Email: | info.za@vega.com |
| www: | www.vega.com/en/home_za |
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