Endress + Hauser is offering a comprehensive 'tooling' concept, initially developed in close connection with its new PROline range of flowmeters, that covers the entire life cycle of the measuring point.
Life cycle management of any capital equipment on a process plant is coming under much closer scrutiny in modern plant design. The capital cost of any equipment, including instrumentation, can be just a small amount of the total lifetime cost. Modern measuring instruments are expected not only to perform better with less maintenance, but manufacturers of these instruments are expected to have techniques for checking and verifying the performance of them with minimal effort and disruption to the process.
As a next step to verifying an instrument's performance on a periodic basis, it is also a good idea to predict any failure that is likely to occur. Predictive maintenance is much less expensive than unplanned maintenance from the failure of a critical instrument.
Of the maintenance work carried out today, 30% is unnecessary preventative maintenance while more than 60% is corrective maintenance work that takes place after the problem occurs. Unplanned maintenance, which can result in plant shutdowns due to a failed instrument, can be extremely expensive. Both these types of maintenance can be greatly reduced with new approaches such as predictive maintenance through instrument 'advanced diagnostics'. Investment in instrumentation and software with these facilities can be seen as a type of insurance, with which the plant downtime can be reduced, keeping production costs to a minimum and therefore profits as high as possible.
Based upon these user demands, the new Endress + Hauser complete 'tooling' concept comprises three different components that support the complete life cycle management from the planning stage, throughout commissioning, right through to periodic and predictive maintenance.
The three components include Applicator, a selection and sizing tool initially for all Endress + Hauser flow products; FieldTool, a software package for verification, configuration and diagnostics; and FieldCheck, a checking and simulation tool.
The Applicator design tool has been supplemented by a number of innovative features and also provides an easy to operate selection aid, which enables the user to find the best suitable measuring instrument for any type of application quickly and efficiently simply by providing rough process details.
Applicator is based on a completely database-oriented structure, where the evaluation of the databases is performed and contained in the user platform. All other information is held in an instrument database, a fluid database and a standards database. Changes or additions of instrument structures or specifications are updated quickly and easily in the respective databases and are instantly available to the user.
Applicator is designed for operation on the Internet and updates of databases are possible with a simple Internet connection. This ensures the calculations are up to date at all times. Additional modules for project management and chemical compatibility turn the Applicator into a complete engineering tool.
The FieldTool service/configuration software was also developed in line with Endress + Hauser's PROline concept. The result is a modular structured tool that incorporates functions that can be tailored according to customer requirements. The FieldTool software considers the configuration structure of the measuring instrument and works with known navigation aids (MS Explorer).
Working with FieldTool requires a service interface (FXA193), with which a PC is connected to the service port in the terminal chamber of the measuring instrument. A fast Endress + Hauser-specific protocol is used to gain quick access to configuration and measuring data.
FieldTool comprises of various modules. FieldCon is the basic module that enables the configuration of the measuring point with the same access possibilities as on-site operation through the local interface. Additional modules include FieldServ, FieldView with recording and logging capabilities, FieldSafe that analyses flowmeter performance for predictive maintenance purposes, and FieldSim and Field Check.
FieldSim and FieldCheck enable the control of the new simulator tool, FieldCheck, along with validating the measuring point, including documentation for tracking.
FieldCheck, successor to the Flowjack sensor simulator, is a validation tool for the checking of the entire measuring point. With the support of intelligent check routines in the transmitter, it is also possible to perform a verification of the sensor. The test results are stored in the FieldCheck and can be archived, documented and compared with FieldTool. Comparisons of validations can be conducted over a period of several years providing valuable references to the customer for regular calibration checks.
FieldCheck can only be used with the PROline instrument generation, namely Coriolis and electromagnetic flowmeters. Vortex, ultrasonic and thermal mass flowmeters will be compatible in the near future.
For more information contact Romeo Rocchetti, Endress+Hauser, 011 262 8000, [email protected]
| Tel: | +27 11 262 8000 |
| Fax: | +27 11 262 8062 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.endress.com |
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