Krohne, a global manufacturer and provider of process instrumentation services, has introduced Optibar PSM 1010 and Optibar PSM 2010 ultra-compact pressure switches for absolute and gauge pressure measurement in gases and liquids.

Both devices aim at basic automation applications such as hydrostatic level measurement in open tanks, dry-run protection of delivery pumps or pressure monitoring of compressors, hydraulic and pneumatic systems. Target industries include food and beverage, water and wastewater, environmental and OEM process equipment applications with restricted installation space.

The new switches feature a 2-axis (multi-rotatable) display and adjustment module, a robust construction (IP67), and fully configurable communication outputs for all possible configurations: IO-Link and PNP/NPN as standard I/O, and 4…20 mA, 0...10 V or NPN/PNP as secondary output. Both devices offer excellent temperature stability due to advanced digital compensation.

Krohne’s new ultra-compact pressure switches with IO-Link

Optibar PSM 1010 is suitable for liquids and gases from 0.1...600 bar / 1.5...8700 psi with process temperatures up to +125-degC / +257-degF and excellent overload resistance.

Optibar PSM 2010 aims at hygienic applications in the food and beverage industry from 0.1…40 bar / 4…580 psi and max. +150C / +302F. Its hygienic construction features a fully welded front-flush diaphragm to meet the most stringent industrial requirements in terms of crevice-free installation with several 3A approved process connections.

FACILITATING IOT

Meanwhile, Krohne, one of the market leaders in the process industry, has developed an integrated, easy-to-use solution to take advantage of the increased number of IoT sensors and equipment increasingly installed by default in brownfield industrial sites around the world.

Together with Phoenix Contact and Software AG, Krohne has developed a scalable, secure best-of-breed solution: the OT-IT bridge. It brings diagnostic information and process measurement values onto IoT platforms with minimal additional effort. Each partner contributes its specific knowledge: Krohne as a long-standing manufacturer of solutions for process instrumentation, Phoenix Contact with its expertise in OT connectivity and automation technology, and Software AG as one of the global market leaders for integration platforms as well as IoT and analytics solutions for enterprises, said a statement.

Leveraging NOA (Namur Open Architecture) and OPC UA, the OT-IT Bridge paves the way to deliver Process Industry 4.0 stakeholders are pushing to deliver in the quest for ongoing optimisation, it said.

Frank Janssens, Vice President, Krohne Middle East and Africa, said: “As a family company with over a century of expertise to draw upon, Krohne still sees the value of collaboration. By bringing together best in class technological partners we are able to deliver what our valued customers expect: high quality data-driven solutions that maintain the security and safety aspects crucial to mission critical industrial plants around the world. The OT-IT Bridge enables forward-thinking companies to take full advantage of technology in place today and futureproof their diagnostic setups for years to come.”

In designing the solution, the first priority was that plant availability, reliability and safety - both cyber security and functional safety - must remain top priorities. For this reason, the partners consider the NOA concept to be a suitable basis for realising OT-IT integration and having the necessary data available in the future to solve Industry 4.0 use cases.

In the future, users can exploit the potential that process instrumentation with HART or fieldbus interfaces already offers, in addition to the primary measured process value, almost all Krohne instruments transmit diagnostic information regarding their status as well as other process values via the digital HART protocol.

In addition to the flow rate, for example, electromagnetic flowmeters acquire the conductivity, which allows conclusions about build-ups in the pipeline. This can be used for predictive maintenance, for example if the build-up poses a risk of damaging a pump. Coriolis mass flowmeters also determine the gas bubble content and also provide density and concentration measurements. In level measurement, sensors provide information on foaming. Also, pressure or temperature sensors are additionally integrated into various process instruments for different parameters.

The OT-IT interface solution implemented by Krohne, Phoenix Contact and Software AG provides this additional information via the OPC UA protocol. Via the OPC UA interface of a field controller from Phoenix Contact, the data is transferred through the OT-IT bridge to the Software AG platform. This makes the data for example available for analysis, monitoring and optimisation. At the same time, it offers an easy possibility to tap into the great potential of existing plants with components and software tools available today, it said.

Founded in 1921 and headquartered in Duisburg, Germany, Krohne offers local contacts for instrumentation projects of any size in over 100 countries. It is an independent family-owned business, fully owned by the Rademacher-Dubbick family.

Operating in the Middle East & Africa region, Krohne delivers high-quality measurement solutions across key industries such as Oil & Gas, Water & Waste Water Management, Metal & Mining, Power and Chemical plants.