A wireless remote monitoring and analysis system for compressed air consumption is improving efficiency in a steel factory. The system tracks crucial data from compressor, dryer and filter units situated at three locations within the facility. By utilising LoRaWAN technology, the solution enables real-time, centralised monitoring, analysis and early detection of maintenance needs.
Common challenges in factory monitoring
Challenges in factory monitoring include:
- Geographical dispersion and distance: Components like pipelines and monitoring points (compressors, dryers filters) are spread across different zones, making wired solutions impractical.
- High cabling costs and complexity: Establishing physical cable connections across vast distances for data transmission is expensive, complex and time-consuming.
- Signal obstruction: Industrial settings, such as those that are enclosed or dense with metal, often disrupt traditional wireless communication signals.
- Need for centralised management: Monitoring systems spread across large areas often lack a unified, real-time platform for centralised data analysis and alarm management.
Overcoming the challenges
The system solution includes SUTO flow meters to measure key consumption metrics including flow rate, temperature, pressure, velocity, dew point and power consumption. An Advantech WISE-2200 module is connected to the SUTO flow meters and collects data via Modbus/RTU.
A WISE-6610 V2 gateway receives the wireless LoRaWAN data , aggregates it centrally, and can handle data from up to 500 different points. The gateway features a built-in Node-RED environment for executing logic and algorithms at the edge. It also supports data transmission to software platforms using protocols like WebService, MQTT and ModbusTCP.
Using S4M Software, all measurements are monitored in real time via analysis features like graphs, trends and alarm management.
Overview of the system architecture
This compressed air monitoring system uses a distributed sensor network, beginning with measurement points like compressor units, filters and a dryer, which are equipped with SUTO flow meters and dew point sensors to capture metrics such as wet air, power and dew point. The data is collected by an edge node via Modbus RTU through the WISE-2200, then transmitted wirelessly over the long-range LoRaWAN protocol to the central WISE-6610 V2 gateway. The gateway then relays the collected data using Ethernet to a central monitoring software (S4M), which provides real-time analysis, graphing, and alarm management functions.
Key benefits of the system
The benefits of the system include:
- Significant cost savings: Wireless LoRaWAN communication eliminates expensive cabling, resulting in substantial cost reductions.
- Enhanced coverage and reliability: LoRaWAN offers high coverage with low interference. The system maintains a stable connection, communicating wirelessly over 300–400 meters even in metal-dense environments.
- Centralized real-time management: Data from large, spread-out areas is monitored in real time from a single platform, allowing for advanced detection of maintenance needs.
- Scalability and flexibility: The flexible, distributed architecture supports multi-sensor systems and is scalable, with the WISE-6610 supporting data from up to 500 different points.
- Easy deployment: Components feature a compact, industrial-grade design for easy, plug-and-play installation suitable for diverse environments
The successful implementation of this Advantech and SUTO system leveraging LoRaWAN demonstrates a highly effective model for Industrial IoT applications. By overcoming the challenges of distance and cabling in large-scale industrial settings, the system provides essential real-time data for optimising compressed air efficiency and streamlining maintenance operations. This approach validates LoRaWAN as a strategic, cost-effective and robust communication technology for comprehensive industrial monitoring.
ESIS Industrial Electronics offers a range of industrial computing solutions, including rugged tablets, data loggers, industrial displays, integrated computing platforms and programmable interfaces for direct PLC integration. Talk to us about your project requirements, and solutions to keep business operations running efficiently.
Article Courtesy of Advantech.
