Industrial sensor solutions - Improving industrial gas-operation safety with a new intelligent solution

Increasing insight and convenience is only part of the IoT revolution, with many operating companies turning to technology to improve safety. One oil-and-gas customer sought a solution to proactively warn workers of gas cylinders that were not connected correctly during the refilling process.

Increasing insight and convenience is only part of the IoT revolution, with many operating companies turning to technology to improve safety. One oil-and-gas customer sought a solution to proactively warn workers of gas cylinders that were not connected correctly during the refilling process.

The existing mechanical solution was reliable but did not provide any fail-safe mechanisms or intelligence to operators. The refilling process operated in a harsh, industrial environment, demanding a design that was both reliable and robust.

With technology getting smaller and more efficient, there was an opportunity to replace the ageing design with a new digital solution; however, there were still significant challenges to achieve this. Power consumption was a critical factor, as it would need to operate for three to five years on a single battery.

The new design also needed to fit into the same space as the old, analogue solution, requiring compact components. There was also the option of adding wireless connectivity to the design, further enhancing safety and operational insight, with LoRaWAN™ technology ideally suited to this low-power, low-data, compact design.

Supporting the integration of a compact solution

Working with the customer and our partner supplier Honeywell, we identified a low-power, magnetic switch sensor that matched the requirements of the application. The compact solution enabled two sensors to be integrated into the cylinder connector design, enabling the customer to monitor both the connection between the feed line and cylinder and control the valve in the feedline. Along with Honeywell, we further supported the customer with simulation software to review the design’s operation and performance digitally.

This support reduced the customer’s development period from several months of trial-and-error testing to just a few weeks of computer-aided prototyping and enhancement. Thanks to this comprehensive technical support, the project is ahead of schedule and physical prototypes are currently being tested.

Turning great ideas into a customer success

Using our specialist technology portfolio and a pan-European team of technical experts, we have enabled thousands of designs to be realised, pushing many sectors and markets to new boundaries. The most important thing for us is to work with you to find the right solution for your requirements.

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Please contact us to discuss your requirements. We ensure your solutions are ahead of the curve with market-leading technology and total design support. Our competence centres across Europe are home to leading specialists in their respective fields, and we look forward to helping you with your next challenge.