Cooling water
In process cooling, IoT continuously records the flow, temperature and pressure of cooling water. Leaks and declining cooling performance are detected before motors overheat or the cooling circuit shuts down.
Cooling water at a glance
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Process cooling: monitor cooling water and catch leaks early
In the ifm solution example, two flow sensors sit in the supply and return lines of a cooling circuit, and an IO-Link master on the internal network passes the values to the moneo cloud. The difference between the two flows should be zero but fluctuates considerably in practice, so static limit values are of little use. The AI-based moneo PatternMonitor uses statistical methods to detect trends, level shifts and changes in volatility. A level shift points to a leak, even if it does not occur directly at a measuring point. Via MQTT or OPC UA, the data reaches AWS, Azure or SAP, and the SFI interface triggers spare part orders and maintenance orders in SAP PM. In hydropower plants, ifm sensors monitor the pressure, temperature and flow of the coolant on turbines and generators.
The examples come from metal and electronics and from energy and environment, with use cases such as flow and temperature measurement in condition monitoring. Compagnia Valdostana delle Acque (CVA) has equipped its Valpelline plant in the Aosta Valley with vibration sensors and sensors for coolant pressure and temperature. At its Covalou site, flow is added. CVA now only carries out on-site checks when the online systems indicate a fault. Standardised sensors across all plants have also reduced the number and variety of spare parts in stock.
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Process cooling: frequently asked questions
How can a leak in a machine cooling system be detected?
A leak shows up when less cooling water arrives in the return line than flows into the supply line. One flow sensor each in the supply and return lines measures this. Because the difference fluctuates considerably around zero in practice, ifm evaluates it statistically with the AI assistant moneo PatternMonitor. This also detects small leaks that do not occur directly at the sensor, as well as damage to hoses and caps.
Why does industrial cooling water heat up when there is a leak?
When cooling water escapes, the quantity in the circuit decreases and the remaining liquid heats up more. If the temperature rise is not detected, or detected too late, an overheated motor and the failure of entire installations are the risk. That is why the temperature and quantity of the coolant belong together on the dashboard. At CVA, sensors also monitor coolant pressure on turbines and generators.
What happens in an industrial cooling system when cooling water is lost?
If the amount of cooling water falls, cooling performance declines, energy costs rise and machine components can overheat. If too much cooling water escapes, the cooling circuit shuts down completely because the pump can no longer maintain pressure in the system. Escaping coolant can also damage machines and creates a slipping hazard for staff. Monitoring reports the loss before litres of liquid have escaped.
How is a cooling water system connected to maintenance processes?
The cooling water system's readings are processed in an IIoT platform and passed on from there to maintenance systems. At ifm, moneo exports the data via common protocols to AWS, Azure or SAP. Via the SFI interface, a warning can automatically trigger follow-up processes, from ordering spare parts to creating a maintenance order in SAP PM. Existing sensors can continue to be used.
More assets in “Fluids & Gases”
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Drinking water
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Groundwater
Groundwater monitoring with IoT measures levels automatically and transmits them by radio to a platform. Authorities, utilities, construction sites and businesses with their own well replace manual measurements and are alerted to critical water levels or pump faults.
Wastewater
Wastewater flow measurement, levels and water quality can be recorded with IoT directly at pipes, basins and discharge points. Operators see wastewater volumes in real time, respond faster to faults and meet reporting obligations without daily sampling.
Molten metal
In foundry melting and vacuum metallurgy, IoT continuously records the melt pool, fill level, temperature and pressure of molten metal. Deviations show up before a batch becomes unusable or a furnace runs empty.
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