Piping network

Pressure sensors at the measuring points send their values by radio to a platform that raises an alarm when limits are breached. In the district heating networks equipped by WIKA, the smart pressure sensor reports a pressure drop below the limit directly to the platform, and the technician sees the system status and initiates action. According to WIKA, a fault is detected within 30 minutes of occurring at the latest, rather than only when a customer calls.

Corrosion under insulation can be monitored through the moisture between pipe and insulation. KAEFER and ML!PA install sensor strips directly between the pipe and the insulation that measure moisture across the entire surface. A line test sensor detects short circuits in the strips, and the data is sent via IEEE 802.15.4 radio to an edge device and on to the cloud. The hardware is designed to ATEX requirements and is suitable for hazardous areas.

Pressure, level and temperature sensors deliver their values via an IIoT gateway to a cloud platform that reports deviations. At the Nesensohn small hydropower plant in Austria, digifai integrated level measurement, temperature recording and penstock monitoring into a central monitoring system. A Revolution Pi RevPi Connect collects the sensor data, an intelligent alarm system informs the operator, and industrial cameras complement the monitoring. Machine learning detects trends and deviations early.

Wireless pressure sensors are worthwhile when many measuring points are widely distributed or hard to reach. Network operators used to have to wire each measuring point individually; today, battery-powered WIKA devices connect them via LoRaWAN or mioty with little time and cost. For concrete pumps, by contrast, Perinet chose Single Pair Ethernet, which allows higher sampling rates and works reliably even with strong vibration, dust and extreme temperatures.