
Figure 1. The tanks and the facility are designed in
such a way that it is nearly impossible to remove the solid mass from the
tanks.
A styrene injection-molding company that makes a makes a range of parts for the automotive industry faced a challenge. Each of the molded parts consisted of a different recipe of molding compound ingredients. Each recipe was stored in a tank in a warehouse that is classified as Class I, Division 1. The warehouse housed approximately 14 different storage tanks for different clients.
Orders and volumes fluctuate, and sometimes these compounds are not used for months. Yet if these tanks are not checked or used frequently, the chemicals in the molding compound can start a chain reaction that, over a period of time, can cause the temperature to increase and the compound to solidify. In fact, the injection-molding company had several tanks where the contents turned into a solid mass within the tank.
To make matters worse, the tanks and the facility are designed in such a way that it was nearly impossible to remove the solid mass from the tanks. The only other option was to remove the warehouse roof and physically remove the tanks from the facility. In all practicality, the tanks and all of the compound would have to be scrapped.
To eliminate this potential problem, the company wanted to install a system that would efficiently monitor the tank temperatures and provide an alert whenever a temperature increase was detected. Unfortunately, previous expansions had cluttered the existing facility with cable trays, conduit and other assorted equipment. The company did not have the room to run new wires or conduit. Instead, they wanted a system that was easy to install and expand. In short, the molding company was interested in incorporating a wireless technology that could meet their requirements.

Figure 2. In addition to a self-contained wireless
temperature sensor, the selected system includes a wireless gateway with Modbus
outputs.
After evaluating their options, the molder approached a control system manufacturer for a solution that included only one thermocouple per tank. The control system also included one wireless temperature monitor to oversee a pair of tanks to help eliminate long thermocouple cable runs. This system setup also would provide a good mesh network. Additionally, the system would be intrinsically safe, meeting the Class I, Division 1, requirements.
In addition to a self-contained WirelessHart temperature sensor, the system includes a compatible wireless gateway with Modbus outputs. The gateway is mounted together with a paperless data recorder in a Division 2 area outside of the tank storage facility. The antenna is mounted in the hazardous area and feeds the data to the gateway. The recorder pulls information from the gateway, records the data, and stores it.
Now, historical information is readily available. Another feature of the gateway is that it enables instant access to the data via web interface. Plant personnel can be sitting in a control room, in another area of the plant, or even in their own living room, and log on to the website. From there, they can quickly access the live data and monitor the temperatures in all of the tanks via the gateway’s local web server. Any change in temperature is easily identified and documented.
Additionally, the injection-molding company was interested in replacing certain transmitters on a few of the storage tanks. With WirelessHart adapters, they could easily add these transmitters without interrupting the process, simplifying expansion.

Figure 3. A recorder pulls information from the
gateway, records the data and stores it. The gateway also enables instant
access to the data via a web interface.
Since the monitoring system has been in place, personnel can concentrate on other tasks rather than monitor tank temperatures of unused recipes. The wireless system is set up with alarm outputs notifying personnel of any temperature changes. And, should the injection molder expand the storage facility in the future, the additional tanks can be brought into the current control scheme virtually wire free - all thanks to WirelessHart.
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