Always at the ready
The Netilion IIoT ecosystem enables real-time, remote access to data from the field. And with digital services, users can immediately leverage this new transparency for optimized plant operation and maintenance.
For centuries, agricultural land in the Swiss canton of Valais has been irrigated via open channels. Known as bisses, they divert water from mountain streams to the pastures, farms and orchards of the villages below. The Bisse d’Ayent traverses 11 kilometers and 500 meters in altitude. Up until recently, this posed something of a challenge for monitoring. But the channel’s operators now have a digital solution that spares them those long treks and unpleasant surprises: a level sensor that tracks water volumes around the clock. Operators can access the readings directly from their smartphones, so they can run checks from afar.
Rapid benefits
This smart solution is powered by Endress+Hauser’s Netilion IIoT ecosystem. “It provides remote, around-the-clock access to process and key device data from field instruments. This transparency means plant operators can rapidly reap the benefits of digitalization,” says Bernd Krehoff, chief product owner for software at Endress+Hauser. The plant’s sensors send measurement information and other data to the Netilion Cloud via a dedicated secure channel. There, the data is linked to the instruments’ digital twins and used to provide digital services. Operators can draw on these services to manage the instruments in their plants, access measurements and look up diagnostic data to check their sensors for correct functioning. And in the event of faults, they have ready access to all the necessary instrument documentation.
“The water & wastewater industry, in particular, is a leading adopter of Netilion. Remote monitoring of offsite measuring points, or even entire water networks, improves efficiency and quality while also reducing costs,” says Krehoff. But classic process industry plants, with their hundreds or even thousands of sensors, are catching up. “Here, Netilion can greatly simplify maintenance of the installed base and increase plant uptime.”
Smart services
The Netilion IIoT ecosystem includes seven digital services. Netilion Value gives plant operators access to measurement data and can send threshold alerts. With Netilion Analytics, users can digitally map and manage every plant asset. Netilion Health detects changes in device health status and determines any action needed. Netilion Library is a file management service that organizes documents related to plant instrumentation. Netilion Inventory allows users anywhere to monitor fill levels in mobile and decentralized containers and tanks. Netilion Network Insights is a service for monitoring and optimizing water networks. And Netilion Liquiline Assist helps with the operation and maintenance of liquid analysis measuring points.
Large process plants of the kind typical in the chemical industry have hundreds of measuring instruments – often in hardto-reach places.
Verification without process interruption
Dutch company Nouryon, a global leader in specialty chemicals, shows what this looks like in practice. Previously, the technical maintenance crew at its Herkenbosch site had to head out into the field to troubleshoot problems. But for some time now, they have been able to monitor the condition of all their instruments in real time using Netilion Health. They can also use this service to initiate inline instrument verifications. All communicate via the HART protocol, so verification can be performed without removing the instruments from the line or stopping any processes. As a result, Nouryon has been able to optimize its maintenance procedures and calibration cycles and avoid unplanned downtime.
Ninety percent of the plant in Herkenbosch is equipped with Endress+Hauser measurement technology, providing complete visibility with no blind spots. “We designed Netilion as a vendor-neutral IIoT ecosystem. Netilion Health can display the health status of more than 50 makes of device. That includes pumps and valves as well as measurement instrumentation,” says Bernd Krehoff. What’s more, operators can integrate their device data into any other system via the Netilion Connect API and an OPC server.
Digital services ensure the right information is always immediately to hand whenever it is needed. The data can also be integrated into other platforms.
Automatic documentation
Best Water Technology (BWT) uses this technology to streamline documentation processes for its employees and customers. The company supplies skids to the life sciences sector for ultrapure water treatment. Each skid can incorporate as many as 200 components. Until recently, BWT employees had to manually upload the documentation for all these instruments to the company’s portal – a hugely time-consuming task. But now, the team simply scans the Data Matrix code on each instrument. Up in the Netilion Cloud, a given instrument’s digital twin is linked to the required documentation and transferred to BWT’s own system. From there, customers can directly access files such as calibration protocols or operating manuals. “Compatibility between systems is essential, so that users can leverage field data in other areas of the business and optimize their processes,” says Krehoff.
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