Whether it be in a cement plant, in steel production or in mining, Endress+Hauser helps the primaries & metals industry to bring out the best of their processes – making a real difference in many areas with a custom-fit portfolio.
Solutions for every purpose
Endress+Hauser has known the primaries & metals industry and its processes for over 65 years. Industry experts from sales centers across the globe have a great deal of expertise when it comes to applications, and they provide a broad instrumentation portfolio specifically tailored to the industry’s high demands. Custom-made services and solutions complete this offer. Their spectrum ranges from fieldbus engineering to entire automation solutions for core processes and utilities(e.g. full water monitoring or the detection of leaks in pipes). This portfolio helps businesses to increase plant availability, adhere to environmental regulations and operate processes in a more efficient and safer manner.
Safe under any circumstance
Dust, high temperatures, chemicals, abrasion – the often-extreme conditions in the primaries & metals industry are not a problem for Endress+Hauser’s measurement devices for flow, level, pressure, temperature and liquid analysis. They continue to work just as precisely and reliably under the highest stress, are suitable for safety instrumented systems up to SIL3 and, most importantly, are easy to use. Pressure transmitters of the Cerabar M series provide a high level of process safety due to their robust ceramic measuring cells and integrated detection of a broken sensor membrane, for example. Endress+Hauser developed the high-temperature Omnigrad TAF range for measuring points with extremely high temperatures. Ceramic thermowells shield the sensors from mechanical and chemical influences, thereby increasing the thermometer’s life span compared to stainless steel.
Easy operation
Water and chemicals are common-place in many mining applications, for example during industrial water treatment, or to extract metals and minerals. To ensure that these processes achieve optimum performance, the pH, dissolved oxygen and turbidity values must be constantly monitored. Sensors with Memosens technology are ideal for tasks such as these: they digitize the measured value in the sensor before transferring it contactlessly to the transmitter, thereby eliminating external influences. The sensors can also be pre-calibrated in the laboratory and exchanged quickly and easily during operation, saving costs while increasing the availability and safety of the plant and staff.
Unobstructed measurements
Continuous measurement in silos and bunkers represents a challenge to level measurement devices: dust, temperature layers and gas blankets can influence the measurement signal. The new non-contact radar level measurement device Micropilot FMR67 is unaffected by factors of this kind: the first 80 gigahertz instrument developed according to the international functional safety directive IEC 61508 always provides an unobstructed view – even in narrow silos, with a large number of fittings and under adverse circumstances. This is made possible by the small beam angle of just three degrees and the drip-off antenna, which simply repels any dirt. Endress+Hauser offers a total of 13 measuring principles for level measurement and point level detection, providing the right solution for every task.
Maintenance on demand
Measurement devices can provide more than just measuring values, which is why Endress+Hauser has equipped its latest flow, level, temperature and analysis measurement instruments with Heartbeat Technology. It enables the instrument to constantly monitor itself and many process conditions; verification for SIL repeat tests during the running process is also possible at the touch of a button or the click of a mouse. Due to device specific parameters the instruments detect critical trends early on. Level measurement devices can detect whether any buildup has formed on the sensor antenna, or whether there is a buildup of foam on a liquid surface, for example. Flowmeters meanwhile detect corrosion, entrained gas and abrasion within the measurement tube, among other things. Maintenance services can therefore be better planned while processes can be controlled in a more efficient manner. Coriolis flowmeters in flotation processes, for example, can detect chemical changes to the flocking agents and are able to indicate when a new preparation is required.
Going digital
Barely any applications in the primaries & metals industry can cope without precise flow measurement. Blast furnace cooling circuits in the steel industry are monitored for leaks through ultrasonic or electromagnetic flowmeters, for instance. In cement manufacturing, Coriolis instruments assist with clinker production and help control the burner by recording the mass flow, density and temperature at the same time as the viscosity of liquid fuels such as heavy fuel oil. The latest addition to the Endress+Hauser flowmeter family is also multi talented: the Picomag, an electromagnetic flowmeter for monitoring smaller pipe sizes used in water distribution around the plant. The smart pocket-sized newcomer simultaneously measures temperature and can be operated easily via Bluetooth in areas that are hard to access. The device is ready for the Industrial Internet of Things through its IO-Link technology, which enables its flexible integration into all field bus systems as well as access to many additional device and process data.
Everything well controlled
Water is indispensable to mining operations. Employees require potable water while numerous applications need process water which, once used, is treated before being recycled or returned to the environment. Water & wastewater treatment automation solutions allow the measurement and control of these processes. Field instrumentation packages help to increase filtration cycles in seawater desalination applications. Smart aeration control solutions in wastewater plants result in energy savings of up to 30 percent. Analytical measurements that can be accessed wirelessly and over long distances provide support during water body monitoring and therefore assist with environmental regulation compliance.
An eye on material streams
Saving fuel, natural gas and electricity is one of the main objectives for companies in the primaries & metals industry: energy costs account for up to 40 percent of total costs in steel production and as much as 75 percent in cement manufacturing. Mining operations meanwhile use approximately 8 percent of their production costs for lubricants and fuels for trucks, drills, haulers and other vehicles. Endress+Hauser supports efficient operations of these high-cost processes. Energy monitoring solutions help to precisely capture and monitor energy use to take targeted measures to reduce energy consumption. Loading solutions with Coriolis flowmeters provide a decisive advantage during the delivery of fuel to mining operations: they determine how much fuel is being purchased with exact precision. Inventory management solutions also render inventories and expenditure transparent, enabling an efficient logistics chain.
