Posted to News on 30th Jan 2014, 15:44
Measure compressed air in large pipes
New from ifm electronic is a version of the established metris compressed air meter for a variety of pipe sizes, up to and including 254mm internal diameter. Compressed air is worth measuring: manufacturing industry in the UK typically loses in excess of 30 per cent of its compressed air to leaks, and 1kW of compressed air work costs the equivalent of 10kW of electricity. The metris SD0523 offers users the ability to measure compressed air flow rates in a range of pipe sizes from as low as 8Nm ³/h in smaller 38mm pipes up to 2110Nm ³/h in the largest sizes, and will additionally monitor temperatures between 0 and 60degC. To calculate the appropriate flow rate, the diameter of the pipe is programmed into the metris on commissioning. This allows the user the flexibility of keeping one metris unit in stock for various pipe bores.
The two available outputs provided by the SD0523 can be configured to suit. Output 1 options are: normally open or normally closed switch, or quantity meter (pulse), while Output 2 can also be a normally open or normally closed switch, or alternatively analogue (4 to 20mA, scalable).
Many options are programmable; not only the output functions, which include adjustment of the hysteresis, but also the display can be set to show current flow or a running total, and the display itself can be rotated or even switched off.
The metris operates on 18 to 30V DC, with PNP outputs, connected via a standard M12 connector. The metris, the first versions of which were released a few years ago, remains one of the best ways of monitoring that most expensive of commodities; compressed air. With ever-increasing energy costs, users across industry have been turning to the metris, not only to measure how much compressed air the plant is using in operation, but also to identify just how much is wasted by leakage when the machinery is turned off.
For further information about the metris SD0523 compressed air meter from ifm electronic please go to www.ifm.com/uk.
