ABB recently introduced what it describes as the world’s first Power over Ethernet flowmeters. The latest edition of ABB’s electromagnetic flowmeter ProcessMaster and mass flowmeter CoriolisMaster incorporate Power over Ethernet (PoE) capability.
“PoE offers several benefits for process engineers, as it omits the need for a separate DC power infrastructure, providing power and communications via the same cable,” ABB said when introducing the new capability. “This brings new agility as flowmeters can be installed wherever needed. In addition, ABB 4-wire Ethernet combines classic outputs with future communication protocols. Offering a modular design allows the combination of both worlds and ensures that devices are futureproof, increasing the longevity of the flowmeters.”
The company further explained that flowmeters with Ethernet connectivity increase simplicity, flexibility, and reliability to operations in process automation, while enhancing real-time visibility of data. Data that previously resided only in field devices—like measurement values on density, conductivity or concentration of the medium—can be unlocked. This will help users identify redundant measurement points.
“ProcessMaster and CoriolisMaster with Ethernet will support our customers’ digital journey toward smart cities and Industry 4.0,” said Frank Frenzel, product line manager for process flowmeters with ABB. “Ethernet is the leading communications technology. By incorporating it into ABB flowmeters, we can help even more customers reduce complexity of operations and lower costs of infrastructure in more plants around the world—safety and remotely.”
With these PoE-enabled flowmeters, an integrated secure web server based on the ABB Ability Cyber Security framework ensures robust and secure operations that offer instrumentation engineers support during commissioning and troubleshooting, ABB said. It also provides access to configuration, diagnostics and measurement data through a built-in QR code. This allows verification of all parts of the flowmeter and provides insights into its operating condition with automatically generated reports.
“Combining 4-20 mA or digital outputs with new 1- or 2-port Ethernet makes classic instrumentation truly futureproof, with speeds of up to 100 Mbits/sec,” ABB continued. “The flowmeters use various Ethernet-based communication protocols, such as simple Modbus TCP or high-performance EtherNet/IP. This prepares them for IT/OT convergence, cloud connectivity and the requirements needed for secure and encrypted communication both today and tomorrow.”