Condition monitoring sensor suits hazardous environments

The product provides ATEX Zone 0 certification, meaning it can be used in hazardous environments, for example those found in petrochemical, oil and gas, or pharmaceutical plants. It integrates sensor and router node into one battery operated unit. The condition sensors communicate with each other and with a wireless gateway, creating a mesh network, ideal for monitoring rotating machinery throughout large plants, in hard to reach locations or in areas where traditional WiFi communications will not work. Jan Hendrick van der Linden, product line manager for SKF, said: "The new SKF wireless machine condition sensor offers monitoring capabilities that may be impossible with wired systems or hand held devices. Ultimately this can lead to reduced condition monitoring costs including a safer approach to machine monitoring." The new product allows users to benefit from an improved maintenance programme, as well as, reduced maintenance costs, reduced installation costs, enhanced employee and machine safety, and compatibility with the SKF @ptitude Analyst software suite. Operating in a low power consumption mode, the condition sensor allows the battery to last for years in the field. Communication capabilities include relaying data from one node to another, relaying data back to the gateway, and receiving automated commands from the sensor device manager software that initiate the measurement and processing circuits to take it and transmit it over the network. If a node is unable to receive signals, it will subsequently transmit its data through a nearby node, ultimately creating the mesh network. Once data is collected, the WirelessHart gateway communicates with the wireless sensor device manager software provided by SKF. The device manager automatically exports the data into SKF @ptitude Analyst.