Pressure sensor family receives new diagnostic capabilities

Rosemount expands options of its 3051S pressure sensors to help diagnose abnormal process situations and installation problems.

November 17, 2010

Emerson Process Management has expanded its Advanced HART Diagnostics Suite on the Rosemount 3051S Series of sensors for pressure, flow and level measurement. New features expand diagnostic coverage beyond transmitter electronics to identify and prevent abnormal process and installation issues.

The new power advisory diagnostic helps ensure the integrity of the electrical loop by detecting unwanted changing electrical conditions, such as water in the terminal housing, ground loop issues, corrosion of terminals, or an unstable power supply. The Advanced HART Diagnostics Suite also includes statistical process monitoring technology, to measure and analyze previously unseen process noise, providing intelligent process insight. This has led to a significant expansion in the range of process diagnostic applications such as detection of furnace flame instability, incipient distillation column flooding, and valve or pump cavitation.

“The expanded capabilities of Advanced Diagnostics on the Rosemount 3051S gives plant personnel additional insight into their facilities – insight they can use to make informed decisions that will optimize the availability, efficiency and reliability of their plants,” said Dave Wehrs, vice president of pressure design and engineering for the Rosemount division of Emerson Process Management.

The new transmitter was put through the rigorous IEC 61508 safety certification process by exida, resulting in a safe failure fraction of 96.8%. Safety can be further improved by utilizing power advisory diagnostic and statistical process monitoring to uncover previously undetectable failures of the electrical loop and in the process connection, including plugged impulse lines.

The company says that combining the high safety rating with advanced diagnostics enables 10-year proof test intervals and the safest installation possible. “The end result of having equipment with low failure rate and high diagnostic coverage is not just improved safety but also lower downtime,” said Dr. William Goble, principal partner of exida.

exida – Functional Safety Services, IACS Cybersecurity, Alarm Management, IEC 61508 Certification

www.emerson.com/en-us/automation-solutions

Edited by Peter Welander, pwelander@cfemedia.com

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