Electromagnetic Flowmeters Provide Precise Readings in Minimal Space

By Raza Ali Agha, Kobold Instruments Inc.

Whether it be in pharmaceutical industry, in water treatment, or in food production, if conductive media such as cooling water are added to a process, magnetic-inductive flow meters are usually installed for monitoring purposes, particularly in the context of dosing where the measuring flow meters must possess precise response times, and should also be easy to configure, otherwise incorrect dosing or insufficient repeatability will occur. Although there are already many accurate devices for small and medium flow rates in the market place, they are often limited in functionality or lack flexibility at the installation stage. Kobold Instruments Inc. provides these features as standard with its flow meter duo, MIM and MIS. Due to the extensive options for on-site programming, they are suitable for cross-industry use, particularly for dosing applications. Configurable optical buttons can be used to display parameters such as flow rates or temperatures. A changing color system in the display also warns of limit violations. Since the MIM model is the first variant produced in a remote version, in which the display and electronics are not integrated in the sensor unit, the flow meter can also be used for media temperatures up to 284 degrees Fahrenheit (140 degrees Celsius).

EFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT ACROSS DIFFERENT MEDIA

For reference, magnetic-inductive flow meters work without moving parts, unlike rotating vane flow meters, and for this reason they hardly show any signs of wear and tear. As a result, these devices have proven to be effective in measuring the flow of conductive media—such as water, pulps and pastes, juices, or emulsions. However, this wide range of applications also leads to very different installation situations, since the measuring instruments are used in various industries and processes. 

The nominal size of the connected pipes, possible orientation during installation and integration into certain process chains, such as dosing of media during coating of tablets or during coolant supply, influence the choice of a suitable flow meter, particularly in the context of dosing processes where the measuring instruments must offer the possibility of programming intermediate values in order to document the quantities, and to avoid inaccurate dosing. In addition, the display should be multi-line and clearly visible so that the plant engineers are warned in good time before exceeding a limit value. Often however, flowmeters only meet some of these requirements, and often at the expense of usability.

For this reason, Kobold developed the products MIM and MIS, universal flow meters incorporating IO-Link to meet Industry 4.0 requirements (if or when required), which are suitable for almost any measuring situation and guarantee high programming freedom in addition to good response times of sometimes less than 100 milliseconds. On the one hand, the numerous functions such as temperature measurement or dosing are performed accurately, which can be set in just a few steps in the program menu with the hot key buttons. On the other hand, the robust and flexible design enables simple and clear installation, even in tight-fitting pipe systems. 

INSTALLATION IN EXTREME CONDITIONS THANKS TO REMOTE VERSION

The two models are made entirely of durable materials, the MIM in stainless steel. In addition to the temperature measurement function, which only MIM has, the devices differ mainly in relation to the pipe sizes at which they are used. While MIS is suitable for nominal sizes DN 80 and DN 100 or 3 and 4 inches, MIM can be used for very small nominal pipe sizes and covers an even larger measuring range, depending on the nominal size. The flow meters have two individually configurable outputs that can act as a pulse, alarm or analogue output, depending on the setting. This makes them easier to integrate into different processes or auxiliary circuits. The color multi-display can also rotate digitally in 90-degree increments, so that when changing location, no other model is required, and the display is independent of the position of the connections. 

The response time has now been improved to facilitate more precise dosing quantities. In addition, different subsets can be programmed via the menu in order not to have to navigate awkwardly with each new setting through the menu. The display has also been extended to so-called hotkeys. With this feature, the desired dosage can be conveniently selected by optical buttons on the home screen. The desired dosing process can be started and stopped via an external control input, and, the quantity can also be changed via MIM / MIS at any time. Precisely measured quantities and a very good response time are indispensable, especially for sensitive processes such as tablet coating.

To ensure that this possibility is also available for hot media and in extremely temperature-controlled environments such as cooling water circuits, Kobold is offering for the first time a device in remote version. Unlike conventional devices, the media-contacting unit only contains the sensor. The entire electronics, the control and display, are housed separately and connected via a cable at a safe distance to the sensor unit on the pipe. As a result, even temperatures up to 284 degrees Fahrenheit (140 degrees Celsius) are not a problem and the flow meter can work trouble-free because the electronics remain protected.

BASIC BUILDING BLOCK FOR EVERY MEASUREMENT PROJECT

The flexibility of this flow meter family is also reflected in the user guidance and the range of functions. Almost all settings can be comfortably done on the display via four optical buttons. Functions such as partial counter display, temperature measurement or maximum flow can also be applied to the mentioned hotkeys so that you do not have to constantly navigate through multiple control levels in the menu. 

This can also be done with a glove, as the buttons have different sensitivity levels. The multi-line display offers a better overview than comparable compact devices and can also display the corresponding unit, or other information in addition to the measured value. This clarity is further enhanced by the multicolor of the display: For example, the color changes when a certain flow rate has been reached. As a result, the user also sees from a distance when for example, a certain amount has been dosed or a limit has been exceeded.

During the conception phase, Kobold used testimonials from our customers in a wide range of industries to develop a very flexible and reliable universal device. With MIM and MIS, there are now the cubes for almost every measurement project.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Kobold Instruments Inc. was founded in 1980 and is one of the leading companies in the field of industrial measurement and control equipment. It develops permanently installed sensors as well as professional hand-held devices for recording and monitoring physical variables such as flow, pressure, level, and temperature. In addition to flow meters and level meters, the range also includes pressure measuring devices, temperature monitoring, pH and redox determination, and devices for measuring the moisture or turbidity. For more information, visit www.koboldusa.com.

MODERN PUMPING TODAY, January 2020
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