Energy Efficiency Partner Solution
A provider of energy efficiency consulting services and demand response utility trading was seeking a solution for continuous steam trap monitoring. After initial discussions between iES and AWS, field tests were conducted to validate that the AWS wireless sensors would effectively do the job with a non-invasive tether-free installation. Recognizing AWS design capabilities, the client asked if we would review their data acquisition system. After a thorough review of data hosting service provider, utility providers and building owner’s requirements, AWS completed the design of a new data acquisition system, provided assembly and test services plus system software and integration to meet the requirements of ISO 14000. The new system enabled generation of marketable carbon credits and provided flexibility for scalability of inputs as new energy efficiency initiatives were identified. AWS scope of supply was extended to include field surveys, development of new wireless sensor systems to continuously monitor energy consumption of major equipment in real time, and system maintenance.
Aquaculture Partner Solution
A supplier of water treatment measurement and control systems developed a unique system to serve the Aquaculture market. The system continuously measures and controls water chemistry and purity to optimize the quality and growth rate of aquaculture products. One of the limitations of control systems of this nature is the “tethers” required to power and collect data from sensors deployed throughout the network of ponds over large footprints. AWS worked with the client to develop battery powered buoy supported sensors with wireless communication back to a monitoring and control system that activates pumps, injectors and aerators to optimize aquaculture processes. The systems provide the client with a strong differentiator in terms of cost, time to deploy and deliver positive results.
Severe Service Temperature Partner Solution
A manufacturer of severe duty thermocouples and thermowells needed a solution for direct continuous temperature monitoring on high temperature rotating kilns used in cement and lime production. AWS created a customized version of a self powered wireless temperature transmitter that mounted directly to the thermocouple assembly and communicates temperature data while rotating with the kiln. The system meets the needs of the kiln operators for continuous temperature control in highly abrasive service with temperatures well over 2000 degrees F. By enabling continuous temperature measurement without use of high cost unreliable slip ring signal wiring, the client achieved significant differentiation of cost and availability of their solution package.
Animal Vaccine Production Client Solution
A manufacturer of animal vaccines wanted to install continuous monitoring at a production campus consisting of multiple buildings. The structures were grounded metal shell type with reinforced concrete below ground suites containing bio-hazardous materials. Due to the large footprint of the site, the wiring infrastructure investment to connect all of the measurements to the control room was prohibitive. The monitoring system solution supplied by AWS consisted of wireless LANs connected to a monitoring panel in the control room using wireless data modems and utilizing some elements of existing Ethernet network. From the main panel, cellular phone alert messages are automatically sent to assigned personnel if an alarm event is detected during unmanned hours.
Multi-Sensor Pump Seal Monitor Partner Solution
A large multinational pump seal OEM desired to differentiate from competitors by offering their customers a continuous monitoring system that will predict and prevent pump seal failures. By eliminating unplanned downtime and minimizing maintenance costs, they could offer superior value beyond high quality hardware A joint project team was created to evaluate detailed needs of the parameters to be measured, sensor performance, packaging and remote automation. The result was an OEM branded wireless system consisting of multiple points where the three parameters of temperature, level and pressure are continuously monitored through a single battery powered wireless device communicating to a remote gateway. The gateway connects to diagnostic software that was created to detect trends and alert service engineers at early stages of seal deterioration. Throughout the development project, AWS provided several iterations of prototypes, jointly evaluating and eventually optimizing the system to the OEM’s specific needs.
Specialty Chemical Services Partner Solution
A large specialty chemical company maintains continuous availability of key additives to many process points at thousands of continuous process plants. Automation of inventory management and adjustment of feed rates to process conditions presents tremendous opportunities for cost reduction, process efficiency gains and service differentiation. Because many of their customers handle highly flammable materials and have large scale facilities, the wires required for traditional monitoring and control cannot be installed. AWS worked closely with the OEM to develop level sensors and a flexible packaging design that effectively monitors portable and bulk storage tanks with the appropriate hazardous area certification. The client has also developed automatic control systems to analyze and adjust additive feed rates based on feedstock chemistry and process conditions. The systems cannot always be deployed in locations where flow control equipment is installed, so AWS developed a wireless metering pump control system to enable remote control of additive injection.
Oilfield Automation Partner Solution
An oilfield service company providing remote data acquisition services needed a platform for wire-free sensing and communications in Class 1 Division 1 hazardous environments. A variety of sensor types are required for continuous monitoring of oil and gas production wells including, pressure, temperature, level, flow and valve position. Specific sensors to meet all of the requirements for range and accuracy were researched and characterized and a complete line of private label wireless instrumentation created. A novel long-life battery powered control system was an element of the required operation, minimizing the need for costly (and vandal prone) solar power modules. Dedicated inventory was set up to support the immediate delivery requirements demanded by the upstream energy markets.
EPA Compliance Client Solution
California’s strict air quality regulations mandated continuous monitoring of VOC pressure relief valves that vent to atmosphere. Several refineries and petrochemical plants searched for an economical solution to comply with the new rules and AWS has supplied hundreds of non-invasive sensors that meet the requirements of SCAQMD Rule 1173. The systems deployed meet the environmental protection needs of the community while presenting a fast, flexible solution to improve safety and valve maintenance while increasing plant throughput. Due to the unique recovery system structure at one of the affected refineries, a non-invasive sensor that would detect liquid release events had to be developed. After 5 months of considering various proposals, the compliance project team was authorized to enter a contract with AWS to develop, FM certify for Class 1 Div 1, build and deliver over 100 custom instruments in a three month time frame to meet the compliance deadline. In addition to meeting these strict requirements AWS also arranged for validation testing at ASME certified flow laboratories to demonstrate for regulatory inspectors that the system reliably met the monitoring requirements. AWS completed design, certification, performance testing and delivery of the system in 3 months elapsed time, enabling refinery personnel to install and activate the system by the mandated implementation date.
Oil & Gas Drilling Client Solution
An energy drilling company required a dynamic blow out prevention sensor imbedded in their drill heads as a safety measure. With this device, drilling speeds and drive power could safely be optimized. AWS worked closely with the client, validating proof of concept with available components and then creating a custom design that could be imbedded in the drive head rotation at high speed. The application involved both land based and subsea drilling. The challenges of this application included a suitable radio to communicate through salt water and synchronizing transmission with alignment of the transmitter and receiver antennae. AWS was able to provide systems to meet this very specialized need.
Petroleum Production Client Solution
AWS has provided a large quantity of units deployed on oil production wells on the North Slope of Alaska for continuous monitoring of well heads as a safety measure. Due to the extremely harsh environment and permafrost structure, hard wiring of monitoring instruments is not practical, but automation benefits to personnel safety and production were dramatic. As part of the installing wireless systems, the customer required a special wireless communication protocol to service the large number of wells in production fields. AWS worked closely with the customer to meet these unique needs, increasing the available system size to tens of thousands of devices. Battery life has been confirmed at over 3 years even in ambient temperature reaching as low as – 65 F. An additional benefit is ecological management of fragile soil structure.
Specialty Chemical Electrolysis Client Solution
A specialty chemical plant utilizing electrolysis wanted to implement continuous measurement in an environment of extreme electro-magnetic fields. During production, fields can change dramatically in response to process events. Traditional instrumentation had been tried many times, with failure to endure the harsh conditions. AWS provided, a wireless sensor network that was unaffected by the intense EMI. The system gateways interface with existing DCS infrastructure. The materials in the process are extremely corrosive however a proof of concept test was authorized using standard sensor materials protected by sacrificial chemical seals. Following initial success, a small scale up was added to prove the reliability of wireless communication in the severe EMI environment. After a year of successful operation, customized materials were specified and supplied for compatibility with the corrosive fluid. When precipitation of unanticipated contaminants was discovered to affect accuracy, an alternate monitoring strategy was implemented with a point level alarm backed up by continuous measurement inferred by power system voltage. Throughout the project AWS quickly adapted to the customer’s new requirements to find a robust solution.
Water Treatment Client Solution
The US Military Academy at West Point was cited by the New York DEQ for inadequate quality control of their water treatment facility. The plant was constructed in 1955 along the Hudson River and was manually controlled with periodic lab samples determining when to add chemicals, move waste material to next stage and discharge treated water to the river. A project was mandated to automate the plants critical measurement and control functions as part of consent decree. Due to the age of the plant and limits for allocating additional land, a key element of the project was to work on the existing footprint which necessitated a creative approach for data acquisition. Trenching for conduit was completely impractical because of the topography, granite bedrock and existing infrastructure on the site. AWS provided a solution that enabled installation of necessary analyzers throughout the plant that were powered by available infrastructure and relay the signals to a new portable building control center using wireless signal transmitters. The solution enabled the automation engineering contractors to complete the project within the constraints of time, space and significantly below budget.
Specialty Pharmaceutical Equipment Client Solution
A manufacturer of specialty pharmaceutical processing equipment needed to measure temperature and pressure in a rotating vacuum dryer on a continuous basis. Due to the nature of the material, a non-contact temperature sensor was specified. Special sanitary fittings were required to interface with the shell structure and a cesium window was employed with an infrared temperature sensor. A low range absolute pressure sensor was employed with a sanitary seal and special mounting ferule. The wireless sensors rotate freely with the dryer and ensure that the critical parameters for extremely rare and valuable material are kept within acceptable range.
Power Distribution Substation Monitoring Partner Solution
An integrator developed a system for monitoring power distribution substation transformers. In addition to key elements of power transfer, a variety of pressure, temperature and contact states require continuous monitoring at various points in the transformer yards. High levels of EMI and lack of wired infrastructure for instruments in some locations led to a system consisting of loop powered transmitters located near the station control panel while relying principally on wireless instruments with data transferred to PLC via Modbus form the wireless gateway. AWS is able to supply all of the instrumentation for the application enabling the integrator to deal with one source for an optimal solution for their customer. When the solution was adopted as a standard package to automate substation monitoring, AWS established a custom ordering and delivery process to streamline the integrator’s procurement.
Steel Production Client Solution
A steel mill needed to automate monitoring of heat transfer rates through continuous casting molds for quality assurance. The mill structure and equipment was very dense and covered several levels and process areas were separated by fire walls in the mill. The arc furnace generates strong EMI fields and the molten metal creates a very hot ambient condition with high humidity and particulates. AWS provided a system of pressure, temperature and DP wireless sensors to continuously measure heat transfer and ensure spray bar pressure consistency in this harsh environment. The sensor units report through a gateway that plugs into the existing plant Ethernet infrastructure.
LNG Storage and Distribution Client Solution
An LNG storage and gasification facility needed to continuously monitor pipeline temperature and ensure overfill prevention during tanker unloading. The loading dock was located 800 feet from the control room. The measurement points could have been automated with a traditional conduit and wire approach however the client did not own the land between the loading dock and control room. An AWS wireless system was put in place to “hop” over the adjacent property and successfully deliver the necessary data while avoiding high cost and risk for the LNG Company.
OEM Instruments Partner Solution
A major instrumentation and automation company needed to supplement their field instrument products with a high quality temperature transmitter with a variety of communication protocols including, analog, HART, Fieldbus and their own proprietary protocol. AWS supplies this client with private label products and has also licensed the company to produce some of the products to a stage that fits their in-house manufacturing capabilities. AWS continues to support the company with manufacturing, technical support, characterization and calibration services.
Temperature Measurement and Control Application Solutions
AWS is one of the world’s largest independent suppliers of remote temperature measurement products. Multiple prestigious instrumentation manufacturers and distributors market AWS products as their own brand. These companies have had long term relationship with AWS and have confidence that they are providing customers with a high quality, durable product that has unmatched accuracy and stability under the harshest field conditions.
US Military and Space Programs, NIST Client Solutions
AWS provides measurement equipment to the US Coast Guard, US Navy, US Army as well as NASA and NIST. Only the most rugged, accurate and stable products available are fit for demanding needs of military and research institutions, and AWS meets these requirements.
Flash Freezing Client Solution
The largest operating expense for this high volume frozen chicken processor is electricity to run large refrigeration units. Skids loaded with fresh chicken are transported into large freezing chambers and the process runs for an extended period of time to ensure that all of the food is thoroughly frozen. AWS provided the company with portable wireless temperature sensors that enabled the company to verify actual product temperatures during the freezing process, enabling significant reduction in the energy required to ensure product quality.
Pharmaceutical Pilot Plant Client Solution
A large Pharmaceutical company invested in a new pilot plant designed to implement first stage scale up of new products. The batch nature and various steps employed in production demanded a high degree of flexibility in measurement and control systems. Various processing suites are involved in different stages of production and wireless sensors enabled continuous monitoring of key measurements continuously even as batch vessels were transported around the plant. The flexibility of tether-free instruments also enable application of a limited inventory of instruments to a wide range of processes while minimizing wiring and conduit infrastructure.
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