With the current energy transition, many plants are switching to Industry 4.0 in which data becomes the guiding principle. Solutions such as Energy Management Systems (EMS) are used to measure energy consumption and improve performance, whereby existing meters need to be made smart. Although many plants have old meters, surprisingly this is often not a problem. In this blog we will cover two common sensors: pulse sensors and optical sensors, by showing how our Sensorfact wireless smart sensors can be easily installed on old meters. Our sensors are designed to measure energy, gas and water consumption, and to send this data wirelessly to your personal online dashboard.
Many existing (sub)meters have a pulse output. This meter can have multiple types of connectors, but usually has a 3-pin DIN connector, 6-pin DIN connector, screw terminals or pulse generators. The resolution of this meter is measured by the number of pulses per cubic meter, and can vary per type of meter.
To make this meter smart, you just need the right connector with cable to connect the meter to the pulse sensor. During the technical assessment, the correct configuration and conversions will be set and your energy consumption can be displayed and compared.
Advantages of making pulse sensors smart:
Disadvantages of making pulse sensors smart:
An optical sensor has an optical eye hanging above a light, that counts light flashes and is mainly used for electricity. The number of flashes is in fixed proportion to the energy consumption.
Advantages of making optical sensors smart:
Disadvantages of making optical sensors smart:
If you are unsure how you can make your existing meters smart, we can easily check this for you for free. Check if your current meters are compatible with our Energy Management System by filling out this contact form, and we’ll get back to you soon.