Want to learn how IIoT and sensors are transforming pump systems? Check out our latest article from Sintech pumps, to learn more about IIoT and pump operations.
Pumps are Getting Smarter & Futuristic
IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) is making pumps smarter. The idea of smart pumping solutions is to use sensors and software to optimize pump operations. This results in the reduction of energy use, thereby helping to reduce overall pump operational costs.
Recent advances in IIoT make use of sophisticated tools like machine learning and big data to improve pump system optimization further. IIoT is making its way into pump systems in various applications – food and beverage manufacturing, oil and gas remote explorations, wastewater mining, etc.
IIoT helps in connecting various assets, thereby improving the overall functionality of the system. Traditionally, pump operators relied on manual intervention to pass information and feedback from one component of the pump to another. IIoT has expanded these communications, thereby improving overall capabilities.
Here are the top key benefits of integrating IIoT Technologies with Pump Systems:
Enhanced Energy Efficiency
Do you know that pump systems account for nearly 25% of industrial energy use? And, by optimizing your pump systems, you can enjoy up to 50% of total energy savings. A smart pump equipped with IIoT can help in better energy management. It can reduce energy use and make other modifications as and when needed. By using algorithms and libraries, pump operators can optimize their system to ensure that it operates in an energy-efficient manner in the long run.
Reduced Water Usage
Water scarcity is one of the pressing issues faced by countries all over the world. The need of the hour is to design water efficient systems. Sectors like agriculture and industries are working on designing water-efficient systems that track and monitor water usage. Just like energy, IIoT enabled pumps can adjust water usage to reduce overall usage while maintaining the overall efficiency levels.
Preventive and Predictive Maintenance
One of the biggest issues plaguing industrial pump operators is pumping downtime due to maintenance and pump failures. The alternative approach is to switch to predictive maintenance. In preventive maintenance, you identify pump issues before they occur and schedule maintenance tasks in such a way to minimize or eliminate pump downtime.
The three major advantages of predictive maintenance are – decreased downtime, improved pump equipment efficiency and overall enhancement of the system efficiency.
Better Management of Resources
By planning when maintenance will happen, industries can better manage resources, in accordance with maintenance schedules. For instance, today it’s a major challenge for many industrial plants to find skilled labour, especially for highly complicated labour tasks. By scheduling maintenance ahead, you can plan and bring in skilled maintenance workers for your project.
Improved Safety
Safety is sadly one of the biggest over-looked elements of pump operation. With regular preventive maintenance, you can ensure that pumps not only operate with greater efficiency but experience lesser breakdowns.
This, in turn, reduces the chances of someone getting injured due to a faulty system. Additionally, with scheduled maintenance, you prevent using untrained and under-qualified personnel from making hasty repairs, which could lead to injuries on the job.
The interconnectedness of Pumps with other Critical Industrial Systems
By using IIoT, pump systems can be integrated with other critical industrial systems. This helps all stakeholders like pump operators, support team, system managers, floor workers track the vital parameters of pump operations.
For example, vibrations per minute can be tracked regularly, and if this parameter exceeds a particular value, maintenance agents can be alerted, before it becomes a major bearing failure. Similarly, by tracking the presence of vapour, pump operators can be notified of impending overheating, dry running and other related troubles.
Three Major Components of IIoT Smart Pumps:
IIoT integrated pumps have three major parts like:- Data collection devices
- Sensors, including junction boxes and cables
- Analysis and data monitoring software
- Temperature sensors
- Pressure sensors
- Water quality sensors
- Chemical sensors
- Gas sensors
- Smoke sensors
- IR sensors
- Magnetic sensors
- Fluid level sensors
- And more