The FWR 30 sensor is more than just a radar level transmitter. It has been natively designed by Endress + Hauser to connect to the cloud and operate autonomously on battery power. Once installed, it measures the level of a liquid or powder product in an IPC tank without contact, and wirelessly transmits the measured values to the Cloud Netilion application. The operator can then view the level of product remaining in his tank at any time, from anywhere, on PC, tablet or smartphone. This practical, easy-to-install, ready-to-use, low-cost solution prevents stock-outs and enables efficient replenishment planning.
Enclosed in their wire mesh cage, rigid plastic containers are indispensable to many industrial and logistics activities. These IBCs (Intermediate Bulk Containers) or GRBs (Large Bulk Containers) are designed for the transport and storage of a wide variety of liquid or powder products. To ensure business continuity and avoid unexpected stock-outs, their level needs to be carefully monitored, so that replenishment can be triggered as soon as the level of their contents falls below a predefined threshold.
One person is usually required to visit the storage or usage site on a regular basis to check the level. The task is all the more time-consuming if the site is extensive and operates numerous IBCs.
Until now, it has been difficult and costly to instrument such tanks. Installation costs for the cabling needed to power the sensor and transfer data were prohibitive.
To meet this challenge, Endress + Hauser offers a simple, practical, reliable and inexpensive IIoT solution that lets you check the level of product in IBCs at any time from a smartphone, PC or tablet.
This solution combines the Micropilot FWR30 radar level sensor, integrated in a robust, compact housing, with digital applications from the Netilion Cloud platform.
A low-cost solution
Although based on state-of-the-art radar measurement and wireless transmission technologies, the level radar transmitter is an affordable and therefore very cost-effective solution. The installation of an FWR30 on 20 IBCs pays for itself in just 5 years. Including the license to use the Netilion Inventory or Netilion Value software applications, the cost of monitoring each of these 20 measuring points is less than €1 per day.
To deploy the solution, simply attach the level transmitter to the tank. No cables are required for either power supply or data transmission. The IIoT sensor is powered by a non-rechargeable but replaceable battery, with an autonomy of up to 10 years, depending on the frequency of measurements and data transmission. All that's required is to create a Netilion account, scan the FWR30's QR code, and define the frequency of measurements and transmission to the platform. As soon as the device can be viewed online, it is operational. Its configuration data are automatically saved in the cloud. Users can then remotely view the product level in their tank from anywhere, using a PC, tablet or smartphone.
No more time-consuming travel
Once the FWR30 sensor has been installed on one or more tanks, there's no need to make time-consuming trips to check tank levels. In addition, the operator can know the level of all the tanks spread over one or more of his sites at any time. This means they can continuously monitor the contents of their liquid or powder tanks, 24/7, via any mobile or desktop device. This enables them to control costs, plan stocks and prevent shortages. He receives alerts when stocks reach low levels.
The FWR30 IIoT sensor eliminates the expense of having to send personnel to monitor the tanks, while making inventory management more reliable and optimized. What's more, the sensor's on-board GPS location function provides real-time information on the location of each IBC. No more time wasted searching for containers on extended sites. Whether on the production floor, in the warehouse or close to the shipping docks, each IBC is immediately located.
Housed in a robust casing, the FWR30 transmitter can be installed on all mobile and stationary plastic tanks (IBC tanks, storage tanks). It uses radar technology operating at 80 GHz for non-contact measurement of levels up to 15 meters with an accuracy of +/- 10 mm. Measurements and remote configuration are transmitted via several standard wireless communication technologies (NB-IoT, LTE-M or 2G).