SENSORS FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability is a key issue for every business and is a particular concern for those in the manufacturing sector. But when thinking about sustainability solutions, sensors may not be particularly high on most people’ s list of things to consider. However, that could be a mistake, as Tim Dodd at ifm electronic, explains.
It would be hard to over-estimate the benefits to a business of operating sustainably. Sustainability means reduced costs, lower environmental impact and enhanced reputation with existing and potential customers. But when it comes down to hard facts, what does sustainability actually mean? A simple but useful working definition is the efficient and optimally frugal use of materials, labour and resources, bearing in mind that the most important of the resources is likely to be energy.
What does all this have to do with sensors? Most of us would likely agree that using materials and resources efficiently depends on accurate and reliable control. And there’ s a very old cliché which says what you can’ t measure, you can’ t control. This statement may be old and cliched, but it’ s undoubtedly true, and, of course, to make measurements, you need sensors. Ultimately, therefore, it would not be unreasonable to claim that sensors – or at least the data they provide – are the foundation stones of sustainability.
Surely, though, modern manufacturing plants will already be equipped with all the necessary sensors, so what scope is there for using sensors to enhance sustainability? Well, let’ s take a look, starting with something very simple: level sensors in liquid storage vessels.
It may well be that such vessels are equipped with very simple high- and low-level sensors to indicate when the tank is almost empty and when it is full. That could be good enough to keep the plant working, but might it not be useful to know more about the level in the vessel? Is there, for example, an optimum level at which the machine fed by the vessel works best? Or is the level in the tank dropping more quickly than usual, suggesting the possibility of a leak?
20 AUTOMATION, CONTROL & ENGINEERING