Industrial Control

Case Study: Fuel Tank Monitoring

A leading industrial automation company in the US has a control application where the end devices sense liquid levels – such as oil, various industrial chemicals, and propane – in a tank and send that information to coordinator with a satellite uplink. This system enables remote users to go online to monitor tank levels, granting them unprecedented access in tracking the usage of these valuable commodities. In addition to enhancing flow of critical information, the end devices improve efficiency by alerting users when critical liquid levels are reached.

In seeking a wireless solution to elevate control application performance, the industrial automation company’s first priority was high range. In order to leverage the sophisticated tank-sensing system to maximum efficacy, a wireless sensor range of over 1 mile was necessary, since the tanks must be placed far apart. Battery life was another priority. The industrial automation company sampled sensors once every 4 hours, allowing the end devices to sleep the rest of the time. Their target battery life was at least 5 years, and their maximum peak power consumption was 100 mA, which had to include the sensor and ZigBee module.

ZigBit Amp, an amplified 802.15.4/ZigBee OEM module, with its outstanding line-of-sight range of 2 ½ miles, fully met industrial automation company’s requirements. The ZigBit Amp offers a unique combination of high range – 2 ½ miles, easily eclipsing the company’s 1+ mile target – and remarkably low power consumption that achieves up to 5 years of battery life. The ZigBit Amp-based “not so short-range” control network was successfully deployed, taking full advantage of the standards-based ZigBee mesh protocol.