Before completing a year of launch in Brazil, Wireless Hart communication is already a success, with almost two hundred equipment sold in the country, in different stages of the manufacturing process. One of the pioneers in this application is AGEO Terminais e Armazéns Gerais, in Santos.
AGEO's order corresponds to 43 Rosemount wireless PRO level gauges plus an upgrade to 22 existing PRO gauges so that they also integrate with the terminal's wireless network. Altogether there will be 65 meters connected. The equipment has already been delivered and is in the installation and commissioning phase. The expectation is that before the end of October the network will be fully operational.
Wireless instrumentation networks save users from communication cable costs and reduce system deployment time. This type of network is a good solution for tank telemetry systems. The radars are installed on top of the tanks, where there is generally good visibility, which guarantees line-of-sight between the antennas. Level gauges also don't need quick updates, as it takes a few seconds for the tank's level change to be noticeable.
Rosemount adopted as standard for its wireless network the Wireless HART protocol already used by Emerson, Rosemount's parent company, in hundreds of successful wireless applications in Brazil and worldwide. In this network, the level meter works not only as an information transmitter, but also allows other equipment to use it as a router. Thus, several alternative paths are developed for the traffic of information between the elements of the system. This redundancy increases the reliability and stability of the network.