Industrial Automation Magazine India

Sensor-to-cloud systems streamline sensor data management

Published on : Monday 12-09-2022

Sharada Prahladrao, Editor & Public Relations Manager, ARC Advisory Group.

Smart Sensors do find it an uphill struggle to displace conventional sensors. Is this true and what could be the reasons for this?
Although the demand for smart sensors with greater capabilities to manage processes with increased energy efficiency, safety, and compliance to stringent environmental regulations is growing, there seems to be an initial hesitation to replace conventional sensors. The burning questions are: does it justify the investment and what are its advantages? Overriding these doubts is the reluctance to change from the old way of doing things, ‘because it works perfectly well’.

We are living through uncertain times; the lockdowns and embargoes during the pandemic affected industries globally. The downturn impacted the machinery market and this hit the market for smart sensors. We are limping back to some semblance of normalcy, but the global economic climate still remains unpredictable and investments in automation are being made at a slow and cautious pace. Companies and investors that jumped ‘headfirst’ into emerging markets have experienced growth, but without significant profitability.  

What are the technical issues in installation, commissioning and constant calibration of smart sensors? What are aspects to consider in remote maintenance?
Several attributes, such as strategy, business model, finances play a critical role in the choices organisations must make prior to deploying smart sensors. Smart sensors must be installed and commissioned by qualified technical personnel in compliance with applicable codes and the manufacturer’s recommendations. Failure to do so may result in catastrophe. Smart sensor integration requires a high level of expertise to ensure interoperability. Moreover, extracting the full benefits of smart sensor data requires functional readiness to internalise the information and put the insights to work. As smart sensors are sensitive to pressure, temperature, etc., they have to be constantly calibrated to ensure efficacy. Calibrating individual sensors of a sensor network can be complex and expensive because:
• Large number of sensors that need to be calibrated.
• Accessibility to locations where the sensors are deployed.

Remote maintenance: New ways of working and collaborating arose during the pandemic. Remote operations and maintenance are now of vital importance and smart sensors play a crucial role in this. Organisations should zero in on the smart sensors that are most suitable for their specific operations and deploy them after educating and training the operations team.

Benefits: Predictive maintenance improves uptime; downtime as a result of unnecessary maintenance or defects is reduced, while the maintenance work that is needed can be planned in advance. 

From sensors to the cloud – is this just a slogan or is it happening really? What are the practical issues? Do you expect 5G to bring in a big change?
It is a reality, a natural progression of technological advancement. Sensing technologies are used across multiple industries. However, sensing technologies have to face many issues and challenges regarding their communications (short communication range, security and privacy, reliability, mobility, etc.), and resources (power considerations, storage capacity, bandwidth availability, etc.). To tackle these issues, the emergence of cloud computing is seen as a remedy. Cloud computing equips sensing technologies with highly scalable and reliable hardware and software resources. The sensors/devices can be connected to the cloud through cellular, satellite, WiFi, Bluetooth, low-power wide-area networks (LPWAN) or connecting directly to the internet via Ethernet. Sensor-to-cloud systems streamline sensor data management and improve the data management system by reducing human interference. 

Industry interest in 5G and private wireless stems from their perceived potential to accelerate today’s digital transformation strategies and associated business objectives. 5G ultimately holds the promise of freeing connectivity from the limitations of wired infrastructure, enabling disruptive new applications. 5G’s low latency, high data rates, and massive capacity will accelerate adoption of Industrial IoT edge capabilities in areas, such as AI/ML, AR/VR, edge computing, and mobility to enable truly autonomous robotics, logistics, and other manufacturing operations.

Since sensors are intelligent devices with possibility to connect to internet, how would the cybersecurity aspects get addressed?
Interoperability and increased connectivity are like double-edged sword for sensors. Although connectivity simplifies their installation and streamlines the distribution of collected data, the IIoT has also made it easier for hackers to use sensors to break into industrial networks. Sensor-based platforms and applications are highly vulnerable to cyber-attacks, exposing assets to sensor network-based cyber threats. The cybersecurity aspects can be addressed by:
• Adequate sensor and sensor network infrastructure protection
• Developing secure information monitoring systems
• Ensuring that supporting interfaces are authenticated and secure
• Bridging the skills gap to ensure that devices are being used in a secure manner, and
• Regular security updates.

How do you service existing brownfield plants? Is it possible to have a mix of conventional sensors and smart sensors in one system without expensive interposing devices and gateways?
Brownfield facilities face the dual challenges of aging plant equipment and having to adapt to new environmental regulatory requirements. Retrofitting a plant with a mix of conventional and smart sensors is possible after careful evaluation of the processes involved. Businesses can opt for different types of solutions to work around existing constraints. For example, plants that have restricted space can consider compact, plug-and-play solutions. Retrofitting is possible for almost all systems, regardless of its age. New retrofitting solutions are constantly introduced, and the existing system can be upgraded by working with flexible and cost-efficient IIoT gateways; even older systems can be integrated into modern automated processes without having to replace the existing control hardware. 
 
(The views expressed in interviews are personal, not necessarily of the organisations represented)
 
Sharada Prahladrao is editor and public relations manager at ARC India. She edits ARC's Global Market Outlook studies and co-authors ARC Strategy Reports and Insights. She has the innate ability to understand complex concepts and express them lucidly.