Industrial automation online instruments are the bottom detection devices in water treatment production, and their accuracy directly affects the process treatment effect. Reasonable use of intelligent instruments for online detection in the water treatment process can reduce costs and increase efficiency, ensure stable and reliable operation of the system, and generate good economic and social benefits. Therefore, based on the characteristics of the process and the actual situation on site, suitable intelligent online instruments are selected to improve the effectiveness of use. This article studies the selection of various conventional instruments in water treatment and the application of intelligence.
With the continuous development of production level and cities, various industrial enterprises and daily life involve more and more water supply, drainage, and wastewater. In current water treatment technology, every process flow cannot be separated from inspection and testing instruments. The instrument detects various process parameters, and the system controls them based on the data of these instruments, thereby enabling various process equipment to be used more fully and reasonably. Meanwhile, due to continuous detection by online instruments, once deviations occur, timely correction can ensure the effectiveness of process treatment. Online detection instruments are also the foundation for achieving industrial automation control, so industrial automation instruments are the cornerstone for promoting the development of water treatment technology.
Fieldbus and Industrial Ethernet Technology
With the wave of "Intelligent Manufacturing 2025" and "Industry 4.0" sweeping through, the development of computer, communication, and IT technologies has penetrated into the application field of automation instruments, mainly reflected in the deep integration of industrial fieldbus technology and industrial Ethernet technology with intelligent instruments. The advantage of using fieldbus in automation instruments is that the fieldbus connects multiple field devices through a "daisy chain" through a communication cable, while the traditional 4-20mA analog signal transmission requires signal cables for each device, which can only transmit a single signal and lack diagnostic information, which is not conducive to troubleshooting. At the same time, the signal is easily affected by EMC electromagnetic interference, leading to unstable data collection or deviation from actual measurement results. In fieldbus networks, the distributed IO mechanism collects or distributes multiple inputs and outputs from the field to local IO devices, and then the data travels back and forth between the PLC and the field devices through a cable. This can reduce material, construction, commissioning, and maintenance costs. Digital signals can carry more information per second than analog signals, providing diagnostic information for all devices in the network. This information not only helps to solve downtime situations, but also prevents downtime. Network diagnostic information is used for preventive and predictive maintenance practices, as well as other advanced asset management techniques. Digital fieldbus can withstand higher electronic interference without affecting data and communication quality. The transformation of signal acquisition from analog signals to digital signals using fieldbus automation instrument technology represents faster transmission rates and more reliable transmission quality. Fieldbus instruments provide industrial automation systems with networks that can achieve different topologies, and this trend continues with industrial Ethernet standards such as EtherNet/IP and PROFINET. Industrial Ethernet has a more efficient communication rate and reliable communication quality than fieldbus. In addition, the coexistence of multiple protocols enables modern network architectures and connections with higher-level systems.
Wireless transmission technology
With the development of microprocessors and wireless communication technology, various wireless technologies such as ZigBee, wireless Hart, WIA-PA, WI-FI, LoRa, etc. are applied to instruments, and the application of wireless instruments in water treatment is becoming increasingly widespread. For example, for large water and sewage treatment plants, which occupy an area of tens of thousands of square meters or more, there are many online instruments in the production and office areas, and all the signals indicated by the instruments are ultimately transmitted to the large screen or other display equipment in the monitoring room. Each instrument on site comes with wireless communication function, which can be sent and received. If the instrument transmits signals through wired transmission, it is difficult and costly to excavate cable trenches, lay pipelines, and lay cable trays. Therefore, wireless transmission still has significant advantages over conventional wiring methods in situations where cable laying is difficult, the environment is harsh, and the transmission distance is long. However, wireless instruments also have disadvantages such as low data acquisition accuracy, long response time, susceptibility to interference, and unstable communication, which cannot be used in important chain control. At the same time, they also rely on the wireless configuration platform provided by the instrument manufacturer, and system compatibility needs to be improved.
The development trend of intelligent instruments and systems of other types
Sensors are highly regarded products in the development of industrial instruments and systems, and intelligent sensors have become a key focus in the intelligent development of industrial automation instruments and systems. The automation of industrial automation instruments and systems in water treatment requires a lot of intelligent transformation. For the detection of special elements in certain water quality, such as the detection of metal ion concentrations such as lithium, calcium, and magnesium in the production process of lithium carbonate, there is still no online instrument detection method. All of them are tested in the laboratory, which brings great inconvenience to the water quality detection and operation in the production process. Therefore, the development of sensor technology is still the top priority of industrial automation instruments. At the same time, industrial enterprises should actively utilize new technologies and formed systems to continuously optimize the performance of industrial automation instruments and systems, so as to adapt to the trend of intelligent development and accelerate the in-depth development of industrial automation instruments and systems.
In summary, studying the application of industrial automation instruments in water treatment industry can improve the automation and intelligence level of water treatment production. The continuous development of automation instrument detection technology can help improve water treatment process technology. At the same time, the progress of water treatment technology also promotes the development of automation instruments, which complement and promote each other.
