Global technology company ABB has announced a major order to supply its electromagnetic flow measurement devices with Ethernet advanced physical layer (Ethernet-APL) connectivity to a large-scale petrochemical production facility in China.

The flowmeters are designed to enable high-speed, real-time transmission of field data across the Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical site, located in the Zhoushan Green Petrochemical Base on Yushan Island, which has a total refining capacity of 40-million tons a year.

ABB’s ProcessMaster flowmeters will be deployed in a chemical production facility within the complex. The facility has an annual production capacity of 450 000 t of adipic acid, a raw material used in the production of nylon 66, specialty engineering plastics, and polyurethane.

The flowmeters will be used to monitor the flow of high-temperature, corrosive acidic fluids in the plant, and are designed for a range of pipe sizes, from DN 15 mm to DN 300 mm. A single two-wire cable provides power and high-speed Ethernet-APL communication, designed to enable the highest level of safety protection and reliable data transmission over distances of up to 1 000 m. ABB says it uses perfluoroalkox, or PFA, lining technology to protect the flowmeters and ensure measurement accuracy and equipment longevity.

“We aim to fully leverage the enhanced data sensing and transmission capabilities inherent in ABB instrumentation,” says a Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical representative. “This will improve our understanding of operating conditions and enable smart and more efficient operations.”

“Ethernet-APL is increasingly the most common communication technology in industrial applications with intrinsic safety,” says ABB president: measurement and analytics division Jacques Mulbert. “Through this collaboration, we will support Zhejiang in enabling smart operations, advanced diagnostics, and proactive maintenance.”

The company says the order builds on its previous delivery of Ethernet-APL VortexMaster and SwirlMaster flowmeters to Zhejiang and Rongsheng Petrochemical, both part of Rongsheng Group.