For the first time, 80 GHz process radar is available, which pursues safety-to-design concept, thus making the life of customers much easier in terms of safety

Endress+Hauser has completed its portfolio of radar instruments with Micropilot FMR60, FMR62 and FMR67.

The new Micropilot series provides the first instruments with 80 GHz technology which have already been developed according to the safety-by-design concept of IEC 61508. Furthermore, they belong to the first generation of level instruments which, like many flow instruments of Endress+Hauser, support Heartbeat Technology.

With an impish grin, Dietmar Haag, product manager at Endress+Hauser, presents the new campaign. He realises that nobody can do anything with 113 GHz.

He just added the frequencies of existing instruments to demonstrate the overall competence of Endress+Hauser in the radar range. The new campaign is called "113 GHz + your wave length".

Haag describes the idea like this: "We are not concerned with faster, higher, farther. At present, everybody is talking about the highest radar frequencies in the industry. But the real issue is finding the most fitting frequency for any application. In order to accomplish that, we have to listen very carefully to the requirements of our customers so that we can give them really good advice. The aim is to find a common wave length, which is a common understanding."

In the area of tank gauging, Endress+Hauser launched Micropilot NMR81, the first highly accurate instrument with 80 GHz technology for the oil and gas industry at the beginning of the year.

Now, the company is adding Micropilot FMR6x to serve other industries. Also in this case, accuracy is at stake but first and foremost safety and the provision of simpler processes for customers.

For the first time, 80 GHz process radar is available which pursues the safety-to-design concept, thus making the life of customers much easier in terms of safety. In addition, the product offers a wide selection of ex-approvals.

Improved focusing of the radar signal as well as dynamic algorithms provide reliable, stable measurements with a measuring range of up to 125 metres and an increased measuring accuracy of ±1.

The measurement is unaffected by baffles or obstacles at the tank walls. Due to the innovative antenna design, buildup and condensate do not impair the measuring result either. The interactive commissioning software makes this task fast and easy.

Meanwhile, instruments with their own pulse beat, the so-called Heartbeat Technology, have been predominantly available at Endress+Hauser in flow instrumentation so far. The preconditions for predictive maintenance and documented verification have already been created in the new Micropilot.

This means that every measuring point can be verified and documented in assembled condition and without any interruptions.

A simple, pre-defined procedure leads the maintenance staff through the verification process and documents the verification results in an unambiguous manner. The guided SIL proof test according to the safety manual and included documentation also save time and costs.

An automatically generated test protocol supports the evidence concerning regulations, laws and standards. The monitoring area of Heartbeat Technology provides instrument and process data thus facilitating trend recognition for predictive maintenance. The aim is always the optimisation of processes in a targeted manner.