How NOVUS TL400 Improved Additive Control in a Fertilizer Plant in Paraguay
An Paraguay company specializing in fertilizer production sought an integrated level control solution to enhance the supervision and management of essential additives in its production line, ensuring precision, quality, and efficiency in critical processes. The industry had three storage tanks, containing additives that play a key role in the final product’s composition.
The NOVUS Solution
To meet the company’s needs, the TL400 level sensors from NOVUS were selected, known for their exceptional reliability and accuracy.
These devices feature 4-20 mA analog outputs, enabling stable and continuous data transmission to the plant’s automation system. The data captured by the sensors is sent directly to a PLC, which centralizes the monitoring and executes automated actions based on the received values.
The TL400 level sensors enable real-time monitoring of the volume of additives in each tank, which is essential to ensure that levels remain within the defined operational ranges. This continuous supervision is vital to ensure the efficiency and quality of the production process, preventing failures caused by insufficient or excess additives, which could compromise the fertilizer formulation.
Smart Integration and Automation
With a direct connection to the PLC, all information captured by the sensors can be integrated into the plant’s central control system. This not only allows centralized data visualization but also enables the automatic execution of alerts or corrections if any parameter deviates from expected levels.
This type of smart automation significantly boosts operational response capacity, minimizing the need for manual interventions and enhancing overall operational efficiency.
How it Works in Practice
The system was organized into two groups of tanks, each with an approximate capacity of 25 liters. Both groups are integrated into an existing communication network within the plant. Below, we detail the connection infrastructure and devices involved:
- 4-20 mA analog connection between the TL400 sensors and the Digirail 2A expansion module, ensuring robust signal transmission and immunity to interference.
- RS485 wired connection between the expansion module and the DigiRail Connect slave device, enabling digital data transmission with high immunity to noise.
- Modbus TCP/IP communication between DigiRail Connect and the transceiver converter emitter, enabling easy integration with industrial Ethernet networks.
- Fiber optic transmission from the transceiver converter to its receiver, ensuring high speed and minimal signal loss, is ideal for long distances.
- Ethernet connection between the receiver transceiver and the PLC switch ensures efficient and stable communication between the central system and the sensors.
The second group of tanks shares the same topology, providing a modular and scalable structure for future system expansions if needed.
Challenges and Results
The primary challenge during the implementation was the large physical distance between the measurement equipment and the central station. This distance required robust communication solutions to ensure data integrity.
With the technical and commercial support of Everest, a leading company in the distribution of industrial goods and services in Paraguay and NOVUS’s commercial partner in the region for over 25 years, it was possible to develop an efficient network architecture, overcoming distance limitations and ensuring the reliability of the transmitted data.
The final result was highly satisfactory: the production process was optimized, and decision-making was accelerated through real-time visualization of all system variables. This immediate monitoring capability added significant value to the operation, enabling improvements in efficiency, response times in contingencies, and the optimization of resource usage across the plant.
Learn More About NOVUS Products
If you’re interested in learning more about how TL400 or DigiRail Connect can optimize your processes, or want to speak to one of our specialists for a customized quote, please contact us!
