Being able to monitor field devices and retrieve the data it collects is becoming increasingly more important to businesses who can’t afford to lose staff for hours in travel time.

The PC1200 programmable controller, in conjunction with GPRS modem technology, can do just that and more and already has been used in a number of applications.

Most recently the cost-effective device has been used by a national company to monitor liquid gases in facilities including hospitals and factories Australia-wide.

OEM Technology Solutions worked with the client, who is responsible for delivering industrial gases including liquid oxygen, liquid argon, liquid nitrogen to hundreds of sites around the country. Checking the vessel contents and filling them was a manual and time consuming task and entailed visiting each site and then topping up gas vessels that were low.

“This client needed a smart system to read the contents of their gas vessels in real time to allow them to automatically decide if they are running low of gas and need to be re-filled,” says OEM Technology Solutions managing director Richard Gobee.

“We designed a remote monitoring system for them to monitor the vessel pressures, and to calculate the vessel percentage full and advise their operations department if the gas level has reached the preset re-order level.”

“The system was tailored for the clients needs, and involved the design of a customised remote monitoring device, based on the OEM PC1200.”

Data is sent back to the head office through a central computer using a GPRS modem. This central computer displays the gas vessel status and reports any alarm conditions. The system also data-logs individual vessel pressures over time (at adjustable intervals) allowing the client to view the history of each site. It also provides a detailed report on gas usage.

“OEM can tailor systems to any application that requires remote monitoring of industrial sites,” added Gobee.