ABB to Supply Ethernet-APL Flowmeters for Zhejiang Petrochemical Complex Upgrade

ABB is delivering ProcessMaster FEP600 electromagnetic flowmeters equipped with Ethernet-APL connectivity to Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical for a facility upgrade. This hardware deployment provides the petrochemical production sector with real-time field data transmission capabilities over long distances.

Scale of the Petrochemical Data Ecosystem
The flowmeters are installed at the Zhoushan Green Petrochemical Base on Yushan Island, a refining complex with a total annual capacity of 40 million tons. Specifically, the instrumentation supports a chemical production plant that produces 450,000 tons of adipic acid per year. This raw material is required for manufacturing nylon 66, specialty engineering plastics, and polyurethane. The deployment of Ethernet-APL technology integrates field devices into the industrial data ecosystem, allowing for high-speed, real-time data transmission across the process automation network. This project builds on previous deliveries of vortex and swirl flowmeters to the Rongsheng Group network.

Fluid Measurement and Communication Specifications
The flowmeters are tasked with monitoring high-temperature, corrosive acidic fluids within the production lines. The hardware accommodates a wide range of pipe sizes, from DN 15mm to DN 300mm. The Ethernet-APL standard utilizes a single two-wire cable to deliver both electrical power and high-speed communication. This configuration achieves intrinsic safety protection for explosive atmospheres (Ex ia) while maintaining reliable data transmission over cable lengths up to 1,000 meters. To resist chemical degradation from the acidic fluids and maintain measurement accuracy, the flowmeters feature Perfluoroalkoxy alkane lining technology. "Ethernet-APL is increasingly the most common communication technology in industrial applications with intrinsic safety," said Jacques Mulbert, President of the Measurement & Analytics division at ABB. This data infrastructure supports exact operating condition tracking, advanced diagnostics, and proactive maintenance.



ABB's ProcessMaster with Ethernet-APL

Additional Context:
This section details technical specifications and competitive benchmarking not included in the original product announcement

Within the process automation sector, Ethernet-APL operates at 10 megabits per second, representing a massive bandwidth increase over traditional 4-20 mA HART protocols that operate at 1.2 kilobits per second. This expanded bandwidth allows multiple variables and diagnostic parameters to be transmitted simultaneously without latency. Comparable electromagnetic flowmeters with Ethernet-APL capability, such as the Endress+Hauser Proline Promag series or Krohne Optiflux devices, offer similar two-wire intrinsic safety (Ex ia) and Perfluoroalkoxy alkane lining options for highly corrosive chemical applications. The measurement accuracy of these industrial electromagnetic flowmeters typically ranges between 0.2 percent and 0.5 percent of the measured value, depending on fluid conductivity and specific installation conditions.

Edited by Natania Lyngdoh, Induportals editor, assisted by AI.

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