IOT News

Background

To improve energy management and achieve detailed, digital, and visual monitoring of energy consumption, a factory plans to implement a digital energy management system. The system needs to integrate data from various energy media on site—such as water, steam, refrigerant, and compressed air—as well as key equipment PLCs. This will provide data support for energy savings, fault prediction, and data‑driven decision making.

To address this need, WideIOT offers an all‑in‑one solution consisting of industrial IoT gateways plus an energy management platform.

Data Collection Points

After an on‑site assessment, the main data collection points are as follows:

1. Water system: flow meters on the main pipeline, water pump PLC

2. Steam system: steam flow meters, temperature and humidity sensors, pressure gauges, boiler PLC

3. Compressed air system: gas flow meters, air compressor PLC

4. Cooling system: temperature sensors and flow meters on the supply and return pipes, cooling tower PLC

Solution Overview

Industrial IoT gateways are deployed on site to connect to various PLCs, instruments, meters, and sensors. An energy management platform is deployed on a local server.

The gateways collect real‑time equipment status and energy consumption data, and use 4G for wireless internet access. The data is then sent to the energy management platform for visual processing. This enables remote monitoring, alarm notification, management, control, and statistical analysis of the data. The solution provides reliable data support for production management and energy conservation, helping the company improve operational efficiency and management level.

Key Features Achieved

1. Unified data collection from multiple energy sources (water, steam, refrigerant, compressed air, etc.) and from various brands of PLCs. Data is transmitted to the energy management platform via 4G and the Modbus protocol.

2. Real‑time visual display of data from all monitoring points and equipment status, presented in the form of configuration diagrams, flowcharts, and lists. This creates visual energy dashboards and equipment dashboards, making it easy to quickly browse and locate equipment.

3. Flexible alarm options with notifications sent to management personnel via WeChat, SMS, or email. Alarm events are logged and report files are generated, enabling traceable, statistical, and visual management of alarms.

4. Support for various data analysis activities, allowing quick insight into key energy efficiency indicators such as energy consumption per unit of product and energy costs. This helps the company make informed, data‑driven decisions and continuously improve energy efficiency and energy management practices.