Magnetic Inductive Flow Meter / Monitor with IO Link MIK

Precise, Cost-effective, Innovative: Kobold's Magnetic-Inductive Flow Meter MIK with Effective Compact Electronics and IO-Link

Kobold expands measurement capabilities for neutral and aggressive media in small and large process manufacturing plants.
"The global market for magnetic-inductive flow meters is stable with sales of over five million devices.  With this statistic in mind, Kobold have combined two of their proven components, the successful type MIK magnetic-inductive flow meter and the popular `U-PACE‘ compact electronics,  creating an exciting new compact flow instrument at the best price for our customers“, says Diploma Engineer and Development Manager at KOBOLD Messring GmbH, Manfred Heil. "Our market analyses have shown a significant demand for this."

How it works...
Functionality according to the magnetic-inductive measurement principle 
According to Faraday's law of induction, a voltage is induced in a conductor moving in a magnetic field. The electrically conductive measuring medium corresponds here to the moving conductor. The voltage induced by the fluid is proportional to the flow rate and thus a measure of the volumetric flow. The induced voltage is fed to the electronics via two electrodes. The volume flow rate is calculated and output based on the known inner diameter.

Development...
Combining established capabilities with successful compact electronics U-PACE 
Where previously separate electronic modules were necessary for flow display and dosing, all these and more tasks are now taken over by the new compact electronics U-PACE. This new development, a chemically resistant flow meter and flow monitor in one device, caters to a broad range of applications. The MIK is suitable for almost all applications such as flow control, flow measurement, filling, and quantity recording in the food, chemical, and paper industries, as well as for the aggressive fluids in the construction industry. The measuring ranges are generously designed from 0.01 to 700 liters per minute and suitable for all requirements.
The advantages of the proven MIK series are evident: reliable flow measurement of electrically conductive liquids without moving parts. Hence, wear and mechanical failure are excluded. The maintenance-free device is space-saving, measures bidirectionally, and accommodates both low and high flow rates. Short inlet and outlet sections allow the MIK to be installed even in confined spaces.
The MIK is insensitive to variations in viscosity, density, temperature, or pressure and generates only minimal pressure drop. Due to various material combinations, the instruments are resistant to corrosive acids and alkalis. The MIK is suitable for water and water-like fluids, specifically for ground, cooling, and wastewater in various compositions. Special attention is given to the electrodes, which by technical necessity have direct contact with the fluid. Stainless steel electrodes are suitable for most fluids. For exceptional challenges, there are electrodes made of Hastelloy® or Tantalum, which are resistant to almost all aggressive substances.

IO-Link...
The MIK can be connected to existing automation systems via IO-Link 
"IO-Link is a standardized and real-time communication standard for connecting sensors and actuators to an intelligent automation system," explains Mr. Heil further. "Our motivation has always been customer-driven needs. That's why we integrate the proven IO-Link technology into more and more measuring devices. The global trend is reflected in our day-to-day business. Last year, we sold our ten-thousandth measuring device with IO-Link."

Successful compact electronics U-PACE 
Thanks to the established compact electronics U-PACE, the new MIK features two individually configurable outputs that are intuitively operable and can be set by the customer, for example, as pulse, frequency, alarm, or analogue outputs.
"U-PACE is the logical evolution of existing electronic concepts: integrating a variety of different measuring devices under a uniform, intuitively operable electronics system to leverage synergies. The acronym Universal Precision and Control Electronics reflects the desires and expectations of today's market, ultimately what the customer wants and can expect from us," Mr. Heil continues discussing his intriguing work. "Engineers and technicians on-site neither have the inclination nor the time to read loads of manuals for each new product. So, the premise in our development was: electronics for everything, easily operable."
This enables devices to be easily integrated into different processes and provide real added value with their short response times. The colour multi-display can be digitally rotated in 90° increments so that a different model is not needed when changing locations, and the display remains independent of the position of the connections. The desired dosing process can be started and stopped both on-site at the display and via an external control input. The desired quantity is set using the buttons.

The foundation for every measurement project 
The flexibility of the device family is evident in user guidance and functionality. All settings can be conveniently adjusted via four optical keys on the display on-site. Functions such as temperature measurement, partial quantity display, or maximum flow rate can be assigned to these hotkeys so that navigation through multiple control levels in the menu is not constantly required. This can also be safely done with most gloves. The multi-line display provides a better overview than comparable devices and displays the corresponding unit or other additional information alongside the measured value. This clarity is further enhanced by the display's multicolor capability: for instance, the colour changes when a specific flow volume is reached. Thus, the user can see from a distance when a certain quantity is dosed or a limit has been exceeded.
"Customers can look forward to the next product innovation we will bring to the market," Mr. Heil continues, while also highlighting the integrated temperature measurement and the high measuring range span of up to 50:1 of the MIK. "The challenge is to integrate pinpoint knowledge from the fields of measurement and process engineering at the right time and manufacture the new devices in line with market requirements."

Fluid handling

Precise, smart, and cost-effective: Kobold’s electromagnetic flow meter MIK expands measurement options for neutral and aggressive media

Innovative design with effective compact electronics and IO-Link

There are many types of flow and dosing meters, as different media place different demands on the measuring equipment. Therefore, the development engineers at KOBOLD Messring GmbH set themselves the goal of developing a modular elctronic control solution with maximum flexibility that is equally suitable for appyling to all applications and media without compromising on precision or material resistance. To achieve this, the MIK uses the new U-PACE compact electronics, which takes over the flow display and dosing simultaneously instead of having to use separate evaluating electronic devices. To ensure the flexibility of the new development, a chemically resistant flow meter and precise flow monitor have been combined in one device and optimized for a wide range of applications. This makes the MIK from KOBOLD suitable for almost all applications such as flow measurement, flow control, filling and quantity recording, for example in the food, chemical and paper industries as well as for aggressive fluids found in the construction industry. The measuring ranges are generously designed from 0.01 to 700 liters per minute and are suitable for all requirements.

"The global market for electromagnetic flow meters is stable with over five million devices," says Dipl.Ing. Manfred Heil, Head of Development at KOBOLD Messring GmbH. This is hardly surprising, as this type of measurement is based on a proven physical principle whereby according to Faraday's law of induction, a voltage is induced in a conductor moving in a magnetic field. The electrically conductive measuring medium corresponds to the moving conductor. Manfred Heil explains further, “the voltage induced by the liquid is proportional to the flow velocity and is therefore a measure of the volume flow rate. The induced voltage is fed to the electronics via two electrodes. The volume flow is calculated and output via the known internal diameter”.

However, the measurement result largely depends on how the corresponding electronics are designed to ensure an optimum result for the respective application. For many system operators, this means accepting compromises at one point or the another. This means that a large number of different measuring devices has to be integrated. Manfred Heil explains, "we wanted to solve this problem by combining proven technology in such a way that its range of applications is automatically expanded without having to compromise on precision. That's why we have further developed two proven products, the MIK electromagnetic flow meter and the U-PACE compact electronics."

Compact electronics with versatile configuration options

Flexibility and durability are at the forefront in control systems. For KOBOLD, U-PACE was the logical further development of existing electronics concepts and stands for ‘Universal Precision and Control Electronics’ with the subtitle ‘Accurate Control - Enhanced Performance’. With this concept, it was possible to combine a large number of different measuring devices under a uniform, intuitively operable electronic system to exploit synergies. "Engineers and technicians at the plant have neither the desire nor the time to read vast amounts of instructions for every new product. So the premise of our development was: one electronic system for everything, very easy to operate," says Heil. Thanks to the established U-PACE compact electronics, the new MIK has two individually configurable outputs that can be operated intuitively and can be set by the customer as pulse, frequency, alarm or analog outputs, for example. In addition, the MIK ensures reliable flow measurement of electrically conductive liquids without moving parts. Wear and mechanical failure are therefore ruled out. The maintenance-free device is space-saving, measures bidirectionally and with both low and high flow rates. Short inlet and outlet sections make it possible to install the MIK even in confined spaces.

The MIK is insensitive to changes in viscosity, density, temperature or pressure and generates negligible pressure loss. At the same time, the instruments are resistant to corrosive acids and alkalis thanks to optional material combinations. “The MIK is also suitable for water and water-like liquids, especially for groundwater, cooling water and wastewater in different compositions,” explains Manfred Heil, ”during development, particular attention was paid to the electrodes, which have direct contact with the liquid. For technical reasons stainless steel electrodes are suitable for most fluids. However, for special challenges, electrodes made of Hastelloy® or tantalum are also available. These are resistant to almost all aggressive substances.”

Connection to existing automation systems via IO-Link

Like many KOBOLD measuring devices, the U-PACE uses the proven IO-Link technology, a standardized and real-time capable communication standard for connecting sensors and actuators to an intelligent automation system. This makes it possible to connect the measurement technology to almost all common processes and system concepts and, with its short response times, represents real added value.

The user guidance and range of functions should be emphasized here. The colour multi-display can be digitally rotated in 90° steps so that no other model is required when changing location, and the display is independent of the position of the connections. The desired dosing process can be started and stopped both locally on the display and via an external control input. The desired quantity is set using the four buttons, which can also be used to select all settings. Functions such as temperature measurement, partial quantity display or maximum flow rate can be assigned to the hotkeys so that it is not necessary to constantly navigate through several control levels in the menu. This can also be done safely with most gloves. In addition, the multi-line display offers a better overview than comparable devices and shows the corresponding unit or other additional information alongside the measured value. This clarity is further enhanced by the multi-coloured display: for example, the colour changes when a certain flow volume has been reached. This allows the user to see from a distance when a certain quantity has been dosed or a limit value has been exceeded. "We are already very excited about customer feedback and experience. The challenge with every new and further development is to integrate point knowledge from the fields of measurement and process technology at the right time in line with the market and to manufacture the new devices," Heil concludes.