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Emerson’s Level Transmitter Includes Continuous Wave Radar and IO-Link Connectivity

June 30, 2021 by Alessandro Mascellino

Emerson has recently unveiled the “world’s first” non-contacting radar device designed for the food and beverage industry.

Dubbed Rosemount 1408H, the new level transmitter is built to meet companies’ needs for accurate and reliable level measurement in hygienic applications.

 

Video used courtesy of Emerson

 

The new device offers a series of dedicated features, including a hygienic compact design, fast sweep technology, high-performance radar beam focusing, and IO-Link communications.

 

Designed for the Food and Beverage Industry

When it comes to applications requiring stringent hygienic facilities and equipment, it is particularly important to use non-contacting level measurement technologies like radars. They are fairly easy to maintain, last longer than legacy technologies, and their top-down installation reduces the risk of product loss through leakage. Additionally, radar devices are not affected by process conditions such as density, viscosity, temperature, and pH.

 

Emerson Rosemount 1408H level transmitter

The Rosemount 1408H Level Transmitter. Image used courtesy of Emerson

 

The Rosemount 1408H is built with these principles in mind, and its IP69-rated housing is particularly designed to fit in small tanks and space-constrained skids typically used in the food and beverage industry.

Moreover, its hygienic antenna features flushing capabilities via a process connection that ensures the removal of process residue during clean-in-place and sterilize-in-place processes.

 

Rosemount 1408H: Key Features

From a technical standpoint, the Rosemount 1408H is reportedly the first level transmitter to use 80 GHz frequency modulated continuous wave technology on a single electronic chip with built-in smart algorithms. The technology enables substantial measurement accuracy thanks to extremely performant radar beam focusing that can avoid internal tank obstructions (e.g., agitators).

According to Emerson, the Rosemount 1408H also features the quickest level measurement technology on the market, allegedly able to collect up to 40 times more information than legacy transmitters. Furthermore, the Rosemount 1408H would reportedly be the first non-contacting radar transmitter featuring connectivity to the IO-Link communication protocol, facilitating integration with different automation systems. 

 

The Rosemount 1408H is IP69-rated, so it’s highly resistant to dust, high temperature, and high-pressure water. Image used courtesy of Emerson

 

The device comes with conventional 4-20 mA, switch outputs, and digital high-speed communication, and is compatible with the new Rosemount IO-link Assistant software, which allows parameters to be set via IO-link.

 

Equipped With Hygienic Certifications

The Rosemount 1408H is compliant with several hygienic certifications, including the 3-A, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declaration, and the EC 1935/2004 directive.

The 3-A Sanitary Standards is an organization maintaining a large inventory of design criteria for equipment and processing systems. They are sponsored by various companies and specialize in providing knowledge resources to support the training and educational needs in the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries.

The FDA, on the other hand, requires no introduction. In regards to Rosemount 1408H, the Administration declared that “When fitted with the hygienic adapter and O-ring, the process wetted components used in this product conform to FDA 21CFR110, Subpart C.” For context, the section refers to “Current Good Manufacturing Practice In Manufacturing, Packing, Or Holding Human Food.”

Finally, the EC 1935/2004 directive defines general safety requirements applicable to all possible food contact materials and articles. For additional information about the Rosemount 1408H hygienic certifications and other specifications, you can view the radar transmitter’s product datasheet.