Support for Maintenance Processes Using RFID

Safety is of utmost importance during the transport of potentially dangerous process media in chemical processing plants. To ensure safety at all times, regular inspection and maintenance of hoses is required by law. RFID handhelds enable maintenance processes to be performed and documented efficiently.

Intuitive Software Allows for Easy Verification of Maintenance Performed
RFID handhelds from Pepperl+Fuchs and ecom paired with custom software from Neoception allow for convenient and efficient maintenance, even in hazardous areas. Each hose is clearly identifiable via a UHF RFID tag, which includes the following information:

• Equipment number
• Test date/time
• Hose length and diameter
• Conductivity
• Test pressure
• Date of the next inspection

Using the RFID handheld and the "hose manager" software from the Pepperl+Fuchs start-up Neoception, the auditor is guided through the maintenance procedure step-by-step. Automatic identification and user-friendly software virtually eliminate errors. The results of the test can be seamlessly transferred to a back-end system and serve as the documentation and proof of the tests carried out. During the process of designing the user interfaces, care was taken to ensure that they were ergonomical and glove-operable.

More Benefits from Additional Functions
Additional functions help support work processes even better. A localization function, which evaluates the strength of the tag's response signal, helps to significantly reduce the time needed to search for a test object. In addition to RFID, all optical 1-D and 2-D codes can also be read via the integrated imager.

Regular maintenance is required to ensure that chemical plants are operating safely