There are many devices that we use every day that are powered by batteries... phones, vacuums, lawn mowers (although they all need recharging). But what about the more important things? Would you rely on a battery to televise the World Cup Finals? Power Luke's lightsaber? Propel Marty McFly's hoverboard? We wouldn't. And we also wouldn't entrust something as important as monitoring and sensors to a battery. Especially not when company money and crucial decisions rely on the persistence of the uninterrupted data.
Many manufacturers offer battery-powered monitoring devices. The truth is, if these were as good as claims suggest, we would have built these too. But we didn't. The downsides of batteries inspired us seek a better alternative – energy harvesting power. It's a simpler source than the term suggests. Energy harvesting is a self-powered process by which energy is collected from sources that already exist in the immediate surrounding (natural & artificial light, temperature differential and electrical energy). As you can image, there is an abundance of heat within steam systems, making this the perfect power source for devices in this environment.
The impact of energy harvesting powered devices is significant. The persistent collection of energy within the device means that it can send continuous payloads of data to the cloud. In fact, our energy harvesting steam trap monitors can transmit data up to 240 times a day. And not just a single measurement, but many – including temperatures, vibration, environmental, and acoustic data. A battery can't do that. Furthermore, this abundance of data gives you the confidence to test and trial changes whilst seeing the effectiveness in real-time. Plus, the data retrieved is readily available through our cloud platform, and/or easily incorporated into your own data warehousing systems.
A step forward for monitoring solutions
Moving away from finite battery power when an infinite power source is available makes sense. Energy harvesting powered monitors and sensors are a step forward and provide a richer dataset for you and your engineers. It's time ditch the battery and rely on a better product. Your monitoring project is possible today. Visit dcosystems.co.uk to learn more or contact us at sales@dcosystems.co.uk
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