Krohne’s Altoflux 2W Hybrid has won the IChemE Excellence in Safety and Environment Award 2000. Electromagnetic flowmeters (EMFs) have been used to measure the flow of conductive liquids for almost 50 years. However, until the 1970s, EMFs had a typical power consumption of 250 watts. In 1973 Krohne introduced constant field technology and reduced the power requirements to around 20 watts. The new model draws on an extremely low auxiliary power of just 40–300 milliwatts, making it even more environmentally friendly. Through an innovative combination of new technologies, Krohne overcame the difficulties associated with the low power problems experienced with earlier two-wire systems. The Altoflux 2W is one of the world’s first two-wire electromagnetic flow meters, with a power booster for situations where signal-to-noise ratio falls below critical levels. The additional auxiliary power is used entirely to increase field current, thereby reducing signal interference. Unsteady displays are now a thing of the past. Ideally suited for applications where the full details of the final operating environment may not be available, the Altoflux 2W offers clear safety and cost benefits as well as environmental advantages.
