Swedish forestry group Södra's three pulp mills in Värö, Mörrum, and Mönsterås, Sweden, are jointly making a major investment in one thousand wireless Airius vibration sensors with temperature measurement that transfer vibration data via the cellular network.
The Airius II LTE-M sensor is available in two battery-powered, power-efficient models with measuring ranges 10-1000 Hz or 2-5000 Hz and resolution up to 3200 lines. The IP69 rated sensors also measure temperature from -20 to +85 degrees C.
The LTE-M radio technology is designed to meet requirements for good coverage and range – including outdoors and underground – as well as low energy consumption and cost-efficiency. The technology enables battery-powered IoT devices to communicate energy-efficiently without gateways, thus enabling fast implementation. An additional advantage of LTE-M is that it enables entire facilities to be connected without costly Wi-Fi expansion. The sensor also supports 5G.
The sensors will replace time-consuming manual measurements, thus making preventive maintenance more efficient. With the new sensors, significantly more measurement data can be collected, making analyses more accurate and efficient.
Björn Hansen, Head of IoT at Telia Company, said: “This is a perfect example of how our new Low Power Wide Area technology, LTE-M, meets the demands of IoT solutions that need longer battery life and to reach further than traditional LTE. Together with SPM Instrument and Södra Cell, we are showing how to cost-efficiently automate manual processes and bring IoT into the 5G era.“
Thomas Håkansson, Head of Technology Development at Södra Cell, commented: "This gives us completely new possibilities for predicting bearing problems in our rotating process equipment and ensuring a high operational reliability level. At the same time, it has been interesting and educative to be involved in developing this new technology together with SPM and Telia."
Södra Cell is a business area within Södra, Sweden's largest forest owners' association with 53,000 members.
