With open automation into the electrified future

Audi uses PLCnext Technology from Phoenix Contact at its Ingolstadt facility in Germany for the body shop of the all-electric Audi Q6 e-tron series. This open ecosystem supports numerous IIoT functions and includes integrated cybersecurity compliant with the IEC 62443-4-2 standard.

Phoenix Contact supports sustainability through key technologies for electrification, networking, and automation. PLCnext Technology, an open ecosystem with numerous interfaces from sensor to cloud, facilitates continuous information flow in carbon-neutral production. It supports standard PLC programming (IEC 61131-3) and high-level languages (C/C++, C#, Matlab Simulink) running in real time on PLCnext Control controllers. This integration benefits both IT and OT specialists, aiding the automation of Audi’s production facilities.

Improving the greenhouse gas balance through optimized production processes

Audi aims for carbon-neutral production at all sites by 2025, a goal already achieved at Ingolstadt in early 2024. In the body shop, improving emission values through quality, availability, and adaptability is crucial. Production-related GHG emissions increase with no-load periods or rejected bodies, raising costs and impacting the GHG balance.

To prevent increased GHG emissions and costs, Audi implements shutdowns during no-load times and uses communication-capable energy meters. These include Phoenix Contact’s EEM-MA 370, to monitor consumption. Transparency in energy flows and early detection of malfunctions are crucial. Ultimately, identifying minor quality deviations early can significantly improve process flow. This in turn results in shorter cycle times and optimized energy balance for each car.

Compact Ex i isolators for quick and error-free connection in various applications

Green hydrogen (H₂) is emerging as a crucial alternative to fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal. Chemical plants, refineries, copper smelters, steelworks, and the mobility sector, aim to use it to achieve climate neutrality. Ex i isolators are employed to safeguard systems from explosions.

In 2023, the German government decided to significantly enhance the role of hydrogen in its updated national strategy by 2030. They aim to have 95 to 130 TWh of hydrogen available by then, with demand projected to reach 500 to 600 TWh by 2045. For comparison, Germany consumed around 866 TWh of natural gas in 2022. To meet these targets, the entire hydrogen value chain must be rapidly expanded. From production by electrolyzers from renewable energy to storage, processing, and distribution.

Challenges in the use of hydrogen

Hydrogen’s high energy content and carbon-neutral combustion, producing only water (H₂O), are significant advantages. However, handling H₂ requires caution due to its properties. It is fourteen times lighter than air, leading to rapid evaporation in open-air systems. It also has high diffusivity, allowing it to penetrate other media. Hydrogen is also highly explosive, with a minimum ignition energy of 0.02 mJ, one of the lowest among flammable gases. It belongs to the most dangerous ignition group IIC, along with acetylene and carbon disulfide. It also has a wide explosive range from 4% to 77% by volume in air.

Direct, on-site mobile marking for electrical installations

The increasing importance of clear marking in networked components, particularly in plant, control cabinet, and distributor construction, has made the development of mobile printing systems necessary in the field of electrical installation.

On-site marking demands are increasing, necessitating clear and consistent marking of terminals, wires, cables, equipment, and systems, as well as compliance with a growing list of standards.

Digitalization of marking processes

Phoenix Contact introduces the THERMOMARK GO thermal transfer printer. A mobile system solution that offers high flexibility, short working paths, and no accidental double processing of missing markings. The printer, software, and marking materials – THERMOMARK GO – are all integrated with the MARKING system app, allowing easy smartphone interaction with the printer.

High-speed data transmission for industrial applications

IDC predicts that by 2027, the volume of data created and replicated will reach 284 zettabytes, a 21-zero figure, threatening the Internet of Things without a nationwide broadband expansion, highlighting the need for significant data storage and replication.

The first transatlantic fiber-optic cable was operational in 1988, enabling high-speed data transmission between continents. The mid-1990s saw broadband expansion, adding more long-distance routes and moving fiberglass transmission paths closer to end devices like data centers, industrial plants, and personal computers, known as the “last mile.”

Data transmission across continents, countries, and municipalities requires high security and reliability. Speed, immunity to interference, and failsafe performance are basic requirements for industrial and semi-industrial data transmission.

The advantage of fiber optics

Fiber-optic cables (FO) transmit data in light over long distances by converting electrical signals into photon packets and sending them to the receiver via plastic or fiberglass. The light signals are then converted back into electrical signals for evaluation and processing.

This blog article explores the advantages of data transmission through fiber-optic cables over copper transmission, focusing on their characteristics.

Speed and distances

Fiber-optic cables use photons to transmit electrical signals, which are faster than electrons in copper conductors. Photons can travel up to 70% of the speed of light, with minimal signal loss. This allows for longer transmission distances of up to 50 km and data rates of up to 40 Gbps. The actual range depends on the chosen fiber-optic cable, making them suitable for long distances and large data volumes.

Reliability and security

Fiber-optic cables are reliable for data transmission due to their non-conductive cores made of glass or plastic, eliminating the need for complex shielding. They are metal-free, insensitive to EMC and ESD interference, allowing parallel use with other cables. Impedance problems and crosstalk are not issues. Fiber-optic cables with coatings protect against environmental influences in a much better way.

Fiber-optic cables offer enhanced cybersecurity due to their lack of external signals, requiring direct access via bend connectors or contact points, making them significantly more secure against eavesdropping than copper cables, despite not providing 100% protection against unauthorized access.

Costs

Fiber-optic technology has disadvantages such as complex assembly, precision, expensive equipment, complex measurement technology, and the need for well-trained specialists. Manufacturing and monitoring production are costly and require extensive expertise in this specialist field.

Overview

In this blog article, we will explain the magneto-optic effect’s principle for monitoring surge currents in lightning strikes. We will use the example of a lightning monitoring system in wind power plants, monuments, and power transformation substations.

Lightning monitoring on exposed objects

Lightning strikes can cause severe damage to buildings and systems, especially in residential or commercial buildings. One can quickly evaluate the extent of damage and immediately repair it, preventing consequential damage. However, employees cannot continuously monitor exposed objects or large surfaces like wind power plants or railway systems. That’s why the use of Intelligent monitoring systems is becoming more common to permanently monitor system function states and send results to a central control unit. This allows for immediate response in case of malfunctions and prevents consequential damage and long downtimes. Until now, no measuring system could reliably detect and evaluate lightning strikes.

New monitoring technology with the Faraday effect

A new monitoring system uses the Faraday effect and magneto-optic effect to analyze surge currents in lightning arresters. Moreover, a fiber optic cable transmits signals, preventing lightning currents from influencing the light signal. This ensures reliable and EMC-protected signals for the evaluation unit electronics, ensuring efficient and reliable monitoring and measurement.

Structure of the measuring section

The measuring section is a transparent dielectric with polarizers at either end, positioned 90 degrees to the current flow direction in the down conductor. Consequently, Ensuring that the propagation direction of a light wave is parallel to the surge current’s magnetic field.

A key technology in the digitalization of our world

Digitalization and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are driving the demand for faster, seamless networking in various industries. Ethernet has proven effective in intelligent device networking, but Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) will replace serial fieldbus communication protocols in the future. SPE’s innovative characteristics make it valuable for advanced communication infrastructures. Phoenix Contact offers cross-industry expertise and an ideal product portfolio for SPE implementation in various fields. Ethernet solutions typically require two wire pairs, but Gigabit Ethernet may require four for increased data transmission rates. Single Pair Ethernet, which works with a single wire pair, can transmit data and power simultaneously. Its transmission rates range from 10 Mbps at 1,000 meters to 1 Gbps at 40 meters, making it suitable for demanding tasks like networked sensor technology. This technology is suitable for fields previously affected by limitations in data rates, ranges, and seamless communication.

Connections of up to 1,000 meters

Standard Ethernet solutions have limitations, such as a maximum of a 100-meter point-to-point connection distance. Furthermore, To cover longer distances in industrial systems, additional repeaters or switches are needed. SPE technology allows devices to be connected over 1,000 meters with 10 Mbps transmission speed and Power over Data Line (PoDL) technology with only one cable, potentially replacing specific fieldbus technologies in the future.

Speeds of up to 1 Gbps and more

Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) is a reliable solution for complex network topologies with gateways, offering transmission speeds ranging from 10 Mbps to 1 Gbps. Hence, IEEE 802.3 consortia is discussing further SPE standards for higher data rates and distances which will open up the spectrum for SPE for even more fields of applications.