Explosion protection and functional safety included
Power-to-X technologies are becoming increasingly important for the All Electric Society. Compact Ex i signal conditioners with SIL 3 are vital for their safe use.
Technically, the All Electric Society offers a solution to the climate crisis and sustainable development. This vision involves using renewable electrical energy as the main, inexpensive, and abundant energy source. Achieving this requires comprehensive electrification, networking, and automation across all sectors—industry, mobility, infrastructure, buildings, and energy. Sector coupling integrates power generation, distribution, storage, and consumption into a holistic system, allowing energy exchange and optimal control through data evaluation.
Society’s energy needs will continue to rise, while fossil fuel use must be drastically reduced to cut carbon emissions. This presents challenges and opportunities, such as increasing renewable energy production. However, renewable sources depend on external factors like weather, making energy storage systems crucial. These systems buffer surplus electricity and convert it back when needed. Power-to-X technologies offer solutions for energy storage and further carbon emission reductions.
Use of green hydrogen in heavy industry is essential
Power-to-X technologies convert electrical energy into chemical energy sources, with “X” representing various chemical products from electrolysis or other processes. Green hydrogen production from renewable sources is the foundation for all power-to-X applications. Hydrogen is used to produce ammonia (mainly for fertilizer) and methanol (a raw material for the chemical industry).
Besides energy storage, power-to-X applications are crucial for heavy industry energy consumption. Green hydrogen is essential for industries like steel, chemicals, and refineries, which rely on fossil fuels. Since substantial electrification isn’t feasible, power-to-X is the only alternative to reduce carbon emissions.
Power-to-X applications require modularity due to the use of many small decentralized systems and control boxes. Explosion protection and functional safety are crucial because of the combustible gases generated. Phoenix Contact offers a comprehensive range of products and solutions for explosive areas, including the new Mini Analog Pro intrinsically safe signal conditioners.
High level of operating convenience, even in limited spaces
In modern process and power-to-X systems, intrinsically safe explosion protection and functional safety are crucial. Limited control cabinet space often reduces product handling convenience. Phoenix Contact’s Mini Analog Pro offers compact, user-friendly devices for intrinsically safe and safety-related measuring lines. The new signal conditioners and transducers include SIL 3 1oo1 functional safety for all signal types—analog, digital, control, and measuring signals—within a 6.2 mm width.
The Mini Analog Pro family allows easy conversion to digital protocols via modular communication modules without extra space. Compatible with Modbus RTU, Modbus TCP, Profinet, and Profibus, up to eight signal conditioners can form Mini Analog Pro gateways. This eliminates the I/O level and specific input cards, ensuring direct digital network connection, channel-specific electrical isolation, and precise signal transmission.
Broad product portfolio for power-to-X applications
To achieve a sustainable future, significant carbon emission reductions are essential. Power-to-X technologies are crucial in the energy transition, replacing fossil fuels where electrical alternatives are limited. These applications are efficient and scalable due to their modular and decentralized structure. Safety aspects like explosion protection and functional safety are vital, and the Mini Analog Pro signal conditioners meet these requirements. Phoenix Contact offers a wide range of products and solutions for power-to-X applications, making them a reliable partner for system extensions.
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