Support for maintenance processes with RFID

Safety is of paramount importance when transporting potentially hazardous substances in the chemical and process industries. To ensure continuous safety, regular inspection and maintenance of pipelines are required by legislation.

RFID handhelds enable efficient execution and documentation of maintenance processes

Intuitive software allows easy monitoring of maintenance performed
Pepperl+Fuchs' and ecom's RFID handhelds linked to Neoception's dedicated software ensure easy and efficient maintenance, even in hazardous areas. Each pipe is clearly identified via a UHF RFID tag that contains the following information:

• - Device number
• - Date and time of the test
• - Pipe length and diameter
• - Conductivity
• - Test pressure
• - Date of next inspection

Using the RFID handheld and the "hose manager" software from Neoception, a Pepperl+Fuchs start-up, the auditor is guided step by step through the maintenance procedure. The automatic identification and user-friendly software virtually eliminates errors. The results of the test can be easily transferred to a back-end system and serve as documentation and proof of the tests performed. When designing the user interfaces, care was taken to ensure that the devices are ergonomic and operable with gloves.

More benefits through additional features
Additional functions help to support work processes even better. A localization function, which measures the strength of the tag's response signal, helps to significantly reduce the search time for a test object. In addition to RFID, all optical 1-D and 2D codes can also be read via the integrated readout.