Customer application 26 September 2022

Monitoring Dangerous Goods Reliably with Maritime Products from WAGO

Tankers move at a leisurely pace through idyllic inland waterways like the Rhine, Ruhr and Elbe. Yet their interiors can hold dangerous substances, including gasoline, natural gas, oil and poisonous chemicals. To ensure they pose no danger to humans and the environment, tank warning systems monitor the state of the liquids and gasses. Wilhelm Schroer Schiffselektrik GmbH, a company specializing in maritime electrical systems, designs, installs and maintains custom tank warning systems. A large number of WAGO maritime products are also included.

Since 1963, Wilhelm Schroer Schiffselektrik GmbH, headquartered in Duisburg, has provided services, class renewals and upgraded electrical systems for inland shipping throughout Europe. “Our core businesses include maritime electronics, customer service, repairs and upgrades,” says Master Electrician Christian Möhlenbruch, describing the company’s main focus areas. Since the requirements on inland vessels are very complex, and the legal and regulatory details change almost every year, this family-owned company’s technicians are always busy designing and implementing systems to comply with them. Above all, this involves digitization and automation of ship operations, which are becoming more and more digital all the time. One of the recent projects relates to tank warning systems for ships that transport dangerous goods in liquid or gas form. The tanks on these ships must be monitored constantly with a specialized warning system. Since every ship is different, no two tank warning systems are the same. Therefore, Christian Möhlenbruch and his colleagues develop tank warning systems that are tailored to the specific vessel. However, these systems do have one thing in common: They all include maritime products from WAGO.

An Overview of Everything with a Digitized Tank Warning System

“Our customers value measurement systems that precisely record and digitally model the fill level, temperature, air pressure and other critical values. The system also needs to record the draft and water level, so customers know how heavily they can load their ships. Since shipping is an international industry, the ability to collect and automatically transfer all the required customs data is also an advantage. Of course the system needs to meet the current legal regulations too,” says ICE technician Pascal Grafflage, describing the demands on modern tank warning systems.

In the past, the ship’s crew had to read and monitor the fill level, temperature and air pressure on each tank directly. With today’s modern tank warning systems, that practice is a thing of the past; the crew can now view all the parameters on a display from the comfort of the bridge. “If something goes wrong, the system triggers visual alerts and audible alarms and indicates the location of the fault on the display,” says Grafflage, explaining how problems are handled. “The difficulty is that the controller also receives the data – after all, it’s relevant to safety, since many ships transport explosive materials. The safety of people and the environment always has the highest priority,” adds Christian Möhlenbruch. According to Möhlenbruch, the details of the specific ship are always challenging, since every vessel is different, so no two tank warning systems are alike. Prior to the development of a tank warning system, a Wilhelm Schroer Schiffselektrik GmbH employee always visits the ship in question. Only then can the technicians begin planning and developing the system. “For example, we review the level of digitization on the ship and examine the general warning system; that allows us to optimize the design of the tank warning system and adapt it to the specific vessel. That’s always a team effort,” explains Möhlenbruch.

The Right Solution for Maritime Challenges in Any Situation

WAGO has also been part of the team for many years. “Among other WAGO products, we use their marine panels for visualization of components, signals and systems. We also employ various rail-mount terminal blocks like WAGO’s TOPJOB® S Rail-Mount Terminal Blocks, power supply units, switches, fuses, transformers and WAGO’s Smart Printer,” says Grafflage, listing the WAGO technology used. For Wilhelm Schroer Schiffselektrik GmbH, it’s important for all the products to have the necessary marine approvals and be certified for use in hazardous areas The compact design of many of these products is another benefit, since space is tight on ships, and the control cabinet can’t be too large.

For example, the Touch Panel 600, which is used for visualization of the tank warning system status, is only 10.1″ wide. Since the panel has marine approval and meets the requirements for protection class IP65, it is ideal for marine applications. The I/O system offers a high degree of flexibility and is compatible with many bus protocols, such as Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU, CAN and OPC UA. The right module exists for the specific requirements, and if the on-site situation changes, the user has the flexibility to select more or fewer modules or swap modules out if necessary. The Touch Panel 600 additionally supports various ETHERNET protocols, including DHCP, DNS, HTTPS and SSH.

I/O Modules and Automation Work Together in a Harmonious Whole

In addition to the Touch Panel 600, Wilhelm Schroer Schiffselektrik GmbH also uses the WAGO Industrial Eco Switch in its tank warning systems. This unmanaged industrial ETHERNET switch is ideal for setting up small- to medium-sized networks easily. When it’s used with a DIN-rail adapter, its slim design saves space in the control cabinet while also providing a high level of vibration and shock resistance. Because the switch automatically detects the transmission rate and determines the transmission/reception quality, it allows an easy “plug-and-play” approach – that saves installation time, which in turn saves money.

“With WAGO, we’ve found the right terminal block for every application. Their product portfolio covers many areas,” says Grafflage, describing the benefits of working with WAGO. It includes multilevel installation terminal blocks, ground terminal blocks and through terminal blocks from WAGO’s TOPJOB® S Series with Push‑in CAGE CLAMP^®. All the terminal blocks used have national and international marine approvals, and many include Ex approvals. “The terminal blocks can be integrated harmoniously into the automation systems. In addition, the product quality is really very high. That’s what convinced us,” explains Grafflage. With WAGO’s thermal transfer Smart Printer, Christian Möhlenbruch and Pascal Grafflage can label the individual components in the control cabinet clearly. “This allows us to provide documentation directly in and on the control cabinet. That’s practical and saves us time, since we no longer have to check the book,” explains Grafflage.