Customer Application

 8 October 2025

A Watchful Eye for Maintenance

Early detection of anomalies enables condition-based maintenance.

Air Liquide, a specialist in industrial gases, has invested nearly €40 million at its site in Stade, Lower Saxony, to decarbonize synthesis gas production. As part of this initiative, continuous monitoring of the new high-temperature reactor was implemented. WAGO provided the ideal solution: a combination of a thermal camera, a WAGO IoT Gateway, and seamless integration into the process control system. This setup enables early detection of anomalies and supports condition-based maintenance when needed.

In This Article, You Will Learn:

  • Why seamless integration into the process control system is more sustainable than a stand-alone solution.
  • The importance of the interface to the control system, especially when retrofitting existing machines and systems.
  • How managing and calculating anomaly data at the PLC level already reduces system load.

Innovation Through Cooperation — A Collaboration between Air Liquide and WAGO

Automated Monitoring in a High-Temperature Reactor

The core of the Air Liquide system in Stade is the new high-temperature reactor. Preventing unplanned downtime was a top priority. Detecting damage to the masonry surrounding the reactor — damage that inevitably occurs over time — offers limited technical options. Air Liquide sought a method to reliably assess the reactor’s condition without relying on scheduled or suspicion-based shutdowns. Experts recommended industrial thermal cameras for early hazard detection. TTS Automation selected Prometheus, a solution that identifies temperature anomalies regardless of environmental conditions. It is based on intelligent control technology from WAGO, including the PFC200 from the 750 Series.

Air Liquide, a global leader in gases, technologies and services for industry and health, has implemented 24/7 monitoring of a new reactor at its Stade facility.

Seamless Integration into the Automation Landscape

For uninterrupted inspection, three cameras are positioned radially around the reactor in two layers, with an additional camera mounted above the container. These cameras transmit all relevant data to the control system, including maximum and minimum values segmented by sector. Fixed alarm thresholds are configured to trigger alerts only when values exceed or fall below defined limits. The camera software operates on the WAGO IoT Box, which integrates seamlessly into process industry environments as an interface to the control system. This setup enables Air Liquide to utilize the full functionality of the cameras and process raw data efficiently. Managing and calculating anomaly data at the PLC level reduces system load. Operators can communicate directly with the camera electronics from within the control system.

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Thermal cameras with intelligent control technology, like the WAGO PFC200, detect hazards early by identifying thermal anomalies — regardless of environmental conditions.