Parker Hannifin, motion and control technology specialist, is bringing new “smart cylinders” to the power generation market, featuring its “absolute position” Intellinder actuation sensor. Intellinder is a combination of a positional bar code pattern, etched on the cylinder’s piston rod, and a highly engineered optic reader. With resolution of up to 0.001” (0.03 mm) and speeds to 40 inches/sec, (1 meter/sec) integral health monitoring and the ease to incorporate true redundancy, Intellinder provides Power Gen engineers a superior alternative to their position monitoring needs. Intellinder-enabled cylinders include hydraulic, pneumatic and electro-mechanical designs that are rugged, and engineered to sustain performance in solar panel tracking.
By integrating a highly engineered sensor directly into the hydraulic, pneumatic or electromechanical actuator, this Parker innovation eliminates the time and cost associated with gun drilling, as well as unprotected external sensors with complex linkages. Cylinder feedback installation is virtually plug-and-play.
“The Intellinder sensor brings a unique competitive advantage to all of Parker’s cylinders,” said Bruce Besch, Advanced Motion Products Manager for Parker’s Industrial Cylinder Division. Besch explains, “ Standard positioning technologies rely on magnetostrictive sensors, variable resistance sensors (string pots) and laser gauges. These all have limitations, including short strokes, dead zones, calibration needs, water ingression, temperature range restrictions, interference from contaminants, annoying electrical noise and time-consuming removal and repair. These problems all add inefficiencies to power gen operations, which increases operational cost. Parker Intellinder-enabled cylinders eliminate these issues and streamline operations.”
The Intellinder Sensor signals absolute positioning, rather than position relative to the starting location of the rod. A position identifying bar code pattern is etched directly onto standard rods, with no alterations required to the cylinder’s piston, head or cap. The optic reader bolts to the cylinder head, and the position is communicated continually and directly to the controller. Position reporting occurs at power-on and does not require calibration. Parker’s design allows for full utilization of even double-rod cylinder applications, allowing customer utilization of both rod ends.
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Intellinder feedback devices utilize serial bus connectivity, so multiple Intellinder cylinders can be networked together with a single cable back to the host controller. True redundancy is achieved by simply adding multiple, non-contacting reader sensors to the cylinder. Long cables up to 300 feet (90 meters) from the farthest cylinder to the output module, may be used. Analog output modules are protected to IP67 and do not need to be mounted in enclosures.
Intellinder-enabled cylinders include hydraulic, pneumatic and electro-mechanical designs that are rugged, and engineered to sustain performance in harsh environment power gen actuation applications, including hydroelectric plant and dams, gas turbines, wind turbine rotors and solar panel tracking. Intellinder-enabled cylinder and actuation system features and benefits include:
• Environmental:
o Extreme operating temperature rating (-40o to 221o F, 40 to 105 C)
o Sustains performance in applications exposed to vibration, dust, gravel, corrosives, chemicals, axial load, side load, and immersion
o Remains impervious to electronic noise and has been tested to ensure signal strength in the most rigorous applications.
• Construction:
o Steel and stainless construction available as NFPA tie rod or round line design
o Universal across a wide range of cylinder bore and rod diameters, with stroke lengths up to 20 feet (6 meters)
o Multiple Intellinder-enabled cylinders can be connected to a single bus, offering reduced installation and commissioning costs — Installation is virtually plug-and-play
• Intellinder sensor : Exterior mount, non-pressurized, non-contacting sensor that is easy to replace
• CAN communication to signal conditioning electronics allow long cable runs