Real-Time Juice Level Monitoring in Florida USA {Case Study}

Executive Summary

Prodalim Group is a pioneer in citrus juice production with capabilities ranging from sourcing, developing, manufacturing to blending, storing, and distributing juices. Based on business requirements, Biz4Intellia delivered an advanced IoT-based level monitoring solution for Prodalim to keep a real-time and remote check on the juice levels of their 30 - 45 feet large storage tanks, which are located in the cold zone/ deep freeze areas, where the temperatures even dropped in minus Celsius. The IoT-powered solution helped them keep an instant track of the volume and ambient temperature of juices through in-built calculative features of the deployed system.

Why the client needs Biz4Intellia IoT solution:

The quality, accuracy, and safety of labor are always the main concerns for Prodalim and affect the strategies & decisions of the company. Prodalim reached out to us to seek solution of all the below listed concerns.

An automated solution that monitors if the sensor is online and performing as expected
Self-analyzing & self-correcting solution, which fixes minor bugs on its own
Eliminate the need of manually climbing on 45 feet tanks for liquid level check
To improve health security and create a safe environment for the staff members as it is challenging to climb 30 – 45 feet heightened tanks for level measurements
To provide errorless real-time reading, even in the absence of employees
To share insightful inventory reports with the management & concerned person.
Since, they were using manual scaling for data measurement, it did not give accurate results. Switching to real-time data processing with Biz4Intellia’s solution provided accurate results and reduced the chances of any theftsSince they were using manual scaling for data measurement, it did not give accurate results. Switching to real-time data processing with Biz4Intellia’s solution provided accurate results and reduced the chances of any thefts
To provide errorless real-time reading, even in the absence of employees
To check the exact Inventories delivery quantity in gallons/liters.
To analyze and share the data insights with the appropriate department in the form of daily reports or threshold notification through real-time monitoring for a better understanding of production and strategizing business growth.
To observe historical data based on monthly, quarterly, and yearly timelines for improved management and increased profitability.
To get readings in defined time intervals. Also, they wanted to change time-interval dependently.
Highly versatile and customization platform that is compatible with new hardware and advanced technologies.
Efficient administration and inventory management by using user-permission features.

How Biz4Intellia Level Monitoring Solutions helped Prodalim Group?

Biz4Intellia configured a LoRaWAN based IoT-powered level monitoring solution to deal with the client’s juice inventory tanks level & volume monitoring needs. The robust IoT architecture included both hardware and software capabilities that empowered seamless installation and execution of the real-time level monitoring solution. Moreover, Biz4Intellia deployed the solution in large tank farms, connecting multiple tanks through a single gateway using LoRaWAN Protocol, which reduced the installation and other costs at much lower prices.

We at Biz4Intellia offer a complete End-to-End IoT solution that can work on WiFi, cellular data, or ethernet communication, as per the feasibility of the region. Here in the Prodalim tank farms, regular GPRS protocols and WiFi modules could not be used due to the constructive nature of the walls. Hence, we offered an alternative of using LoRaWAN technology that enables the devices to communicate wirelessly without compromising productivity.

Challenges

Calculating Volume of Irregularly Shaped tanks
Different Hardware checks on the tanks for testing and environmental testing.
Signal transmission through 30-45 feet heightened tanks.
Capturing data from multiple tanks of different kinds and establishing a signal network.
Devices compatibility check and Installation of devices in extreme cold environment.
Meet Project Budget and Build up a Sustainable and customize IoT Solution.

Architecture of Implemented IoT System

Hardware Used

We used robust hardware devices with ethernet/LoRaWAN gateway connectivity for effective data collection of level readings. The prospect was able to obtain live readings from the juice tanks and got quick data access through web and mobile platform.

Intellia Ultrasonic level Sensor INT-D-07

This is a wireless device that uses sound waves to calculate the distance between the liquid’s surface and itself. The solution is well-equipped with auto-calibrated algorithms that use data through this sensor to calculate the liquid levels in the juice tanks. The device significantly operates on FHSS (frequency-hopping spread spectrum) for better accuracy against any interferences.

Intellia Indoor LoRaWAN Gateway

Intellia’s LoRaWAN gateway is used to transmit the data from sensors to the user’s dashboard that further helps in advanced processing. It is used as a common point from where juice level data was transmitted securely and displayed on the connected dashboard. It helped our client to analyze the juice level data and improve business productivity at significant levels.

Protocol Used

LoRaWAN

LoRaWAN communication protocol was used to enable secure data transmission between the sensors and gateways. It is a wireless technology that shares the payload of small data packages ranging from 0.3 kbps to 5.5 kbps over long distances. The sensors share the juice tank temperature and level data to the gateways through LoRaWAN connectivity, which is then processed further on the application server.

Comprehensive IoT Platform

The data ingested from 30-45 ft. heightened juice tanks is stored on a cloud server. Biz4Intellia’s mobile and web-powered dashboard collects this data and displays it in easy-to-comprehend format. The platform is customized as per the administrative needs of Prodalim Group. This dashboard allows users from Prodalim to:

Know the location of the devices installed on the site.
See real-time readings of juice levels & ambient temperature in the tanks
Set threshold limits and range to gain alerts or notifications about reducing battery level, low signal strength, or unwanted fluctuations in readings.
Register and configure new devices.
Analyze and process data through advanced analytics in a graphical format and obtain operational insights and patterns.
Handle administration and management.
Filter devices based on type, status, model, etc.
Reporting capabilities for tank, tank farm, date range, exception, historical data, etc.

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Deployment

Currently, 35 units of Ultrasonic Level Monitoring sensors, 35 units of controllers, and 2 units of indoor LoRaWAN Gateways from Biz4Intellia are already installed throughout the Tank Farm. They are communicating seamlessly and no packet loss or loss of services to date as part of this project.

We replaced clients traditional manual measuring methods used to monitor Juice tanks level via Gauge/Valve and other level indicator with our LoRaWAN Level Monitoring device that communicate with the LoRaWAN network through the RS-485 interface of controllers, which not only satisfies the investment requirement but also simplifies the installation and measuring process.

As multiple gateways are required to cover the whole tank farm area in the juice plant, the private network is rolled out efficiently at scale. All the data is going to be aggregated in the controller gateway via the Ethernet network and processed by the embedded network server, and it will transmit to the Biz4Intellia applications server through an Ethernet port of LoRaWAN based gateway via MQTT protocol.

Biz4Intellia IoT Platform Highlights

prodalium-group-case-study-platform-highlights

Operational Dashboard

Device Information Card

Outcome of Implementing Biz4Intellia’s Level Monitoring System

The result of this project is an easier and more efficient means of managing Tank Farm inventories and a means of enhancing ROI. Wireless communications open up additional benefits including saved time and costs, real-time remote monitoring, and adaptability to meet changing requirements.

With the aid of the End-to-End Biz4Intellia LoRaWAN based IoT solutions, the company’s authorized person can access the Biz4Intellia Platform and receive alerts if tanks level data against threshold setting and to take appropriate actions in real-time.

The client is able to get a real-time reading and instant notifications and alerts of all the inventories and tanks.
The client is able to Data Visualize on the Biz4Intellia IoT Platform and can share the insightful reports with the management and concerned persons.
The client was able to keep an eye on the level, volume, and temperature readings of the liquid stored in tanks Improve Operational Efficiency in Juice Tank Farms.

Business Benefits

Use of this solution helped the users to leverage real-time monitoring of the juice liquids and conduct sustainable operations for better productivity.

Large Tank Real-Time Monitoring