SDM ECO Installation and Commissioning Guide

Installation starts with a process-data review, not with a flange drawing. Confirm the slurry composition, density range, pipe dimensions and material, process temperature and pressure, flow direction, whether the line remains full, and the presence of air, scale or severe abrasion.

Also define access for fitting installation, sensor removal, inspection and safe isolation. The representative measurement point must work mechanically and produce data that reflects the process decision operators are trying to make.

• Pipe outside diameter, nominal bore, wall thickness and material
• Horizontal or vertical orientation and normal fill condition
• Carrier liquid, solids, particle behaviour and composition changes
• Normal, minimum and maximum density and temperature
• Pressure rating and any hazardous-area classification
• Available straight run, isolation and maintenance access
• Required units, outputs and control-system interface
• Reference sampling point and laboratory method

Rhosonics documents four main integration arrangements: spool-piece, weld-o-let, wafer and clamp-in. They are alternatives, not interchangeable labels. Pipe size and material, wall thickness, abrasion, access, shutdown constraints and full or partial pipe conditions all influence the choice.

Always use the current order-specific drawings and Rhosonics instructions. Do not take a generic web illustration as the fabrication or installation drawing for a live pressure system.

1. Confirm mechanical completion. Check the approved fitting, sensor position, seals, fasteners, cable routing, enclosure mounting and safe access against the current manufacturer documents.
2. Confirm electrical and communication work. Verify power, earthing, outputs, network arrangements and control-system scaling before using the signal for control.
3. Record the as-installed configuration. Capture instrument identification, firmware where relevant, units, ranges, damping, outputs and the final mounting location.
4. Complete the specified calibration. The Rhosonics manual separates water and slurry calibration activities and warns against mixing the methods for different configured outputs. Follow the correct procedure for the supplied configuration.
5. Compare with representative references. Match sample times to the online signal, record the process state and use an agreed laboratory or site method.
6. Test the complete signal path. Confirm the value shown locally is correctly represented in the PLC, SCADA or historian, including engineering units and failure behaviour.
7. Agree acceptance and handover. Document results, outstanding actions, operator guidance, maintenance access and the support route.

Calibration establishes the relationship used by the configured instrument. Validation checks performance against an independent reference under defined process conditions. A good commissioning record states which activity was performed, the method, sample handling, timing and the result.

Where the process varies, use more than one representative operating point. Investigate sample error, stratification, entrained air, transition conditions and time alignment before treating every difference as an analyser fault.

Keep the sensor and HMI accessible without exposing personnel to avoidable process hazards. Retain the supplied manual, drawings, configuration and commissioning record. Define how operators will recognise a diagnostic condition, who can change settings and how changes will be recorded.

Inspection and maintenance intervals should reflect the application, abrasion, coating risk and manufacturer instructions. A low-maintenance instrument still needs ownership and evidence.

No. Material, wall thickness, abrasion, access, process conditions and pipe fill behaviour also matter. PMA should review the full duty and current Rhosonics limits.

Choose a representative, accessible location that satisfies the manufacturer’s orientation and process requirements. Avoid guessing from a generic rule because flow, air and solids behaviour vary by site.

No. The installed mechanical, electrical and signal paths still need checking, and the measurement should be compared with an agreed site reference under representative conditions.

Provide the final configuration, drawings, calibration and validation records, output scaling, diagnostic guidance, maintenance access requirements and PMA support contact.

1. Design hold: process data, fitting, location, isolation, access and outputs are approved.
2. Mechanical hold: orientation, insertion, seals, pressure rating, support and safe removal are verified.
3. Configuration hold: units, range, outputs, tags, alarms, time and data logging are recorded.
4. Reference hold: sampling procedure, laboratory method, timestamps and operating states are agreed.
5. Acceptance hold: results across the planned range meet the documented criteria before control reliance.
6. Handover hold: drawings, settings, calibration, training, maintenance and escalation contacts are complete.

• As-installed photograph and measurement-point drawing
• Instrument, sensor and fitting identification
• Pipe and process design information
• Final configuration and output scaling
• Reference samples and laboratory results
• Aligned online and process trends
• Acceptance criteria and signed deviations
• Cleaning, inspection and verification plan
• Operator response to warnings or invalid signals

For a specific duty, continue to the thickener, hydrocyclone or tailings guide.

Reviewed 4 September 2026 against the Rhosonics SDM ECO manual, the manufacturer’s SDM ECO brochure and the current product page. The supplied manual and order-specific documents remain authoritative for installation and operation.