Sintrol Snifter mA User manual

Sintrol Snifter mA+ EX RF
Manual
Version 1.2.3

Snifter mA+ EX RF User Manual 2
Table of Contents
1INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................3
1.1 Safety......................................................................................................... 3
1.2 Product overview....................................................................................... 4
1.3 How does it work? ..................................................................................... 4
2INSTALLATION.........................................................................................4
2.1 Selecting the installation location .............................................................. 4
2.2 Installing the sensor ................................................................................... 6
3WIRING ..................................................................................................7
4TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION ......................................................................8
5DIMENSIONS......................................................................................... 10
6OPERATION .......................................................................................... 11
6.1 The alarm threshold factory setting values:.............................................. 11
7ADJUST PARAMETERS............................................................................ 13
7.1 Signal averaging time ............................................................................... 13
7.2 Alarm level settings.................................................................................. 13
7.3 Alarm delay time...................................................................................... 13
7.4 Alarm hysteresis time............................................................................... 13
8AUTO-SETUP......................................................................................... 14
8.1 How to do the auto-setup? ...................................................................... 14
9MAINTENANCE...................................................................................... 15
10 TROUBLESHOOTING .............................................................................. 15
10.1 No output signal................................................................................. 15
10.2 No response after auto-setup............................................................. 15
10.3 Boot check.......................................................................................... 16
11 Appendix A: Sintrol PC software............................................................. 17
11.1 DustTool............................................................................................. 17
Preview .............................................................................................. 17
11.2 DustLog .............................................................................................. 21

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1INTRODUCTION
This manual describes how to install and use SINTROL’s Snifter mA+ EX RF dust
monitor. Sintrol shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever arising from
use of any information or details therein, or omission or error in this manual, or
any misuse of the product.
The instrument can be accessed by utilizing the DustTool Software.
The basic functionality of DustTool is to change the factory settings according to
individual needs of the process.
Such functions for Snifter mA+ EX RF are for example:
•Perform the auto-setup according to process typical dust levels.
•Change the Alarm Limits and the logic of signals.
•Set 4 - 20mA output levels
The Software can be downloaded free of charge under the Sintrol web-site
http://www.sintrolproducts.com
1.1 Safety
Snifter mA+ EX RF requires 12 - 24 VDC power supply. Although these voltage
levels are considered safe, the process gas or dust particulates can be hazardous to
health.
The Snifter is designed for explosive environments fulfilling following ATEX and EX
requirements. The sensor can be installed in EX and Atex zones 22.
IECEx VTT 14.0001X
Ex tc IIIB T 80°C Dc
Atex 22 VTT14 ATEX 001 X
CE II 3 D
EX tc IIIB T 80°CDc
Take appropriate precautions when installing the monitor:
Unless the process conditions are known to be entirely safe, suitable
precautions must be taken before any entry is made into the duct for
installation or maintenance purposes.

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·The unit may be installed in ducting, containing particulate, hazardous to
health.
·The particulate may be inflammable, explosive or toxic
·The gas can be hot and pressurised
1.2 Product overview
The Snifter mA+ EX RF Dust monitor is a microprocessor-based, self-adjusting
device, equipped with two independent and fully adjustable alarm signal, isolated
4 –20 mA output loop and back light illuminated front cover.
The device is designed for filter bag leak detection and continuous filter condition
management. It can also be used to detect blockage or stoppage in pneumatic
transport and bulk solids handling. It is a compact unit with the sensor and control
electronics built into one IP65 enclosure, which has been specifically designed for
easy installation and operation.
1.3 How does it work?
The Snifter mA+ EX RF uses Sintrol’s proven and reliable inductive electrification
technology where the interaction of particles with the sensor rod causes a small
electrical charge to pass between the particulate and sensor.
It is this small electric charge that provides the signal monitored by the electronics,
the signal generated is proportional to the dust level even if particles accumulate
on the sensor. Experience has shown that this method of monitoring dust level in
gasses, offers accurate results with minimum maintenance.
2INSTALLATION
2.1 Selecting the installation location
The best location for installation is in a section of duct where the particulate has an
even distribution and the flow is as laminar as possible. This is to ensure that the
sensor rod comes into contact with a representative flow of particles.
The ideal position would be in a section of duct that has no bends, valves, dampers
or other obstructions for a distance equal to at least three duct diameters
downstream or upstream (preferable 5 x duct diameter).
Description of installation is presented in Figure 1 Recommended distance to duct
bends (D = Duct diameter).

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Figure 1 Recommended distance to duct bends (D = Duct diameter)
In some applications, a compromise must be made and the sensor will have to be
fitted in a position that satisfies the majority of above requirements. The Snifter
mA+ EX RF must be attached to metal ductwork so that the device will be
electrically shielded from interference and has good ground reference.
1. The unit shall be installed in a position, where the gas flow passes the
sensor rod in a 90°angle.
2. In round cross-section ducts, the unit can be installed in any position above
the horizontal axis (between 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock). See Figure 2
3. For square cross-section ducts, the unit must be positioned in the middle of
the top or in the middle of one of the sides. See Figure 3
4. Although the sensor is not affected by vibration, very high vibration levels
should be avoided.
5. The units must not be installed in direct sunlight or in areas where the
ambient temperature is above +40 °C.

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Figure 2 Round cross section duct Figure 3 Square cross section duct
NOTE
The sensor must not contact the opposite wall or any other obstacle inside the
duct. The only allowed interaction with sensor is dust particles.
2.2 Installing the sensor
Once the location of the unit has been selected, the Snifter mA+ EX RF with NPT
1/2”male thread can be installed to process with 1/2”female thread. Make sure
the installation is in the right position, insert the sensor inside the adapter and
rotate the unit until the connection is tight.
NOTE
Do not over tighten the Snifter mA+ EX RF with process connection - It may cause
damage to sensor and electronics.
The mounting
socket in the
middle of the side
The unit above
horizontal axis

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3WIRING
The Snifter mA+ EX RF comes with two meter power and signal cable. There are 12
wires in the same cable, two wires for VDC power source, two for alarm signals,
and one for automatic setup signal. Remaining wires are left for digital
communication with Sintrol Dustlog software.
Connect the VDC power supply to pink (+) and GND to gray (-) wires. Blue and red
wires are for alarm signals and they give the same voltage levels as power input
voltage, when the alarm latches to high state.
PCB pin Wire colour Signal name
1 BLUE Alarm signal 1
2 RED Alarm signal 2
3 BLACK 4 –20 mA +
4 YELLOW 4 –20 mA -
5 GRAY V- (GND)
6 PINK V+ (VDC)
7 GREEN Automatic setup
8 BROWN RS 485 D+
9 WHITE RS 485 D-
10 BLUE/RED USB DM
11 GRAY/PINK USB DP
12 VIOLET USB VBUS
Table 1 Wiring and signals
Snifter mA+ EX RF can be powered by using only USB connection for the purpose of
accessing and adjusting parameters with appropriate Sintrol PC software. More
information about parameter adjustment can be found in section 7 of this manual.

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4TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
Product name Snifter mA+ EX RF
Measurement Objects Solid particles in a gas flow
Particle Size 0.3 µm or larger
Measurement Range From 0.1 mg/m³
Measurement Principle Inductive Electrification
Protection Category IP65
Sensor Length (total/measuring) 250 mm / 185 mm
Power Supply 12-24 VDC
Power Consumption 3 W
Cable Connection 2 meter cable, 12 wires
Process Connection NPT 1/2" male thread
Output Signals
·Two output signals (100 –280 mA)
·Isolated 4 - 20 mA output loop
·Back light illuminated front cover
Communication Interface
·Serial communication RS-485
·USB
·Radio frequency (RF) (optional)
Communication Protocol
·Modbus RTU (RS-485)
·SNT network (USB, RF and RS-485)
Alarm settings
·Set automatically by auto-setup based on
average measured dust flow: 5 times and
20 times of reference dust flow.
·User selectable
Signal Averaging Time •Default at factory, 100 s

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·
Adjustable from 0 –6000 s
Alarm delay time
•Default at factory, 30 s
•Adjustable from 0 –60 000 s
Alarm hysteresis time
•Default at factory, 0s
•Adjustable from 0 –25 s
Process Conditions
Temperature Max 250 °C
Pressure Max 200 kPa
Gas Velocity Min 3 m/s
Humidity Max 95 % RH (non-condensing)
Ambient Conditions
Staring temperature -20...+40 °C
Running temperature -40...+60 °C
Humidity Max 95 % RH (non-condensing)
Materials and Weight
Probe (wetted part) Stainless steel (AISI 316L)
Process Connection (wetted part) Stainless steel (AISI 316L)
Enclosure Aluminum
Probe Insulation (wetted part) PEEK
Weight 0.6 kg
Table 2 Technical specification

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5DIMENSIONS
Figure 4 Structure and dimensions
This instrument conforms to the following standards
Product standard -
electrical equipment for
measurement, control and
laboratory use –
EMC requirements
Reference standard
IEC 61326-1:2005 (First Edition)

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6OPERATION
The Snifter mA+ EX RF Dust Monitor measures the dust level in a gas flow by using
inductive electrification technology which is based on AC measurement of moving
particles which carry a charge.
There are two alarm signal outputs to indicate two different alarm conditions. In
addition to this, the front cover illumination will blink to inform about the current
alarm condition.
6.1 The alarm threshold factory setting values:
Alert: > 5 times normal dust level (during automatic setup)
Alarm: > 20 times normal dust level (during automatic setup)
4 - 20 mA output: After auto-setup, the dust level is set to 5 % of total scale ie. 4.8 mA
ALARM
SIGNALS DUST LEVEL mA LOOP
4 - 20mA
FRONT COVER
ILLUMINATION OPERATION
S1: LOW
S2: LOW - - OFF
Power OFF,
failure or auto-
setup failed
S1: LOW
S2: HIGH Dust level < Limit1 4 –8 mA ON Normal operation
S1: HIGH
S2: LOW Limit1 <= Dust level < Limit2 8 –20 mA
BLINKING
COUNT
IS ONE (B)
Alert
S1: HIGH
S2: HIGH Dust level >= Limit 2 20 mA
BLINKING
COUNT
IS TWO (C)
Alarm
Table 3 Default operating configuration on factory settings

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Figure 5 Description of Snifter mA+ EX RF cover illumination sequences.

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7ADJUST PARAMETERS
Since every industrial process is different Snifter mA+ EX RF is designed so that
parameters which are important to customer can be easily adjusted. Adjustment of
parameters can be done by using USB, RS-485 or optionally with RF
communication. Depending on the chosen communication method set to the
device, the adjustments can be done either with Sintrol PC software or standard
Modbus RTU master unit.
By default, the communication mode of the device is set to work with Sintrol PC
software. To use MODBUS RTU communication, appropriate network parameters
needs first to be set into the device.
7.1 Signal averaging time
Snifter mA+ EX RF damping time has been adjusted to 100 seconds in factory but it
can be adjusted freely between 0 second and 6000 seconds (1 h 30 min).
7.2 Alarm level settings
Default Snifter mA+ EX RF alarm signal levels have been adjusted to 5 and 20 times,
compared to the process dust level during the automatic setup. These parameters
and signal logic can be adjusted freely to be any levels required by the customer’s
process monitoring demands.
7.3 Alarm delay time
It is possible to set delay time for Snifter mA+ EX RF alarm signals to avoid false
alarms caused by dust concentration peaks which appear naturally in process. On
factory settings, alarm delay is set to 30 seconds but it can be adjusted freely
between 0 and 60 000 seconds.
7.4 Alarm hysteresis time
Snifter mA+ EX RF contains alarm hysteresis time parameter which sets the
minimum frequency for alarm signal to change its stage. On a factory settings
hysteresis time is set to 0 seconds but it can be set freely between 0 and 25
seconds.

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8AUTO-SETUP
To be able to detect variations in dust follow, and to set the alarm so that it will go
off if there is excessive dost flow, you must determine the typical dust flow in the
application when the process is operating normally.
The unit has an auto-setup function. With this, you can set the measuring range of
the dust monitor so that a typical dust flow in the application corresponds 5% (4.8
mA) of the output scale.
Before running the auto-setup it is necessary to know that the process is running
with normal dust flow. When initiated, auto-setup sets the dust measuring
parameters based on the normal dust flow.
After the auto-setup, by default alarm signals are set as follows:
•alert when the dust concentration exceeds 5 times the typical dust level.
•alarm when the dust concentration exceeds 20 times typical dust level.
In addition, the following key parameters will also be affected.
•4 -20 mA high level is set to 20 times typical dust level and low level is set to 0
•Dust signal averaging time is set to default.
•Signal hysteresis and delay times are set to default.
For more information, see Table 3 Default operating configuration on factory
settings.
NOTE
As the auto-setup procedure can also be altered by the user, this section only
describes the actions of factory default auto-setup.
8.1 How to do the auto-setup?
Follow the procedure below to run the auto-setup.
1. Connect the sensor to the duct, connect the power to the device and wait for
10 minutes the process to stabilize.
1. Then start the auto-setup procedure either:
1.1 by connecting the automatic setup signal (green wire) to the V+ signal
(wire) for a period of 1 second. The automatic setup will initiate and
the front panel light will start to blink slowly (sequence D in Figure 5
Description of Snifter mA+ EX RF cover illumination sequences.).
Then Release the automatic setup signal, by disconnecting the green
wire from V+.

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1.2 or initiating auto-setup remotely using remote communication options.
Auto-setup procedure takes 10 times the signal averaging time ie. with the default
parameters, this will be 1000 seconds (approx. 17 min) to complete. When the
front cover lighting stops blinking, the auto-setup is finished and the Snifter mA+
EX RF is ready for use.
9MAINTENANCE
Snifter mA+ EX RF dust monitor needs very little or practically no maintenance. We
recommend checking the status of the sensor after the first 2 months of operation.
If no notable build-up of contamination can be observed, the recommended
maintenance interval is 2 years.
However, if the particles in the gas are sticky and tend to build up, the cleaning
needs to be done more often. The need for maintenance depends on the process.
The maintenance is done by removing the unit from the process and cleaning the
sensor rod to prevent signal leakage to ground. Opening the enclosure during the
maintenance is unnecessary and will terminate the warranty.
10 TROUBLESHOOTING
10.1 No output signal
·Check the power and signal wiring are connected correctly.
·Check that there is power on (cover glows).
·Do the auto-setup
If the monitor is not giving any output signal after these checks, contact your local
distributor.
10.2 No response after auto-setup
·Check that there is normal process going on during auto-setup.
·Check that the power and signal wiring are connected correctly.
·Check that the signal is not leaking to ground.
oThere is NO contact between metal sensor probe and duct wall.
oEnsure that the gas is not condensing (causes signal leakage).
oCheck that the sticky dust does not build up on the base of the sensor
and no bridging between sensor probe and duct wall.
NOTE
Front cover illumination sequence F is on (10 Hz rate), when signal leaking to the
ground is permanent.

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10.3 Boot check
If green wire for starting automatic setup is connected before 15 seconds has
elapsed from the power ON, boot check is initiated. Test takes some seconds and it
is indicated with a sharply blinking front cover illumination sequence E (1 Hz rate).
If test fails, sequence F is initiated (10 Hz rate).

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11 Appendix A: Sintrol PC software
The instrument can be controlled with Sintrol PC software provided they have
appropriate bus interface available.
11.1 DustTool
DustTool is complementary software to help you to get easily control of the
parameters and features of your Sintrol products.
The hardware requirements to run the software are:
•Windows XP, Vista or 7
•Screen resolution of 1024x768 pixels or more
•Minimum memory or 512 MB
The DustTool PC-software can be connected directly to the meters via USB. By
using converter also connections over RS 485 and RF are supported.
NOTE:
When customer uses PC-software to lock the device with lock password feature,
changing any device parameters and running auto-setup is disabled. If this
password is set and lost, there is no way to unlock the device without contacting
the manufacturer for the device specific master password.
Preview
When DustTool software opens it looks for USB-connected Sintrol products. In case
any products are connected, they will appear within the software and can directly
be managed.
The main view of the software is illustrated below.

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Figure 6 DustTool main window
On the parameters page, user can modify the operating parameters of the
connected Dust meter. The basic operating principle to change parameters is:
1. Change parameter to the desired value
2. Press “Save”button to save the changes into the memory of the instrument. If
the “Save”button is not pressed, the changes will not be sent to the device
and the values will be lost at program shut down or when device is detached.
3. By pressing “Read”, the parameters which are currently saved in the
instrument will be loaded from the device.
Description of the product
with the default type name,
serial number and picture.
The list of connected products
and the connection type icon,
lets you easily select the device
you need to control.
Tab area to manage product related
features, like device parameters,
auto-setup controls and of course the
monitor view to quickly provide you a
clear visualization of the current
process condition..
Info area on the bottom helps you all the time by giving actively information
about a number of fields and items on screen. All you need to do is to move
mouse over the item, parameter or title you wish to know more about.
Help view will give you direct
access to the manuals and
documentation related to
devices currently connected.
In case you should allow the
internetwork connections,
DustTool will automatically
provide you with the latest
and printable documentation
for your convenience.
No more missing manuals.
From the settings view you can have
full control over software parameters,
like network access and language
selection.

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On the monitor view of the DustTool software it is possible to follow online the
dust levels. Monitor view is intended to help user in decision when setting up
parameters manually.
In order to further save measurement data, create additional signals and alarms
and/or generate reports and history, commercial DustLog software is required.
Figure 7 DustTool monitor view

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