On May 28, 2019, ABB was awarded Gold at the German Innovation Awards in the category “Excellence in Business to Business – Electronic Technologies” for its new non-invasive temperature solution. The award was presented during a gala event held at the Museum of Technology in Berlin.

The device is the first temperature sensor of its kind, signaling a new era in temperature measurement. It provides a simple, non-invasive means of measuring the temperature of an industrial process without sacrificing the accuracy and responsiveness of conventional invasive sensors. Eliminating the risk of leakage, it significantly enhances the safety of people, plants and the environment. Moreover, customers can save up to 75 per cent in engineering and installation costs as it takes away the need for inspections and has no impact on the plant’s process.

ABB’s Guruprasad Sosale, Global Product Manager, Non-Invasive and Wireless Technologies, praised the work carried out by the team behind this development and said: “It is a privilege to receive this prestigious award from the German Design Council which recognizes ABB’s role as a true innovation leader. With our pioneering sensor technology, we are driving the digitalization of industry and providing our customers with easy access to process data and advanced analytics to increase uptime, speed and yield.”

Temperature is one of the most critical process parameters to ensure the safety, quality and energy efficiency of industrial plants. ABB’s non-invasive temperature sensor offers a simpler and safer way of measuring without the need to shut down, drill a hole or install a thermowell – a thermometer mounted in a protective shield.

The technology breakthrough of the measurement solution lies in the innovative double-sensor design of the measurement probe, combined with a specially developed model-based algorithm estimating the medium temperature. Two sensor elements located close to each other record not just the temperature but also its local spatial distribution and dynamics over a short time scale. This extra information is converted into a process temperature estimate with unparalleled accuracy and responsiveness.

ABB’s non-invasive temperature sensor was developed jointly by the Group’s German Corporate Research Center and its Measurement & Analytics business. It opens up new opportunities to monitor, control and optimize processes and is an enabler for more profitable and resource efficient production in the future.

The German Innovation Awards are organized by the German Design Council, created in 1953 by the German Federal Parliament and endowed by the Federation of German Industries. For 66 years the German Design Council Foundation has been pursuing its goal of promoting companies that have what it takes to compete in the market.