What Does ABB's Ethernet-APL Upgrade Mean for Hazardous Area Flow Measurement?

November 27,2025

ABB announced an upgrade to its electromagnetic flowmeter product line designed for hazardous areas, adding Ethernet-APL (Advanced Physical Layer) connectivity. This brings greater network flexibility and data transmission efficiency to industrial process control and hazardous environment measurements.
This upgrade not only meets the needs of industrial digitalization and smart factories but also provides users with a safer and more reliable data acquisition solution in high-risk environments.

New Challenges in Hazardous Area Measurement
In the petrochemical, gas, chemical, and energy industries, many process pipelines and storage tanks are located in hazardous areas (such as flammable and explosive environments). These environments impose extremely high safety standards on equipment and also pose challenges to data transmission and real-time monitoring capabilities.
Traditional electromagnetic flow meters, while accurately measuring liquid flow, have limitations in data integration and digital networking: Limited data transmission distance; insufficient compatibility with modern industrial Ethernet systems; and limited remote monitoring and diagnostic capabilities.
ABB has overcome these limitations by introducing Ethernet-APL technology into its hazardous area electromagnetic flow meters, enabling not only safe and reliable flow meters but also high-speed, real-time data communication.

Ethernet-APL's Technical Advantages:
Ethernet-APL is an industrial Ethernet standard designed for field devices, featuring a physical layer interface suitable for hazardous areas, supporting long-distance cabling and strong interference immunity. ABB's upgraded electromagnetic flow meters can directly connect to Ethernet via a built-in APL interface for high-performance communication.
Key technical highlights include:
High safety: Compliant with international hazardous area protection standards, suitable for flammable environments such as Zone 1 and Zone 2.
High-speed data transmission: Supports industrial Ethernet protocols for real-time data acquisition and remote monitoring.
Long-distance cabling: The APL physical layer supports longer data transmission distances in complex piping networks and hazardous area environments.
Easy Integration: Compatible with existing control systems such as DCS, PLC, and intelligent monitoring platforms, reducing retrofit costs.

Digital Capabilities: Enables equipment diagnostics, condition monitoring, and predictive maintenance, improving plant operating efficiency.

Application Scenarios and Advantages

ABB's electromagnetic flowmeters are widely used in industries such as petrochemicals, natural gas, refining, power generation, and water treatment. By introducing Ethernet-APL, users can achieve:

Remote Data Monitoring: Flowmeter data can be uploaded to the control room or cloud platform in real time via the Ethernet interface, enabling centralized management of flow, temperature, and status parameters.
Rapid System Integration: Supports industrial Ethernet standards, allowing flowmeters to seamlessly integrate with modern DCS or PLC systems, reducing on-site wiring and commissioning time.
Enhanced Safety and Reliability: Equipment maintains a high level of safety when operating in hazardous areas and supports digital communication to reduce human error and the risk of accidents.
Optimized Maintenance Management: By monitoring equipment status in real time, users can identify potential problems early, enabling predictive maintenance and reducing downtime costs.

ABB Continues to Drive Industrial Digitalization
ABB's Industrial Automation division stated, "With the development of industrial digitalization and smart factories, the requirements for the networking capabilities and real-time data acquisition of field devices are increasing. By adding an Ethernet-APL interface to electromagnetic flowmeters for hazardous areas, we hope to help users achieve more efficient and intelligent factory operations while ensuring safety." This upgrade not only improves equipment performance but also enhances the digitalization and networking capabilities of industrial sites, further consolidating ABB's leading position in the field of measurement instruments for hazardous areas.
In summary, ABB's upgraded electromagnetic flowmeters for hazardous areas, through the introduction of Ethernet-APL connectivity, achieve secure, reliable, and real-time data communication, providing a brand-new solution for flow measurement in complex process environments.
With this upgrade, users can not only improve process control efficiency but also reduce risks, optimize maintenance, and truly realize the digitalization, intelligence, and networking of industrial measurement equipment.
For companies that need to achieve high-precision flow measurement and secure networking in hazardous areas, this upgrade is undoubtedly a significant opportunity for technological innovation and productivity improvement.

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What Does ABB's Ethernet-APL Upgrade Mean for Hazardous Area Flow Measurement?

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