by Farabi Nishi
How industrial flares be monitored reliably when conditions are too critical for conventional monitoring?
How industrial flares be monitored reliably when conditions are too critical for conventional monitoring?
Flare systems are essential for the safe handling and controlled combustion of gases in many industrial plants. Yet monitoring them presents a persistent challenge: high temperatures, changing flame conditions, intense infrared radiation and demanding installation environments, such as long distances can make continuous, reliable temperature and process monitoring difficult.
The Selmatec APM II is designed to address precisely these requirements. As a powerful, PC-independent application module for thermally critical plant components and processes, it combines industrial infrared imaging, real-time analysis and direct automation interfaces in a single edge device, making it particularly well suited for industrial flare monitoring.
Two cameras, detailed thermal insight and direct plant integration
The Selmatec APM II supports up to two independently configurable GigE Vision cameras operating in parallel. For flare monitoring, this enables different monitoring perspectives or the combination of infrared and visual imaging within one system.
The APM II is compatible with leading GigE Vision camera systems including:
- ThermoView TV30
- ThermoView TV40
- IRSX (recommended with max. telephoto lens flare monitoring)
- PyroView
This camera compatibility allows the system to be configured according to the specific requirements of the flare installation and measurement task.
The thermal image can be analysed using configurable regions of interest (ROI), including maximum temperature monitoring. A colour-coded temperature scale provides an immediate visual representation of thermal conditions, while the web-based interface combines the live thermal image with relevant measurement information and digital I/O status. This makes it possible to monitor critical flare conditions while keeping essential process information accessible from a single interface.
For industrial environments, integration is just as important as measurement. The APM II provides direct RTSP streaming for integration into SCADA or other video-based monitoring environments, while OPC UA client/server functionality and PROFINET support enable communication with automation and control systems. Event logging and on-board image storage further support traceability and the investigation of relevant thermal events.
A self-contained monitoring node for demanding flare applications
The APM II can operate as a stand-alone monitoring unit inside the control cabinet, without requiring a separate PC for operation. At the same time, its web-based interface provides convenient configuration and access to monitoring functions. Advanced user management with defined access levels helps protect system integrity in industrial installations.
Its high-performance hardware and 2.5 GigE interfaces also make the APM II suitable for modern edge architectures and containerised or Dockerised environments. With two independently configurable camera channels, a single application module can support multiple measurement points or complementary visual and thermal monitoring tasks, potentially reducing hardware requirements per measurement point.
For flare monitoring, this combination of continuous infrared observation, temperature-based ROI analysis, event handling, visualisation and direct automation integration provides a practical basis for monitoring thermally critical processes without adding unnecessary complexity to the plant architecture.
Interested in improving flare monitoring or other thermally critical industrial applications? Contact Selmatec to learn more about the APM II, compatible infrared camera systems and our other industrial monitoring solutions. Our experts can help you identify the appropriate camera configuration and develop a solution tailored to your installation requirements.