Vortex Flowmeter VY Series that Supports Factory Digitalization

Note:
Original article is published in Wadai no Keisoku Seigyo Kiki 2026 and this article is translated from Japanese into English.
Original article (pdf file, language: Japanese)

 

1. Introduction

Manufacturing companies are required to take action to achieve SDG goals and realize a carbon-neutral society. In Japan, they must comply with the “Act on Promotion of Smooth Transition to a Decarbonized Growth-Oriented Economic Structure” (commonly known as the GX Promotion Act), which was enacted in May 2023. In manufacturing sites, visualization of energy consumption has become an important theme to achieve further energy savings and efficiency improvements.

 

2. Trends of Flow Measurement in Factory Digitalization

In recent years, the shift toward factory digitalization has been rapidly advancing in the manufacturing industry. Factory digitalization  is a system that acquires and analyzes data obtained from sensors and measuring instruments and uses the results to optimize production processes and other factory operations. Factory digitalization is a way to address the SDGs, carbon neutrality, and the GX Promotion Act mentioned earlier.

Conventionally, factory digitalization initiatives have focused on visualizing electricity throughout the factory or for each facility in real time, with the goals of improving energy efficiency, reducing costs, and managing CO₂ emissions. Many companies have proposed products and solutions for visualizing electricity, which have already been introduced at many manufacturing sites and are becoming well established. As manufacturing sites aim for further efficiency, activities are now shifting toward visualizing the energy of utility fluids such as water, fuel, air, and steam.

For example:

• Water: Cold water in molding and cooling processes, hot water in heating, cleaning, and air conditioning.
• Fuel: For boilers and furnaces.
• Gas (compressed air, nitrogen, etc.): Power for equipment and control devices, or inert gas.
• Steam: Heating, sterilization, drying processes, and air conditioning.

It is important to accurately measure the flow rates of these fluids at multiple monitoring points in real time—on both the consumption and supply side—to understand the supply-and-demand balance. For example, if the flow rate of supply is significantly greater than that of consumption, it may indicate equipment failure (such as leaks) or energy waste (such as due to forgetting to shut off equipment). Such waste can hinder the detection of insufficient energy supply or deterioration in fluid quality at necessary points, which may lead to reduced product quality or yield. Thus, understanding the balance of flow rates helps in the early detection of equipment or production quality abnormalities. Furthermore, by linking with production plans and utilizing weather and climate data, it is possible to optimize the factory’s overall energy consumption throughout the year.

In the next section, we will introduce the Vortex Flowmeter VY Series, which is expected to contribute to the visualization of utility fluid energy in factories.

 

3. Vortex Flowmeter VY Series

Unlike other flowmeters, vortex flowmeters generally apply the principle that the frequency of the Karman vortex generated behind an obstacle (shedder bar) in the flow is proportional to the flow velocity, enabling measurement of a wide variety of fluids (liquid, gas, and steam). Our comprehensive lineup of Vortex Flowmeter VY Series not only offers this versatility, but also enables long-term stable measurement.

Photo 1: Part of the Vortex Flowmeter VY Series Lineup

 

3-1. A Comprehensive Lineup

With a wide range of connection sizes (from 15 mm to 400 mm), our lineup can accommodate a variety of flow rate ranges from the supply side to the consumption side. The lineup also includes a Built-in Temperature Sensor Type that enables compensation calculations, a Reduced Bore Type with a reducer (reduction/expansion pipe) that is ideal for lines where flow rate changes widely depending on the season or operating load, and a High-Temperature Type, Cryogenic Type, and High-Pressure types for wide range of harsh applications. Furthermore, it has built-in steam tables for saturated steam (temperature or pressure based) and superheated steam, enabling more accurate measurement of mass flow rate and energy flow rate. You can also calculate the energy value using the temperature difference between the external temperature transmitter and the built-in temperature sensor.

 

3-2. Stable Flow Measurement Resistant to Vibration

For many years, the vortex shedder bar of the Vortex Flowmeter VY Series has used a unique, robust, and integrated structure, which incorporates two flow sensor elements and one temperature sensor (optional). This proven proprietary structure and SSP (Special Signal Processing) digital signal processing technology enable the Vortex Flowmeter VY Series to cancel piping noise signals and extract stable vortex signals, achieving stable flow measurement over the long term.

 

4. Expanding the Factory Digitalization Solution with Modbus^*1 Communication

^*1 Modbus is a registered trademark of Schneider Electric.

4-1. Real-Time Parameter Monitoring via Modbus Communication

Modbus is a well-known communication protocol in the manufacturing industry, and is gaining attention as an important technology in the creation of factory digitalization. Compared to HART communication, which transmits multiple signals by superimposing digital signals on conventional analog 4-20 mA signals, Modbus communication is faster, has a simpler configuration, is easier to maintain, and has high connectivity with multiple devices. Furthermore, since no dedicated peripheral devices or complex settings are required, on-site installation and system construction are relatively inexpensive and easy.

Our Vortex Flowmeter VY Series supports simple, on-site Modbus RTU communication. At communication speeds of up to 19200 bps, it can monitor instantaneous flow rate, totalized flow rate, temperature, density, self-diagnosis information, and other parameters in real-time to meet on-site needs.

 

4-2. A Solution That Unifies Measurement and Data Management

As an example of how data integration can expand factory digitalization, we will introduce the combination of the Vortex Flowmeter VY Series with our recorder/data logger products.

Figure 1: Combination of SMARTDAC+^*2  and the Vortex Flowmeter VY Series

Recorder and data logger products can acquire, visualize, and record a variety of information in real time, enabling centralized management of values obtained at each point. Moreover, they offer the flexibility to start with a small trial implementation and then gradually scale up.

In addition, recorder/data logger products also function as Modbus communication masters and can be directly connected to the Vortex Flowmeter VY Series. This enables centralized management of the flow rate values of various utility fluids measured by each VY at monitoring points such as the supply and consumption sides, as described in section 2 earlier. As a result, it becomes easier to understand and analyze the supply-and-demand balance, helping you identify improvement opportunities for wasteful consumption and the early detection of equipment abnormalities.

Furthermore, by also managing the self-diagnostic information of the Vortex Flowmeter VY Series, you can detect equipment-side abnormalities such as out-of-range fluid temperatures or piping vibrations in real time. This allows on-site personnel to respond quickly and helps reduce the risk of quality issues in the manufactured products. By integrating measurement with the Vortex Flowmeter VY Series and data management with recorder/data logger products via Modbus communication, process data visualization goes beyond mere momentary monitoring and becomes a system that drives continuous improvement and optimization, enabling even greater contributions at the production site.

^*2 SMARTDAC+ is the name of Yokogawa’s data acquisition and control system. It primarily includes the following products:

 

4-3. A Variety of Flowmeters

YOKOGAWA's Magnetic Flowmeter AXG Series/AXW Series and Coriolis Flowmeter ROTAMASS TI Series also support Modbus communication, and can be linked with the above recorder/data logger products. This further expands the scope of industry-specific visualization.

 

5．Future Prospects and Proposals

In the future, the shift toward factory digitalization is expected to advance, increasing the demand for more sophistication in AI analysis, predictive maintenance using various process data, and flow measurement. By enabling high-speed, bulk acquisition of multiple data points from the VY series vortex flowmeters via Modbus communication and integrating with various recorder/data logger products, you can build the information infrastructure required for such advanced analysis. We expect this solution to attract even greater attention as a core component of factory digitalization initiatives.

Modbus communication is widely used not only within factories, but also in a variety of infrastructure facilities such as building management systems, energy facilities, and transportation infrastructure. The Vortex Flowmeter VY Series can be flexibly adapted to these sites, raising expectations for its application not only in factory digitalization but also in the broader “society digitalization.”

 

6. Conclusion

The VY series of vortex flowmeters with Modbus communication is a new option for flow measurement in factory digitalization applications. Featuring a comprehensive lineup, stable measurement performance, and flexible connectivity, the Vortex Flowmeter VY Series is expected to become an indispensable part of future factory operations. We will continue to promote and improve the product to meet the needs of our customers.