ABB enables thermal mass flow measurement in safety-critical applications with SIL 2 certification

ABB’s SensyMaster FMT400 flowmeter has earned a SIL 2 certification for use in safety-critical process applications, enabling thermal mass flow measurement in the chemicals, oil & gas, power & utilities, and industrial gas industries. The certification is awarded by TÜV SÜD in accordance with the international functional safety standard IEC 61508-2.  

With SIL 2 certification, SensyMaster can be directly integrated into automated Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS), a key pillar of process automation architecture. Previously, thermal mass flow measurement was often excluded from SIS designs due to lack of functional safety certification.  

Instead of measuring the actual volume of gases, SensyMaster evaluates how much a heated sensor cools as gas flows past it. A proven gas flow measurement technology, SensyMaster performs direct mass flow measurement of natural and industrial gases, as well as continuous self-diagnostics with fault detection. In gas flow measurement, plant operators require sensors that not only measure accurately but can detect failures long before a safety incident is triggered, impacting plant processes. 

“Tightening regulatory requirements are pushing process plants to require SIL-rated instrumentation across all critical loops,” said Gerrit Weppner, Global Product Manager at ABB’s Measurement & Analytics division. “Achieving SIL 2 certification for SensyMaster reinforces our commitment to delivering safe and reliable instrumentation to industries where functional safety compliance is mandatory. Process engineers can now include thermal mass flow measurement directly into their safety loops, with third-party verified failure data.”  

With built-in continuous self-diagnostics, the SensyMaster supports digital plant strategies, enabling predictive maintenance and real-time device health monitoring. This reduces reliance on manual inspections and improves overall plant availability.