1
I.
Introduction
A.
General
Description
The
MS2600E
is
a
high
‐
resolution
meter
designed
to
transmit
corrosion
(metal
loss)
data
from
an
Electrical
Resistance
(ER)
probe
to
a
plant
control
system
or
other
recording
device.
The
MS2600E
utilizes
traditional
4
‐
20mA
current
loop
communication
and
is
loop
‐
powered,
so
it
requires
only
a
two
‐
wire
interface.
This
results
in
a
simple
and
low
‐
cost
installation.
The
use
of
the
4
‐
20mA
protocol
also
allows
the
MS2600E
to
be
placed
great
distances
from
the
control
system
or
recorder
while
maintaining
good
noise
rejection.
Practical
current
loop
distances
can
be
many
thousands
of
feet
(see
pages
6
and
7
for
exact
specifications.)
The
MS2600E
is
compatible
with
all
types
of
Metal
Samples
ER
probes,
as
well
as
any
standard
ER
probe
from
other
manufacturers.
Unlike
competitors’
products,
the
MS2600E
Transmitter
does
not
require
factory
modification
to
accommodate
different
probe
types.
The
probe
type
can
be
easily
changed
at
any
time
using
the
on
‐
board
probe
selection
switches
(see
page
9.)
The
MS2600E
is
available
as
direct
‐
mount
(standard)
or
remote
‐
mount.
In
the
direct
‐
mount
version
the
MS2600E
is
mounted
directly
to
the
ER
probe.
This
option
offers
the
simplest
installation
and
minimizes
noise
problems.
The
remote
‐
mount
option
allows
the
MS2600E
to
be
mounted
independently
from
(but
in
close
proximity
to)
the
ER
probe.
It
is
then
connected
to
the
probe
via
a
short
probe
cable.
(See
page
5
for
mounting
diagrams
and
specifications.)
B.
Principles
of
Operation
The
MS2600E
operates
on
the
Electrical
Resistance
(ER)
technique
and
is
used
in
conjunction
with
an
ER
probe.
The
ER
probe
utilizes
a
resistive
sensing
element
manufactured
from
the
material
of
interest
(or
a
close
approximation)
which
is
exposed
to
a
corroding
environment.
This
is
called
the
Exposed
or
Corroding
Element.
The
resistance
of
the
Exposed
Element
is
directly
related
to
its
thickness,
so
as
the
element
corrodes
the
resulting
loss
of
metal
causes
a
proportional
increase
in
the
element’s
resistance.
The
probe
also
contains
an
internal
Reference
Element
which
is
used
to
compensate
for
the
influences
of
temperature
on
the
Exposed
Element.
The
MS2600E
is
designed
to
work
with
any
standard
ER
probe,
but
it
is
recommended
that
Cylindrical
and
Large
Flush
type
probes
be
used
to
ensure
optimum
performance.
Their
physical
design
places
the
Reference
Element
in
closer
proximity
to
the
Exposed
Element
compared
to
other
probe
types,
providing
more
effective
temperature
compensation
and
thus
reducing
the
effects
of
thermal
noise.
Because
they
are
designed
to
corrode,
ER
probes
are
sacrificial
in
nature.
Each
ER
probe
will
have
a
finite
life
that
is
based
on
the
element
thickness.
ER
probes
are
available
in
a
number
of
geometries
and
thicknesses
designed
to
suit
a
wide
variety
of
applications.
Table
1
lists
the
common
ER
element
options
available
from
Metal
Samples
and
the
effective
life
of
each.
