The Best Practices and Tips for Temperature Mapping and Monitoring

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Temperature mapping and monitoring are processes acclaimed in industries that work with a regulated setup. Companies, labs, and other enterprises build a safety net around their sensitive assets with continuous temperature records. Ensuring the safety of their products is both a practical and financially viable step that converts to better work efficiency and less wastage.

Many industries deal with clients requiring a history of storage temperatures as part of the product’s deliverables. Specialized temperature mapping processes allow the manufacturers to present a comprehensive temperature history of storage units. The heat mapping and monitoring mechanism alert when the temperature fluctuates beyond the safety ranges.

Why are temperature mapping and monitoring so important?

Global warming has raised temperatures in many towns and cities and has also affected indoor facilities’ requirements for temperature management. The temperature mapping and monitoring process has become crucial in fields involving life science applications like pharma and healthcare. The reason behind this is the recognition of temperature as the most widely measured physical factor. The temperature directly affects every aspect of product research, development, manufacturing, and storage.

Temperature variations can alter the chemical composition and behavior of sensitive products leading them to lose efficacy or become dangerous. For instance, Covid-19 vaccines, when exposed to unfavorable temperatures, lose their potency. The entire workforce, capital, and efforts involved in manufacturing and transporting the vaccine go to waste only because of slight variations in the temperature. The effect of temperature is of primary importance; therefore, temperature mapping and monitoring are serious requirements in many sectors.

Tips for temperature monitoring with data loggers

Data loggers are electronic devices that come with sensors. These sensors are capable of recording parameters like the temperature of the subject environment. Data loggers are the ideal choice for temperature monitoring as they provide continuous data points and document everything for future analysis.

While data loggers are exceptional devices, it is always a great idea to explore more into the technology and come up with practices for better results. If you are a user of this commendable technology, here are some tips you can follow to enhance the functioning of your data logger further:

Select the correct data logger

Data loggers are available in a wide variety. There are USB data loggers, WiFi/ cloud storage data loggers, and Bluetooth data loggers readily available in the market. How do you know which one suits you best? All you need to do is do some primary research. You need to understand your requirements and match them with the types of data loggers available.

Opt for additional battery backup

Data loggers are great devices for installation in areas that are not readily accessible in a manual setup. For instance, turbines use data loggers to measure the temperature within site. Data loggers come with a range of battery capacities. You must select the one that is compatible with your maintenance schedule. Moreover, you must opt for additional battery backup for your data loggers. This prevents you from facing data gaps when your data loggers are close to complete battery drainage.

Look for a strong and stable network connection

Data loggers primarily work with network connections to transfer information in real-time. Many sectors also employ data loggers with alarm systems to stay alert in case of security breaches. With poor connectivity, the alarms can face a delay in ringing, or they might skip the alert. In such situations, there’s a considerable possibility for products stored to lose their effectiveness by the time the flaw is manually detected. It is therefore essential to opt for strong and stable network connections. Users can also look for backup connectivity options or install data loggers that can automatically switch to offline mode and continue functioning without network connectivity.

Data logger and temperature mapping

Data loggers are tools used for temperature monitoring, while temperature mapping is an elaborate process that involves testing the environment’s mechanism to sustain the required temperature. Temperature mapping uses multiple data loggers set up at different points of the area to read the temperature levels of the space.

According to Dickson data, temperature mapping is an essential process for industries, and using data loggers adds efficiency and accuracy to the process. Temperature mapping involves several challenges and tests that aim to examine the space in distinct situations. This is done to prepare a comprehensive report of the facility while studying it through temperature monitoring.

Some ideal tests for temperature mapping with data loggers

Temperature mapping in temperature-controlled units like incubators and fridges requires a proper risk assessment. Some of the tests that help with this assessment are:

Temperature Distribution Test (In an empty format)
Temperature Distribution (In a loaded format)
Door Open Test
Power Off Test

These tests help check the unit’s capacity in case of technical errors, power outages, and employee mistakes.

Some additional tests for temperature mapping

One can perform many additional tests to assess the product and service safety within the unit. These tests include:

Temperature Distribution (With partial load)
Temperature Penetration (With full load)
Pull Down Test

For many storage environments like warehouses, performing tests like empty distribution map, door open, or power off tests might be difficult. This is because these tests might harm the available products and components in the room.

Moreover, setting up tests like empty distribution will require additional effort and time. In such situations, further testing is needed specifically for that environment.

Some of these tests are:

Compressor Failure Tests
Compressor Switch Over Tests

Temperature mapping and monitoring are crucial for food and beverages, automobiles, drugs, and pharma sectors. Temperature mapping is so well-sought across industries that many sectors have specially designed industry-specific processes. For instance, the pharma sector follows Pharmaceutical temperature mapping.

Be it any industry that deals with sensitive products, temperature plays a huge role in supporting their overall turnover, profit, and smooth functioning. Therefore, temperature mapping and monitoring are processes that can not be ignored if you seek to excel in your sector with accuracy, convenience, and information.