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Condition monitoring

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(January 2012)

Condition monitoring (or, colloquially, CM) is the process of monitoring a parameter of

condition in machinery (vibration, temperature etc.), in order to identify a significant change
which is indicative of a developing fault. It is a major component of predictive maintenance[4].
The use of conditional monitoring allows maintenance to be scheduled, or other actions to be
taken to prevent failure and avoid its consequences. Condition monitoring has a unique benefit
in that conditions that would shorten normal lifespan can be addressed before they develop into
a major failure. Condition monitoring techniques are normally used on rotating equipment and
other machinery (pumps[5], electric motors[6], internal combustion engines, presses), while
periodic inspection [7] using non-destructive testing[8] techniques and fit for service (FFS)1
evaluation are used for stationary plant equipment such as steam boilers[9], piping[10] and heat
exchangers[11].

Condition monitoring technologyedit[12]

The following list includes the main condition monitoring techniques applied in the industrial
and transportation sectors:

Vibration condition monitoring and diagnostics 2

Lubricant analysis 3
Acoustic emission
Infrared thermography 4
Ultrasound emission
Motor Condition Monitoring and Motor current signature analysis (MCSA)

Most CM technologies are being slowly standardized by ASTM[13] and ISO[14].5

Rotating equipmentedit[15]
The most commonly used method for rotating machines is called a vibration analysis.678
Measurements can be taken on machine bearing casings with accelerometers[16] (seismic or
piezo-electric transducers) to measure the casing vibrations, and on the vast majority of critical
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machines, with eddy-current[17] transducers that directly observe the rotating shafts to measure
the radial (and axial) displacement of the shaft. The level of vibration [18] can be compared with
historical baseline values such as former start ups and shutdowns, and in some cases established
standards such as load changes, to assess the severity.

Interpreting the vibration signal obtained is an elaborate procedure that requires specialized
training and experience. It is simplified by the use of state-of-the-art technologies that provide
the vast majority of data analysis automatically and provide information instead of raw data. One
commonly employed technique is to examine the individual frequencies present in the signal.
These frequencies correspond to certain mechanical components (for example, the various pieces
that make up a rolling-element bearing[19]) or certain malfunctions (such as shaft unbalance or
misalignment). By examining these frequencies and their harmonics, the CM specialist can often
identify the location and type of problem, and sometimes the root cause as well. For example,
high vibration at the frequency corresponding to the speed of rotation is most often due to
residual imbalance and is corrected by balancing the machine. As another example, a degrading
rolling-element bearing[20] will usually exhibit increasing vibration signals at specific frequencies
as it wears. Special analysis instruments can detect this wear weeks or even months before
failure, giving ample warning to schedule replacement before a failure which could cause a much
longer down-time. Beside all sensors and data analysis it is important to keep in mind that more
than 80% of all complex mechanical equipment fail accidentally and without any relation to their
life-cycle period.[citation needed[21]]

Most vibration analysis instruments today utilize a Fast Fourier Transform[22] (FFT)9 which is a
special case of the generalized Discrete Fourier Transform[23] and converts the vibration signal
from its time domain [24] representation to its equivalent frequency domain [25] representation.
However, frequency analysis (sometimes called Spectral Analysis or Vibration Signature Analysis)
is only one aspect of interpreting the information contained in a vibration signal. Frequency
analysis tends to be most useful on machines that employ rolling element bearings and whose
main failure modes tend to be the degradation of those bearings, which typically exhibit an
increase in characteristic frequencies associated with the bearing geometries and constructions.
Depending on the type of machine, its typical malfunctions, the bearing types employed,
rotational speeds, and other factors, the CM specialist may use additional diagnostic tools, such
as examination of the time domain signal, the phase relationship between vibration components
and a timing mark on the machine shaft (often known as a keyphasor[26]), historical trends of
vibration levels, the shape of vibration, and numerous other aspects of the signal along with
other information from the process such as load, bearing temperatures, flow rates, valve
positions and pressures to provide an accurate diagnosis. This is particularly true of machines
that use fluid bearings[27] rather than rolling-element bearings[28]. To enable them to look at this
data in a more simplified form vibration analysts or machinery diagnostic engineers have adopted
a number of mathematical plots to show machine problems and running characteristics, these
plots include the bode plot[29], the waterfall plot[30], the polar plot[31] and the orbit time base
plot amongst others.

Handheld data collectors and analyzers are now commonplace on non-critical or balance of
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plant[32] machines on which permanent on-line vibration instrumentation cannot be

economically justified. The technician can collect data samples from a number of machines, then
download the data into a computer where the analyst (and sometimes artificial intelligence) can
examine the data for changes indicative of malfunctions and impending failures. For larger, more
critical machines where safety implications, production interruptions (so-called "downtime"),
replacement parts, and other costs of failure can be appreciable (determined by the criticality
index), a permanent monitoring system is typically employed rather than relying on periodic
handheld data collection. However, the diagnostic methods and tools available from either
approach are generally the same.

Recently also on-line systems have been applied to heavy process industries such as pulp, paper,
mining, petrochemical and power generation. These can be dedicated systems like Sensodec
6S[33] or nowadays this functionality has been embedded into DCS[34].10

Performance monitoring is a less well-known condition monitoring technique. It can be applied

to rotating machinery such as pumps and turbines, as well as stationary items such as boilers and
heat exchangers. Measurements are required of physical quantities: temperature, pressure, flow,
speed, displacement, according to the plant item. Absolute accuracy is rarely necessary, but
repeatable data is needed. Calibrated test instruments are usually needed, but some success has
been achieved in plant with DCS (Distributed Control Systems). Performance analysis is often
closely related to energy efficiency, and therefore has long been applied in steam power
generation plants. Typical applications in power generation could be boiler[35], steam turbine[36]
and gas turbine[37]. In some cases, it is possible to calculate the optimum time for overhaul to
restore degraded performance.

Other techniquesedit[38]
Often visual inspections are considered to form an underlying component of condition
monitoring, however this is only true if the inspection results can be measured or critiqued
against a documented set of guidelines. For these inspections to be considered condition
monitoring, the results and the conditions at the time of observation must be collated to
allow for comparative analysis against the previous and future measurements. The act of
simply visually inspecting a section of pipework for the presence of cracks or leaks cannot be
considered condition monitoring unless quantifiable parameters exist to support the
inspection and a relative comparison is made against previous inspections. An act performed
in isolation to previous inspections is considered a Condition Assessment, Condition
Monitoring activities require that analysis is made comparative to previous data and reports
the trending of that comparison.
Slight temperature variations across a surface can be discovered with visual inspection and
non-destructive testing[39] with thermography[40]. Heat is indicative of failing components,
especially degrading electrical contacts and terminations. Thermography can also be
successfully applied to high-speed bearings, fluid couplings, conveyor rollers, and storage tank
internal build-up.11
Using a Scanning Electron Microscope[41] of a carefully taken sample of debris suspended in

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lubricating oil (taken from filters or magnetic chip detectors). Instruments then reveal the
elements contained, their proportions, size and morphology. Using this method, the site, the
mechanical failure mechanism and the time to eventual failure may be determined. This is
called WDA - Wear Debris Analysis.
Spectrographic oil analysis that tests the chemical composition of the oil can be used to
predict failure modes. For example a high silicon content indicates contamination of grit etc.,
and high iron levels indicate wearing components. Individually, elements give fair
indications, but when used together they can very accurately determine failure modes e.g. for
internal combustion engines, the presence of iron/alloy, and carbon would indicate worn
piston rings.3
Ultrasound can be used for high-speed and slow-speed mechanical applications and for high-
pressure fluid situations. Digital ultrasonic meters measure high frequency signals from
bearings and display the result as a dBuV (decibels per microvolt) value. This value is trended
over time and used to predict increases in friction, rubbing, impacting, and other bearing
defects. The dBuV value is also used to predict proper intervals for re-lubrication. Ultrasound
monitoring, if done properly, proves out to be a great companion technology for vibration
analysis.

Headphones allow humans to listen to ultrasound as well. A high pitched 'buzzing sound' in
bearings indicates flaws in the contact surfaces, and when partial blockages occur in high
pressure fluids the orifice will cause a large amount of ultrasonic noise. Ultrasound is used in the
Shock Pulse Method[42]12 of condition monitoring.
Performance analysis, where the physical efficiency, performance, or condition is found by
comparing actual parameters against an ideal model. Deterioration is typically the cause of
difference in the readings. After motors, centrifugal pumps are arguably the most common
machines. Condition monitoring by a simple head-flow test near duty point using repeatable
measurements has long been used but could be more widely adopted. An extension of this
method can be used to calculate the best time to overhaul a pump based on balancing the cost
of overhaul against the increasing energy consumption that occurs as a pump wears. Aviation
gas turbines are also commonly monitored using performance analysis techniques with the
original equipment manufacturers such as Rolls-Royce plc[43] routinely monitoring whole
fleets of aircraft engines under Long Term Service Agreements (LTSAs) or Total Care packages.
Wear Debris Detection Sensors are capable of detecting ferrous and non-ferrous wear particles
within the lubrication oil giving considerable information about the condition of the
measured machinery. By creating and monitoring a trend of what debris is being generated it
is possible to detect faults prior to catastrophic failure of rotating equipment such as
gearbox's, turbines, etc.

The Criticality Indexedit[44]

The Criticality Index is often used to determine the degree on condition monitoring on a given
machine taking into account the machines purpose, redundancy[45] (i.e. if the machine fails, is
there a standby machine which can take over), cost of repair, downtime impacts, health, safety[46]
and environment issues and a number of other key factors. The criticality index puts all machines

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into one of three categories:

1. Critical machinery - Machines that are vital to the plant or process and without which the
plant or process cannot function. Machines in this category include the steam or gas turbines
in a power plant, crude oil export pumps on an oil rig or the cracker in an oil refinery. With
critical machinery being at the heart of the process it is seen to require full on-line condition
monitoring to continually record as much data from the machine as possible regardless of cost
and is often specified by the plant insurance. Measurements such as loads, pressures,
temperatures, casing vibration and displacement, shaft axial and radial displacement, speed
and differential expansion are taken where possible. These values are often fed back into a
machinery management software package which is capable of trending the historical data and
providing the operators with information such as performance data and even predict faults
and provide diagnosis of failures before they happen.
2. Essential Machinery - Units that are a key part of the process, but if there is a failure, the
process still continues. Redundant units (if available) fall into this realm. Testing and control
of these units is also essential to maintain alternative plans should Critical Machinery fail.
3. General purpose or balance of plant machines - These are the machines that make up the
remainder of the plant and normally monitored using a handheld data collector as mentioned
previously to periodically create a picture of the health of the machine.

See alsoedit[47]

Notes and referencesedit[48]

1. Jump up ^ API 579/ASME FFS-1: "Fitness-For-Service" (2007)
2. Jump up ^ J. Rafiee and P.W. Tse, Use of autocorrelation in wavelet coefficients for fault
diagnosis, Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, 23 (2009) 155472.
3. ^ Jump up to: a b ASTM D6595-00: "Standard Test Method for Determination of Wear Metals
and Contaminants in Used Lubricating Oils or Used Hydraulic Fluids by Rotating Disc
Electrode Atomic Emission Spectrometry" (2011)
4. Jump up ^ A. N. Nowicki (2004). Infrared Thermography Handbook Volume 2. Applications -
(INST32X). British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing.
5. Jump up ^ J Michael Robichaud: "Reference Standards for Vibration Monitoring and
Analysis[49]"
6. Jump up ^ Liu, Jie; Wang, Golnaraghi (2008). "An extended wavelet spectrum for bearing fault
diagnostics". IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement 57 (12): 28012812.
doi[50]:10.1109/tim.2008.927211[51].
7. Jump up ^ Jar dine, A.K.S.; Lin, Banjevic (2006). "A review on machinery diagnostics and
prognostics implementing condition-based maintenance". Mechanical Systems and Signal
Processing 20 (7): 14831510. doi[52]:10.1016/j.ymssp.2005.09.012[53].
8. Jump up ^ BS ISO 18431-1: "Mechanical vibration and shock. Signal processing - General
introduction" (2005)
9. Jump up ^ BS ISO 18431-2: "Mechanical vibration and shock. Signal processing - Time
domain windows for Fourier Transform analysis" (2004)

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10. Jump up ^ Jaatinen, Erkki. "Product Manager"[54]. Tappi PaperCon 2011. Retrieved 28
November 2011.
11. Jump up ^ BS ISO 18434-1: "Condition monitoring and diagnostics of machines.
Thermography - General procedures" (2008)
12. Jump up ^ BS ISO 18431-4: "Mechanical vibration and shock. Signal processing - Shock
response spectrum analysis" (2007)

Further readingedit[55]
BS ISO 13372: "Condition monitoring and diagnostics of machines. Vocabulary" (2012)
ISO (2011). ISO 17359:2011, Condition monitoring and diagnostics of machines - General
guidelines. The International Organization for Standardization [56] (ISO).
Simon R. W. Mills (2010). Vibration Monitoring and Analysis Handbook - (INST397). The British
Institute of Non-Destructive Testing[57]. ISBN[58] 978-0-903132-39-8[59].
Charles W. Reeves (1998). The Vibration Monitoring Handbook. Coxmoor Publishing Co.
ISBN[60] 978-1-901892-00-0[61].
Trevor M. Hunt & John S. Evans (2008). Oil Analysis Handbook. Coxmoor Publishing Co.
ISBN[62] 978-1-901892-05-5[63].
BS ISO 13374: "Condition monitoring and diagnostics of machines. Data processing,
communication and presentation (parts 1-3)" (2012)
BS ISO 13381-1: "Condition monitoring and diagnostics of machines. Prognostics - General
guidelines" (2004)

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