2. Lack of proper bearing lubrication—Bearings can be under- or over-lubricated or fouled with dirt, dust or liquids, causing friction and heat, which will lead to bearing failure if undetected. When bearings lack proper lubrication, they will exhibit four stages of deterioration. Each stage has a distinct warning sign, but these warnings will go unnoticed without the proper monitoring sensor to collect and report the data:
- Bearings will exhibit a high-frequency vibration, not audible to the human ear but detectable with vibration sensors.
- The bearing vibration will generate a frequency spectrum composed of bearing cage vibration and “false spin” vibration. It is at this and subsequent stages that typical vibration sensors can detect the onset of bearing problems.
- Deformities will appear on the outer and inner bearing races, which will cause another level of vibration that generates a telltale band of frequencies.
- Vibration may become audible, in a high pitch, and bearing temperature begins to increase.
3. Misalignment of pump input or output pipe—Pump input and output pipes have flanges to bolt onto mating pipes. If these flanges don’t mate up exactly, it can put a strain on the pipes causing stress that results in vibration. When mating pipes are not lined up perfectly, pipe stress will twist the pump. Vibration generated from pipe misalignment has a unique frequency signature that is used to identify the problem. The results of pipe stress are early coupling and bearing wear.
4. Pump cavitation—Cavitation refers to air cavities or bubbles that rapidly form and burst in a fluid near the pump impeller. These air cavities are often formed when a pump is oversized for the job, causing a higher-than-normal pressure. When there isn’t enough fluid for an oversized pump to pull from, it can pull in air along with the fluid, causing the problem. When these bubbles experience higher pressure, they collapse, producing tiny shockwaves that cause gradual but significant pitting and wear of the impeller, pump housing, bearings and seals.
Sensor notifications
Vibration patterns caused by the formation and bursting of air cavities gradually degrades pump components. The ability to accurately sense this issue allows facilities to service the components to stop the problem before it leads to unplanned downtime and productivity loss
In addition, under, over or fouled lubrication leads to bearing degradation that jeopardizes the asset and attached assets. A single vibration sensor used with condition monitoring software can detect inaudible vibrations, identify them as lubrication problems and warn facility managers via Banner Cloud Data Services (CDS)—a web-based platform that allows users to access, store, protect and export critical data collected by wired and wireless sensors. CDS has analytics and visualization tools that deliver insights and alerts to help solve factory floor challenges.
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