Two new services aimed at complementing current condition monitoring (CM) solutions are now available.
Condition monitoring is a component of predictive maintenance in which conditions in machinery, such as vibration and temperature, are monitored in order to identify changes which may indicate a developing fault.
Traditionally, CM companies provide handheld CM assessment tools and training for customers. Samples and technical data may also be collected and reported to the customer at a set frequency.
CM company Martec has launched the Asset Health Portal and Reliability Nerve Centre to support the company’s existing in-time monitoring services and reliability improvement initiatives, in support of sustained plant integrity.
The company has added specialised electrical CM assessments, such as partial discharge, dissolved gas analysis and power quality on critical plant assets such as transformers, switchgear, large motors, large generators, high voltage and medium voltage cables. In addition, the company performs quality assurance inspection plans prior to the commissioning of these assets.
The company states that advances in the industrial Internet of Things and sensor technology have made it cost effective to acquire the full set of trending and diagnostic data required to run an effective CM programme on critical assets, whilst mitigating health and safety risks and potentially eliminating inaccurate data acquisition due to human error.
The on-line monitoring solution, which can be accessed remotely, selects and monitors key parameters which provide information related to the assets’ condition and risk, defect development and potential asset failure.
The data can be used to develop engineered algorithms, which can be used to provide automated digital notifications and recommended actions. In addition, diagnostic analysis is performed on alarm levels, allowing more than one parameter to be monitored. The combined results are analysed and interventions may then be recommended.
The Asset Health Portal manages asset documents such as drawings, manuals, modifications, commissioning tests, optimisation settings and periodic assessment reports. The periodic assessment results are presented in a dashboard per sub-plant, with risk level indicators. The risk level indicators are updated and trended with every assessment and static data is also used to provide an overall risk ranking of the asset. The platform can be used to indicate where reliability improvement may be required.
The company states that its new services aim to give clients continuous, real-time visibility of assets’ conditions, as well as quantified risk levels.