How an Australian environmental coastal restoration project was kept on track using Acoem Eagle condition monitoring

20 Dec 2022

Acoem Eagle works at its best in remote, hard-to access locations and corrosive environments. It provides accurate condition monitoring data to inform industrial decision making and prevent costly shutdowns.

Acoem has been providing condition monitoring and maintenance solutions to a major civil contracting company in South Australia for close to a decade. When the company needed assistance with a longstanding issue it was experiencing with its pumping equipment on an environmental restoration project, commissioning an Eagle wireless system was the answer.

Structural damage to critical machinery on a work site affects every aspect of a project. Diagnosing the issue and rectifying it quickly is a top priority for any maintenance team. In the case of this particular project, the Acoem customer was experiencing ongoing problems with a major industrial pump when it was being installed and run, damaging the system and interfering with operation. The structural resonance causing the failures needed immediate investigation and attention.

Wireless monitoring & data solutions that protect critical machinery

The Acoem Industrial Reliability team went on site to assess the problem and deployed two Eagle sensors onto the pump assembly. These were wirelessly connected to a condition monitoring network that would measure the machine at all stages from start-up through operation to shut down.

The location of this pumping equipment made Eagle the logical choice. The pumps were hard to access and in a highly corrosive environment, stored underground in a confined space. The ability to receive accurate data wirelessly via Eagle’s built-in 4G modem was a significant benefit.

Eagle’s intuitively designed wireless monitoring system measures vibration automatically in three directions as well as bearing temperature. Its robust design means that no matter the location or environmental conditions, the small, self-powered and tough stainless-steel sensor can be easily deployed with a wireless gateway installed up to a hundred metres from the sensor (and an optional extendable range via wireless expander).

The fully wireless technology and portability of the sensor system also removes the need for labour-intensive manual inspections and eliminates cables which would deteriorate over time.

Accurate diagnostics lead to informed decision making & immediate rectification

The vibration data captured is processed using a dynamic range of analysis and post-processing tools in the Acoem Nesti4.0 predictive maintenance software platform, including:

• Advanced vibration indicators
• Calculations covering historical data
• Concatenated spectra
• 3D spectra
• Shock Finder filter.

Acoem Eagle monitoring critical machinery

The pumps’ data collected in combination with Accurex™ AI automatic diagnostics proved the existence of structural resonance issues affecting the pumps.

The data identified that there was significant pipe stress from the solid outlet pipe, so the component was replaced with a flexible pipe. There was also twisting in the machinery’s frame during the bolting down procedure as part of the installation process. As these pumps are replaced seasonally, it was important that bolting down was performed correctly each time to withstand stresses.

The Eagle sensors take measurements on an ongoing basis to ensure that there are no stresses in place, while a complementary Falcon portable monitor system is used to take additional root-based vibration measurements for analysis of possible faults in other areas of the pump.

According to Mathew Smart, Acoem Australasia Industrial Reliability Solutions Manager, the Eagle not only pinpointed the exact problem the customer was facing, but also provides ongoing monitoring and data analysis to ensure that the situation doesn’t flare up again.

The importance of forming relationships with our customers built on trust and experience

“We understand that our customers’ key priorities are risk mitigation, the health and safety of their workforce, and keeping their processes operating with maximum efficiency to minimise costs,” said Mathew.

“Having built up a strong working relationship with this customer, it was essential that we moved quickly to fix the issue, advise of immediate rectification and continue to monitor the equipment as a safeguard against future interferences,” he added.

Acoem continues to perform the data analysis on the equipment, providing monthly reporting to the customer during operational season with a system of alarms and alerts automatically notifying the company or any potential failures.

With the Eagle and Falcon, customers aren’t just purchasing a network of monitoring instruments. They’re investing in a total condition monitoring solution that includes hardware, software, analytical platforms, maintenance and technical support, coupled with extensive industry experience and local knowledge.
For more information about how our Eagle solutions can optimise your equipment’s lifecycle and operational efficiency, contact email@acoem.com or visit acoem.com.