Reduce risk and maintain compliance with our specialist risk management services.
We’re proud to be a leading provider of complete life cycle risk management solutions. From ensuring asset safety and legal compliance with our thorough engineering inspections to driving operational efficiency with our specialist non-destructive testing services, (and much more in between), we’re proud of the long-lasting partnerships we have formed with our customers over the last 160 years, based on the value of our solutions.
Sector
Manufacturing
Location
United Kingdom
Services
Vibration Analysis
Remote Monitoring and Data Services
In-situ Balancing
Our partnership with an industry leading food manufacturer
Overview
We provide routine monthly condition monitoring services for a food manufacturer that specialises in the production of pre-packaged meals.
The main objective of the outsourced condition monitoring programme is to highlight equipment issues early to the site maintenance department, allowing maintenance activities to be scheduled during planned shutdowns.
The challenge
An increase in vibration on a critical fan was identified during routine data collection and analysis. The attending engineer recommended remedial action.
The solution
During a planned outage, our engineers inspected the fan and found the fan impellor was badly corroded and that the fan housing was wearing thin.
Loose material on the fan was removed and the fan was in-situ balanced. Initial data taken from the belt driven fan, which is inaccessible when online, showed high levels of 1x fan shaft vibration.
These readings confirmed that the high levels of fan speed vibration seen on the external motor readings was due to fan imbalance.
The result
Due to the condition of the fan housing, it was decided not to attempt to remove the bolts to open the inspection hatch and instead balance the fan by attaching the trial weights to the impeller where it was more accessible.
See Fig 1.
Figure 1: Non-drive end of the fan shaft
The balance procedure was then carried out which resulted in a 44g weight being attached to the impeller to correct the imbalance. Following the balance procedure, the fan was restarted, and a final set of readings taken from the fan. See table 1 and table 2.
Table 1 – Initial readings before balance
Table 2 – Readings after balance
A full balance report was produced and sent to the plant contact within two days of completing the balance procedure.
Monthly routine readings confirmed vibration levels have remained at an acceptable level, extended the life of the critical fan. See Fig 2.
Figure 2: Motor non-drive end velocity trend
Key outcomes
Prevented unplanned downtime.
Fan vibration levels returned to acceptable levels.
Life extension of the critical asset.
Contact us to find out more about Vibration Analysis, Remote Monitoring and Data Services and Products.
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