Health Maintenance of Rotating Machinery

Using Wireless Mesh Networks

Wireless Condition-Based Maintenance

Gerry A. Nadler, Chief Scientist
MachineTalker, Inc. 10 September 2007

Background

When recorded over a period of time, the pattern of vibrations produced by operating machinery
can be analyzed to detect changes that indicate that the equipment is due for maintenance and
repair. Detecting and predicting the possibility of equipment failure allows personnel to fix or
correct a problem before it occurs. This predictive maintenance strategy which saves resources
until needed, is referred to as "Condition-Based Maintenance" or CBM. The goal of CBM is to
perform maintenance only upon evidence of need.

CBM necessitates the use of vibration sensors that gather the measurement data. The recordings
are sometimes made manually with sensors and recording equipment carried from machine to
machine on a periodic basis; or the data is taken from sensors affixed to the machinery and wired
back to some collection point. It is in this process that the use of wireless techniques can
produce significant savings.

Introduction

This white paper describes the MachineTalker® peer-to-peer wireless mesh network for
monitoring the vibration in rotating machinery in an industrial environment. It can be used in
both discrete manufacturing (aircraft, auto manufacturing) and process industries such as
refineries and chemical plants.

The document briefly discusses the economic issues and makes a business case for vibration
monitoring. Following a brief overview of the basic concepts the paper will discuss wireless
mesh networks as applied to monitoring in the most cost effective manner (as opposed to wire-
based implementation).

Business Case

In general, vibration in rotating machinery is not beneficial. It can cause excessive wear,
cracking, loosening of fasteners, excessive noise, fracture of solder joints in electrical machinery
and a host of other problems. In the case of aircraft, serious vibration can cause catastrophic
failure leading to loss of life. The goal of vibration monitoring is to detect vibration patterns
which will lead to failure.

CBM WhitePaper 091007 1

In numerous studies maintenance typically represents 15 to 40 percent of the total cost of an
installation. In some cases over a 20 year lifetime the maintenance can exceed the entire cost of
the equipment.

Let us assume that a company does $50 million in annual sales with a gross margin of 60% (very
good). The cost of goods sold is 20 million so the gross profit is $30 million. If one assumes a
28% maintenance budget then the cost of maintenance is $14 million/year. If one can save 10%
on maintenance this translates to $1.4 million directly to the bottom line. One would have to
increase sales by almost 2.4 million to achieve this level of performance. Is this 10% savings
achievable? The answer to this is an emphatic yes. This can be achieved by the installation of a
Condition-Based Maintenance capability using wireless vibration monitoring to detect imminent
failure in rotating machinery. Figure 1 shows the distribution of costs for rotating machinery
maintenance in a petrochemical plant from 1973 to 1982. The actual dollar amounts are:

Pumps $22,600,000
Compressors $6,950,000
Blowers $2,230,000
Turbines $240,000

(From Charles Jackson “Practical Vibration Primer”)

PUMPS
$22,600,000 70.5%

ROTATING EQUIPMENT
COSTS AT
PETROCHEMICAL
OPERATION $240,000
1972 TO 1982 TURBINES
$2,230,000 1.0%
$6,950,000

BLOWERS
6.9%
COMPRESSORS
21.6%

Figure 1

CBM WhitePaper 091007 2

Why Do We Monitor Machine Vibration

The overall goal for Condition-Based Maintenance is to monitor the health of a rotating machine.
There are other parameters besides vibration which are useful in determining machine health.
One can measure temperature, flow, and pressure or even do oil analysis to predict eventual
failure. The best technique is to use vibration because it is the overall indicator of mechanical
conditions and the earliest detector of developing defects. Vibration can detect the following
mechanical conditions:

Out of balance
Misalignment (Bent Shaft)
Damaged roller element bearings
Damaged or worn gears
Mechanical looseness
Noise
Cracking

Basic Concepts of Vibration Measurement

The standard technique for measuring vibration is to use a piezoelectric accelerometer which is
attached to the rotating device at the appropriate point to measure the vibration. An
accelerometer is a sensor that produces an electrical signal that is proportional to the acceleration
of the vibrating component to which the accelerometer is attached. The acceleration parameter is
a measure of how fast the velocity is changing (see Figure 2). Normally the acceleration input
data is converted to a velocity waveform (see Figure 3).
(For those mathematically inclined, acceleration is the first derivative of velocity).

Spectrum Analysis

If you examine the waveforms in Figures 2 and 3 which are based on the direct output of an
accelerometer you will see that they seem to be complex waveforms. A French mathematician
named Jean Baptiste Fourier (1768–1830) made a unique discovery involving complex
waveforms. Fourier discovered that all complex waveforms such as the ones derived from
vibration sensors can be broken down into a series of sine waves. The sine waves have different
amplitudes and frequencies. In other words, complex waveforms are actually a superposition of
much simpler sine waves. By using techniques initially developed by Fourier one can find the
constituent frequencies that make up the complex waveform.

As computers became more powerful and wide spread it has become feasible to apply Fourier
methods using a mathematical algorithm called a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to change a time-
series waveform into a frequency spectrum (see Figure 4).

CBM WhitePaper 091007 3

By examining the frequency spectrum of the vibration signal one can examine the health of a
vibrating machine. This is because certain frequency spectra may indicate abnormal operation or
anomalies in the normal operation of rotating machine.

It is often the case that since wire-based sensors are too expensive, due to the cost of installing
wires from the sensor point to a control room, a portable vibration analyzer is used. As
described earlier, maintenance personal periodically take the portable analyzer to the rotating
machine to make vibration measurements. The analyzer has a powerful computer and does the
FFT to determine the vibration spectrum as shown in Figure 4. As we will see, by using
wireless vibration sensing the need for periodic visits by maintenance personnel is not required.

Figure 2 (Direct output of accelerometer)

Figure 3 (raw accelerometer data converted to velocity)

Figure 4 (Result of FFT (Fast Fourier Transform))

Overview of Peer to Peer Wireless Mesh Networks

MachineTalker designs and manufactures peer-to-peer wireless mesh networks. Peer-to-peer

mesh networks are very powerful because they are constructed from separate radio nodes that
can “talk” and “communicate” among each other just as people can talk to each other in a room.

These networks are self forming. They become operational just by turning on the power and the
nodes discover each other and maintain contact with their neighbors. Another attribute is that
when two radios are not in direct contact an intermediate radio can act as a relay. If a radio fails
then an alternate path can be found using another radio. This provides for communication
redundancy and the network is “self-healing” (see Figure 5).

CBM WhitePaper 091007 4

 Figure 5

Each of the radio nodes can be connected to various sensors including vibration, temperature,
pressure, intrusion, gas and other types of sensors. The mesh network can be connected to a
backbone network or a single PC or laptop. One of the radio nodes acts as a gateway to the PC
or other network attachments.

Vibration Monitoring Using the MachineTalker Wireless Mesh Network

One of the primary reasons for the low numbers of in situ vibration monitors is the cost of
installation. The actual sensors are mounted on the rotating devices that are far away from
control rooms or are difficult to install using wired networks. Hundreds of feet of conduit have
to be installed and integrated at either remote or central control rooms. The cost of installation
far exceeds the cost of the sensors and associated electronics and it can take weeks or months to
install.

A wireless implementation can be installed in a day or less, even in a hazardous environment.

The MachineTalker Class 1 Div 2 wireless monitor can be mounted within a short distance of the
sensor that is attached to the rotating machinery. The vibration sensor has to be mounted
appropriately on the motor or gearbox, and most sensors require power to be turned on prior to
measurement. The MachineTalker unit can be pre-programmed to turn on the power and then

CBM WhitePaper 091007 5

perform its data acquisition phase. There is no configuration required by the operator, as the unit
is ready to go upon installation.

Intelligent Data Analysis

The MachineTalker wireless vibration analysis software package which runs on a PC does
complete analysis of the vibration sensor data. It replaces and provides additional features not
found on portable vibration analyzers. The software does an FFT as described above to provide
a frequency spectrum. In addition it executes an intelligent analysis of the vibration data to look
for anomalies in the data which may indicate eventual faults. It compares historical data and
attempts to determine eventual failure modes. Predictive analysis at its best.

Contact Gerry Nadler at MachineTalker, Inc. for more information and a demonstration.

gnadler@machinetalker.com

MachineTalker, Inc. 513 De La Vina Street, Santa Barbara, California 93103

Phone: (805) 957-1680 ♦ Fax: (805) 957-1740 ♦ www.machinetalker.com

CBM WhitePaper 091007 6