TECH NOTE Cooling Tower Fans Reliablity White Paper 07june2017 1

TECH NOTE www.machinesaver.
com
A New Practical and Reliable Approach to the Vibration

Monitoring of Cooling Tower Fans
Abstract
Modern vibration data collectors are typically equipped with uni-axial and tri-axial sensors. The purpose
of this paper is to provide the benefits and advantages of an intelligent & smart vibration transmitter
technology that can trend and reliably protect a plant’s cooling tower fan assets. There are exhaustive
published documents on the advantages of the tri-axial vibration sensor which will not be the focus of
this document.
Background
Cooling towers lower the temperature of process water by using either direct or indirect contact with
cooling air. While there are cooling towers fans that are turned by a belt driven sprocket/motor system,
most cooling towers use a right angle gear drive/motor system; or, in some few new applications, a
directly coupled motor is used to turn the cooling fans. The newest and most modern method uses
direct drive permanent magnet motors. This eliminates the need for a gearbox, jack shaft, pillow block
bearings and couplings which removes the alignment of mechanical components, reduces maintenance
costs, and provides improved reliability.
Cooling towers are an important system component of production in many industries. Their failure can
cause expensive repairs and reduced loads during peak demand. For many plants, losing the cooling
process leads to a costly process slow down or even shut down.
This tech note is provided by our reliability team and is for informational purposes and is not all-inclusive and cannot cover all unique situations.
Machine Saver, Inc., makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Machine Saver, Inc., shall not be liable for errors, omissions, or inconsistencies which may
be contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this tech note.
TECH NOTE www.machinesaver.com
Cooling Tower Fan - Vibration Monitoring
In the last decade, operators typically used hand held vibration data collectors coupled to a tri-axial
sensor for their route based machine monitoring program. Located in the tower cell, the gearbox was
inaccessible, so the vibration readings were taken from the external motor. For a cooling tower, this
procedure is less likely to be able to detect impeding gearbox and cooling fan failures. Further, around
the country, operators performing route based vibration measurements experience difficulty in
monitoring the cooling fan processes because there are too many machines; or they are located in
remote, hazardous, and unpleasant areas.
Leveraging from the proven operating performance of the tri-axial sensor, an intelligent transmitter
technology is now available that has its own dual sensor, signal processor (DSP), microcontroller, and
special algorithms to detect, calculate, process and protect all cooling tower cells.
Traditional Vibration Devices- Mechanical Switch and Loop Powered Transmitters
Many plants still use less sophisticated vibration shutdown devices that were provided by the
manufacturer of the cooling tower cell. With their increasing significance, cooling towers require more
reliable protection than provided by mechanical vibration switches. Similar to the mechanical vibration
switch, the two-wire vibration transmitter does not have any analysis capabilities for a deteriorating
machine. In the end, it is the owners of the cooling tower cells who have to bear the plant’s diminished
output and revenue losses when their cooling processes are not properly protected against the
excessive and destructive machine forces
Intelligent Vibration Transmitter (IVT) – Continuous Protection

The IVT is compact transmitter that integrates a dual 3-axis vibration & temperature module to the
condition of the cooling tower fan and other drive components. The improved resolution for low and
high frequencies, the IVT can anticipate machine rotational faults and bearing faults by providing timely
condition machine updates and alerting the maintenance team in charge of optimizing the cooling
process- 24/7. Figure 1., indicates the X,Y, and Z vibration measurement planes detected by the IVT.
When all aspects of reliability and maintainability are considered for a cooling process, the IVT is a
dependable alternative to the mechanical vibration switch and the 4-20mA vibration transmitter.
For plant owners, it guarantees the continuity of their cooling processes to optimize their production
output. For the manufacturers of the cooling tower cells, it provides a reliable and value-added feature
to their product offering. The condition monitoring side to IVT was created as a smart and compact
system that monitors a range of cooling tower performance parameters and sends the vibration and
temperature data to the cloud for analysis.
IVT – Designed to Avoid Unexpected and Costly Cooling Process Shutdowns
With a combination of best practice techniques, correct setting of vibration alarm settings, and
interpretation of vibration spectra, a cooling tower can be protected against damaging forces such as
imbalance, misalignment, and bent shaft. Developing problems like defective rolling element bearings
and gearbox defects can be detected early enough to allow plant management the time to plan,
schedule, and make repairs to minimize cooling process downtime.
How IVT is Connected to Provide Flexibility and 24/7 Protection
Key Benefits and Flexibility of the IVT
The IVT and integrated cable assembly was designed for wet, submerged, and corrosive environments
and can be used to detect and monitor the vibration levels of the common right angle gear drive or in
some new applications- the direct drive permanent magnet motors. By measuring vibration
continuously, machine degradation can be monitored and impending failures can be prevented to avoid
unscheduled shutdowns.
Online overall vibration can be obtained at any time from any location, thereby minimizing machine
shutdown. Trended overall vibration levels can be kept on the cloud for analysis for future reference.
Early alarms can be set-up to provide sufficient time for management to plan for the scheduling and
purchasing of parts thereby minimizing cooling process downtime.
 Universal mounting, any orientation

 Low power sensor that detects and measures both vibration and temperature parameters
 Long distance and reliable Modbus RS485 RTU digital communications
 Special algorithms that provide improved resolution at lower and higher frequencies
 Measuring a motor, speed reducer, or a fan’s bearing vibration & temperature provides an
advance indication of possible bearing load or faults in the cooling process system or problems
with a bearing’s lubrication
 Excessive vibration is an early indication of bearing misalignment or packing issues
 Rising machine temperature provides advance warning of component wearing problems
 Overall vibration & temperature levels can be coupled to a PLC, DCS, or SCADA control system
for machine protection
 The more machine vibration & temperature data that can be reviewed, the greater the results
will be for reliability, quality and best practices for baseline machine levels
 Less wire or Wi-Fi via Ethernet Modbus or cellular gateway
 Permanent installation allows safe access to cooling tower components that are located in
remote, hazardous, and dirty environments
 Provides unique machine vibration signature that can be compared to similarly located group of
machines for baseline levels
 Reduces unplanned shutdowns and minimizes cooling process downtime
 Provides 24/7 overall vibration and temperature levels for remote portal
Remote Monitoring Portal
The system operates as a fully customizable portal that enables users of the IVT system to monitor
overall vibration data & machine temperature from all the IVTs remotely from a smart cellphone, tablet
or laptop.
Remote monitoring portal details:
 Monitor and observe trends of 3 axis overall vibration and temperature data: Acceleration,
Velocity, & Temperature
 Machine vibration & temperature data is stored on a remote server indefinitely so that all
analytical and condition data can be found in the same place (from any computer that has
network access)
 Monitor status of all sensors connected to RS485 field bus network or save to the cloud for
vibration analyst to review the vibration data
 Vibration & Temperature data can be easily exported
 Time waveform and spectrum data (Acceleration FFT, Velocity FFT)
 Email and text messaging alerts upon alarms
 Programmable High, Low and Band pass filters
Recommended Vibration Levels On Cooling Tower Fans

The Cooling Technology Institute (CTI) offers manuals, white papers, and vibration standards for use on
cooling tower cells. Copies of these resourceful documents can be obtained by contacting the Cooling
Technology Institute directly at 281-583-4087 or on the web at www.cti.org. These CTI vibration
standards are given only for the three primary vibration frequencies present at cooling towers: fan
speed, motor speed & blade-pass frequency. No overall vibration level standards are currently offered
by CTI. Vibration levels at the motor speed are to be measured at the motor inboard bearing in the
horizontal & axial directions. Vibration levels at the fan speed are to be measured at the fan bearings or
gearbox output in the horizontal direction. Vibration levels at the blade-pass frequency are to be
measured radially at the fan shroud or stack at the blade elevation level. CTI vibration standards are
given for each type of tower construction: concrete, metal, wood & fiberglass. All CTI standards are
expressed in units of displacement (mils-pk-pk). The IVT is a case mounted transmitter that detects and
measures absolute vibration levels. For that reason, as long as the speed of the motor, fan, or blade
pass frequency are known, the mils pk-pk levels acquired from the CTI vibration standards can be
converted to velocity (in/sec, pk or in/sec, rms). For example: If you obtain 6 mils pk-pk at 600 CPM
(10 Hz) from the CTI diagnostic chart, you can simply convert mils pk-pk to in/sec, pk by using the
following conversion formula-
V = (CPM/19,100) D => V= (600)/19,100) 6.0 => V= (0.03141) 6.0 => V = 0.1885 in/sec pk
To convert the velocity measurand from pk to rms, multiply 0.1885 X 0.7070 = 0.1333 in/sec rms
Cooling Tower Fan – Common Vibration and Temperature Faults
Since excessive vibration is a machine’s reaction to internal and external forces, vibration and
temperature monitoring and analysis can be utilized as an indication of a tower’s mechanical condition.
Certain machine faults, e.g., imbalance, occur at certain frequencies. By determining the frequency of
the machine fault and by measuring the amplitude of the vibration signal, we can find out what internal
or external forces are causing the vibration.
The expected frequency faults in the vibration spectra are called frequency orders (1X, 2X, 70X). They
coincide at or around the normal running speed (1/4X, 1/3X, 1/2X, 1X, 2X) or can extend to many times
the speed of the running machine (X10, X25, X50).Imbalance or misalignment, for example, occurs at the
speed of the rotating shaft (X1) and overheating in motors and gearboxes can be caused by increased
bearing loads due to machine imbalance or misalignment.
The damaging forces on a tower are listed in the table below by each system component. The format is
machine component/fault, frequency order, typical measurement plane, and comments.
Cooling Tower Fan– Common Vibration and Temperature Faults

Machine Measurement
Component/Fault Frequency Order Plane Comments
Small amplitudes of axial vibration can occur.

Motor/Imbalance 1X, 2X Motor RPM Radial Imbalance can be intensified by mechanical resonance.
1X Motor RPM vibration can also be caused by Soft Foot.
Improper end clearance on jack shaft can also cause

Motor/Bent Shaft 1X, 2X Motor RPM Axial excessive axial vibration. Bent shaft can cause roller bearings
misalignment.
There may be some vibration levels on the horizontal plane,

Motor/Mechanical 1/2X,1/3X,1/4X,1X,2X, Motor Radial (Vertical) but, the amplitudes will be highest near the mechanical
Looseness RPM fault. Excessive coupling wear can lead to looseness.
Rotor Bar Passing Frequency (FRBPF) = Motor RPM X No. of

Motor/Rotor Bar and Stator 1X,2X,3XMotor RPM Radial Rotor Bars. Broken rotor bars are common faults that cause
Defects 2X Line Frequency electrical imbalance. Small amplitudes of axial vibration can
occur.
1X,2X,3X Shaft/Coupling Misalignment may involve both Angular

Motor/Coupling 4X,5X,6X, Low Level (Axial) and Parallel Offset (Radial) Misalignment.
Misalignment Harmonics Axial and/or Radial Misalignment can occur under the following conditions: 1.
Machine alignment and installations errors; 2. worn roller
bearings; 3. settling of bases, foundations, and tower
structure; 4. shift of relative position of machines after
installation.
Resonance appears when a source frequency coincides with

the natural frequency of the support structure, base
foundation, piping, or mechanical component, e.g., rotor,
gearbox, or belt driven systems. If the fans are driven by
Motor/Resonance Less Than, Equal to, or Radial, Axial variable frequency drives, the fan speeds may cause
Greater Than Motor RPM resonant frequency vibrations that can affect the tower
structure. Resonance can be confirmed by verifying that a
small change in speed causes the 1X Motor RPM vibration
level to change greatly.
The vibration frequencies begin to manifest themselves in

the 5 KHz to 15 KHz range. As the roller bearing wear
increases and approaches failure, there will be an increase in
overall vibration levels in the 500 Hz to 2500 Hz range.
For bearing defects within 1X to 50X Machine RPM,

schedule a machine repair as soon as possible and inspect
Rolling Bearing Defects with the roller bearings. If required, replace the roller bearings
Visible Damage to the 1X to 25X Radial and find the fault(s) causing the bearing defects, e.g.,
Bearings imbalance, misalignment, improper bearing loads, excessive
25X to 100X bearing temperature, contaminated lubrication, or,
insufficient bearing lubrication.
Fan imbalance due to fan blade breakage or a detached

blade can cause serious damage to the tower structure and
Radial danger to operators. Imbalance can also be due to: 1.
Gearbox/Imbalance 1X Fan RPM Sand, dirt, or ice build-up, or corrosion on fan blades; 2.
Axial Water that has seeped inside the hollow fan blades; 3.
Incorrect fan blade pitch or improper mounting of blades
during fan assembly.
There may be some vibration levels on the horizontal plane,

Gearbox/Mechanical but, the amplitudes will be highest near the mechanical
Looseness 1X,2X Fan RPM Radial (Vertical) fault. If a tower structure is shaking, check for excessive
looseness in the gearbox output shaft which can be due to
worn rolling bearings.
GMF X 3.25 is the typical gear analysis frequency range.
Gearbox/Worn or Broken GMF X 3.25 Shaft misalignment can cause high loads on the input gear,
Gear Teeth Radial which causes misaligned gears and can lead to worn or
broken gear teeth.
Misaligned gear sets generally produce higher GMF X 2

amplitudes. As in most gearbox faults, the problem is often
Gearbox/Pinion and Gear GMF X 3.25 displayed by the spacing of the sidebands around the GMF
Misalignment Radial harmonics. Misalignment can cause stress inside the shaft
that can damage couplings and incorrectly load the roller
bearings,
Strong winds can affect the aerodynamic performance of the

Gearbox/Aerodynamics – Fan RPM X Number of Blades fan blades by creating low frequency forces that can be
Blade Pass Frequency (BPF) Radial damaging to a tower structure. Another example applies to
an older wooden tower that underwent vibration pulsations
when the low rotating blades (BPF) obtained a lift as they
passed over the jackshaft.
Belt Drive Pulley Radial

System/Worn or Improper 1X,2X,3X,4X RPM of Belt Small amplitudes of axial vibration can occur.
Belt tensions
Belt Drive Pulley Axial Excessive pulley or extreme sheave wear may appear as
System/Misaligned Pulley 2X RPM of Belt imbalance.
Overheating in electric motor bearings is generally lubricant-

Motor and Gearbox/Roller 1X Motor RPM Radial related. The ball bearings used in most electric motors are
Element pre-greased, shielded ball bearings. Normal motor bearing
Bearings/Overheating 1X Fan RPM Axial operating temperatures range from 140°F (60°C) to 160°F
(71°C). Normal motor roller bearing operating temperatures
range from 140°F (60°C) to 160°F (71°C). Roller bearings in
gear drives normally operate at 160° (71°C)-180°F (82°C)
Overheating in motors and gearboxes can be caused by

increased bearing loads due to machine imbalance or
misalignment. Overheating can also be caused by improper
bearing assembly, component wearing problems, or balls
skidding within the bearing.
Contamination of the roller bearings lubricant by solid

particles, water, and other fluids can reduce the life of the
bearings.
Lack of or improper lubrication generally causes overheating
or excessive wear in the roller bearings. These conditions
can result from insufficient or excessive lubrication,
improper lubricants, e.g., viscosity is the load bearing
component of the lubricant. Too thin, then the bearings
cannot properly carry the load; and too thick, then the
amount of friction will generate heat. Packing the space
around the roller bearings with grease can also cause
excessive heat. Avoid the use high pressure grease guns
since they may rupture the bearing seals.
Summary of Traditional Vibration Devices and IVT
PROS
 Basic unit without hazardous approvals or start-up delays are inexpensive
CONS
 Limited frequency response- typically 0 to 100 Hz
 By their design, these shock devices are sensitive to Acceleration (G) only
 Acceleration is not best vibration detection measurand for the low RPMs encountered on
Mechanical Vibration
large cooling fans
Switches  No trending capabilities or analysis capabilities
 Acceleration sensitive switches can provide advance warning about deteriorating
conditions of the machine- especially on bearings and gear mesh which are high
frequency. They do a good job here, but, are weak on low frequencies such as fan rpm.
 There are many non-functional mechanical switches in the field and your process
equipment investments may not be properly protected against excessive and destructive
machine forces.
 Sensitive to one axis only
PROS
 Industrial grade steel casing with electronics potted with epoxy
 The 4-20mA can be run over long distances with minimal signal losses compared to voltage
type signals
 Saves on cable wire because it only needs 2 wires to function
 Better frequency response than a mechanical vibration switch, typically 2 Hz to 1500 Hz for
Velocity and 10 Hz to 1500 Hz for Acceleration
2-Wire Loop  Optional built-in temperature sensors
Powered Vibration
Transmitters CONS
 4-20mA signal is highly susceptibility to indirect and direct two way radio interference
 There are no field accessible calibration potentiometers to adjust, so, this electronic device
is simply a pass/fail and disposable unit
 There are no fault protocols for problem transmitters
 Sensitive to one axis only

 Once installed the performance of this device can be verified with a portable vibration
shaker system, but, in the field or back at the factory, they cannot be recalibrated. There
are no calibration potentiometers to adjust, so, this electronic device is simply a pass/fail
and disposable unit.
PROS
 Proven tri-axial analog sensor design; DSP for calculations
 Smart addressable microcontroller for onboard signal conditioning
 Reliable Modbus RS485 RTU Digital Communications
 Permanent Installation and not a route based sensor technology
 Certified CSA, CL I Div. 2 Groups A,B,C,D
 Dual tri-axial sensors and one temperature sensor
 Wide frequency and temperature range
 Acceleration or Velocity vibration measurand
 Firmware configurable band-pass filters
 Programmable start-up and trip delay
 Automatic sensor self-test diagnostics and dual sensor verification
 Multi-color and SMART LED status
 Universal mounting, any orientation
 Utilizes less wiring or Wi-Fi communications
Intelligent Vibration  24/7 protection and condition machine monitoring
Transmitter  Unique 3-Axis vibration signature can be viewed with free software (see example of
machine signatures below). Time waveforms and FFT are available. The plots below are
for reference only.
Multi-Directional
Machine Monitoring
(Time Waveforms)
FFT
Conclusion
Cooling tower fans represent a unique application in rotating machinery. The prime problem for most
of these machines is fan imbalance or coupling misalignment. In addition, rolling element bearing
defects and speed reducer problems account for many cooling fan failures which can be monitored with
low cost case mounted sensors such as the IVT.
Continuous on-line vibration monitoring has a tremendous advantage over periodic vibration
monitoring. A key advantage is the ability for an automatic machine shut-down when the process is
faced with an impending catastrophic failure, e.g., a broken fan blade that is causing machine and
structure imbalance. To simplify the setting of the alarm/shut-down set-points, an operator just needs
to input the same vibration set-points for all three axes (X, Y, and Z). Without a hand-held vibration
data logger, this takes the guess work out of trying to find the greatest source of machine vibration.
Further, with on-line vibration system, there is no need to place operators in peril for machines that are
located in remote, hazardous, or unpleasant locations. The safety issues alone can justify the cost to
purchase, install and maintain a continuous vibration monitoring system.
The vibration diagnostic data obtained from the IVT enables reliability and maintenance teams to trend
and review the vibration spectra generated by the tri-axial IVT. The unique vibration signature acquired
for each IVT can forecast potential machinery problems and pinpoint their cause. A database can be
developed to record performance, establish machine histories, assist maintenance diagnostics and
extend machinery reliability. In essence, the IVT is a proven technology that provides continuous,
reliable, and maintainable vibration data that enables practical problem solving to prevent machinery
failure and to aid in reducing process risks and downtime losses.

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TECH NOTE www.machinesaver.

A New Practical and Reliable Approach to the Vibration

Cooling Tower Fan - Vibration Monitoring

Traditional Vibration Devices- Mechanical Switch and Loop Powered Transmitters

Intelligent Vibration Transmitter (IVT) – Continuous Protection

IVT – Designed to Avoid Unexpected and Costly Cooling Process Shutdowns

How IVT is Connected to Provide Flexibility and 24/7 Protection

Key Benefits and Flexibility of the IVT

 Universal mounting, any orientation

 Long distance and reliable Modbus RS485 RTU digital communications

 Excessive vibration is an early indication of bearing misalignment or packing issues

 Rising machine temperature provides advance warning of component wearing problems

 Less wire or Wi-Fi via Ethernet Modbus or cellular gateway

 Reduces unplanned shutdowns and minimizes cooling process downtime

Remote Monitoring Portal

Remote monitoring portal details:

 Vibration & Temperature data can be easily exported

 Time waveform and spectrum data (Acceleration FFT, Velocity FFT)

 Email and text messaging alerts upon alarms

 Programmable High, Low and Band pass filters

Recommended Vibration Levels On Cooling Tower Fans

Cooling Tower Fan – Common Vibration and Temperature Faults

Cooling Tower Fan– Common Vibration and Temperature Faults

Small amplitudes of axial vibration can occur.

Improper end clearance on jack shaft can also cause

There may be some vibration levels on the horizontal plane,

Rotor Bar Passing Frequency (FRBPF) = Motor RPM X No. of

1X,2X,3X Shaft/Coupling Misalignment may involve both Angular

Resonance appears when a source frequency coincides with

The vibration frequencies begin to manifest themselves in

For bearing defects within 1X to 50X Machine RPM,

Fan imbalance due to fan blade breakage or a detached

There may be some vibration levels on the horizontal plane,

Misaligned gear sets generally produce higher GMF X 2

Strong winds can affect the aerodynamic performance of the

Belt Drive Pulley Radial

Overheating in electric motor bearings is generally lubricant-

Overheating in motors and gearboxes can be caused by

Contamination of the roller bearings lubricant by solid

Summary of Traditional Vibration Devices and IVT

 Sensitive to one axis only

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