Condition Monitoring
Dynamic Balancing & Laser Alignment
A key area of Deritend’s electro-mechanical maintenance services is our diagnostics capability – to detect real and potential defects before plant failure makes an impact on your business.
All rotating equipment will benefit from dynamic balancing
- to within industry quality standards
- to increase performance
- to increase reliability
- reduce reworking costs
On-site vibration analysis can be combined with both in-house and site-based balancing techniques to offer a true ‘go anywhere, go anytime’ service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
A main cause of excessive mechanical vibration – and potential failure-- tends to be misalignment of parts running in line (coupling drive).
Sometimes used by Deritend engineers in conjunction with other predictive methods, laser alignment techniques will remove horizontal, vertical and offset misalignment, and detect soft foot and unstable equipment foundations.
Oil Analysis
Oil analysis offers detailed information on plant performance in a range of industry practices – the level of component wear, contamination and viscosity being key indicators. Used in conjunction with other predictive techniques, Deritend engineers view it as a valuable method to highlight potential equipment defects.
Oil tests normally cover:-
- Kinematic viscosity at 40 degrees C
- Breakdown voltage
- Water content
- Total acidity test
- Colour analysis
- Solids content
- Dissolved gas test
- PCP (Poly Chlorinated Biphenyls) where required
Analysis extends to transformer oil where samples are diagnosed regarding acidity, dielectric strength and water content.
Thermography
Our qualified engineers use thermographic techniques for the real-time detection of equipment defects. The use of infra-red radiation offers safe and accurate diagnosis of mechanical, electrical, refractory and building defects which permits accurate assessment of the condition of equipment:
Mechanical Systems
Wear and tear on bearings, conveyors, motors, pumps and compressors can be monitored precisely. The temperature of defective equipment increases where there are worn parts or a misaligned system.
Electrical Systems
Thermography can highlight load imbalance, damaged connections or failure mechanisms within electrical systems. Hindrance to current impacts on temperature output which overheats a system, sometimes causing fire.
Refactory Inspection
Steel ladles, process furnaces, rotary kilns and other lined vessels can be monitored to appraise overall condition.
Building Diagnostics
Thermographic techniques are valuable to appraise plant structure, areas of major heat loss and obstructions and leakages within systems. Exterior walls and roofing are further important applications.
Deritend’s in-house analysts can present trended results of thermographic tests in a customer report which will highlight actionable, prioritised information and detail probable cause.
Vibration Analysis
The monitoring of vibration levels in rotating equipment can detect early signs of failure. Excessive vibration can be caused by:-
- Imbalance
- Misalignment
- Mechanical looseness
- Failure of bearings, gears or other components
Detection can prevent sudden failure and costly downtime.
Deritend engineers will monitor equipment during normal production to detect and trend potential problems. Findings are presented in detailed reports tailored to the customer’s requirements. It will outline probable cause and make specific recommendations for rectification.
Customers value a range of benefits – from reduced downtime of equipment to improved running and reworking costs.