Found with Sound Volume 5

This months wins, made possible with ultrasound condition monitoring; industry's first line of defence against unreliability. We explore using ultrasound to monitor slow-speed & high-speed centrifuges, hydro-cyclones, and decanters used in pulp & paper, mining, and chemical manufacturing.

Interested in contributing? Send your case to [email protected], or post it & tag?SDT Ultrasound Solutions?on LinkedIn!

Extreme Slow-Speed (0.1 RPM) Wastewater Decanter Monitoring with Ultrasound

Performing one rotation every 10 minutes makes condition monitoring data collection on this slow moving wastewater decanter difficult. Not only is it near impossible to gather good data with vibration analysis on an asset with such little energy, but many condition monitoring data collectors lack the necessary acquisition time to record one full rotation of an asset with such a low rotational speed.

Thankfully, this Canadian Pulp and Paper Mill was able to use the 10 minute acquisition time on the SDT340 Ultrasound Data Collector to capture a full rotation in the ultrasonic domain, where slow speed mechanical defects are much more apparent. See the data for yourself using the link below.

Pulp & Paper Mill - Slow-Speed Mud Press - Ultrasound Monitoring - SDT340

This mud press is part of a paper machine. It plays a crucial role in the paper manufacturing process. Vibration analysis typically has a difficult time detecting rolling element defects on low energy bearings. At 4.57 RPM, this mud press is very low energy.

Using the Bearing Toolbox in UAS3, SDT's Partnered Ultrasound Team was able to analyze the data they collected using their #SDT340 by plugging in the rotational speed (4.57 RPM), and the bearing number (SKF - 2303C), to determine that there was a ball pass frequency outer race defect.

Click the link below to see the data.

Greenfield Ethanol Chemical Manufacturing - High-Speed Centrifuge - Vibration Monitoring - Vigilant System

This centrifuge is used to separate solids and liquids during Greenfield's chemical manufacturing process. It is a high energy asset, rotating at 5250 RPM.

In this defects early stages, reliability technician, Jonathan D. found a suspected bearing fault using his ultrasound data collector. Knowing it was in its early stages, and that the bearing hat a lot of life left, he chose to monitor it with a Vigilant System (Permanent Install, Vibration Sensors) as to safely extend its life until the next scheduled shutdown without major risks to plant production & reliability.

To read the full case and view the assets data, follow the link below.

Mining Industry - Monitoring Hydro-Cyclones - Preventing Sanding & Blockages - Vigilant System

This hydro-cyclone is used as part of a mines mineral separation process. Pulp enters the feed inlet in a slurry, then the centrifugal force separates the large and small minerals sending the large minerals to the outer walls and down the apex nozzle, and the smaller particles out of the top of the hydro-cyclone.

Two common failure modes experienced by this mine are sanding and blockages, both of which can lead to significant reliability issues with the hydro-cyclones, production stoppages, and safety risks.

The inspection process for this reliability issue was very simple with the help of a permanent monitoring system. SDT techs first attached a RS2T sensor to each of the 6 hydro-cyclones. We then used the ultrasonic signals produced during the cycloning process to determine if one of the following was occurring:

To learn more about this case, and the preliminary tests we performed prior to permanently installing ultrasound sensors on this hydro-cyclone nest, check out the link below.

Scanning Electrical Switchgear with the SonaVu? Acoustic Imaging Camera

Avishek Ghosh uses his acoustic imaging camera to scan electrical switch gear and locate high voltage partial discharge behind a panel.

Check out the effects of corrosion and the acoustic image by following the link below.

Interested in Hearing More? Subscribe to the Found with Sound Newsletter! Want to contribute? Email your cases to [email protected] or post them on LinkedIn & Tag?SDT Ultrasound Solutions!