CHALLENGE:
A brewery was having issues identifying the problem with a pump failure, resulting in expensive repairs and lost in production. The maintenance manager was inspecting the unit frequently to ensure it continued to operate. If the boiler feed pump failed, it could damage pipes and other equipment, resulting in expensive repairs and lost production. The brewery had limited resources to troubleshoot the issues.
SOLUTION:
A Perceptiv™ wireless vibration monitoring system was installed to monitor the boiler pump remotely. The system was easy to install: no wires or conduits needed to be attached to the vibration point. Within the first month of monitoring, the data revealed abnormally high vibrations in the boiler feed pump were leading to accelerated motor and pump deterioration. The root cause of the issues was misalignment of the pump head to the motor. This was a new piece of equipment and unlikely to be identified as the source of the problems. The team generated a report based on the findings and provided detailed recommendations to correct the issues.
OUTCOME:
With the Perceptiv wireless sensors, we were able to reduce cost of downtime.
- Mitigated $100,000 in lost production
- Reduced inspection labor costs