Anew generation of piezoelectric vibration sensors, produced by vibration analysis hardware company Connection Technology Center, are highly robust and come with a lifelong guarantee.
The product is used in rotation vibration monitoring systems and certain models are for general plant use, but there are also sensor and cable ranges that are intrinsically safe for use in areas that might have dangerous gases in process plants and in mines, says vibration moni- toring solutions company Engineering Dynamics MD Christo van der Walt.
A vibration monitoring system analyses the pattern of vibrations from rotating parts in machines, coupled with the specific placement of the monitors on the machines, to read particular vibrations from certain parts of the machinasphalt plant owners in nigeriae. These analyses can then be used to determine whether the vibrations are caused by a bent shaft, misaligned shafts, broken teeth on gears, cavitation or turbulence in pumps, and a range of other problems that cause premature machine failure, he explains.
This means that the system can be used to accurately assess what fault will lead to machine failure, such as broken teeth on gears or worn bearings, and to do predictive maintenance or repairs on machines, reducing failures aquarry mining jobs in saudi arabiand enabling increased intervals after each maintenance, he says.
“Instrumentation can play a very important role in assisting mechanical engineers to maintain their equipment more easily by using meaningful technical data,” he states.
Applications
The systems have a number of applications, which include use in trackless mining operations in coal mines, monitoring the vibrations from fridge plants and ventilation fans on all mines, and in process and beneficiation plantsburner indurating furnace of pellet plant to monitor the rotating machine parts, including drives, pulleys, gearboxes and bearings.
The sensors have a ring of piezoelec- tric crystal inside each sensor. This crystal is grown in a laboratory and creates minuscule electric charges when com- pressed. This charge is converted inside the sensor into a voltage that can be sent to the monitoring equipment.
Because there are no moving parts, the sensor does not change calibration during operations. The only spegold elution plant price ghanacialist part of the sensor’s installation is its precise positioning on equipment to read different vibrations, such as the vibrations of the bearings or the gears in the gearbox. Engineering Dynamics often manages the placement and the drilling and tapping of the sensor to provide accurate readings for clients, says Van der Walt.
“Some equipment on mines can take between three and six months to replace or to source spare parts, especially older or purpose-designed equip- ment pieces. “This meansconcrete crusher rental chicago that vibration monitoring can be of signifi- cant value in mines and mine process plants. “Specifically, platinum and coal mines in South Africa use on-site condition moni- toring on large numbers of machines, but the system has applications in all mines,” he says.
Maintenance
The sensors have no moving parts and are very robust, needing no maintenance except for routine inspections. The units are drilled and tapped into a machine, with the sensor surface fastened tightly to the machine’s surface using a mounting stud or adhesive mounting pad. The company also inspects sensors for output and correct operation, he explains.
“Vibration protection is affordable and easy to integrate into installations. The systems are robust, can make maintenance work easier and also provide additional information to the operator,” Van der Walt says.
For example, it was accidentally discovered that the piezoelectric crystal has a linear increase in charge output as temperature increases, which means that it can also be used to accurately sense temperature. The dual temperature and vibration sensor is currently popular in Australian plants and monitoring applications and is available in South Africa, he concludes.