Condition Monitoring - A Comprehensive Guide

Condition monitoring within heavy industry refers to the process of monitoring the condition of industrial equipment and machinery in real-time or periodically to identify any early signs of deterioration, defects, or other potential issues. By monitoring the condition of the equipment, such as vibrations, temperature, pressure, and other indicators, the maintenance teams can take corrective actions before the problem worsens, reducing downtime, repair costs, and potential safety risks.

In the energy transition, condition monitoring is becoming increasingly important for several reasons. Firstly, the energy transition is driving the deployment of new and innovative technologies, which require a more advanced level of monitoring and predictive maintenance than traditional equipment. Secondly, the transition to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power requires extensive use of new types of equipment, including wind turbines and photovoltaic (PV) panels, which require condition monitoring to maximize their efficiency and longevity. Finally, the energy transition is also driving a focus on sustainable operations, in which maintaining equipment health and avoiding unnecessary waste are key considerations.

When thinking about condition monitoring programs, it is important to understand priorities and how they help companies achieve key performance indicators. Companies will have to look critically at what needs to be monitored to achieve success. Based on the parameters noted above, here are some examples of condition monitoring options available in the market today:

• Vibration Analysis and Temperature Measurement: Many companies are still utilizing paper processes and manual measurement and relying on manual inputs of critical data. This transfer of vibration information takes time and could lead to unplanned downtime if not properly addressed. However, with digital solutions, companies can now leverage sensor data on equipment and monitor vibration data and temperature changes in real-time. Or, if preferred, develop digital routes for operators to follow—ensuing that data is collected and aggregated as expected.

• Oil Analysis: This analysis offers insights into the quality of the lubricant, its properties, and can help diagnose equipment conditions. Currently, many companies are relying on a standard maintenance schedule to test oils and these tests often require multiple tests of an interval to determine trends. But, by leveraging a digital solution, oil data is stored continuously allowing for trends to be discovered from while considering the past. In a digital system, the emergence of AI/ML can accelerate the time to uncover trends which can support a condition monitoring program’s success.

Condition monitoring is crucial in heavy industry as it allows companies to move away from a reactive maintenance approach to a more proactive and predictive approach. By monitoring the condition of their assets, companies can detect equipment failure patterns, predict failures, and optimize maintenance schedules, ultimately reducing downtime, improving safety, and reducing the environmental impact of their operations. It can also help companies to make informed decisions regarding asset replacement or upgrades, reducing the likelihood of unplanned downtime and expensive repair costs.

To highlight the importance of condition monitoring, GE Digital has worked with customers to tell their story.

Customer Stories

• SIG: SIG is a global packaging solutions provider with nearly (EURO)3B in revenues. In partnership with GE Digital, all 1300 of SIG’s machines can be connected to APM Health to perform condition monitoring. After an extensive evaluation of IIoT and AI vendors, the flexibility of APM Health and the support monitoring and diagnostic (M&D) centers provided the value necessary to help reduce unplanned downtime.
   
• Aboitiz Power Corporation: Aboitiz is a vertically integrated leader in power generation, power distribution, and retail electricity services.GE Digital’s condition monitoring technology covers 38 of the plant's most critical assets and records 939 instrumentation signals. In total, more than 250 failure mode diagnostics and 24x7 monitoring have been activated to support critical initiatives. This relationship has resulted in more than 50 catches and has saved Aboitiz more than 90 hours of power generation.

Benefits of Digitized Condition Monitoring

Condition monitoring gives organizations the ability to gain a better understanding of your asset health. Teams can make more informed decisions about performance optimization and maintenance and also gives organizations the information they need to improve long-term asset health and to better their maintenance processes and practices.

Overall benefits of condition monitoring include:

• Increased uptime/reduced downtime
• Reduction in/elimination of unplanned failures
• Decreased maintenance costs
• Increased asset life
• Reduction in collateral asset damages
• Greater ease in prioritization and planning of work orders
• Increased efficiency in maintenance practices and management

Condition monitoring can help companies transition to Industry 4.0, leveraging data analytics and machine learning algorithms to optimize operations, increase efficiency, and reduce their carbon footprint. This digital transformation enables equipment owners to connect, collect, and analyze data from industrial equipment, unlocking insights that can drive more efficient and sustainable operations.

In summary, condition monitoring is an essential component of heavy industry operations and is critical to the energy transition. By leveraging advanced analytics and machine learning algorithms to optimize maintenance, companies can reduce downtime, increase efficiency, and reduce their environmental impact.