Low-cost, scalable, easy-to-integrate package enables real-time problem detection and prediction.

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Industry estimates suggest that approximately 5% of process plant production capacity is lost each year to unplanned downtime, much of it caused by equipment failure. Emerson Process Management’s new integrated Pump Health Monitoring solution enables users to detect and predict problems, reducing the risk of unexpected pump failures that can cause lost production and expensive repairs, as well as safety and environmental incidents.

“It’s not unusual for plants to invest in expensive online monitoring systems for only their most critical or expensive pumps,” said Tim Olsen, refining consultant at Emerson Process Management. “The rest may be checked occasionally during technician walk-arounds, but as many as two-thirds of essential pumps are running blind most of the time – and at risk of problems that can lead to unexpected downtime, leaks, fires, or other situations that threaten safety and profitability.”

This monitoring solution can detect several conditions, including:

• Cavitation;
• Excessive temperature;
• Vibration;
• Process leakage;
• Seal pot level; and
• Differential pressure imbalance.

These conditions can independently and jointly bring about pump damage, failure, and otherwise avoidable consequences.

Emerson says this integrated solution includes intelligent Rosemount and CSI instruments that let users continuously monitor for conditions they are most concerned about. A user-friendly asset management interface gives maintenance technicians, operators, and managers a view of all conditions, with alerts for situations requiring attention. Using Smart Wireless technology makes implementing the solution easy and affordable even on existing pumps, without expensive engineering, trenching, and cabling that may have discouraged more-extensive monitoring in the past.

Emerson is currently offering a special starter kit that makes it even easier to test this approach with existing control and asset management networks. Customers can use a simple online form to select the options most important to them and request a quote from an Emerson specialist.

“Detecting and predicting equipment problems while there’s still time to take corrective action can significantly reduce costs and help avoid unplanned slowdowns or shutdowns due to pump failure,” said Olsen. “That’s why the Pump Health Monitoring solution is only the first of several asset-monitoring packages we are developing to help users improve the safety, reliability, and profitability of their operations.”

Emerson has additional information about pump health, including an interactive production challenge simulation where users can experience the benefits of predictive maintenance, available at its Website.

www.EmersonProcess.com/PumpHealth

www.EmersonProcess.com/PumpHealthKit

www.EmersonProcess.com

Visit the Control Engineering Process Control channel.

www.controleng.com/channels/process-control

  - Edited by Peter Welander, pwelander(at)cfemedia.com, Control Engineering, www.controleng.com