PLANT MAINTENANCE

(ME-426)

Condition Monitoring

` Assistant Professor
Adeel Ahmed Khan,
(MED)
Condition Monitoring
 Condition Monitoring is the art of monitoring plant equipment to determine its health or condition
at a point in time.
 Condition monitoring has two elements:
1. Determine whether the machine is running in a stable condition or if it is deteriorating. If the
machine condition is deteriorating, then determine how fast it is deteriorating, and where it is in the
life cycle.
2. Convey the conditions to the appropriate people so that decisions can be made regarding any
maintenance or process changes that may be required
 Often the terms “condition monitoring” and “predictive maintenance” are used
interchangeably. In reality, they do not mean the same thing. “Condition monitoring” is the act of
determining the condition of a machine. Predictive maintenance involves taking action based on
the condition.

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Condition Monitoring
 Rotating machines tells us about their mechanical condition in a variety of ways, and in most
cases, machines will develop problems and wear gradually and give us plenty of warning before
they finally fail.
 How do they tell us what is wrong with them? They get hot, they vibrate, and they make noises.
 Fortunately, there are technologies available that can objectively measure all of these quantities in
order to help us diagnose the mechanical condition of our machines.
Condition monitoring = Health monitoring
 We can make an analogy between human health and machinery health in order to help explain the
concepts. Doctors use different methods to determine the condition of the human body:
temperature, blood pressure, heart pulse rate, even fluid samples. Several technologies are used to
arrive at an accurate picture of our condition.

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Condition Monitoring
 For plant equipment, the process is similar. Rotating machines try to tell us their condition through
changes in vibration, temperature, lubricants, sound, and motor current.
 When the information is gathered, a clear picture can be built of the machine’s condition.
 Rotating machinery is a lot like the human body. And the way many maintenance departments deal
with machinery is akin to the way many people deal with their own health.
 In our analogy, condition monitoring is simply the process of going to the doctor and having the
tests done. The doctor will check our blood, listen to our heart, check our blood pressure, and look
at our throats.
 Basic condition monitoring instruments not only help plant personnel reduce the possibility of
catastrophic failure, but also allow them to order parts in advance, schedule manpower, and plan
other repairs during the downtime.

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Condition Monitoring
 Visual inspection of a machine’s condition can sometimes be difficult when it’s running or when there is a
need to inspect the machine internally.
 A stroboscope can be used to visually freeze the motion of a machine to allow such things as fan blades,
couplings and belt drives to be inspected while running. (https://www.skf.com/group/news-and-
events/news/2019/2019-10-25-visual-inspection-made-easy-with-skfs-stroboscopes)

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Condition Monitoring
 To inspect the internal parts of a machine
often requires disassembly. By using an
endoscope, it is possible to access the
area of interest with minimal
disassembly, saving time and money.
When the information is gathered, a clear
picture can be built of the machine’s
condition.(https://www.skf.com/group/pr
oducts/condition-monitoring-
systems/basic-condition-monitoring-
products/visual-inspection/endoscopes)

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