Vibration Analysis

Routine-based vibration analysis:

Vibration analysis is the cornerstone of a successful reliability-centered maintenance program. Routinely monitoring rotating equipment, we will be able to identify any fault and enable you to plan to take maintenance action before a failure occurs.

IES believes that the most important part of a successful program is to transfer the recommendations into action. The ultimate goal of the customer from a good reliability program is to have an action plan that results in improvement in the plant's performance. The IES team will be working with the concerned customer personnel to ensure the added value is realized.

IES reports on routine-based measurements illustrate straightforward maintenance actions required for each piece of equipment in the customer plant. This will speak to the maintenance and planning teams in their language to guarantee the ultimate performance is achieved.

Acceptance Testing:

Acceptance testing is an essential procedure to ensure new or repaired equipment meets customer’s and/or international standards.  Newly commissioned equipment that is of poor quality or installed improperly can operate long enough to expire the warranty.

IES prepares the proper test plan and collects vibration data to fulfill the requirements of predefined standards and this typically gives the customer a clear indication that vendors have met the specified standards and that equipment will operate as expected.

Rotating Equipment Diagnostics:

Diagnosing rotating machinery problems requires highly skilled analysts, who are capable of utilizing advanced analysis techniques and also require instruments and accessories that provide these analysis tools to the analyst.

Numerous advanced techniques are available for advanced troubleshooting such as impact tests, run-up/coast-down tests, cross-channel measurements, long-time recording, orbital analysis, frequency response function (FRF) measurements, synchronous time averaging, operating deflection shapes (ODS), operational modal analysis (OMA).

IES Certified Vibration Analysts Categories III and IV provide accurate diagnosis of rotating machine vibration problems. When applicable, the IES team utilizes additional condition monitoring techniques such as infrared thermography, ultrasound, or dynamic motor testing to have additional data to accurately diagnose the problem.

Infrared Thermography Imaging

Using infrared thermography, you can transform infrared measurements and construct radiometric images. Temperature is widely used in measurements and it can reliably indicate the condition of an object. Infrared imaging is particularly useful because you can inspect temperatures while the equipment is in its normal operating conditions.

Electrical Equipment Infrared Applications:

Thermal imaging of electrical distribution equipment can detect problems such as loose connections, poor contacts, overloading, capacitor breakdowns, unbalanced loads and overheating. For transformers, you can detect loose connections, poor contacts, overheated bushings and blocked cooling passages.

Boilers and Steam Systems Infrared Applications:

One of the most important infrared applications is the inspection of insulation breakdown.  Hot gas leaks can lead to wastage energy, which means losses for a business.  For steam systems, a common infrared application is to check joint or valve leakage.  For steam traps, you can detect malfunction, which can lead to the trap failing to open. Loss of steam and wasted energy are avoided.

 

Mechanical Equipment Infrared Applications:

For internal combustion engines, infrared thermography can detect blocked air coolers and radiator tubes. You can detect air leaks and clogged condenser tubes in refrigeration systems; do heat exchanger monitoring, etc.

For pumps, compressors, fans and blowers, infrared thermography applications include detecting overheated bearings and increased discharge temperatures or excessive oil temperatures. Broken and defective valves detection.

In large manufacturing plants with thousands of rollers in their conveyor systems, an infrared inspection can quickly and cost effectively inspect which rollers under conveyor are going out, by the heat the failure generates.

Laser Alignment

In rotating machinery, shaft misalignment exists when the centerlines of coupled shafts do not coincide.  Recent statistics have proved that almost 50% of reported cases of failure in different components of machinery trains are originally caused by misalignment.  These include bearings, seals, shafts and couplings failures.

Precise laser shafts alignment is used to reduce bearing and seal damage, vibrations, minimize energy losses, and reduce production downtime.  IES experienced team uses the latest technology instruments to perform wide diversity of laser shaft alignment techniques including:

  • Horizontal shaft alignment.
  • Vertical shaft alignment
  • Cardan shaft alignment
  • Pulleys laser alignment.

technical report on the alignment job conducted including the estimated saving from energy losses by determining the drop in current consumption after the alignment.

On-site Balancing

Mass unbalance is one of the most common causes of vibrations in rotating machinery. Balancing of rotors prevent excessive loading in bearings and avoid fatigue failures, which consequently increases the reliability of rotating machines.  On-site balancing saves a huge effort, time and cost dismantling the rotor, sending it to be balanced on a balancing machine and reinstall it.  IES team has deep experience in on-site balancing in almost all industrial sectors.

Airborne & Structure-borne Ultrasound

Leak Detection

Ultrasound leak detection covers a wide range of leaks: pressure or vacuum and any gas. Ultrasound instruments detect turbulent flow produced as the fluid (liquid or gas) moves from the high-pressure side to the low-pressure side of a leak. Ultrasound leak inspection is especially beneficial in areas where there is a saturation of gases or where a wide variety of gases, pressurized vessels and vacuum processes exist. For this reason, ultrasound leak detection is used in many facilities for safety, environmental, energy or quality assurance programs.

Bearing & Mechanical Inspection

Ultrasound inspection provides early warning of bearing failure, detects lack of lubrication, prevents over lubrication and can be used on all bearing speeds (high, medium and low). Ultrasonic condition analysis is straightforward.

Electrical Inspection

Ultrasound inspection may be performed on both open access and enclosed electrical equipment at all voltages (low, medium and high). When electrical apparatus such as switchgear, transformers, insulators or disconnects and splices fail, the results can be catastrophic. Electrical discharges such as arcing, tracking or, in higher voltages, corona produce ultrasound and are detected with ultrasound probes.

Steam Trap & Valve Inspection

Steam traps can either be defined as continuous flow and “on-off” types. Inspection methods vary depending on the type of steam trap to determine trap condition such as leakage or blockage.  Ultrasonic steam trap inspection is considered a “positive” test in that an operator can instantly identify sound quality and intensity differentials and thereby determine operating condition accurately.

When valves leak or fail, it can be extremely costly in terms of product quality, safety and energy loss. Valve operation effects the way fluids will flow through a system. Ultrasound inspection can easily determine the operating conditions while valves are on-line.