Predictive Maintenance & Diagnostic Test
Vibration Analysis
Vibration Analysis
Vibration analysis is a process that monitors the levels and patterns of vibration signals within a component, machinery or structure, to detect abnormal vibration events and to evaluate the overall condition of the test object. Vibration analysis & measurement is the cornerstone of condition monitoring of rotating machinery. American MTS has a variety of tools and staff specialists to properly take and assess machinery movement including Motion Amplification.
In addition to traditional vibration frequencies, American MTS has the equipment and expertise to evaluate:
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Low RPM machines and bearings
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Resonance issues
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Electrical vibration and noise
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Solving complex issues using motion amplification
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Imbalance
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Ball/Roller bearing defects
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Misalignment
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Loose bolts/broken welds
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Resonance Conditions
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Electric Motor rotor/stator faults
For critical or hard to reach assets, American MTS offers continuous remote monitoring systems Please see our RAMS page for more information on these products.
Current Signature Analysis
Current Signature Analysis
American MTS utilizes the PdMA MCEMAX powered by MCEGold® for motor diagnostic service. This unique technology can detect issues in six different fault zones through both static and dynamic testing. The information below is from the PdMA website and explains in excellent detail how this powerful tool works.
Fault Zone – Power Circuit
The power circuit refers to all of the conductors and connections that exist from the point at which the testing starts through to the connections at the motor. It can include circuit breakers, fuses, contactors, overloads, disconnects, and lug connections. Research on industrial power distribution systems has shown that connectors and conductors are the source of 46% of the faults reducing motor efficiency. The MCEMAX® powered by MCEGold® provides a unique advantage to test the power circuit and all the associated components.
Many times a motor, although initially in perfect health, is installed into a faulty power circuit. This causes problems like voltage imbalances, current imbalances, sequence currents, etc. As these problems become more severe, the horsepower rating of the motor drops, causing temperatures to increase and insulation damage to occur. It is important to evaluate the resistance and inductance of a motor circuit once a motor is installed for service.
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High imbalances of voltage, current, resistance, or inductance could indicate problems with the motor or power circuit. Identifying minor imbalances early will eliminate catastrophic failures and headaches later.
Fault Zone – Power Quality
The Power Quality fault zone focuses on the condition of the voltage and current in a motor’s branch circuit. Poor power quality can greatly affect the operation and health of an electric motor. During operation several stresses are brought to bear upon key components of the motor. Variances or distortions in the voltage powering a motor results in increasing both thermal and electrical stresses to the stator windings and in some cases components of the rotor.
MCEMAX® powered by MCEGold® provides you many ways to analyze and evaluate your power quality. MCEGold® not only provides you with a snapshot of your power quality, it also allows you to evaluate the individual voltage and current harmonics out to the 50th harmonic.
Fault Zone – Insulation
The Insulation fault zone refers to the condition of the insulation between the windings and ground. For electrical equipment to operate properly and safely, it is important that the flow of electricity take place along well-defined paths or circuits and that it not be leaking from one path to another. Deterioration of the insulation systems can result in an unsafe situation for personnel exposed to the leakage current.
The MCE® technology allows you to identify potential problems with the insulation by recognizing adverse trends in resistance to ground. After conducting a baseline test, all subsequent tests are compared to the initial data with significant changes in value highlighted in yellow for caution or red for alarm.
Fault Zone – Stator
The stator fault zone is often considered one of the most controversial fault zones due to the significant challenge of early fault detection and the prevention of motor failure surrounding the stator windings. Stator windings are the heart of the motor, producing the rotating magnetic field, induction current, and torque to turn the rotor and shaft. This challenge is further intensified in higher voltage machines, where the fault-to-failure time frame becomes much shorter. The stator fault zone is identified as the health and quality of the insulation between the turns, coils, and phases within the slots and end turns of the electric motor.
Turn-to-turn or phase-to-phase shorts can be catastrophic to the motor and not necessarily be detected by the standard megohmeter. Excessive inductive imbalance, resistive imbalance, vibration, partial discharge, or poor insulation quality can lead to stator failure and should be monitored regularly to prevent a shortened life of the electric motor stator. Stator analysis using EMAX technology is performed by evaluating the phase relationship of voltage and current for each of the three phases of an AC induction motor.
Fault Zone – Rotor
Rotor health refers to the integrity of the rotor bars, rotor laminations, and end rings of the squirrel cage induction motors. In a joint study by EPRI and General Electric, rotor defects were estimated to be responsible for approximately 10% of the motor failures. The rotor, although responsible for only a small percentage of the motor problems, can influence other fault zones to fail.
MCE® motor circuit analysis uses inductance measurements taken from each phase of the stator windings and compares them at different rotor positions to further define the condition of the rotor. Advanced systems like EMAX provide simultaneous analysis of all three phases in its current signature analysis, which is an advantage over analyzing a single current. Using inductance measurements, current analysis, and other rotor testing technology provides the user with the ability to see very early changes in the magnetic signature of the rotor.
Fault Zone – Air Gap
The Air Gap fault zone describes the measurable distance between the rotor and stator within the motor. If this distance is not equal throughout the entire circumference air gap eccentricity occurs. The varying magnetic flux within the air gap creates imbalances in the current flow, which can be identified in the current spectrum.
Eccentricity analysis using the MCE® Rotor Influence Check (RIC) test is most successfully applied in troubleshooting if pre-existing data is available so that trends can be observed. Eccentricity analysis using EMAX technology is performed through a high frequency spectrum of the current signal. If the number of rotor bars and the speed are known, the MCEGold® software automatically places an (X) at the four peak locations which identify eccentricity.
Motor Circuit Testing
Motor Circuit Testing
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How Does ​Motor Circuit Testing Work?
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Power Quality Testing
​Power Quality Testing
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How Does ​Power Quality Testing Work?
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Oil Analysis
Oil Analysis
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How Does Oil Analysis Work?
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Motion Amplification
Motion Amplification
The core issue with your non reliable assets is sometimes difficult to find. Motion Amplification is a state of the art technology from RDI. This groundbreaking system provides us another tool to help you achieve total plant reliability. Motion Amplification (MA) is a proprietary video processing algorithm that detects subtle motion then amplifies that motion to a level visible with the naked eye which enhances the understanding of the components and interrelationships creating the motion.
MA for Vibration Analysis
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Traditional vibration analysis utilizes accelerometers measuring directional motion at a single point of contact. MA is a non contact solution that uses every pixel as a sensing point measuring motion three dimensionally. Like traditional vibration analysis MA creates spectrum and waveform graphs. Once a video is created, filters allow for viewing the data at various frequencies allowing separation of vibration sources.
Other use of MA
The IRIS-M, in addition to motion amplified videos, also provides motion vectors, motion maps, relative phase calculations and rotating-shaft specific results, There are many faults that can be detected using motion amplification, including piping vibration, rotating equipment imbalance, misalignment, engine and compressor motion, soft foot, structural issues, ineffective damping, torsion, flex, bending, and excessive transient loadings.
How Does Motion Amplification Work?
The RDI system combines a high-speed camera with proprietary software that can process the position data of every pixel in an image and amplify the motion. Millions of data points are retrieved in a fraction of a second by the high-speed camera (up to 1,400 frames per second). Please see the attached document for more information about this technology.
Ultrasonic Air Leak Survey
Ultrasonic Air Leak Survey
In a plant environment, the noise of production equipment can drown out air leak noise. The best way to detect leaks is to use an ultrasonic acoustic detector, which can filter out the high-frequency sound from air leaks. Ultrasonic leak detection is probably the most versatile form of leak detection. Due to its capabilities, it is readily adapted to a variety of leak detection situations. They generally filter out lower frequency background noise allowing leaks to be heard in even the noisiest environments.
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The advantages of ultrasonic leak detection include versatility, speed, ease of use, the ability to perform tests while equipment is running and the find a wide variety of leaks.
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Due to the nature of ultrasound, it is directional in transmission. For this reason, the signal is loudest at its source. By generally scanning around a test area, it is possible to very quickly home in on a leak site and pin point its location. For this reason, ultrasonic leak detection is not only fast, it is also very accurate.
Compressed air leak detection using ultrasound
Infrared Inspections
Infrared Inspections
Infrared thermography is a key element in an effective reliability program. The technology allows operators to validate normal operations and, more importantly, locate thermal anomalies (abnormal patterns of heat invisible to the eye) which indicate possible faults, defects or inefficiencies within a system or machine asset.
Some examples of where infrared is applied in industrial situations include:
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Electrical Systems (faulty electrical connections or overloaded circuits)
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Electric Motors (issues with windings or possible bearing failure)
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Fluid Systems (line blockages, tank levels or pipe temperatures)
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American MTS has the equipment and certified technicians to interpret the information from an infrared camera and help asset managers and maintenance personnel better maintain systems and equipment.
Inspecting mechanical equipment with infrared thermography covers a wide variety of systems, everything from motors, rotating equipment, steam traps, refractory, and tank levels and more. Most of these inspections de-emphasize taking absolute temperature measurements and instead concentrate on comparing overall thermal patterns to understand the asset’s health.
Servo Testing
Servo Testing
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