Efficient Plant November 2017 - 34

feature | pdm solutions

harder to quantify. Ultimately, it is important to include a variety of factors from
different viewpoints when making such
decisions.
"It is also important," Yamamoto cautioned, "to select an appropriate asset-management platform to gather and process
the data from the sensors around the
plant. Once more information is available,
questions emerge as to where it goes and
how it should be used. Who should receive
alarms? Maintenance? Control-room
operators? If a highly critical installation
is beginning to show signs of a problem,
the control room may need to be informed
if it necessary for operators to take action
before the situation is turned over to maintenance for repair. An effective asset-management system can handle these sorts of
situations."

+
WIRELESS VIBRATION
MONITORING
Yokogawa has created
a sensor and wireless
transmitter system designed
specifically for continuous
monitoring of various types
of rotating equipment used
in process manufacturing
facilities.
According to Yokogawa's
Shuji Yamamoto, the
company's piezo-electric
acceleration sensor is
compact and easy to install
near equipment, i.e., the
target device's bearings (Fig.
2, p. 32). A cable connects
the sensor to a wireless
communication module
mounted in a convenient
location, where there are no
obstructions to interfere with
the unit's signal propagation.

| EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM

BOTTOM LINE

Avoidance of a single
outage in a plant could
pay for the monitoring
of many equipment
systems.
foremost of which typically involves the
likelihood of production being interrupted due to a failure. If the process cannot
run without a given pump and there is no
spare ready to switch over, the pump is very
critical, regardless of its capacity or cost."
Most plants, he noted, are aware of those
installations, particularly if they have a
history of problems.
Secondary and tertiary levels, though,
can become more complex. Some companies select based on equipment cost. At the
same time, other considerations, such as
difficulty of repair or availability of spare
parts, enter into the picture, but they are

Yamamoto thinks process manufacturers
can benefit substantially through the use
economical vibration sensors combined
with wireless networks. "Working together," he said, "the two technologies provide
critical information to operators and
other plant personnel to warn of potential
problems before the plant suffers damage
or lost production. In some situations, the
avoidance of a single outage saves enough
money to pay for monitoring many pieces
of equipment. This approach is highly flexible and scalable, allowing a facility to begin
in one area, and then expand as needs and
circumstances permit." EP
Shuji Yamamoto is a technical specialist in
the Wireless Strategy Section of the Business
Initiative Department, at Yokogawa Electric
Corporation's New Field Development Center, IA Platform Business Headquarters in
Tokyo. For more information, visit yokogawa.com.

NOVEMBER 2017

http://www.yokogawa.com http://www.EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Efficient Plant November 2017