Advanced condition monitoring (ACM) aims to detect the beginnings of equipment degradation processes. Thanks to this degradation detection, maintenance costs are reduced by anticipating degradation and making it possible to plan its resolution without affecting generation and intervening on the least degraded equipment. This results in improved reliability and reduced maintenance times, as the ability to plan maintenance allows the necessary spare parts and materials to be stockpiled.
Success case example
As a success case example of advanced condition monitoring, Tecnatom’s ACM monitoring equipment detected a deviation or increase in lubrication oil temperature in one of the monitored units. Normally an increase in lubrication oil temperature is associated with an increase in oil residence time in the bearing which may indicate an incipient bearing failure.
As a consequence of the alert raised by the Tecnatom monitoring team, the client verified that the component was indeed degrading, decided to maintain operation until component failure (as it was near the end of its useful life), and in the meantime was able to stockpile the necessary components for component replacement
