#708 - Engine Condition Monitoring Systems

Course Objective

Upon completion of this course, participants will gain a basic understanding of the main components and subsystems of Engine Condition Monitoring Systems (ECMS). Participants will learn to critique the advantages, applications, performance, and economics of different ECMS and ECMS features and learn about the influence of various auxiliary systems, including instrumentation and controls, process accessories, and the process itself. They will learn some basics about the role of operations personnel and training and discover the basics required in minimizing operating cost and optimizing efficiency, reliability, and component longevity for plants. Participants will learn about the monitoring and control of environmental emissions and gain some insight into predictive and preventive maintenance, reliability, and testing. Finally, they will discover some of the latest technology in all of the above and identify methods for self-improvement.

Who Should Attend

Engineers, technologists, and other operational personnel who currently or may in the future be involved with the technology or business of running a process plant, a refinery, a power plant, and/or an oil and gas facility. Personnel can be involved in:

Large scale commercial production and/or maintenance
Smaller operations with smaller machinery that may be less complex
Operations
Maintenance, repair, and overhaul
Systems optimization and performance verification
Specification, retrofit design
Business and management of machinery systems and personnel
Support of machinery trains and their support systems

While this course is of major benefit to newer people in the field, it is also valuable as a revision and technology update for more experienced personnel.

Course Description

This course on ECMS for rotating machinery covers primarily:

The basics of ECMS theory
Basic ECMS package selection and specification criteria
The ECMS systems used to optimize performance
Key maintenance considerations and pitfall

Note: “ECMS” in industries serviced by rotating machinery today generally includes Vibration Analysis (VA), temperature, and pressure monitoring. It may include oil analysis, sonic pulsation monitoring, and other sophisticated measurements. It may also include Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Performance Analysis (PA), both specialized topics that can also be offered as a separate two-day course (in greater depth than on Day 5 below). It may also include environmental emissions monitoring or monitoring the components that control the emissions rate (this monitoring is closely linked with temperature monitoring). For the purposes of a three-day course, VA, temperature, and pressure monitoring will be covered for most of the time. To adequately address the other elements of ECMS, additional days will be required.

Course Outline

Vibration Analysis

Day 1

Introductory definitions including wave form, amplitude, frequency, total signal, filtered signal, phase angle, natural frequency, resonance, attenuation, damping, pulsation, and surge.
Types of Vibration Sensors

Different sensors and their application
Displacement sensors/probes
Velocity sensors/probes
Accelerometers
Conversion of vibration measurement units for different systems

Recorders and Parameter for Measuring Vibration

Different sensors/probes (displacement, velocity, acceleration)
Vibration spectrum analyzer
Spectrum cascade
Phase angle measurement (Bode, Nyquist plots)
Orbital motion

Monitoring Systems (Measurement Equipment), Scope and Selection of Monitoring Systems (part Day 1, continued Day 2)

Day 2

Introduction to Rotor Dynamics
Troubleshooting
Introduction to the Mechanics of Unbalanced Rotors, Introduction to Instrumentation and Equipment for Balancing Various Rotors
Introduction to Multiplane Balancing

Day 3

Basics of Shop Balancing, Basics of Balancing Rigidly and Flexibly Coupled Rotors in the Field
Temperature Monitoring, Fuel Topping Systems, Temperature Monitoring Methods
Pressure Monitoring
Oil Analysis
Emissions Monitoring

Emissions Monitoring

Day 4

No_x

Low No_x systems
Flame systems, catalyst systems
ppm vs. by weight systems

Effects of Fuel Selection

Types of fuel
Fuel treatment

SO_x Monitoring
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Monitoring

LCA and PA

Day 5

What is LCA?

Defining the right algorithm parameters
How does the algorithm work?

The Effect of LCA on Time Between Overhauls (TBO), Time Between part Replacements (TBR), Mean Time To Failure (MTTF)
LCA Case Histories
What is PA?
What parameters are required to do PA?
Diagnostic models and predictive models
The limitations of the diagnostic model on its own
PA case histories

Course Text

“Process Engineering Equipment Handbook,” by course director Claire M. Soares, published by McGraw Hill (included in the course fee)