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Slide 2 Best Practices In Ultrasound Assisted Lubrication Adrian Messer UE Systems, Inc. adrianm@uesystems.com Slide 3 Lubrication Related Failures The majority of premature bearing failures are lubrication related Under lubricated Over lubricated Wrong lubricant Lubricant contamination Source: "Pump Users Handbook: Life Extension 2011 by Heinz Bloch Slide 4 Lubrication Related Failures? as many as 60 to 80 percent of all bearing failures (catastrophic, functional and premature) are lubrication-related, whether it's poor lubricant selection, poor application, lubricant contamination or lubricant degradation 1. 1 Mark Barnes, What Exactly is a Lubrication Failure? Machinery Lubrication, formerly of Noria Corporation Slide 5 Ultrasound Assisted Lubrication In this presentation we will discuss: What is Ultrasound Assisted Lubrication Ultrasound Technology and Instruments The advantages of Ultrasound Procedures for Ultrasound Bearing Inspection and Lubrication Slide 6 Ultrasound Assisted Lubrication Traditional lubrication programs include preventive procedures that include time- based lubrication. Lubrication is performed at set timed intervals with a specified amount of grease applied Slide 7 Ultrasound Assisted Lubrication The issue with time-based lubrication is, what if the bearing being lubricated has a sufficient amount of grease already and therefore DOES NOT need lubricant. This produces an inherent risk of Over- Lubrication. Slide 8 Ultrasound Assisted Lubrication Another issue is the time-interval for lubrication. Is it correct? What if some bearings require lubricant to be applied more frequently than assumed or what if the time interval can be stretched out? Slide 9 These issues do not preclude the need for standard preventive procedures such as calibrating grease guns, measures to ensure the correct lubricant is used for the correct application, etc The concept is to assist current lubrication procedures with the addition of ultrasound technology Ultrasound Assisted Lubrication Slide 10 What is Ultrasound Assisted Lubrication? Adding ultrasound monitoring to standard lubrication best practices can prevent potential over lubrication of bearings which can also lead to fewer bearing failures, extend motor and bearing life as well as lead to a decrease in the amount of lubricant used This will produce: Savings in maintenance costs, lubricant, man-hours And improved asset availability and reliability Slide 11 Proactive Domain F Predictive Domain Fault Domain P2 P3 P5 P6 P4 P1 P Start Failure Vibration Oil analysis Audible noise Contact heat Infrared Structure Borne Ultrasound EARLY WARNING OF BEARING FAILURE LUBRICATION DOMAIN OPTIMIZING BEARING LIFE! (DMS & GREASE CADDY) Max time for planning Slide 12 Airborne & Structure-Borne Ultrasound instruments sense friction. Trending associated amplitude levels and changes in sound quality of a bearing provide early indication of conditions such as lack of lubrication and prevent over- lubrication What is Ultrasound Assisted Lubrication? Slide 13 High frequency sounds that are above the range of human hearing The ultrasonic range begins at 20 kHz There are three Generic Divisions of Ultrasound: Pulse/Echo Power Airborne/Structure Borne What is Ultrasound? Slide 14 Provides Earliest Warning of Failure Isolates Signal Quality of Bearing Detects Lack of Lubrication Finds defects not found in time based lube routes Ultrasound Advantages Slide 15 Prevents Over Lubrication Can Be Used on Slow Speed Bearings Complements Other Technologies Thermography Vibration Analysis Oil Analysis Ultrasound Advantages Slide 16 Bearings Pumps (Cavitation) Motors Gears/Gearboxes Valves Steam Traps Leak detection Electrical Inspection Ultrasound Applications Slide 17 How Ultrasound Instruments Work Instruments based on airborne & structure borne ultrasound sense high frequency emissions produced by turbulence (from leaks), friction (in mechanical equipment) and ionization (generated by electrical emissions) They translate these sounds down into the audible range through an electronic process called Heterodyning Sound is measured by a decibel level that is indicated onboard the instrument Slide 18 How Ultrasound Instruments Work The heterodyning feature enables users to hear the translated signals in headphones, record sound samples and analyze sounds through spectral analysis software. Data from test results can also be viewed on a display panel Slide 19 Sounds Are Received Two Ways: -Through a contact module or wave guide -Through a scanning module Slide 20 Digital instruments: Set baselines Log data Record sound sample Analyze Sounds Download all data to Data Management Software Instruments used for Lubrication Programs dB Level Slide 21 Data Logging Sound Recording Data Management Software Improved Record Keeping, Recording, Reporting Spectral Analysis Digital Instruments Slide 22 Analog Instruments Listen to heterodyned ultrasounds View intensity levels only (not dB) Slide 23 Analog Instruments Intensity Display Intensity Display Slide 24 Use the digital instrument Collect data Record sounds Download to Data Management Software Procedure Slide 25 Review data Create Trend Charts Analyze Sound Samples of deviations Procedure Slide 26 Analyze Sounds For Differences Baseline SoundSound Deviation Slide 27 8 dBLubrication 12 dBMinor Damage-Microscopic Faults 16 dBDamage-Visual Faults 35+ dBCatastrophic Failure Imminent Action Levels Lack of Lubrication Microscopic Damage Damage (visual) Severe Failure Slide 28 After review of data Sect bearings in need of action for either: Repair Lubrication Procedure Slide 29 Assign analog ultrasound instrument to lube technicians Instruct them to add enough lubricant to cause a drop in sound levels while observing the LED intensity indication Add lubrication Meter intensity levels drop Use caution - Lubricate A little at a time Procedure Slide 30 If bearing needs grease, dB will decrease as lubricant is applied If bearing is already over lubricated, dB will start to increase while applying lubricant If there is no change in dB, further action should be taken to see why there was no change, or bearing is in a failure mode that lubrication is not the solution Procedure Slide 31 Examples of Over Lubrication The biggest problem we find in bearings is that they are over greased. The maintenance man doing the greasing usually does not know how much grease is put into the bearing. In the past we just pumped a few strokes into the bearing and then said well that ought to do it. Usually that was too much grease and these pictures show the results of that style of greasing. Slide 32 In the case of this motor there was no attention paid to how much grease was being put into the bearing. This motor actually had shielded bearings in it and there was no grease getting into the bearing, so it never cooled down and never got any quieter so they just continued to grease it. After a point, there was so much grease in it that the motor started to heat up. What did they do then? THEY GREASED IT SOME MORE. Examples of Over Lubrication Slide 33 Ultrasound Assisted Lubrication Best Practices Prioritize equipment based on an asset criticality list Likelihood of a failure, runtime, cost to repair, consequences of a failure Set up routes to collect ultrasound data including recording sound files Once initial readings have been taken, a baseline is set Slide 34 Once a baseline has been established, alarm levels are set Data (dB) only is collected until an alarm has been reached Ultrasound is used to lubricate points that are currently in a low alarm condition Grease is applied until the dB returns to the normal level Ultrasound Assisted Lubrication Best Practices Slide 35 For more critical assets, a follow up reading should be taken to ensure that the dB did not rise again after lubrication, or use a complementary technology for a second opinion PMs may need to be adjusted to reflect the use of ultrasound while greasing, frequency, type of lubricant, etc Ultrasound Assisted Lubrication Best Practices Slide 36 Benefits of Ultrasound Assisted Lubrication Identifies bearings in need of lubrication Prevents over lubrication of bearings Reduces the amount of grease kept in inventory Reduces incidents of bearing failure Reduced labor lubricating bearings More effective PMs Improves asset availability Slide 37 Lubrication Examples Slide 38 Slide 39 Slide 40 Questions? Adrian Messer adrianm@uesystems.com (914)282-3504