TotalEnergies has selected TWTG’s NEON vibration sensors for Total Refinery Antwerp in Belgium.
NEON vibration sensors send an RMS velocity value at 15 minutes intervals and can therefore give a good picture of the overall condition of an asset. Usually, vibration of assets is monitored manually at monthly intervals with the results analysed by an expert. The process is labour intensive and the gaps between monitoring can mean problems are not caught in time. Continual monitoring with IIoT-connected sensors such as the NEON vibration sensor can avoid these problems.
Total Refinery Antwerp initially tested the NEON sensor on the bearing housing of the pump block within a pump installation. As well as the RMS velocity values every 15 minutes, the sensor transmits a full FFT measurement for deeper analytics every two days, although this is only advisable for short periods in these maintenance use cases. This full-spectrum, measurement allowed TotalEnergies to benefit from a complete view of the ongoing status of assets in the field and resulted in detailed information.
Soon after installation, there was a change in the usual behaviour recorded, with a distinct drop in vibration levels. By evaluating the data from the RMS velocity and acceleration alongside the detailed information from the FFT, engineers realised this lower level of acceleration was occurring immediately after relubrication. Measuring low levels of acceleration would indicate correct lubrication. What was however seen was the sharp drop of vibration levels, followed by a quick rise of the vibration data collected, pointing to ‘over lubrication’, which could cause long-term machinery damage.
This has now been recognised as an early warning signal and therefore been integrated into the day-to-day maintenance routine for TotalEnergies Antwerp. NEON’s expanded frequency range versus that of competitors’ made this visible.
‘TWTG’s NEON vibration sensor gives us better use of our time. We don’t need to go out when the sensor indicates all levels are OK, spending time only on assets with actual problems,’ says Franky Oste, TotalEnergies reliability engineer.
