The customer operates a drinking water treatment facility where each day, 200 million litres of water can be treated, filtered, chlorinated and – after a recent site expansion – ozonised and biologically activated. As the operator is responsible for ensuring a reliable supply of high-quality drinking water for the region, protecting the relevant facilities against failure is a key priority.
The customer was looking for a condition monitoring (CM) system to prevent failures in its pumping stations. After expanding its facilities by installing the latest technologies and processes for water treatment, the company wanted to implement a fully integrated CM system solution.
The Schaeffler solution comprises a custom designed CM system based on SmartCheck sensors. In total, 84 SmartChecks are fully integrated into the customer’s infrastructure via a PLC (programmable logic controller), which monitor the critical items of equipment across 15 pumping stations. Equipment monitored includes bearings on pumps and motors, as well as pump vanes/impellers. The SmartChecks monitor vibration, temperature and speed, as well as shaft alignment and balancing.
The data can be viewed individually at each pumping station or centrally in the control room. The system also allows the implementation of automated routines, such as the triggering of alarms and the emergency shut-off of equipment. With the help of the CM system that is fully integrated via the PLC, Schaeffler says that the customer can almost completely prevent unplanned system downtime, ensuring that drinking water can always be supplied to the region at all time.
