Cloud Monitoring: Maintenance on the Cloud

 All of us know the importance of condition monitoring and the need to perform a good inspection plan that allows us to detect the machine problems on time, based on the P-F curve. To define the inspection periods we can use the risk-based inspection principles or reliability programs.

 But we can increase our condition monitoring program effectiveness by a continuous monitoring program with send of real-time information to the cloud, these programs are named Cloud Monitoring.

 Because the inspection plan is the most critical part of a condition monitoring program, due to the uncertainty of the reliability calculus and, mainly, the difficulty of the P-F curve interpretation due to the variety of failures of equipment.


 We must add the difficulty to perform right measuring, either ultrasonic, oil analysis, vibrations analysis, thermographic or other techniques and the difficulty to understand the results.

 Cloud Monitoring programs avoid these problems, increasing the condition monitoring program effectiveness, providing real-time information, logging the measure results continuously and allowing them to be studied and reviewed on-line by specialists.

How can we get it?

 Cloud Monitoring is based on an electronic acquisition data unit that receives information, continuously, through sensors placed in equipment that we want to study.

 There is a wide range of sensors, as the electrical diagnostic (phase angle and current signature) that we can use in electrical motors, accelerometers to detect misalignments and unbalances in mechanical components, ultrasonic to detect micro-cracks, surface roughness, lack of lubrication, electric currents or fluids leakages; vibrations to detect wears and turbulences or cavitation formations, temperatures or, even, lubricant condition.

 These sensors provide a continual signal, so to place and adjust them to obtain the maximum effectiveness is easy.


Fractal diagnostic of bearing performance.

 The acquisition data unit transforms the signals from the sensor, using specific software, and send them to a web site where we can see, real-time, the results of the measurements and the historical data, we can review them anytime and anywhere, only visiting a web page; these results can be easily processed using any spreadsheet. We can program the system to send the alarm signals, by e-mail or SMS, if it reaches some limits.

 This methodology is suitable for any industry and any location because it doesn't require a complex installation and it doesn't need maintenance.

 The main benefits that this system provides are the reducción of unexpected breakdowns, ensure the spare parts, tools, and technicians are available to perform the maintenance tasks, increasing the equipment uptime, avoid false alarms, increase availability and allow joining data with the CMMS.