A pump manufacturer’s stalled development programme was put back on track by an unorthodox intervention of NSK’s condition monitoring service, saving an estimated €34,500 (£30,780).
The French manufacturer, which makes centrifugal pumps for water treatment applications, was developing a new high-speed design. It could not understand why, under test rig trials, the pump was running at a higher temperature than the original concept suggested.
It contacted NSK, which sent an expert from its added value programme to the company’s site to undertake a full vibration analysis. NSK’s investigation used its condition monitoring service, which allows investigation of the condition of a machine’s internal components such as bearings and gears while it remains operating. The process comprises an initial survey using a scoring system to assess the machine’s suitability, followed by modelling the machine on NSK analysis software to establish the optimum monitoring points. The actual analysis follows.
The CMS approach revealed that the bearings on the prototype pump were in optimum condition with no reportable issues. However, vibration analysis, together with the rapidity of the rise in temperature at the running speed of the trial, revealed that the unexplained temperature increase could be attributed to a lubrication issue.
The client was able to devise a new lubrication method for high-speed applications to allow the trial to progress. It is estimated that this saved the pump manufacturer around six months of R&D costs plus test rig running costs, an estimated total of €34,500.
“The vibration analysis combined with the skills of NSK’s experts led to an immediate and significant gain in a stalled development project,” said Mathieu Piquemal, NSK’s South Europe services manager for its European industrial business unit.