The pump industry relies on expertise from a large and varied range of specialists, from experts in particular pump types to those with an intimate understanding of pump reliability; and from researchers who delve into the particulars of pump curves to experts in pump efficiency. To draw upon the wealth of expert knowledge the Australian pump industry has to offer, Pump Industry has established a panel of experts to answer all your pumping questions.
This edition of Ask an Expert will look at pump monitoring and its influence on efficiency, downtime and lifecycle costs. At SEEPEX, our primary focus is naturally with progressive cavity pumps, but the principles described below are applicable to many different pump styles and process applications.
Q: How will pump monitoring shape the future of the pump industry?
A: Monitoring solutions with sensor-equipped pumps will soon be standard within many plants throughout all industries. The reasons for this are many and varied. Some examples include: lowering energy consumption, maximising efficiency and reducing TCO (total cost of ownership), as well as pumps installed at remote locations, with each consideration requiring its own unique monitoring solution.
Monitoring process-critical factors in order to reduce maintenance times and streamline personel allocation is crucial in numerous industries to guarantee plant availability and productivity.
Q: How does pump monitoring work? What are its benefits?
A: Speaking from first-hand experience, technology leading progressive cavity pump manufacturers have developed digital monitoring solutions to streamline operations. As the name suggests, these solutions monitor operating data via sensors attached to the pump, thus permanently checking pressure, motor speed, temperature and other parameters.
Al read-out data can be accessed in real-time via smartphone, tablet or in the control room. Monitoring solutions pave the way for having operating data available at all times in all places.
The plant operator can conduct analyses in the cloud to detect wear at an early stage and avoid process failures before they occur. With this technology, it is much easier predicting and scheduling inspection or maintenance work. In short: regulate your pump at the best operating point, optimise service and maintenance work and increase system availability.
Q: How does monitoring help to lower TCO?
Some monitoring solutions give you the ability to configure alarm levels and be notified in your control room or on any smart device when they are exceeded. This allows you to intervene immediately and avoid costly downtimes, allowing predictive maintenance.
Further, online pump characteristic curve adjustment, anomaly detection algorithms and the pump manufacturer’s expert knowledge optimise pump operation and processes.
Q: Is it safe to store data from my pumps and processes?
Premium pump manufacturers work with well-known big players in data storage, such as Google, to protect all workflows, processes and data from unauthorised access. A secure online connection and reliable cloud data storage that conforms to international security and data protection standards is as safe as it gets. Additionally, the customer determines what kind of data is recorded.
Q: Why worry now about implementing digitalisation into my processes?
A: Digital pumps will be the norm in a few years. The intelligent monitoring solutions will make processes more flexible, dynamic and efficient. Improved knowledge about pump performance, lower maintenance costs and ultimately high operational reliability are unbeatable arguments that will be harder and harder to ignore.
Contact a trusted progressive cavity pump advisor now to receive customised and intelligent designs that offer you greater control over your processes.
About the author
Peter Vila, Managing Director of SEEPEX Australia, is a progressive cavity pump expert. He has been involved with pumps for over 40 years. Peter spent the first five years repairing pumps and the following 35 years in technical sales, 20 of which have been with SEEPEX progressive cavity pumps.
For more information on progressive cavity pumps, please contact SEEPEX Australia on (02) 4355 4500 or at info.au@seepex.com
