Digital motor monitor `will cut outages`

Emerson claims to have developed the first digital transmitter that can continuously diagnose motors and pumps for conditions such as bearing failures, coupling misalignments, electrical failures, and pump cavitation and imbalances.

The Smart Machinery Health Management system (shown above) is an extension to Emerson Process Management`s PlantWeb digital plant monitoring system, which is already used to monitor the performance and health of valves and instruments in more than 5,000 manufacturing plants around the world.

The new addition extends PlantWeb`s predictive diagnostics to rotating machinery by providing real-time monitoring and analysis. Emerson predicts that it will change the way that manufacturers use and maintain their machines.

According to John Berra, president of Emerson Process Management, mechanical failures are the biggest single cause of plant interruptions, accounting for 43% of all shutdowns. In some plants, such shutdowns can cost $1m a day.

"Process manufacturing plants can include 2,500 machines, with typically 60% being motor pump combinations," Berra adds, "so expanding PlantWeb to cover rotating equipment is a milestone in our ability to meet customer needs."