Vibration Analysis

Simple, Low-cost Vibration Monitoring of Cooling Towers at

Bristol-Myers Squibb
By John McConville, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Tom LaRocque, CTC

Accessing cooling tower Accessing cooling tower gearboxes and fan three jackshaft-driven fans in the northeast quadrant of
gearboxes and fan bearings bearings for vibration analysis has been a challenge the plant each have a 50-hp motor driving a 92” drive
for many predictive maintenance programs. While the shaft at 1800 rpm. The fan speed is controlled by an
for vibration analysis has
motor is often accessible, the gearbox and fans are 8:1 reduction gearbox, resulting in a fan speed of
been a challenge for many usually located inside the cooling tower cell, making approximately 210 rpm. The motor is mounted
predictive maintenance these components inaccessible while the fan is in outside of the cooling tower cell (Figure 3), and the
programs. While the motor operation. gearbox and fan are located inside, making them
is often accessible, the Recently, Bristol-Myers Squibb has created a inaccessible to the vibration analyst while the tower is
program to monitor the inaccessible machine in operation. The cooling tower pool is 15 feet below
gearbox and fans are
components of cooling towers by permanently the water distribution point (Figure 4).
usually located inside the mounting low-cost accelerometers and cables to the
cooling tower cell, making gearboxes and fans and connecting them to a single, Vibration Considerations
these components centrally located switch box for quick and convenient The most common cooling tower component
inaccessible while the fan is access. failures were:
• Motor - 60%
in operation.
Bristol-Myers Squibb currently has thirteen • Gearbox - 30%
Recently, Bristol-Myers cooling towers - five are jackshaft-driven fans and • Fan - 2%
Squibb has created a eight are belt-driven. The jackshaft-driven fans are • Other - 8%
program to monitor the used to remove heat from the critical process fluids.
inaccessible machine The cooling tower water flows through a chamber in Gearbox failures
the chiller unit and removes heat from the freon used The gearbox can be a source of excessive
components of cooling
to chill the process flow (the process fluids are maintenance for several reasons. Located inside the
towers by permanently lowered from approximately 75°F to 30°F by the cell, it is subjected to aerodynamic loading from the
mounting low-cost chiller units). The heated water is pumped from the fan, misalignment of the gear to the motor and/or
accelerometers and cables chiller to the cooling tower, dispersed in the tower cell excessive loading on the gear teeth. Environmental
to the gearboxes and fans and drops to a sump pool. As the water falls to the factors can also contribute to gearbox degradation.
sump pool, a large fan, driven by a motor, drive shaft Chemicals added to the water to control the pH of the
and connecting them to a
and gearbox, creates a counter air flow. This counter cooling tower water are typically caustic.
single, centrally located flow removes the hot, rising air and water vapors from
switch box for quick and the water and forces it out into the atmosphere. The
convenient access. cooled water is then collected in the sump pools under
the cooling tower, ready to be cycled back to the
chiller units. The belt-driven cooling tower fans are
generally smaller in size and are used in less critical
applications.
The jackshaft-driven cooling towers are more
critical to the process, and were therefore the initial
focus of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s search for a safe,
reliable and low cost alternative to vibration
measurements using portable data collectors. The

Figure 3 - Cooling tower motor.

Figures 1 & 2 - Cooling towers at

Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Figure 4 - Cooling tower pool (located under the tower

structure).

28 P/PMTECHNOLOGY - August - 1999

 Vibration Analysis

Figure 5 - Portable collection of vibration data from cooling tower motor. Figure 6 - Lock-out of cooling tower fan during accelerometer placement.

Motor failures during accelerometer placement For the belt-driven Safety is paramount at
Since the cooling tower motors are more readily cooling towers, both the motor and the fan are located Bristol-Myers Squibb. The
accessible to the vibration analyst, portable measure- inside of the cooling tower cell. The fan and motor Safety Department requires
ments (magnet-mounted accelerometers) are used to bearings are accessed while the unit was still in
monitor their condition. Motor unbalance, rotor bar operation - since the cell for belt-driven cooling certain Protective
defects, output shaft alignment and bearing defects are towers are much smaller (approximately 12 feet to the Personnel Equipment (PPE)
typical faults detected. fan and motor bearings), no harness or cleats are for all employees,
required. Hip waders (to walk through the sump pool) contractors, or visitors
Fan failures and a small ladder is required to access the bearing working or visiting in pre-
Fan failures, although infrequent, can be cata- housings. Extreme care must be taken while collecting
strophic. If undetected, the fan blades can detach and the vibration data due to the environment and the close designated hazardous
damage the cell and surrounding components. proximity of the analyst to the moving belts. areas. For the jackshaft
driven cooling towers, a
Monitoring Challenges Coordination considerations Confined Entry Permit was
Prior to the implementation of the low-cost, time- For jackshaft driven cooling towers, the required prior to accessing
efficient alternative to portable vibration monitoring Department Supervisor was contacted to coordinate a
of the jackshaft driven cooling towers, the Bristol- scheduled shut down window to access the cell and set the cells for collection of
Myers Squibb Reliability Department faced the up the measurement points. Coordination with a data on the gearbox and
following challenges: second person (usually a member of the predictive fans. Special cleats were
• Safety considerations that must be taken into maintenance section) to fulfill the safety requirement needed to ensure secure
account every time collecting data on the cooling of having a second person present while in the cooling footing on the wet catwalks.
tower components tower cell also took place in advance. A third person
• Scheduling and coordination considerations must be present to communicate with the cooling Harnesses were required to
• Data collection time considerations tower operating engineer, who is responsible for be worn by the vibration
starting and stopping the cooling tower fan. Finally, analyst while in the cooling
Safety considerations the maintenance planner may also coordinate any tower cell to reduce the risk
Safety is paramount at Bristol-Myers Squibb. All other work (electrical or mechanical) that may need to of injury if footing was lost.
activities are conducted with safety in mind. The be done on the cooling tower cell, which can lengthen
Safety Department requires certain Protective the time for collection. For the belt-driven cooling Hard hats and protective
Personnel Equipment (PPE) for all employees, tower fans, the analyst coordinates with the cooling eye-glasses were also
contractors, or visitors working or visiting in pre- tower operating engineer to schedule a time to collect required to ensure the
designated hazardous areas. For the jackshaft driven vibration data on the fan and motor bearings. safety of the analyst. In
cooling towers, a Confined Entry Permit was required addition, a second person
prior to accessing the cells for collection of data on the Time considerations
gearbox and fans. Special cleats were needed to For the jackshaft driven cooling towers, vibration was required to be present
ensure secure footing on the wet catwalks. Harnesses collection procedures relied on the support of the while the analyst was inside
were required to be worn by the vibration analyst analyst, a safety assistant, the cooling tower operating the cell to ensure the
while in the cooling tower cell to reduce the risk of engineer, and the radio operator. Upon the shutdown analyst’s safety. Finally, the
injury if footing was lost. Hard hats and protective of the cooling tower cell to be checked, the analyst, analyst, to prevent a
eye-glasses were also required to ensure the safety of with their safety assistant present, climbed into the cell
the analyst. In addition, a second person was required (while wearing a harness) with a magnet-mounted premature startup of the
to be present while the analyst was inside the cell to accelerometer and the accelerometer cable, and cooling tower fan, locked
ensure the analyst’s safety. Finally, the analyst, to magnetically mounted the accelerometer to the out the cooling tower cell
prevent a premature startup of the cooling tower fan, desired collection point. The analyst would then prior to the entry into the
locked out the cooling tower cell prior to the entry into carefully climb out of the cell, and the radio operator cell.
the cell (Figure 6). Lock-out of cooling tower fan would communicate to the cooling tower operating

P/PMTECHNOLOGY - August - 1999 29

 Vibration Analysis

mesh and bearing frequencies (3 x gear mesh =

approximately 43,200 CPM) as the upper limit, while
fan running speed (210 rpm) was used to set the lower
limit. An accelerometer with a frequency response of
42 - 900,000 CPM was selected.
• Mounting Hardware Selection
To provide the optimum vibration transfer
between the machine surface and the accelerometer,
they needed a mounting system that used the full
frequency range of the accelerometer. A mounting
target attached with an adhesive to the prepared
machine surface using a customized endmill with an
adjustable depth pilot drill was selected. The adhesive
mounted target improves vibration transfer, and the
full frequency range of the accelerometer can be
utilized. Another advantage of the adhesive mounted
target is the machine surface does not have to be
drilled and tapped. A flat mounting target with a 1/4-
28 threaded hole was selected.
• Cable Selection
Due to the environment of the cooling tower cell,
the cable connecting the accelerometer to the switch
box needed to be robust, chemically resistant, water
resistant and reliable in a caustic environment. In the
Figure 7 - Hardware layout for engineer via radio to re-start the fan. Upon the cooling past, integral cables were primarily used for this
cooling tower vibration tower fan’s return to running speed, the analyst then interface. If either the cable or the accelerometer
monitoring. collected the vibration data at that particular point. For failed, however, the complete cable-accelerometer
each cell, Bristol-Myers Squibb uses six different system had to be replaced. A low-cost, composite
measurement locations to monitor the gearbox and connector with a silicone o-ring and threaded locking
fan. The cell then had to be stopped and started six ring (type “A” connector) provides the seal needed to
different times to collect all of the desired keep out the environment. A chemically resistant
measurement points for one cooling tower. It was Teflon jacketed twisted shielded cable was chosen to
common for three cooling towers to take up to five carry the signal from the accelerometer to the switch
hours for a single scheduled collection. If a key person box.
was not available at a specified time or had to be • Junction (Switch) Box Selection -
pulled from the job for another priority, the time could A switch box provides direct access to the
extend even further. Scheduled jobs have been vibration signals for the analyst, and its location is
aborted and rescheduled for a different day due to often outside, exposed to the environment. A NEMA
coordination conflicts. The frequency of start up and 4X enclosure with a water-tight cable entry into the
stopping the cooling tower cells also cause unwanted enclosure is recommended to ensure that water will
wear and tear on the cooling tower components, as not collect inside the switch box. In the past, powered
vibration in the fans can be high during this procedure. switch boxes were used for cooling tower applications
For belt-driven cooling tower fans, only the vibration to power the accelerometers. New accelerometers can
analyst and the cooling tower operating engineer were use the power supply of the data collector due to the
required to be present, since all of the components fast settling time of the accelerometers. The
were accessed while the cooling tower was in elimination of the duplicate power supply results in
operation. Although somewhat less time-consuming, cost savings. The enclosure selected is fiberglass and
the collection time for the belt-driven cooling tower features factory installed cord grips that provide the
fans was still 1 hour for each cooling tower. water tight entry of the cable into the junction box.
Figure 7 shows the layout that was installed by the
A cost-efficient, time saving alternative Predictive Maintenance Department.
For the initial three jackshaft-driven cooling
towers, a system of low cost accelerometers The following benefits to this system are:
connected to a remotely mounted switch box was • Permanently mounted accelerometers increase
designed using the following criteria: the accuracy of data over a wide frequency range of
• Accelerometer Selection - The following the vibration data collected, while ensuring the
vibration frequency criteria was taken into repeatability of the measurement locations
consideration: • The recommended maximum frequency of the 2-
- Motor operation speed pole magnets is 150,000 CPM, while stud-mounted
- Bearing defect frequencies accelerometers with adhesive mounting targets have a
- Gear mesh frequencies frequency span up to 600,000 CPM
- Fan and blade speed • Permanently mounted accelerometers connected
Frequencies for detecting vibration faults should to a remote switch box allow the analyst access to the
be within the frequency response of the vibration data without having to physically enter the
accelerometer. Bristol-Myers Squibb uses the gear cooling tower cell, which would require that the tower

30 P/PMTECHNOLOGY - August - 1999

 Vibration Analysis

be shut down. The safety concerns were reduced, and The previously difficult task of monitoring the Figures 8, 9 - Permanently
the data collection time was greatly reduced. inaccessible components of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s mounted accelerometers.
• Coordination with the Department Supervisor cooling towers has now become very efficient. What
and cooling tower operating engineer was eliminated, would take up to four hours and three people to
thus removing variables that were outside the monitor a single tower with three cells now takes less
vibration analyst’s control. than thirty minutes of data collection time by one
vibration analyst.
Financial analysis Contact Tom LaRocque, CTC, 590 Fishers Station
In order to monitor the gearboxes and fans on all Dr., Victor, NY 14564; (800) 999-5290 or (716) 924-
thirteen cooling towers, vibration data had to be 5900.
collected on over 500 measurement points. Bristol-
Myers Squibb compared the cost of the hardware References
needed to permanently monitor the three cooling The Simplified Handbook of Vibration Analysis,
northeast quadrant towers versus the cost of the Volume I.
Predictive Maintenance Department collecting Shock and Vibration Handbook, 4th Edition
Accelerometer Installations in Extreme Industrial
vibration data for each cooling tower component as
Environments, Sound & Vibration Magazine, June 1996
they had in the past. The time required to historically
monitor the three cooling towers each time was About the Authors
estimated at 4 hours, with a total cost of $576. The John McConville is a Vibration Analyst for the
cost for the permanently mounted accelerometers and Predictive Maintenance Department at Bristol-Myers
vibration hardware (9 measurement points) was less Squibb. He is a Certified Vibration Specialist I, and is a
than $2900, including installation, labor and less than member of the Central New York Chapter of the
$80 for each accelerometer. As a result, the Vibration Institute.
permanently installed system would pay for itself after Tom LaRocque is an Application Engineer for CTC.
only six measurement periods. He is a Certified Vibration Specialist I, and holds a BS in
Civil Engineering from Clarkson University. He is also a
Approved cooling tower monitoring setup member of the Central New York Chapter of the Figures 10 - Accessing data from
After the financial and benefits analysis Bristol- Vibration Institute. switch box.
Myers Squibb decided to permanently mount
accelerometers on the three jackshaft-driven cooling
towers in the northeast quadrant (Figures 8, 9). They
also plan to eventually revise all of the jackshaft
driven cooling towers in the plant, as well as the fan
bearings and motors for the belt-driven cooling
towers.

Conclusion
The following factors were critical in convincing
management that this program was beneficial to the
Predictive Maintenance Program and should be
expanded for all cooling towers:
• Reduced exposure to safety hazards
• Reduction in data collection time
• Ability to collect data on previously inaccessible
cooling tower components
• The low cost of vibration analysis hardware
• Lifetime, unconditional warranty offered by the
hardware supplier

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