Application Guide AG 5/2001

CONDITION BASED MAINTENANCE

- An evaluation guide for building services

A Seaman

Department of Trade and Industry

 Application Guide AG 5/2001

CONDITION BASED MAINTENANCE

- An evaluation guide for building services

A Seaman

Old Bracknell Lane West,

Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 7AH
Tel: + 44 (0)1344 426511 Fax: + 44 (0)1344 487575
e-mail: [email protected] www.bsria.co.uk
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

BSRIA would like to thank the following sponsors for their contribution
which has led to the production of this Application Guide:

Department of Trade and Industry

Estates Department, Coventry University.

BSRIA would also like to thank the following who have also provided
input to the project:

Pruftechnik Ltd
Holroyd Instruments.

This publication has been produced by BSRIA as part of a contract with

the Department of Trade and Industry. The contract was let under the
Partners in Innovation programme, which provides part funding of
collaborative research. Any views expressed in it are not necessarily
those of the Department.

The author has sought to incorporate the views of the steering group, but
final editorial control of this document rests with BSRIA.

© BSRIA AG 5/2001 Condition Based Maintenance - An evaluation guide for building services
PREFACE

PREFACE

Building services maintenance is predominantly based on a breakdown

or time-based strategy, which do not always provide the plant reliability
required in critical business environments. Building services are
becoming an increasingly vital component of business activity and thus
require more sophisticated methods of preventing down-time.

Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) has been widely used in the

process industry for many years, but has been slow to mature in building
services. CBM provides a means of improving the conventional
maintenance regime by evaluating indicative parameters of plant
condition such as temperature, vibration, oil condition and power
quality.

CBM can enhance fault detection in many plant items, thus potentially
reducing failure rates. In addition, potential benefits are gained by
providing a greater understanding of plant performance, reduced labour
time and repair budgets it can also improve the energy efficiency of
many items of plant.

BSRIA has developed this application guide to aid facility managers and
maintenance personnel in understanding the basic concepts of each
CBM method, indicating the potential applications, capital costs and
benefits associated with each method.

The CBM methods covered in this application guide are:

1. Vibration analysis
2. Acoustic emissions monitoring
3. Thermography
4. Wear and oil analysis
5. Power quality monitoring
6. Monitoring via building management systems.

Condition Based Maintenance - An evaluation guide for building services © BSRIA AG 5/2001
 CONTENTS

CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................ 1

2 VIBRATION & ACOUSTIC EMISSIONS INTRODUCTION...................................................... 5

3 VIBRATION ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................... 7

3.1 Detectable/preventable faults .................................................................................................. 7
3.2 Instrumentation costs............................................................................................................... 8
3.3 Instrumentation selection ........................................................................................................ 9
3.4 Types of sensors ...................................................................................................................... 9
3.5 Vibration signal processing................................................................................................... 10
3.6 Placement of sensors ............................................................................................................. 12
3.7 Data capture........................................................................................................................... 14
3.8 Benefits and problems........................................................................................................... 14
3.9 Training requirements ........................................................................................................... 15
3.10 Regulations and standards..................................................................................................... 15
3.11 Useful publications................................................................................................................ 16
4 ACOUSTIC EMISSION ................................................................................................................ 17
4.1 Detectable/preventable faults ................................................................................................ 17
4.2 Instrumentation costs............................................................................................................. 18
4.3 Instrumentation selection ...................................................................................................... 19
4.4 Acoustic signal patterns ........................................................................................................ 20
4.5 Types of signal monitoring ................................................................................................... 20
4.6 Signal processing................................................................................................................... 22
4.7 Placement of sensors ............................................................................................................. 23
4.8 Data capture........................................................................................................................... 24
4.9 Benefits and problems........................................................................................................... 24
4.10 Training requirements ........................................................................................................... 25
4.11 Regulations and standards..................................................................................................... 25
4.12 Useful publications................................................................................................................ 25
5 POWER QUALITY ....................................................................................................................... 26
5.1 Detectable/preventable faults ................................................................................................ 26
5.2 Instrumentation costs............................................................................................................. 27
5.3 Instrumentation selection ...................................................................................................... 28
5.4 Power quality detection......................................................................................................... 28
5.5 Key considerations ................................................................................................................ 28
5.6 Benefits and problems........................................................................................................... 29
5.7 Training requirements ........................................................................................................... 29
5.8 Regulations and standards..................................................................................................... 29
5.9 Useful publications................................................................................................................ 30
5.10 Power quality example .......................................................................................................... 30
6 WEAR & OIL ANALYSIS............................................................................................................ 32
6.1 Detectable/preventable faults ................................................................................................ 32
6.2 Instrumentation costs............................................................................................................. 33
6.3 Instrumentation selection ...................................................................................................... 35
6.4 Benefits and problems........................................................................................................... 35
6.5 Regulation and standards ...................................................................................................... 36
6.6 Useful publications................................................................................................................ 36

© BSRIA AG 5/2001 Condition Based Maintenance - An evaluation guide for building services
CONTENTS

7 THERMOGRAPHY....................................................................................................................... 37
7.1 Detectable/preventable faults ................................................................................................ 37
7.2 Instrumentation costs............................................................................................................. 37
7.3 Instrumentation selection ...................................................................................................... 39
7.4 Potential modification required for thermal imaging ............................................................ 39
7.5 Key consideration factors...................................................................................................... 39
7.6 Benefits and problems........................................................................................................... 39
7.7 Training requirements ........................................................................................................... 40
7.8 Regulations and standards..................................................................................................... 40
7.9 Useful publications................................................................................................................ 41
7.10 Thermography example......................................................................................................... 42
8 BUILDING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS.................................................................................... 43
8.1 Detectable/preventable faults ................................................................................................ 43
8.2 The role of Building Management Systems in CBM ............................................................ 45
8.3 Benefits and problems........................................................................................................... 46
8.4 BMS examples ...................................................................................................................... 46
8.5 Useful publications................................................................................................................ 47

Condition Based Maintenance - An evaluation guide for building services © BSRIA AG 5/2001
 TABLES

TABLES

Table 1 CBM method evaluation .......................................................................................................... 3

Table 2 Detectable/preventable vibration faults ................................................................................... 7
Table 3 Vibration instrumentation ........................................................................................................ 8
Table 4 Detectable/preventable acoustic emission faults.................................................................... 17
Table 5 Acoustic emission instrumentation ........................................................................................ 18
Table 6 Detectable/preventable power quality faults.......................................................................... 26
Table 7 Power quality instrumentation costs ...................................................................................... 27
Table 8 Example summary - high frequency lighting load harmonic................................................. 31
Table 9 Detectable/preventable wear & oil faults............................................................................... 32
Table 10 Wear & oil instrumentation and sampling tests .................................................................... 33
Table 11 Wear & oil laboratory based tests......................................................................................... 33
Table 12 Wear & oil sample cost of laboratory based test .................................................................. 33
Table 13 Detectable/preventable thermography faults ........................................................................ 37
Table 14 Thermography instrumentation............................................................................................. 37
Table 15 Potential BMS monitoring .................................................................................................... 43
Table 16 Sensor application considerations......................................................................................... 45

FIGURES
Figure 1 Indication of frequency and magnitude of vibration & acoustic emissions............................. 5
Figure 2 Overall vibration analysis...................................................................................................... 10
Figure 3 Frequency analysis ................................................................................................................ 11
Figure 4 Vibration frequencies of a motor........................................................................................... 11
Figure 5 High-frequency vibration signals .......................................................................................... 12
Figure 6 Vibration sensor placement ................................................................................................... 13
Figure 7 Trending vibration data ......................................................................................................... 14
Figure 8 Distress ................................................................................................................................ 21
Figure 9 Distress to pump bearings.................................................................................................... 21
Figure 10 dB Level ............................................................................................................................... 22
Figure 11 dB levels over time ............................................................................................................... 22
Figure 12 Trending showing corrective measures ................................................................................ 24
Figure 13 Current waveform drawn by high frequency fluorescent lighting on one floor of
an office building.................................................................................................................. 31
Figure 14 A thermal image of a motor.................................................................................................. 42
Figure 15 A thermal image of a chilled ceiling .................................................................................... 42

© BSRIA AG 5/2001 Condition Based Maintenance - An evaluation guide for building services
BSRIA’S CONDITION BASED MAINTENANCE SERVICES

BSRIA’S CONDITION BASED MAINTENANCE SERVICES

BSRIA provides a wide range of condition based maintenance services.

Surveys
BSRIA offers surveys based upon several different condition monitoring
techniques. These are provided as either a single survey or as part of an
on-going program of monitoring. Surveys offered include:
• Thermography
• Power quality
• Electromagnetic field
• Acoustic emission monitoring
• Vibration monitoring.

Demonstration days
The demonstration days are aimed at introducing CBM instrumentation
and methods to maintenance personnel from an independent
organisation. This can be done at the client’s preferred location. The
demonstration days can include:
• Demonstration of various CBM instrumentation to maintenance
personnel
• Demonstration of the types of plant item applicable to different
types of CBM instruments.

Training days
Training days can be arranged at BSRIA’s or the client’s offices to suit
the client’s requirements. A range of courses is available including:
• Introduction to CBM techniques
• Training in specific techniques: thermography, power quality,
vibration, acoustic emissions, etc.

Complete CBM programmes

BSRIA can provide a complete CBM monitoring service to:
• Identify your business-critical machines and equipment
• Set up a CBM programme to cover business-critical machinery and
other plant items
• Collect and analyse data and produce reports for the maintenance
team.

For more information about how BSRIA can help you contact;
Andrew Martin, Engineering Services Business Manager on Tel: 01344
426511 Fax: 01344 487575 Email: [email protected]

Condition Based Maintenance - An evaluation guide for building services © BSRIA AG 5/2001
INTRODUCTION SECTION 1

1 INTRODUCTION

Traditionally, building services maintenance is based on either a

breakdown maintenance strategy (BM) where plant is run to failure, or a
time-based maintenance strategy (TBM) where plant is maintained at
periodic intervals. Both of these methods can be inappropriate in the
modern business environment particularly, where building services plant
is critical to the business activity. BM does not prevent plant
components from failure, which can cause high repair costs. While TBM
can prevent a proportion of failures, it can result in maintenance work
being carried out when none is necessary. It can even induce failures.

A third type of maintenance - Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) - is

increasingly being used. This provides a reliable, cost effective method
of monitoring selected working characteristics of plant items, thus
reducing failure rates and costs. It also potentially simplifies
identification of faults and hence reduces the need for skills.

CBM is a strategy in which a parameter indicative of the machine’s

condition is monitored. This can be in the form of an on-the-spot
assessment, which can give an instantaneous indication of the machine’s
condition, or in the form of trending (comparing previous plots of
vibration with the current plot). Trending requires information to be
gathered from the plant item over its operating life at sampling rates that
are established from known failure rates, based on manufacturers’ data,
British and European standards and experience from conventional
maintenance strategies. The gathered information is trended over time to
establish changes in the selected monitoring parameter, which indicates
when a potential failure will occur.

There are many CBM techniques that can be used for building services
plant, and understanding their strengths and weaknesses is critical if the
correct technique is to be applied. Almost all building services
maintenance employees rely on their senses to monitor the condition of
plant. Understanding how a particular plant item operates is critical for
preventive maintenance. The noises and heat given off while plant is
running give an experienced maintenance engineer a good indication of
the plant condition. CBM uses these basic indicative parameters, and
others, and expands upon selected elements. These may include the
vibrations that are produced, the variations in temperatures, the quality
of the power supply and the condition of lubricating fluids within plant
items to establish changing condition, thus minimising failures.

Used effectively CBM can be an excellent preventative breakdown tool

as well as a training aid for understanding the individual behaviour of
plant items. This understanding allows preventative measures to be
taken when conditions indicating degradation appear, allowing problems
to be solved before costly faults and even failures occur. With increasing
pressure on maintenance staff, CBM allows more effective use of
maintenance resources.

An important part of CBM is record keeping, which allows a history to

be built up of plant item condition. This is invaluable in predicting plant
behaviour under site conditions.

© BSRIA AG 5/2001 Condition Based Maintenance - An evaluation guide for building services 1
 SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION

The frequency at which monitoring takes place, and the implications for
time required for maintenance personnel to perform these tasks, is
dependent on a number of site-specific factors. These include:
• Type of machine
• Age & condition of machine
• Type of CBM method used
• Operating conditions
• Criticality of machine.

In general, the frequency can be established once the first set of

condition monitoring data has been analysed. If the plant item is in very
good condition, then this can be as infrequent as once a year. However,
if the plant item shows signs of degradation then the frequency should
be increased to pick up the rate of change. In general, knowing the
condition of the plant item reduces the need for conventional
maintenance, as the maintenance requirement can be predicted.

Many techniques can be used to detect changing conditions within

similar plant items, as shown below:

Example:
The bearing within a pump is suffering from gradual degradation of its
surface, which can be detected in many ways. A thermal imaging
camera can be used to detect the rise in temperature around the
bearing casing, indicating a problem. Vibration or acoustic emission
analysis can be used to detect the change in vibration levels
throughout the pump. Alternatively, wear and oil analysis can be
carried out at a laboratory to detect changes in the oil and to identify
bearing particles.

However, although each of these CBM techniques can identify that there
is a problem within the pump, the accuracy of predicting the severity
and precise location of the problem varies from technique to technique.
All the CBM techniques have the potential to improve the effectiveness
of the maintenance regime, regardless of the type used. Understanding
and using the strengths of each CBM method will allow an effective
CBM strategy to be implemented. Possibly using a combination of
techniques.

The principal benefits of implementing CBM include:

1. Expensive and labour-intensive routine maintenance activities are
reduced and maintenance scheduling can be improved. This is
due to a greater understanding of the operating characteristics of
plant items through trending, and quicker assessment of plant
condition
2. CBM allows preventive measures to be taken before costly
breakdowns occur, allowing a reduction in unscheduled downtime
3. CBM can increase reliability of systems through remote inspection
and assessment
4. Energy savings can be achieved through improved operating
conditions of plant
5. Machine life can be extended by preventing degradation of internal
components
6. Plant items can be tested before handover in the
commissioning process.

2 Condition Based Maintenance - An evaluation guide for building services © BSRIA AG 5/2001
INTRODUCTION SECTION 1

Table 1 shows some of the main faults detectable with CBM, along with
the effectiveness of the different methods. Further information and case
studies will be published in BSRIA’s Application of Non-destructive
Testing (NDT) in Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) of Building
Service, due out in 2002.

*** Highly effective method, can detect the severity, location and rate of
degradation

** Has a high detection ability, but may have a limited ability to evaluate
severity and rate of degradation

* Can detect fault, but can not evaluate severity and rate of
degradation

Plant item CBM method Faults indicated Effectiveness

Table 1
Mechanical
Pumps & fans Acoustic Bearing degradation
CBM method evaluation
emissions ***
Lubricant degradation
**
Misalignment &
imbalance *
Thermography Bearing degradation
*
Lubricant degradation
*
Vibration Bearing degradation
***
Lubricant degradation
**
Misalignment &
imbalance ***
Wear & oil Bearing & lubricant
analysis degradation ***
Shafts & rotors Vibration Misalignment &
imbalance ***
Bent shafts
**
Loose components
**
Acoustic Misalignment &
emissions imbalance *
Belt drives Vibration Misalignment &
imbalance ***
Mismatched belts
**
Thermography Misalignment &
imbalance *
Belt tension
*
Compressors Vibration Misalignment &
imbalance ***
Wear & oil Bearing & lubricant
analysis degradation ***
Valves Thermography Valves, blockage,
wear, leakage **
Acoustic Valves, blockage,
emissions wear, leakage *
Pipework Thermography Insulation
***
Sludge
build-up ***
Acoustic Leaks (air, vacuums,
emissions steam) **

© BSRIA AG 5/2001 Condition Based Maintenance - An evaluation guide for building services 3
 SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION

Plant item CBM method Faults indicated Effectiveness

Chilled Thermography Blockage
ceilings ***
Poor heat transfer
***
Building fabric Thermography Faulty insulation
***
Poor air tightness
***
Boilers Thermography Blockage & scaling
***
Table 1 continued Poor circulation
CBM method evaluation
***
Underfloor Thermography Poor pipe layout
heating & ***
cooling Blockage
***
Electrical
Circuit Power quality High crest-factors
breakers ***
Cables Power quality Harmonic current
***
Electrical Thermography Faulty switchgear,
undersized ***
conductors
Transformers Power quality Harmonic current
***
Wear & oil Fluid leakage
analysis *
Contamination
***
Variable Power quality High frequency noise
speed drives ***
UPS Power quality Low-crest factor
***
Standby Wear & oil Fluid leakage
generators analysis *
Motors Acoustic Bearing degradation
emissions ***
Power quality Harmonic voltage
***
Vibration Stator & armature
damage **
Coupling damage
**
Thermography Bearing degradation
*

4 Condition Based Maintenance - An evaluation guide for building services © BSRIA AG 5/2001