What is Condition Based Monitoring?
Condition-based monitoring (CBM) is the systematic observation of equipment for indications of developing failures. It supports condition-based maintenance. And it’s a critical part of any predictive maintenance strategy.
Downtime caused by unexpected failures or inefficient maintenance costs global industry roughly $50 billion every year.
CBM cuts these losses by finding warning signs of failures and delivering insights that support efficient maintenance planning.
Condition-based maintenance works by gathering data that indicates machine condition, then processing and analyzing that data to inform maintenance planning.
Here’s an example.
In 2023, the Chilean maintenance provider Nicolaides wanted to improve their CBM system in a pulp mill. To that end, they installed 160 continuous-monitoring sensors. To manage the data from the sensors, Nicolaides decided against extensive customization, manual alarm settings, frequent adjustments, and manually verifying alerts. Instead, they chose Viking Analytics’ AI platform to streamline machine monitoring.
Viking Analytics’ MultiViz automatically prioritized the machines that needed attention, catching potential failures early and presenting clear, actionable insights. Streamlining their approach saved Nicolaides’ analysts valuable time, improving their efficiency, and allowing them to focus on higher-priority tasks, monitor more equipment, and serve multiple clients.
By January 2024 Viking Analytics had already flagged early warnings on multiple critical assets, preventing costly failures and environmental risks. Each unplanned stop—typically an eight hour event—cost their clients about $65k US in combined repair costs, lost production, and emergency maintenance.
Because Nicolaides’s lead analyst was able to trust Viking Analytics’ prioritization, the entire maintenance team saved time, allowing Nicolaides to scale their operations while also preventing downtime, improving reliability, and ensuring environmental safety.
A CBM system is any assembly of devices and processes directed towards condition-based monitoring. These systems leverage a variety of tools and techniques to understand machine condition.
The best systems combine several techniques. For example, a condition monitoring system based on vibration monitoring and analysis will benefit from temperature and operational data as well. Rich as real-time vibration data can be, context provided by other data creates a more robust and accurate system.
Continuous monitoring at scale produces a crushing volume of data. Elementary management based on OEM recommendations or thresholds generates frequent false alarms while also failing to incorporate vital context. A smarter solution, such as Viking Analytics’ MultiViz is, therefore, essential.
Condition-based monitoring is just that: monitoring. Monitoring provides invaluable information for preventive maintenance.
When done right, preventive maintenance preempts breakdowns. This is still possible to do without condition-based monitoring, based on OEM recommendations or calendar-based maintenance scheduling. But without knowing the actual condition of equipment, much of this preventive maintenance can be unnecessary. At the same time, it’s possible to miss vital preventive maintenance. Condition-based monitoring closes the gap between knowledge and action.
Yes. Traditionally, condition-based monitoring was only possible through manually checking machines, either with handheld sensors, oil analysis, or maintenance experts’ well-trained senses.
Today, sensors mounted on machines can deliver vital machine data such as vibrations, temperature, and current. With the support of cutting-edge software to parse this information, vibration analysts can run successful condition-based monitoring programs.
By informing smarter maintenance planning, condition-based monitoring delivers sweeping reductions in maintenance costs.
First, by supplying information maintenance teams need to plan maintenance where it’s needed and only where it’s needed, condition-based monitoring can eliminate unnecessary maintenance. Better planning also reduces inventory costs for spare parts. Maintenance teams who know what they need to fix will not need to keep parts on hand for equipment they don’t need to fix.
No. Viking Analytics is hardware agnostic and works with almost any sensor, including handheld units.
If you are using legacy analogue sensors, Viking Analytics will need a digital signal. Consider using adapters from Wilcoxon.
There are a lot of great options. The right choice depends on the application.
Today’s state-of-the-art sensors are fast and precise, delivering real-time monitoring that reliability teams can count on to protect high-value assets.
At the same time, there are dozens of low-cost options. These are perfect for condition-based monitoring of the balance of plant.
The ventilators, fans, pumps, and other equipment that make up the balance of plant may not be worth monitoring with expensive sensors, but their failures can still be catastrophic. Keeping this equipment healthy is a good investment.
If you need somewhere to start, you can trust these sensor makers:
Investing in a condition-based monitoring solution that combines sensors and analytics software in one package?
The best complete solution providers trust Viking Analytics MultiViz software for their analytics.
When choosing a complete condition-based monitoring solution, look for MultiViz.
Condition-based monitoring is a powerful way to eliminate downtime and increase maintenance efficiency. Sensor technology makes it possible to remotely monitor nearly unlimited assets. But the amount of data generated by condition monitoring systems makes it extremely important to automatically manage and sort machine data. Viking Analytics does exactly that.
MultiViz - AI powered vibration analysis-conditioning monitoring for smarter predictive maintenance.