The ultimate wireless condition monitoring system

The ultimate wireless condition monitoring system! – A simple clamp-on vibration monitoring system that transmits the recorded data wirelessly back to a base station for analysis, and uses the vibrations themselves as the source of the power to drive the electronics. This is one of the news items from last week, from Perpetuum, based in Southampton. It was one of the items released at the Hanover exhibition this last week. Perpetuum provide the microgenerator, that takes the kinetic energy of the machine vibration, and uses this to generate enough power to run the vibration monitoring sensor and the wireless data link. Perpetuum has been working with partners, including leading European condition monitoring provider, Pruftechnik, and wireless solutions provider, Nanotron, to develop this commercial solution for condition monitoring applications, enabling machine monitoring around a plant by simply attaching a low cost sensor. With many other industries seeking the Perpetuum technology, such as transport, medical and aerospace, it is good to see machine monitoring is one of their prime applications. Neither Nanotron nor Pruftechnik have announced their versions of this Perpetuum release as yet, so the text is reproduced as follows:

“Perpetuum energy harvesters power the world’s first low cost industrial wireless condition monitoring system, being displayed on the Pruftechnik stand at the Hannover Fair this week.

A Perpetuum PMG17-100 energy harvesting microgenerator converts machine and plant vibration into useful electricity, enabling associated wireless sensors to transmit large amounts of critical data.

Perpetuum microgenerators can be used to power condition monitoring systems, enabling end-users to continually monitor plant and equipment, resulting in significant operational cost savings.

PMG17-100 operates from the vibration from plant or machinery running at a 50Hz mains frequency.

It transforms the kinetic energy of vibration into an electrical current, producing ample power for a wireless transmitter to send 6Kb of data (i.e a vibration spectrum), every few minutes, or smaller amounts of data several times a second.

Installation is easy, efficient and virtually instantaneous: it is simply placed on the piece of equipment without the need for a timely and costly plant shut-down.

Perpetuum technology enables wireless sensing nodes to monitor plant, processes and machinery, remotely, wirelessly and without any batteries.

It eliminates the need for cables, costly installation, and time consuming maintenance.

Perpetuum has been working with partners, including leading European condition monitoring provider, Pruftechnik, and wireless solutions provider, Nanotron, to develop this commercial solution for condition monitoring applications.

“We are delighted to have worked with Pruftechnik and Nanotron to bring this wireless condition monitoring solution to market”, says Roy Freeland, CEO of Perpetuum: “this collaboration will allow plant operators and managers to improve efficiency through timely and accurate management of plant assets.

The PMG17-100 is the latest offering from Perpetuum, whose other product developments include microgenerators for transportation, medical and aerospace industries.”

At the recent UK MAINTEC Exhibition we found some wireless steam trap monitoring systems: this week ARI-Armaturen also announce an energy saving sensor, their CONA-Control steam trap monitoring system, to sense when a trap is leaking live steam. Moving back to wireless reporting, Vega has announced their plicsRadio, a unit that accepts signals from up to three transmitters and two switches, and sends the data back over a wireless link. While these do not have to be Vega transmitters or level alarms, the plicsRadio will be an obvious benefit to the tank farms and storage depots installed using their sensor systems. Alan Bollard of Westermo Communications will be presenting a review of wireless data links at the Profibus User Group meeting in June, along with several other speakers who will review Profibus and Ethernet communications and applications. The event is a combination of such lectures, an Exhibition of Profibus components and suppliers, and training on the design and installation of Profibus networks http://www.profi-bus.co.uk.