feature | solution focus Sensor-Mounting Solution Grows PdM Program AIR-SEPARATION FACILITIES USE a wide variety of rotating and reciprocating machinery. Predictive maintenance for this equipment involves monthly monitoring at hundreds of measurement points within a plant. The resulting vibration data, including high-frequency measurements in the 20-kHz range, provides valuable indications of machinery health. For vibration analysts at a manufacturer of industrial gases, however, the data-collection process presented a dilemma. NOVEMBER 2017 Manufacturer of industrial gases found 'quick' relief for an unusually tough vibration-monitoring challenge. The analysts had concluded that a comprehensive, accelerometer-based predictive-maintenance (PdM) program linking a network of plants across the country would be ideal for their company-except for the problem of mounting requirements for high-frequency measurements. Conventional wisdom held that accelerometers needed to be stud-mounted to provide accurate readings at high frequencies. For the analysts, stud-mounting an accelerometer at hundreds of mea- Vibration data, including high-frequency measurements in the 20-kHz range, provides valuable indications of machinery health. The challenge for vibration analysts dealing with multiple air-separation facilities and countless rotating- and reciprocating-equipment systems is how to efficiently collect and process it. EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM | 47http://www.EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM