10 June 2020

The pressure was on from the start when an 800KW Ex de certified induction motor was reported by engineers on the North Sea platform as exhibiting high vibration levels.  As an existing supplier to the North Sea platform; Quartzelec’s Aberdeen service centre was approached to investigate and undertake any necessary repairs on an urgent basis before the issue led to a major machine failure.

When high vibrations are seen in rotating electrical machines, it can indicate issues with operational performance, which will impact on the machine availability.  With this 800KW production critical motor displaying increased vibration levels, the client turned to Quartzelec for support – quickly removing the machine from operation and sending it to the Aberdeen based workshop for investigation.  The motor was immediately stripped and inspected to determine the repairs needed. All repairs were then completed within the customer’s timeframe, to applicable standards, and it was immediately returned to the platform.

“We successfully repaired the sister machine two years earlier after catastrophic bearing failure,” stated Paul Oliver, Quartzelec’s Business Unit Manager in Aberdeen.  “On that machine the bearing failure also led to further damage and a full rotor and stator rewind was required. Whilst the first motor repair was costly to the customer in terms of financial outlay and the resulting lead times, following our recommendations, they incorporated ongoing vibration monitoring which helped them spot problems developing before the failure occurred.  This resulted in them saving considerable time and money; whilst maintaining a safe working environment without impacting output.”

Paul Oliver concluded: “When budgets are tight, condition monitoring can sometimes be sacrificed but this is a perfect case to prove that investing in the correct condition monitoring system makes perfect business sense.”

#UnparalleledInEngineeringServices

Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn