PECM Issue 49 2021 | Page 78

Pioneer in plastic-free packaging one of the first to install Sulzer ’ s wireless condition monitoring

MEASUREMENT & MONITORING CONTINUOUS MONITORING

SULZER
Pioneer in plastic-free packaging one of the first to install Sulzer ’ s wireless condition monitoring
Kotkamills is a forest products company based in Kotka , Finland . The company specializes in consumer boards , laminating paper , and sawn products – and is an innovative pioneer in introducing new technologies . Kotkamills actively accelerates the adoption of plastic-free options in convenience packaging . The Sense condition monitoring system has been employed at Kotkamills from July 2019 , ever since the first stages of the solution .
THE CHALLENGE Kotkamills was one of the first customers to use Sulzer Sense in their process after it was launched in 2019 . The system monitors the condition of five process pumps and one medium-consistency ( MC ) pump in the pulp production line .
The system consists of one gateway designed for industrial conditions , located in the process area , and six sensors installed in the bearings of the monitored equipment . The devices are battery-powered and operate in a wireless mesh network .
Sulzer Sense measures vibration and temperature every 30 minutes . The gateway is connected to the Internet / Sulzer ’ s cloud service via a cellular connection . The monitored devices are within a radius of about 10 meters from each other . This allows for an excellent network and the use of a single gateway .
THE SOLUTION The commissioning of the condition monitoring system was quick , easy and effortless and did not require special skills from the installer . The mobile app provided by Sulzer for the deployment of the system is unambiguous and easy to use .
The Sulzer Sense monitoring device measures machine vibrations and temperature to detect possible imbalance , misalignment , looseness , and bearing wear . It helps to identify changes in equipment condition parameters and indicates potential faults at an early stage , thus supporting predictive maintenance .
The sensors are installed in the bearings of the monitored pumps .
The cloud service provides the customer with easy access to device information . Through the cloud service , the customer can monitor the condition of the devices and view hardware trend information anywhere and anytime .
CUSTOMER BENEFIT In addition to the advantages of continuous monitoring , one of the most significant benefits to the customer is access to detailed equipment information such as spare parts lists and product documentation through the service . For maintenance and repair work , there is no need to look in the archive for instructions and drawings .
Sulzer Sense is suitable for all pumps , agitators , mixers and motors regardless of the type or brand in all industries .
“ The system has worked reliably , and the measurement results are in line with our own reference measurements .” Harri Carling , Supervisor , Condition Monitoring and Reliability at Kotkamills .
For further information , please visit www . sulzer . com
78 PECM Issue 49