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Critical Machinery Vibration Monitoring

March 29, 2010
SKF device combines protection and condition monitoring, resolving the conflict with power restrictions.

The SKF Multilog DMx functions as an independent monitor or as a complete system connecting to plant-wide fieldbus infrastructure and SKF’s @ptitude Monitoring Suite, an asset-management program

SKF’s Multilog On-line System DMx is a multi-featured vibration monitor for conventional and hazardous environments. It combines both protection (to help avoid catastrophic failures) and condition monitoring functionality in a single device, making it ideal for monitoring critical machinery.

“Until now, field-installed intrinsically safe vibration devices have been confined to simple transmitters that provide only basic machine health information,” said Chris James, business area director, SKF Reliability Systems. “The complexity of the vibration measurement has been in conflict with the power restrictions imposed by intrinsic safety. With the DMx we've been able to resolve this conflict and offer a vibration-monitoring solution that – for the first time – allows the requirements of critical machinery monitoring, from transducer to dynamic data processing, to be fulfilled by an intrinsically safe device located on the machine skid.”

SKF maintains that the Multilog DMx system’s modular design, distributed architecture and small footprint have cost and installation advantages over traditional 19-in. rack systems, including energy savings due to the low power consumption.

Other features include four dynamic input channels for vibration, axial thrust and dynamic pressure, with two channels for speed/phase measurements. Multiple LEDs provide local indications of module, channel and alarm status and diagnostic data. The device can be easily connected to plant control and information networks by common protocols.