Yesterday, John Crane unveiled what is believed to be the first integrated wireless technology for remotely measuring the pressure, temperature and level of the barrier fluid in a sealing system. Unlike manual testing, which is time consuming and limited in what it can indicate, says Mike Bowyer, business development director asset management, the 3in1 Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) can detect early indications of potential seal damage so that preventative measures can be taken before a seal failure occurs.
In addition to vast improvements that are possible in sealing performance, the 3in1 system provides monitoring evidence that is sometimes required for regulatory compliance. Meanwhile, with its hazardous area certification, the 3in1 reduces the need to send maintenance personnel into hazardous areas.
At the same time, installation is easier, faster and 80% cheaper than that for hardwired alternatives, which themselves are often limited to a single variable, says Bowyer.
The 3in1 VMS comes complete with its own software, which provides easy-to-view graphics, alarming, trending, records of state changes and reporting. A traffic light alarm-and-notification system warns operators of a problem, enabling them to pinpoint the exact seal system in question, identify the problem and immediately make a comparison to the record of that system’s previous trended performance.
Expected battery life of the sensor nodes is five years, says Bowyer. Up to 75 vessels can be monitored at once for a site located up to 300 m away from the gateway receiver in a plant environment (or 1,500 m line of site).
The system is preconfigured or John Crane standard seal system Types 100, 200 and 300, and versions to suit other manufacturers’ seal systems are also available. Created by the John Crane’s Asset Management Systems (JCAMS), the 3in1 VMS can also be expanded to include other elements of a wider condition based maintenance system.
John Crane,
Halle 8, Stand F13-19