Improving Reliability of Cooling Tower Fans through Continuous Predictive Monitoring

A leading chemical plant in Northern India operated a continuous, 24/7 manufacturing facility where cooling tower fans were critical for effective heat dissipation and stable plant operations. These fans operate continuously and are essential to the plant’s balance of plant equipment.

PROBLEM

Prior to implementation of the Forbes Marshall solution, the plant faced several challenges in maintaining the reliability of its critical cooling tower fans:

Limited Visibility: Machine condition assessment relied on periodic manual vibration measurements (only quarterly checks), limiting visibility into developing mechanical issues.
Reactive Maintenance: Without continuous monitoring or real-time diagnostics, early faults developed undetected, leading to a largely reactive maintenance strategy.
High Risk: This approach increased the risk of unplanned equipment failure, unscheduled downtime, and higher maintenance costs due to secondary damage.
Operational Constraints: The 24/7 operation made frequent manual monitoring impractical.

SOLUTION

Forbes Marshall implemented MachPulse, a digital wireless condition monitoring solution for the cooling tower fans.

Wireless Technology: Wireless vibration and temperature sensors were installed on the gearbox and motor locations, eliminating the need for complex cabling or external power.
Continuous Monitoring: The system provides continuous, 24/7 data acquisition, transmitting data to the MachPulse platform for analysis.
Advanced Diagnostics: The solution includes triaxial vibration trends, FFT spectrum analysis, machine health scoring for quick condition assessment, and automated diagnostics.
Expert Support: Alerts and condition reports are validated by Forbes Marshall experts to support timely and accurate maintenance decisions.

BENEFITS

Early Fault Detection: The continuous monitoring enabled the early identification of developing mechanical faults.

Reduced Risk and Downtime: The plant achieved a reduced risk of unplanned equipment failures, enhancing overall equipment availability and operational reliability.

Predictive Planning: Maintenance planning was significantly improved through predictive insights, facilitating a shift from reactive to proactive maintenance.

Ease of Use: The wireless nature simplified installation, caused minimal disruption to operations, and offered ease of use for the plant teams.