Achieving Boiler House Uptime using Proactive Vibration Monitoring

A leading glove manufacturing plant in North Sumatra, Indonesia, was operating a continuous 24/7 production facility. The boiler house is a critical section of the plant that keeps production running, specifically supporting autoclave-based sterilisation and curing processes. The continuous and smooth operation of key rotating equipment, such as forced draft (FD) fans, induced draft (ID) fans, and transfer pumps, is essential for maintaining airflow and thermal balance. Any failure in these systems leads directly to production disruptions, affecting timelines and profitability.

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PROBLEM

The plant’s existing maintenance programme relied largely on reactive practices and manual inspections that presented challenges like:

Zero Real-Time Visibility: The lack of continuous condition monitoring or access to real-time vibration and temperature data for the assets.
Undetected Faults: Limited ability to continuously monitor high-speed rotating equipment meant early stage mechanical faults (such as bearing defects, misalignment, and imbalance) remained undetected.
Safety Risk: Unsafe manual inspection during operation.
High Risk of Downtime: The cumulative lack of visibility and reliance on reactive maintenance increased the risk of unplanned equipment failure and production loss.

SOLUTION

To address these operational challenges, Forbes Marshall implemented MachPulse™ a wireless condition monitoring solution. The installation consisted of wireless vibration and temperature sensors on the motor sides of the critical boiler house equipment like Forced Draft (FD) fans, Induced Draft (ID) fans, and transfer pumps. The system is designed for easy installation, requiring no wiring or power cabling.

MachPulse™ enables the plant to

Continuously acquire data including velocity, acceleration, temperature, and full FFT spectrum data.
Automate diagnostics, health scoring, and recommendations for quick condition assessment.
Receive alerts via email and mobile notifications sent to the concerned plant personnel.
Remotely monitor the condition of the equipment via a cloud-based dashboard.

BENEFITS

The implementation of MachPulse™ successfully enabled the plant to transition from periodic inspections to a continuous predictive maintenance strategy.

The key benefits delivered include:

Early Fault Detection: Detection of developing mechanical faults allows maintenance teams to plan repairs proactively, minimizing surprises and improving decision-making.
Enhanced Operational Reliability: A significant reduction in the risk of unexpected equipment failure translates directly to improved equipment availability and plant uptime.
Improved Safety: The continuous remote monitoring eliminates the need for unsafe manual inspections during live operations.
Ease of Deployment: The quick and easy-to-install wireless solution ensured a non-disruptive installation.