Monitoring of Compressor Lubrication
Conventional methods for evaluating lubricant quantities include monitoring "line pressure" as a reference and/or lubricant flow by counting the number of drops. The drawbacks of these methods is obvious, in that leaks or blockages of lines cannot be detected. One common problem is the blockage of lubrication oil lines, with the resulting backpressure evenly distributed across the other oil lines. This may cause only a slight pressure increase in the overall oil recirculation circuit, which is not enough to trigger an alarm. The result is that the machine may run for long periods with little or no lubrication to moving components.
This graph shows the 6-weeks trend of two cylinders on a machine. While cylinder "1" (green) is receiving optimum lubrication, cylinder "2" (blue) is over lubricated.
One of the modules in PROGNOST®-NT systems monitors lubrication lines. For this purpose, any number of measuring points can be equipped with sensors to monitor the flow rate, tailored to customer requirements. Sensors are ideally located near the injector. Any change in the flow rate of the individual lubrications points is monitored by trend analysis. Blockages or leaks can thus be identified before they fully develop, preventing damage.
Your advantages
- Continuous measurement of lubricant volume, based on flow
- Alarms in case of over/under lubrication
- Long-term and short-term trend analysis od individual measuring points
- Remote monitoring and access
- Passive measuring sensors, usable in explosion hazard areas