Confirm Oil and Gas Turbine, Compressor Vibration Alarms

What do oil and gas reliability, instrumentation and controls, and maintenance teams really want to know about their vibration monitoring systems?

• If a problem develops, will we receive advanced warning?
• Are we safe around the machinery?
• Is the instrumentation wired correctly and working?
• Is it protecting the machinery?

The answer to these questions lies in bringing vibration calibration out of the lab and into the plant. The Modal Shop – the industry leader in vibration calibration – offers the world’s first and only battery powered portable vibration shaker capable of field testing the diverse range of vibration instrumentation used in oil and gas from sensor, through cabling  to display and alarms. Turbines and compressors are too critical for unplanned outages. As the first line of defense against downtime, vibration monitoring systems are just as essential as the machinery it protects.

The Modal Shop’s portable vibration calibrators help technicians comply with the field testing requirements outlined in American Petroleum Institute Standard 670 “Machinery Protection Systems” (API 670) as well as:

• Reduce insurance risk and instrumentation costs
• Promote safety
• Reduce downtime
• Maintain confidence in critical vibration alarms
• Improve efficiency and departmental relationships
• Prevent and troubleshoot false alarms

The oil and gas industry uses a myriad of vibration monitoring solutions. But models 9100D and 9110D vibration field testers have the payload capability and mounting flexibility to system test – from sensor to alarms – instrumentation and systems prevalent in the industry such as:

• Proximity probes (eddy current probes) used for radial or axial gas and steam turbine vibration as well as centrifugal compressor shaft monitoring
• 4-20 mA loop powered vibration transmitters protecting critical motors and pumps
• Impact detectors used on reciprocating compressors
• Accelerometers detecting bearing faults and gear box malfunctions
• Case mounted velocity sensors
• High temperature charge, differential or modulated current vibration sensors
• DCS, PLC, SCADA control system scaling, display and alarms
• Portable vibration analyzers with magnet mount accelerometers

Vibration system checks are typically done during outages. Critical checks can be accomplished while the plant is in operation by obtaining a hot work permit and taking necessary safety precautions. Tell us about your plant’s specific requirements. The Modal Shop sincerely appreciates all feedback and recommendations regarding hazardous area approval, class, division, zone and group requirements.