Applications
Metals Industry
As pressure on the steel industry continues to be applied across the globe, the need for more effective plant with 100% availability becomes a higher priority for senior management.
Hansford Sensors is committed to helping customers with the problem of monitoring plant machinery. Typical areas that have been commonly monitored include rolling mills, drives, gearboxes and cooling towers.
Vibration sensor specification
Before getting too involved in what technique is to be applied, consideration needs to be taken to whether the application requires offline or online vibration monitoring. As part of the decision making process some of the following areas need to be considered;
- Availability of the plant
- Cost of breakdown
- Criticality of the machine/impact on the production process
- Access to machine, guarding, health and safety implications
- Environmental factors
Within the Hansford Sensors range of vibration monitoring products, the AC sensor (HS-100 Series) has been designed to withstand the harsh conditions that exist in the steel/metal industries. There is also supporting hardware that can be used to enable the reading to be connected to a local switch/connection box (HS-SE) for offline readings using a data collector or permanently installed equipment (4-20mA accelerometers, HS-420 Series) that in the lowest cost form can be connected to a PLC (programmable logic controller) for permanent trending/logging.
Sophisticated measurement of vibration
More sophisticated systems can involve looking at velocity and bearing conditions. In this example, the standard AC sensors (HS-100 Series) connected back via a vibration module (HS-500 Series) can be used to protect the machine. When used with the vibration module (HS-510), the output can be displayed and alarmed locally and also connected back to the PLC. Wireless options of this product are also available; please consult the Hansford Sensors sales team for more advice on this product.
For a more mature analytical online system that can be used with AC sensors (HS-100 Series), Hansford Sensors has a wide range of international partners who can provide the systems, please contact our sales team for more details of your local representative.
One of the biggest considerations when fitting sensors in the steel industry is the high number of slow speed machines. With these slow speed machines the best solution is to either use a standard AC sensor which has an improvised low frequency response end (HS-100F Series) or to select a higher sensitivity option of the range (HS-100 Series).
A full range of vibration monitoring equipment
As part of the selection criteria for any accelerometer careful consideration must be made for the environmental and serviceability of the machine that is to be monitored. Within the Hansford Sensors range of products there are a selection of different mountings and connection methods, including armoured cables, silicon and fire retardant styles. Consideration must also be made to the practicality of the installation and in areas where the machine may need to be accessed it is recommended that sensors with a separate cable assembly are used.
Other options that can be supplied include accelerometers with dual outputs (HS-100T Series) that give a temperature output in addition to the AC signal, giving a useful additional parameter to monitor the machine.
Within Hansford Sensors we have a wealth of experience in monitoring machinery in the steel/metal industry and would welcome your enquiries. We have the option to produce bespoke applications at a cost effective price.
Hansford Sensors Ltd has a wealth of experience in the design and manufacturing of industrial vibration sensors for various applications and can offer technical advice on specific applications. For further advice please consult our technical team on +44 (0) 845 680 1957 or email sales@hansfordsensors.com.
