Maintenance Matters Focus on: Condition Monitoring 16 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk October/November 2025 The latest developments in sensor and incremental encoder technology are helping engineers to exploit new possibilities in drive technology along with the benefits of expanding factory automation. A good example of this are the incremental encoders available from sensors specialist BAUMER which combine the benefits of Low Harmonics signal correction and wear-free design ensuring precision, even under demanding conditions. One of the options in their smart sensor range is the EB260 incremental encoder, a bearing less rotary encoder which combines the precision of optical sensing with the robustness and cost-effectiveness of magnetic systems, while minimising installation space. This encoder is designed to eliminate signal errors caused by mounting, temperature, ageing and mechanical factors, which results in maximum precision and enhanced control quality. The integrated airgap monitor continuously records the distance of the The software behind this is the intuitive Baumer Sensor Suite, the configurable motion monitor and switching output as well as square-wave, sine / cosine and IOILink interfaces. Additionally, no shaft or a stator coupling is required so the need for a complex sealing or cover is eliminated thanks to its encapsulated suite software. Other benefits of the encoders compact space-saving integral design include simple installation into existing systems with flexible shaft diameters and mounting types, along with the need for only 11mm installation depth. Typical applications for the EB260 encoder include speed control for asynchronous motors, precise incremental positioning, motion monitoring, overspeed, direction and standstill along with airgap, temperature, and signal quality control. For further information please visit: https://www.baumer.com Smart condition monitoring with incremental encoder Vibration monitoring package is ideal solution for cooling tower fans Effective monitoring of critical infrastructure is an essential requirement across the power generation, oil, gas and petrochemical industries, where smooth running and trouble-free system operation are vital - especially in today’s highly competitive and energy cost-conscious environment. Condition monitoring specialist Sensonics is an expert in developing highly effective monitoring systems, with over 50 years of experience that includes vibration monitoring products. A good example of this is the recent completion of a cooling tower monitoring project at a major petrochemicals plant. The Project Engineer at the site confirmed that they were seeking a suitable system to monitor and protect cooling tower fans, in order to prevent issues in the event of fan blade failure. The requirement was for individual systems to monitor each of the twenty motor/gearbox-driven fans, which were located between the motors and the fans around the base of the cooling tower. Confirming the specific requirements of the application, the Project Engineer commented: “The fan speed is 131 RPM (2.18 Hz), and what we want is to have a single transducer mounted on the gearbox (each fan is mounted on the gearbox output shaft). The issue we want to address is the potential failure of the fan blades. When this has happened, the vibration has been so severe it has damaged the concrete platform on which the fan assembly is mounted, as well as damaging adjacent fans due to fan projectiles.” It was also confirmed that: “The atmosphere where the fan is mounted is very wet and windy, as the fans pull moist air out of the cooling tower packing and blow it across the gearbox and motor.” Confirmation of these specific issues and challenges initially suggested the need to install a suitably ranged 4–20 mA vibration transducer, and then feed this to a nearby control unit containing the start/stop buttons for the fans. This would enable the tripping of a fan if the vibration became excessive. There was also a requirement to feed the overall vibration levels to the main plant DCS system. Due to the specific nature of this application, the frequency response of the transducers needed to be below 2 Hz. There was no requirement for any local display or further diagnostics — just a simple system that would reliably trip the fan if it was failing, while providing an indication of the overall vibration level on the DCS. Once the specific requirements of this vibration monitoring application were confirmed, Sensonics was able to recommend and supply a combination of its DN26 G3 dual-channel protection system along with its VEL/GLF low-frequency (slow-speed) velocity transducers. Established in the condition monitoring market for many years, Sensonics has supplied thousands of these compact and innovative DIN rail-mountable DN26 G3 dual-channel vibration monitors, which have
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