by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Jun 19, 2022 | Asset Management, Electrical Reliability
We received several questions around our June 11, 2022, article (see link below) on the testing of synchronous machines, i.e., motors and generators) with Electrical Signature Analysis (ESA). Some readers wanted to know what failure of a synchronous motor looked like....
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Jun 11, 2022 | Asset Management, Electrical Reliability
The challenge with detection of rotor issues in synchronous machines, i.e., motors and generators, so I’ve been told, is that such machines have no slip. If that argument were to hold true, you would not be able to detect rotor defects in synchronous machines. In my...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Jun 5, 2022 | Asset Management, Electrical Reliability
Getting out in the field as part of research on electric-motor life cycles, remaining-useful-life (RUL) studies, (Time to Failure Estimation (TTFE), or as we refer to it, predictive maintenance (PdM), you get to study machines in many conditions. In this short case...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | May 30, 2022 | Asset Management, Electrical Reliability
Do a quick search on the accuracy of machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), or Internet of Things (IoT) predictive maintenance (PdM) to understand what the potential implications are. Most of what you’ll typically find are white papers and other...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | May 22, 2022 | Asset Management, Electrical Reliability
In the last two parts of this article (see links below), we used data from a non-commercial data collector on a 10-hp electric motor to explore how MCSA/ESA (Motor Current Signature/Electrical Signature Analysis) spectra are developed. We looked at the way different...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | May 16, 2022 | Asset Management, Electrical Reliability
In Part 1 of this 3-part article (May 8, 2022, see link below), we discussed taking a raw data sample and using a simple data-processing technique to make it look like something we might see on a Motor Current Signature Analyzer or Electrical Signal Analyzer (MCSA and...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | May 8, 2022 | Asset Management, Electrical Reliability
Over the past few months in The RAM Review, we’ve been waxing philosophically on large-scale electrical issues. Now, let us dive past the basics and get more specific. In particular, let’s get into the programming nitty-gritty of Motor Current Signature Analysis...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Apr 24, 2022 | Electrical Reliability, The Sustainable Plant
Prior to the 2000s, discussions about electric power and the grid mainly revolved around reliability and availability. Of course, there was some understanding of issues related to early smart-grid communications and cybersecurity. But it wasn’t until the 21st...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Apr 18, 2022 | Electrical Reliability, The Sustainable Plant
It is 2022, and we are discussing electrification of everything, a transition to all-electric vehicles, the integration of new power sources, and a general change from fossil fuels to alternative energy. Somewhere out there is a fleet of power-generation that powers a...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Apr 3, 2022 | Electrical Reliability, RAM Tools & Methods
Noise and vibration are measurable losses in the operation of a rotating system, and they can be directly identified in electric motors. As noted in Considering The Direct Energy And Environmental Impact Of Misalignment | THE RAM REVIEW, there are definitive energy...