A holistic combined electrical and mechanical condition monitoring technique for oil and gas high voltage rotating machines

A new holistic technique for the combined electrical and mechanical condition monitoring (CM) of high voltage (HV) rotating machines has been developed. It is mainly aimed at the oil and gas sector where machine failure can potentially have catastrophic consequences as well as a huge financial cost. The technique combines partial discharge (PD) monitoring, motor current signature analysis (MCSA), power quality (PQ) monitoring and vibration monitoring. The sensors employed include a newly developed tri-band sensor for online partial discharge (OLPD) detection, PQ and MCSA measurements as well as accelerometers for vibration monitoring. The sensors and monitoring modules are complemented by a CM database for trending and benchmarking purposes. Case studies from oil and gas customers emphasize the importance of using a permanent, continuous, combined monitoring solution.