Comparing MCSA with vibration analysis in order to detect bearing faults ? A case study

Condition Monitoring on rotating electrical machines has proven to be economically beneficial in the last decades, especially for industrial production processes. Vibration analysis has already become a reliable and commercial tool to perform condition monitoring or predictive maintenance. Stator current analysis, a newer technology that is still being developed can possibly open new perspectives and opportunities in the world of predictive maintenance. This technology is also known as Motor Current Signature Analysis or MCSA. In this paper the advantages and disadvantages of both technologies are listed and compared from a practical point of view, supplemented with a case study. The case study contains a bearing fault detection in an induction machine driven by a frequency converter. The machine drives a fan with varying torque and speed conditions.