A condition monitoring diagnostic system for rotating machinery with journal bearings

The Condition Monitoring of rotating machines with journal bearings has evolved significantly in the last five years. It is now possibly to monitor the combined shaft 'static' and dynamic motions of a shaft within a bearing using proximity probes combined with suitable hardware and software. An inexpensive Condition Monitoring and diagnostic system that was developed specifically for this purpose is the subject of this paper. The capabilities of the system are presented and supported by applications to two turbo-generators at two separate power stations in Queensland, Australia. In addition to providing a real time 'look' into a bearing on a running unit, the system also provides more advanced features such as multi-channel spectra and time wave forms. The system is now used as a standard Condition Monitoring tool at eleven power stations within Australia for general application and specifically for measuring the dynamic alignment of bearings whilst a unit is running.