Any Ideas on how to condition base monitor a vacuum pump. Looking to detect volume of pump and alarm in a drop by setpoint. I can diferential pressure swith the filter to detect just that a dirty filter but I woild really like to know when the pump is starting to deterioate.

Thanks

Hullo LandonH,

The mechanical condition can be tracked with conventional methods(i.e., vibration, luboil condition, ultrasonics, delta-pressure etc), but I suspect you are asking about process performance.

Before you start, you need to identify leaks, for which ultrasonics will help. If you fix these satisfactorily, and you have two or more isolatable pumps, each with its own suction vessel. you may be able to test each one in turn. Alternately, during a system shutdown, see how long it takes to pull the design level of vacuum from atmospheric. If the system is leak tight and the pump is new or fully reconditioned you will get a 'signature' level. This can be compared with the situation once the pump has been in use for some time. If it takes much longer, you may have significant leaks or a worn pump. You can test for leaks by stopping the pump(s) and measuring how long it takes for the system under the design vacuum to reach a stated (poorer) level of vacuum.

How about the use of power analyzer for monitoring its performance?