SKF recently launched a new wireless machine condition sensor that provides dynamic vibration and temperature data for condition monitoring and machinery diagnostic applications.
The SKF Wireless Machine Condition Sensor has ATEX Zone 0 certification, which means it can be used in hazardous environments, such as those found in petrochemical, oil and gas, or pharmaceutical plants. The device combines both a sensor and router node into a compact, battery-operated unit the size of a typical industrial accelerometer.
The sensors communicate with each other and with a wireless gateway, creating a mesh network. This type of network and communication protocol is ideal for monitoring rotating machinery throughout large plants, in hard-to-reach locations or in areas where traditional Wi-Fi communications will not work.
Once data is collected, the WirelessHART gateway communicates with the supplied wireless sensor device manager software. The device manager then automatically exports the data into a comprehensive diagnostic and analytic software package where a plant engineer can analyze the data and determine a course of action.
"The new SKF Wireless Machine Condition Sensor offers monitoring capabilities that may be impossible with wired systems or hand-held devices," says SKF's Jan Hendrik van der Linden. "This can ultimately lead to reduced condition monitoring costs as well as to a safer approach to machine monitoring."
For more information, visit www.skf.com.