EMERSON AMS 2140 Practical Guide for On site Dynamic Balance and Vibration Analysis

EMERSON AMS 2140 Practical Guide for On site Dynamic Balance and Vibration Analysis

In the process industry, the health status of rotating equipment is directly related to the safety and efficiency of production. As on-site engineers, we often face challenges such as abnormal equipment vibrations and unplanned shutdowns. AMS 2140 Machinery Health ™  As a powerful portable tool, the analyzer can help us quickly and accurately diagnose problems. This article aims to provide a practical guide on how to utilize the core features of AMS 2140, particularly on-site dynamic balancing and advanced vibration analysis, to solve practical operational problems.

On site dynamic balancing: step-by-step operation and techniques

Unbalanced rotor is one of the most common faults in rotating machinery. The Balance program of AMS 2140 uses the influence coefficient method to guide users through the entire process from data collection to weight calibration. Mastering the following steps can significantly improve balance efficiency.

1. Preliminary preparation and basic setup

Before starting any balancing work, it is essential to conduct a thorough visual inspection. Check for leaks, cracks, overheated bearings, loose foundations, or foreign objects adhering to the rotor surface. If these non-equilibrium problems exist, they can interfere with the equilibrium process and lead to inaccurate results.

Open AMS 2140 and enter the Balance program from the main screen. First, you need to create a new balancing job and complete the basic job setup:

Choose Balanced Mode: AMS 2140 offers two modes: Basic and Advanced. For most on-site applications, the Advanced mode provides more comprehensive parameter control, such as setting multiple measurement planes and counterweight planes. Select F7 Balance Mode to switch.

Define Plane: Based on the rotor configuration, set the Weight Planes and Measurement Planes. For simple cantilever rotors, one counterweight plane and two measurement planes (horizontal and vertical) are usually sufficient. For complex rotor systems, multi plane balancing may be required.

Enter Balance Specification: Use F8 to enter Balance Spec. to set the target vibration value. This value is the standard for determining whether the balance is qualified, and it needs to be set according to the equipment type and ISO standards.

Configure sensors: In Sensor Setup, select the appropriate sensor type (such as accelerometer) and ensure that the display unit (such as displacement micrometers or velocity mm/s) and sensitivity settings are correct. Incorrect units can lead to incorrect calculation results.

2. Obtain benchmark and trial weight data

This is a crucial step in balancing calculations, as the accuracy of data directly affects the final result.

Reference Run data collection: Collect the vibration amplitude and phase of all defined measurement points under normal equipment operation. This is the so-called 'as is' state. Ensure that the device maintains stable load, temperature, and speed during the collection process. When collecting, observe the Data Stability chart on the screen and accept the data after the amplitude and phase are stable.

Perform Trial Run: After stopping the machine, add a known weight and angle trial on the first counterweight plane. Usually, the goal of weight testing is to change the vibration amplitude or phase by at least 30% compared to the reference data, in order to establish an accurate coefficient of influence. By using the Estimate Trial Weights function in Calculator Mode, it is possible to estimate the appropriate trial weight based on the rotor weight and radius.

Collect trial weight data: Restart the device and collect data from all measurement points again under the same operating conditions.

Repeat the weight testing steps: For multi plane balancing, it is necessary to repeat the above steps on each counterweight plane and record the weight testing information added each time.

3. View calibration and execute adjustments

After completing all trial weights, AMS 2140 will automatically calculate the corrected weight and position.

View calibration plan: Select View Corr. in the Balance main menu, and the screen will clearly display the weight size and angle that needs to be added or removed for each counterweight plane.

Application calibration: After shutdown, install calibration weights based on the calculation results. It is recommended to remove all trial weights first, and then install calibration counterweights.

Verification and fine-tuning (Trim Run): Restart the device and perform a new measurement (Trim Run). If the vibration value does not reach the equilibrium specification, AMS 2140 will calculate a new fine-tuning plan based on the current response data. Repeat this process until the vibration level meets the requirements.

Advanced Vibration Analysis: Deep Troubleshooting

In addition to dynamic balancing, the Analyze program of AMS 2140 is a powerful tool for fault diagnosis. When encountering complex vibration problems, its built-in Analysis Experts can be used to quickly locate the source of the fault.

1. Utilize PeakVue ™  Technical diagnosis of bearing and gear faults

PeakVue ™  It is Emerson's patented technology, specifically designed to detect early defects in bearings and gears. It captures stress waves generated by impact through high-speed sampling and filtering, which are often masked in traditional vibration analysis.

Perform PeakVue analysis: Select PeakVue Analysis Comparing/Gear Expert Analysis from the Analyze main menu. The expert will automatically configure parameters such as high pass filters. For low-speed devices (below 600 RPM), the filtering frequency will be adaptively adjusted to 500 Hz.

Interpretation of data: In the generated spectrum, the frequency of bearing defects (such as BPFO, BPFI) and their harmonics will be clearly visible. Unlike regular spectrum, PeakVue data has good trendability, and G's Peak to Peak waveform values are important indicators for determining the severity of faults. If the device includes gears, the meshing frequency and sidebands of the gears will also be reflected in the frequency spectrum.

2. Handling variable speed equipment: order tracking and synchronous averaging

For equipment such as fans and pumps that experience speed fluctuations during start-up or load changes, traditional spectrum analysis can result in a "tailing" phenomenon. At this point, order tracking and synchronous averaging are two effective tools.

Order tracking: This mode relies on a Tachometer providing a reference signal of one pulse per revolution. In Manual Analyze, set the Average Type to Order Tracking. The analyzer will dynamically adjust the sampling rate based on the speed pulse, convert the vibration data into orders of speed, and eliminate the influence of speed fluctuations.

Synchronization time averaging: Synchronization time averaging is very useful when extracting the vibration of a specific shaft (such as the input shaft in a gearbox) from complex vibration signals. In Manual Analyze, set the average type to Synchronous Time. This technology synchronizes the sampling with the speed pulse of the reference axis and averages multiple cycles, effectively filtering out asynchronous vibrations from other axes or devices, thereby clearly displaying harmonic components such as 1X and 2X of a specific axis.

Key settings to ensure measurement accuracy

Data quality is the foundation of diagnosis. The following settings directly affect the validity of the measurement results.

Integration Mode: In Route or Analyze, Set Integrated Mode determines whether the data is "time-domain integration" or "frequency-domain integration". For low-frequency measurements (such as low-speed devices), time-domain integration can provide higher accuracy and avoid the "ski slope" effect (i.e. low-frequency noise accumulation).

Percent Overlap: In spectrum acquisition, a high overlap rate (such as 67%) can shorten acquisition time and improve data smoothness. For applications that require high resolution or capturing transient events, this parameter should be adjusted.

Sensor setup: Proper sensor setup is crucial. If the sensitivity setting of the sensor is incorrect (such as setting 100 mV/g to 10 mV/g), all amplitude data will be incorrect. In addition, for ICP type accelerometers, it is essential to ensure that the Sensor Power is set to ON.

Improving efficiency: Four channel and multi input measurement

AMS 2140 supports up to four channels for simultaneous data collection, which can greatly improve data collection efficiency.

Using the 2140 four channel input adapter: When conducting multi-channel measurements such as biplane balancing or ODS testing, the four channel adapter can be used to connect four sensors simultaneously without the need for tedious wiring switching. In the Sensor Setup of the Balance program, set Mux Enabled to On to enable it.

Using a three-axis accelerometer: For Route data acquisition, using a three-axis accelerometer (such as Emerson A0643TX) can collect data in three directions at once: horizontal, vertical, and axial. Select Emerson Triax in the Input Setup of Analyze or Route, and the analyzer will automatically map inputs A, B, and C to the Z, X, and Y axes.

Skills and suggestions in practical combat

Based on the manual content and on-site experience, the following suggestions can help achieve better results:

Sensor installation: Always use a magnetic seat or bolt to securely install the sensor on the machine. Handheld sensors can cause data fluctuations and phase errors.

Temperature effect: For equipment with significant thermal expansion effect, using the Thermal Growth compensation function in Advanced Laser Alignment to input the target cold state value during precision laser alignment can significantly improve the alignment accuracy of the equipment after reaching the working temperature.

Data validation: After completing a measurement, develop the habit of viewing Review Data. At the same time, the Watch Dog Checks feature can automatically evaluate the quality of benchmark data (such as whether 1X RPM energy accounts for more than 50% of the total energy) and provide warnings, making it a powerful tool for identifying potential issues such as resonance and misalignment.