Fan
Industrial fan maintenance with IoT relies on recording current consumption, vibration and temperature on fans in extraction, ventilation and dedusting systems. Operators detect winding damage, imbalance and bearing damage early and maintain fans by condition rather than at fixed intervals.
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Current consumption enables condition-based fan maintenance
An ifm current transformer and the moneo platform monitor the current draw of fans. Winding damage and stiff bearings show up before the extraction system fails.
Condition monitoring of fans in steel manufacturing
Condition monitoring with precise vibration monitoring
When the ventilation starts to ring: IoT platform from ZIEHL-ABEGG monitors devices via Azure
Industrial fan maintenance based on current and vibration
In the solution examples, ifm places a clip-on current transformer around the cable between frequency converter and fan without stopping the machine. The moneo platform evaluates the three phase currents and detects short circuits in the motor winding, stiff rotating parts or faults in the converter. For vibration, sensors such as the SICK Multi Physics Box sit on the bearing housing and measure triaxial vibration, shock and temperature, connected via IO-Link. Honeywell's Versatilis solution transmits RMS values every hour and FFT peak values every eight hours via LoRaWAN and assesses them against ISO 10816-3. Manufacturers such as ZIEHL-ABEGG connect their fans directly to the cloud via Azure IoT Hub.
The examples come from the steel industry, mechanical engineering, automation and air technology, mostly as condition monitoring and predictive maintenance. In the direct reduction plant of a major steel producer, Honeywell monitors 17 machines with 47 sensors. On a 500 kW dedusting fan, vibration velocity rose from 2 to 16 mm/s within ten days, and the warning allowed motor repairs to be planned early. With its ZAbluegalaxy platform, ZIEHL-ABEGG gives customers access to the live status and operating data of their fans and sends push notifications when limit values are reached.
Podcast episodes featuring Fan
No Cables, No PLC, No IT Project: Simply Connecting Decentralized Assets
Predictive Maintenance with LoRaWAN: How Honeywell Makes Industrial Equipment Smart
Wireless Communication and Industrial IoT | What are the possible applications for my IoT project with LTE-M, NB-IoT and 5G? | Eric Scheithauer | Sierra Wireless
Industrial fan maintenance: frequently asked questions
How does IoT support industrial fan maintenance?
IoT supports industrial fan maintenance by measuring the current consumption, vibration and temperature of the fan and its motor. Current values reveal short circuits in the winding, stiff rotating parts and faults in the frequency converter. Vibration sensors detect imbalance, misalignment and bearing damage. The values feed into a platform that warns of deviations. Maintenance can then be planned by condition, and a failing extraction system puts neither staff nor process at risk.
What does fan vibration reveal?
Fan vibration reveals mechanical damage before the fan fails. Imbalance, bearing damage and misalignment change the vibration pattern. In a steel plant, Honeywell's system reported that a dedusting fan had entered the “Damage Occurring” zone under ISO 10816-3. Analysis of the spectrum pointed to the bearings on the drive and non-drive ends of the motor. After the motor was replaced, the readings were back below 1 mm/s.
How does a current transformer help monitor fans?
A current transformer measures the current consumption of the fan motor without disconnecting any cables. In the ifm solution, it is clipped around the cable between frequency converter and fan, with no need to stop the machine. The moneo platform records all three phases, checks partial and full load and detects fault currents. Maintenance orders can be created automatically in SAP via the SFI interface.
How do manufacturers connect their industrial fans?
Manufacturers equip their fans with an IoT client that sends operating and telemetry data to a cloud platform. ZIEHL-ABEGG developed its ZAbluegalaxy platform for this with T-Systems MMS, based on Azure IoT Hub. Operators see the live status of their devices and receive push notifications when limit values are reached. ZIEHL-ABEGG uses the data for product development and is considering offering guaranteed air performance as a service in future.
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