Yokogawa Electric Corp. has announced that it has developed a cavitation detection system and will be releasing it for sale on 31 January 2019.
By detecting cavitation, quantifying information on this, and displaying this data in real time, the system aims to provide an early indication of conditions that can result in a degradation in pump performance.
Detecting problems early on, before damage occurs that can cause an increase in both vibration and noise levels, would improve the efficiency of plant maintenance.
Cavitation in fluids can cause damage to pumps. To minimise this damage, it is necessary to detect cavitation at an early stage and take corrective measures such as adjusting the flow rate. One issue, however, is that there has been no way to quantify cavitation.
In addition, since cavitation occurs inside equipment, it is impossible to visually check whether this is occurring. Cavitation is usually detected by field personnel who rely on know-how gained on the job to detect changes in vibration and noise levels that are caused by excessive cavitation.
However, even highly experienced plant personnel and specialists can miss these early signs, and such problems may go undetected until the inevitable increase in vibration and noise occur.
In its analysis of this problem, Yokogawa focused on the principle that there is a direct relationship between differential pressure and cavitation. The resulting system involves the quantification of cavitation based on pressure data.