The monitoring unit measures 2.4 in by 1.6 in by 1.3 in, allowing it to fit near the bearing on a pump to gauge temperature and vibration. It features LEDs on the unit that indicate pump performance and provide preventive maintenance alerts when needed. “Colfax’s SmartSense Pulse is designed to enable a level of monitoring that would otherwise require more staff and diagnostic equipment, which would be expensive and impractical,” claims Dan Yin, an electronics engineer with Colfax. It can be installed on new pumps during manufacture or added as a retrofit to existing pumps made by any company. It is applicable for a variety of industries using pumps, such as oil and gas, power generation, mining, chemicalsand marine. The SmartSense Pulse will be available for purchase in the first quarter of 2011. The original SmartSense system has a larger control unit, measuring 22 in by 20 in by 10 in which has additional sensors to monitor pressure, wear, cavitation and the integrity of the pump’s mechanical seal along with temperature and vibration. Its control modules can be accessed through the owner’s own data network, the internet, cell phones or wireless devices and can operate independently using its own customizable algorithm or connected to a group of pumps managed from a central office.
