About Us

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Kinder Morgan, headquartered in Houston, Texas, is North America’s largest energy infrastructure company. The company either operates or owns an interest in an estimated 84,000 miles of pipelines, and owns about 180 terminals. These pipelines transport gasoline, crude oil, carbon dioxide, and more. The terminals store and handle petroleum products, chemicals, and other products. Kinder Morgan also has approximately 70,000 miles of natural gas pipelines, and moves 40 percent of the natural gas consumed in the US. As of 2016, 12,000 people were employed by Kinder Morgan throughout North America.

THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION

Kinder Morgan was using a 1000 HP Siemens motor with journal bearings. TriVibe sensors were mounted on top of the bearings. There were two bearings in total (one inboard and one
outboard). During the startup process, vibration was spiking regularly, and further
examination showed that the shaft was hitting the bearing. This was caused because

of improper alignment. TriVibe detected the shaft bumping and damaging the bearing, alignment was corrected – and damage to the bearing was prevented.

Because Machine Saver caught the malfunction very early, there was no damage to the bearing. Prior to Kinder Morgan’s implementation of our technology, there was no monitoring program of any type. Had no sensors been on the machine, damage to the drive-end bearing would have resulted in catastrophic failure, along with lost possible production time and product. Kinder Morgan ended up outfitting their compressor barn with TriVibes.

Additionally, Kinder Morgan management was very impressed with our capabilities. Two high-level managers are recommending that additional Machine Saver systems be specified on all new compressor packages. Particularly, they are impressed by the superior sensitivity of our accelerometers. Even though a journal bearing requires proximity probes for reliability monitoring, the TriVibe was able to detect the bearing impacts because of the unique sensitivity. In fact, Machine Saver technology provides an output of ten times greater than a traditional 100mV per G industrial accelerometer.

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Conoco Inc. was an American oil company founded in 1875 as the Continental Oil and Transportation Company. It is now a brand of gasoline and service stations in the United States, and now belongs to Phillips 66 following the spin-off of ConocoPhillips's downstream assets in May 2012. ConocoPhillips is the world’s largest independent E&P company based on production and proved reserves.

THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION

Machine Saver’s TriVibe units were installed on numerous chillers, pumps, motors, and cooling towers in the Houston, Texas area. Conoco’s use of Machine Saver’s sensors has been vital to their reliability program, as many potentially catastrophic problems have been caught by our technology within a three year span. Prior to Conoco purchasing our products, no maintenance routine was in use (ie. no handheld/portable systems, walkaround routines, etc.)

For example, a cluster of sensors detected a problem on one particular motor, which was then replaced under warranty by the motor manufacturer. Without the system, the motor issue would have gone undetected and forced Conoco to replace the motor without warranty assistance.

In a separate case, a pump problem was detected by a TriVibe. In this instance, a structural resonant issue was found, and maintenance personnel were first alerted to the problem via our email and text alerts. Had it not been detected, damage over time would have occurred, and the outcome on production time and product cost

to be avoided.

would have been catastrophic. Diagnosing the resonant issue was quick and easy because of the dynamic and trending capabilities of sensor capabilities and online WebPortal system. The problem was corrected by adjusting the VFD (variable frequency drive) and stiffening the piping structure. Again, the pump was replaced under warranty – and lost production and product cost was able

COMPANY OVERVIEW

EVAPCO, Inc. is an industry leading manufacturing company with global resources and solutions for worldwide heat transfer applications. They are renown for designing and manufacturing the highest quality products for the evaporative cooling and industrial refrigeration markets around the globe.

EVAPCO, Inc. clients are supported through our manufacturing facilities and sales offices strategically located around the world. Headquartered in Taneytown, Maryland, EVAPCO products are engineered and manufactured in 23 locations in ten countries and supplied through a sales network of more than 170 offices. Founded in 1976, EVAPCO’s mission is to provide first class service and quality products in commercial HVAC, Industrial Processes, Power, and Industrial Refrigeration.

THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION

EVAPCO Cloverleaf (located in Sioux City, Iowa) was experiencing consistent quality control and structural problems. The heat exchanger in question consisted of six individual fan units mounted in a single structure. Machine Saver TriVibe sensors were mounted on each fan, and multiple problems were found: belt tension irregularities, excessive belt tension, excitation of system natural frequencies, and “crosstalk” (a condition that occurs when several machines in close proximity operate at the same speed).

These fans were destroying themselves over time, and the company was desperate to find a solution. Eventually, continued operation at or near system natural frequencies would have resulted in structural cracking or sudden structural failure. With Machine Saver’s WebPortal online monitoring system, we provided ample information to make a recommendation and

repair ongoing issues.