-New equipment On-l ine vibrat ion measurement

The costs of day-to-day maintenance can be reduced w=th the Vtbratton IMP (VIMP) system from Schlumberger Instruments Offering cost-effectwe d=stnbuted on-hne wbrat=on analysis at a fractton of the cost of continuous momtonng systems, this isolated measurement pod (IMP) also ehmmates the potenttal unreliabthty and inefficiency inherent m walk-around tours wtth hand-held data collectors

The umt ts stmple to install close to measurement sensors, which significantly reduces the cost of stgnal cabling It has a ruggedlzed IP55 class enclosure which enables data acquisition to be extended into maccesstble or otherwtse mhospttable areas m complete safety. Compattbdtty w~th the company's IMP famdy ensures that analogue measurements such as temperature and pressure can be integrated w~th vibratton data for complete assessment of plant condition

Ehmmatmg losses caused by unexpected machine outages ts ach=eved by momtoring the condtt~on of all crittcal parts and repamng or replacing them at the opttmum ttme This maintenance strategy has cost benefits over other methods of maintenance, but requtres a w=de vartety of different machinery parameters to be measured over ttme.

The VIMP prov0des on-hne analysis of cntical vibrat=on points while less crttlcal points can continue to be momtored on a walk-around bas~s To meet changing plant requirements, VIMP-based systems can be expanded by attaching extra umts to the company's proven, .ndustrml SNet commumcation network

The wbrat~on channels are scanned in accordance with a down-loaded scan task Each task, equwalent to a walk-around tour, is defined by a trigger

IMP wbration momtormg equtpment from Schlumberger provides on-hne measurement m remote areas

condttlon, the channels to be measured and the processing assoctated wtth each channel Scan tasks can be executed automatically for pertodic assessment, tr=ggered by speed inputs from rotating shafts, or tnitlated by external events such as a change tn mach.ne status, eg start-up To reduce the processing load on a host computer, acqu.red data =s analysed by the umt's 32-btt d=gital signal processor tnto the required result formats, time and date-stamped, and stored for transmass=on Results can be ~n any combination of peak, peak-to-peak, overall RMS, spectra and time-domain data formats

To further mtntmtze loading on the host computer, the local alarm survedlance fac~ltttes ensure fast reaction to changes in machine state an improvement on conventional monitoring systems whtch transmit raw wbratton data to the host computer for processing. Any scan task can be programmed to detect a vartety of user-defined alarms based on up to 10 frequency bands These alarms can be used to trigger additional measurement tasks, set

machine trips to dnve annunctators and/or send a date-stamped message to the host computer For real-ttme safety monitoring and protectton, eg the AVP1670 standard used by the petrochemtcal industry, one channel can be permanently set as a machine watchdog completely Independent of on-going host computer activity

For ease of installation, VIMP channels are compatible with most veloctty, displacement and accelerometer transducers, ICP transducer energtzat=on ~s standard on each channel, eliminating the need for external signal condJttoning. In addition, techmcians are able to establish system operation by viewing both raw and processed data at the point of installation, an RS232 test port enables each channel to be routed to a BNC output and connected to a local instrument to verify s=gnal integrity In common with all Schlumberger IMPs, VIMPs interface to a host computer via the company's dtstnbuted commumcat.ons network for plant envaronments - SNet Capable of transm.ttmg over 1000 results per second, SNet provides complete error

220 NDT&E International Volume 26 Number 4 1993

=New equipment detection and correction to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Two configurations are available: the 35951 F with 16 vibration channels and four tachometer speed inputs, and the 35951G with 32 channels and eight tachometer inputs.

Schlumber Technologies, Environmental Test Communications Department, Victoria Road, Famborough, Hampshire GUI4 7PW, UK

Cathodoluminescence analysis

MonoCL, the leading cathodoluminescence imaging and spectral analysis system, is now available w~th the Link ISIS EDX system. The two systems, which were previously only available separately from stster compames =n the Oxford Instruments Group, have now been brought together and can be supplied running from a single PC.

The new combination =s easy to use and offers a variety of benefits including cathodoluminescence =magmg which can identify areas of interest for EDX analysis, mapping and correlating the elemental composition w=th CL images, CL spectrum acquisition, which can detect low impurittes and defects, plus sophtsticated image analysis.

Lfnk ISIS can thus now prov=de the extra ability to detect the extremely low intensity optical cathodoluminescence s=gnals that are emitted by many materials when bombarded with an electron beam. It can display panchromatic images as well as monochromat.c images at specific wavelengths. It can also provide a high resolution (0.5 nm) spectral analysts

Coupled with this, regarding EDX, the system's 30 000 cps acquisitton rate allows it to provide fast and simple mlcroanalysis, including 10 element quant in under 1 s, 32 maps in 4 s and an accurate auto ID of all elements present m the

Link ISIS and MonoCL combining EDX w=th cathodolurnlnescence analysts

sample in under 1 s. It also offers fast on-screen spectrum manipulation.

Oxford Instruments, Analytical Systems Division, Halifax Road, High Wycombe, Bucks., HP12 3SE, UK

Logarithmic ultrasonic systems

A Iogarithm=c pulser receiver and computer expansion system manufactured by Ultrasonic Sciences is being used by the Spanish inspection company, Tecnatom spA, for m-serv=ce inspections of nuclear power plant Inspecttons have recently been completed on two mstallatmns m Sw=tzerland and one in Spain.

The USL PL15 pulser rece=ver is in the form of a PC expansion board housed in an expans=on crate. This is used in conjunct=on with data acqu=sttion and motion control boards. The unit operates with a remote pulser preamplifier which, although tt can be sited at least 150 m from the main unit, ts fully software controlled and requires no external power supply.

A second pulser receiver is available =n the same format. This has a linear amplifier w.th a total

gain of 1 20 dB, tuned band-pass filters and distance amplitude correction. In common with the logarithmic vers=on, all the parameters are software control led.

Ultrasonic Sciences Ltd, 26 Albert Street, Fleet, Hants, GU13 9RL, UK

Salt contaminat ion meter EIcometer Instruments Ltd has released the SCM 400 (Model 130) as an addttion to its range of surface preparation instruments.

In a wide range of industries, steelwork is pamted to provide corrosion protection as well as for aesthetic reasons To reduce maintenance costs on plant, new ways of extending the serv=ce life of paints and coatings are constantly sought. Freedom from surface contamination prior to pa.ntmg can be as important as the specificatmn of the paint and tts correct apphcatton in achieving this objective

Developed by NNC for the demands of the nuclear energy industry and using microprocessor technology, the SCM 400 offers rap~d, reliable determination of salt contammat=on on metallic, non-metallic, irregular surface fimshes, non-planar surfaces and =n bends.

The unit is portable, battery operated and designed for on-site spot checks of salt contam.nation. Supplied as a k=t with all the required accessories packed in an alummium case, the SCM 400 comes with a guide to use and interpretation of the readings.

Elcometer Instruments L td, Edge Lane, Droylsden, Manchester M43 6BU, UK

Vol tage/co nt i nu ity tester A new voltage / continu=ty tester that provides audible indlcatLon for continuity of DC voltage as well as audible indication of AC voltage is avatlable from Ideal Industries UK.

The VoI-Con Ltte combines the

NDT&E International Volume 26 Number 4 1993 221