Orbit Newsletter Digital Publication

For over 60 years, Bently Nevada has been the industry leader in asset condition monitoring and protection. Our portfolio of solutions has evolved through perpetual innovation, but our mission has remained the same: to help Industrial Operators achieve the highest level of asset reliability possible.

In the 7th article focused on Orbit 60, we approach the first full commercial release of the Orbit 60 platform. As we reach this milestone, we have already began delivering and installing several systems across many market segments, and in several different countries.  Our Minden, Nevada location has ramped up production and is currently busy fulfilling the dozens of pre-ordered systems in the queue.

In Part 1 of the accelerometers series we discussed the types of materials used as piezoelectric elements, the role of external charge amplifiers versus integral designs, 3-wire versus IEPE1 2-wire devices, and compression-mode versus shear-mode designs.  In Part 2 of this series, we turn our attention to high-level selection criteria in deciding whether to use a sensor with a native acceleration output versus a velocity output and, if velocity, whether to use a piezo-velocity sensor or a moving coil design.

Recently our customers asked and Bently Nevada has responded! Two new capabilities were recently added to the Bently Nevada 2300 monitor. This enhancement applies to both the 2300/20 and 2300/25 versions of the monitor.

Finally, from a single engineer in 1972, our MDS capabilities have grown to encompass a team of ~150 dedicated professionals today, many with decades of experience. We have completed more than 18,000 machinery diagnostic projects and the results are maintained in an extensive archive so that lessons learned on one project benefit other projects where similar machinery problems are encountered. Our sophisticated IT capabilities allow MDS colleagues from around the world to easily collaborate in real time using this archive and their collective areas of expertise. This ensures that our extensive knowledge and broad experience can be brought to bear on each problem, regardless of where the machinery is located.

Digital Transformation is a key topic amongst hydro and other power generation operators as they seek to reduce maintenance and repair costs and optimize asset availability. Bently Nevada is developing an ecosystem of solutions and toolsets for operators of large fleets of assets that provide data and analytic insights to enable a high level of industrial asset management.

In this update for the Orbit 60 series, we will focus on the configuration aspects.  This article comes at a very important milestone in the Orbit 60 project, our product release in Q2 2021!  As we reach this milestone, we have dozens of system pre-orders across many market segments and our Minden, Nevada location is ready to start delivery this cutting-edge platform.

There are numerous types of lab and industrial accelerometers, including purely mechanical devices, fiber optic, strain gage, piezoelectric, piezoresistive, capacitive, MEMS, and others. MEMS designs are increasing in popularity where high accuracy is not required. However, piezoelectric designs are by far the most prevalent in machinery monitoring applications.

Proximitor® probe systems based on Eddy current technology have become common place in industrial plants these days. Everywhere a medium or high criticality machine is running, chances are that non-contacting eddy current systems are installed and are used for condition monitoring measurements and/or automatic machine trip or shutdown. Often, Bently Nevada Proximitor® probe system is used to protect and monitor these machines.

Finally, it is said that one of the rules that Einstein’s work revolved around was “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”  As we reflect on the past year, we are certain it’s quite difficult for some of us to see the opportunity in the middle of all that surrounds us.  It might not be comfortable sometimes, but at Bently Nevada and in the Sales & Commercial function we can see the opportunity.  The opportunity to provide our customers not only the solutions they need today, but the solutions our customers will need tomorrow. This takes partnership, willingness to listen and commitment to move towards the opportunity. For Bently Nevada, this is how we want to move forward.

Connect with us on LinkedIn @BentlyNevada to learn more about us.

Welcome back for our first quarterly update for Q1 2021 of the Orbit Digital Magazine. During 2020, over 50 employees at the Minden location achieved major milestones in their Bently Nevada careers, reaching 10, 20, 30, and even 45 years of service. 45 years! Very few can claim such an incredible milestone and it should most certainly be celebrated. 

Orbit 60 is Bently Nevada’s latest state of the art condition monitoring, protection and data integration platform. In this update, we will discuss in greater detail, how we aXess^TM System 1† with the Condition Monitoring Monitor Module, CMM, specifically emphasizing its inherent Cyber Security capabilities; how Orbit 60 also allows you to have multiple CMMs in one system, and how all of these expanded capabilities save you time and money in your deployments.

Digital Transformation is such a pervasive topic that there is a tendency for our eyes to glaze over as yet another company issues a statement about its essential role in the digital journey of its customers. For some, the words are merely platitudes. For others, the words are backed up with actions, but largely aspirational actions. 

Turbomachinery is often the most-critical rotating equipment within an industrial process. As such, this machine class has been instrumented and monitored as part of Condition Monitoring Programs for decades. System 1 Evo, the next generation System 1 offering, has maintained the deep diagnostic capability-set that made System 1 Classic so essential to monitoring turbomachinery, while being greatly enhanced to meet the evolving digital transformation needs of our customers.

With System 1’s advanced toolset, it is often deployed on critical and highly critical machines. However, less critical reciprocating compressors assets still needing monitoring often do not get proper visibility due to their remote locations and budgetary concerns. Bently Nevada has introduced a new technology specifically for this application. We will explore the new reciprocating compression monitoring application for real-time and proactive machine monitoring.

Finally, Health, Safety, and Environment has always been critical to the way the Bently Nevada business operates.  With the pandemic, there has been additional focus on the importance of HSE, not just at our manufacturing locations, but also at our service/customer facing operations. Read more for how we are operating around the globe to support you.

Connect with us on LinkedIn @BentlyNevada to learn more about us.

With one full year under our belt of the Orbit eNews all Digital Orbit Magazine, we will continue to share with you the updates of Orbit 60, Bently Nevada’s latest condition monitoring, protection and data integration platform as well as what some are not aware of; Bently’s flagship condition monitoring software, System 1, supporting not only our critical machinery protection systems, but the full portfolio, including portables. In addition to portables, the 3500/72M Recip Rod Position Monitor is a four-channel device that accepts input from Proximity probes. The 3500/72M Rod Position Monitor provides waveform data to System 1 via a 3500 Transient Data Interface Module (TDI).

Recently a customer shared with us a sudden change of the 1X vibration response of a steam turbine at steady state operating condition is assumed to be the result of damage, such as a liberated blade. Read more on how Bently helped correct the issue. Finally, Quality and Customer Peace of Mind. Here, we introduce you to the Bently team and what Quality means to the Bently Nevada family.

Welcome back for the 3rd quarter update of Orbit 60, Bently Nevada’s latest condition monitoring, protection and data integration platform where we are now working with hundreds of customers globally to develop proposals for new projects, retrofits and to apply Orbit 60 to unique applications.

Process-intensive Industrial Operators are increasingly wading into the Digital Transformation revolution to streamline production in the face of globalization, a shifting workforce, and heightened cyber security threats.

Trendmaster has had a long history of making it easy and cost-effective to cover more of your assets with online condition monitoring. This new inclusion into the suite of products supported by System 1 Evo will allow Trendmaster to continue doing so for decades to come.

Online condition monitoring system brings huge returns in terms of reduced maintenance costs and production losses due to unscheduled failures (and shutdowns). The Ranger Pro Wireless monitoring system used in a project proved to be an excellent option for one of our customers.

Finally, the Bently Nevada services organization is a key enabler to the transformation that the business is undergoing through many of the products listed above. Learn more from our new Service leader.