Belt conveyors: a solution for monitoring these assets

Belt conveyors are assets used for the transportation and continuous movement of materials over short or long distances. They are extremely versatile assets and necessary in various production processes. Because they are widely used and crucial to the operation of the production flow, it is necessary to frequently monitor the health and performance data of this type of equipment.

Therefore, 24/7 monitoring of belt conveyor health indicators is the best way to prevent failures and increase the reliability of these assets. Keep reading and see how the Dynamox solution is able to identify early signs of wear and potential failures in these assets, thus helping to raise the reliability and availability levels of industrial plants.

Challenges in monitoring belt conveyors

There are some challenges to the continuous monitoring of belt conveyors. Among the main reasons that make the task difficult, we could mention:

• The size of the asset: belt conveyors can measure dozens of meters or kilometers;
• Installation area: monitoring belt conveyors can be difficult if the asset is installed underground, in protected areas or in regions that are difficult to access; 
• High heights: often these assets are located up and down valleys, making it difficult to access their components; 
• Enclosure: protection for people, products and installations. This provides a major challenge for asset monitoring; 
• Traditional monitoring: monitoring the vibration of your components sporadically provides only a limited view of a continuous wear process that can lead to failure within weeks.

Vibration sensors detect belt conveyor defects

Monitoring Belt Conveyors with the Dynamox Solution

The Dynamox solution also monitors belt conveyors. But how does Dynamox’s automated detection for this equipment work?

Vibration and temperature wireless sensors

The Dynamox solution consists of vibration and temperature wireless sensors (DynaLoggers). These devices continuously monitor asset health indices. In addition, with IP66 / IP68 / IP69 / EX certified sensors, the Dynamox system detects more than 25 failure modes while assisting in the management of the industrial plant.

In the context of belt conveyors, it is recommended to use the HF+ model for motors and gearboxes, TcAs or HF+ for pulleys and TcAg for rollers.

Automated collection gateway 

In order to collect the data from these sensors, the automated collection device (DynaGateway) is used, connected via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. It communicates with the DynaLoggers, sending the information collected by the sensors directly for analysis on the Dynamox Web Platform. There is also no limit to the number of sensors per gateway, making it possible for a single device to collect data from dozens or hundreds of sensors simultaneously. The solution also includes an Ex Gateway for classified areas.

Web platform for analysis and diagnosis

After applying the DynaLoggers sensors to the industrial pumps and installing the Gateway on the plant perimeter, it’s time to set up the Dynamox Web Platform and App. The automated detection module (DynaDetect) and the sensitive inspection module (DynaSens) ensure greater reliability and precision for the health, performance and maintenance management of belt conveyors.

DynaDetect automated detection module 

The DynaDetect automated detection module uses information provided by the user, such as the type of asset, the machine’s technical data and the monitoring location, together with data from remote sensing to generate automated diagnostics. This makes it possible to detect critical mechanical, electrical and hydraulic faults, such as: unbalance, bearing wear, gear defects, among others.   

In other words, with DynaDetect, it is possible to view automatic diagnostics that highlight the machines at greatest risk of possible failures, as well as identifying their severity. The aim of these automated diagnoses is to increase productivity and assertiveness in analysis, as well as to support managers in planning maintenance actions for the assets in their industrial plant.

In addition, the automated detection module analyzes and identifies signs of faults in belt conveyors and their components, creating alerts categorized by degree of criticality. In other words, semi-automated reports can be generated from the diagnosis, ensuring more agility in maintenance planning.

DynaSens – sensitive inspection module

The DynaSens sensitive inspection module is an online management service for sensitive inspection routes. The aim is to identify faults in assets by planning, managing and analyzing route data and checklists, created and configured via the Dynamox Web Platform. It is possible to consult and visualize data from reports generated in the field via dashboards, which provide an overview of the situation of each route and the “health” of the assets.

DynaConveyor belt conveyor specialist dashboard

Dynamox Solution’s specialized belt conveyor dashboard allows you to monitor specific metrics for this type of asset. This increases the efficiency of the asset management and maintenance process and contributes to greater industrial plant reliability. 

Furthermore, through advanced filtering and selection features for belt conveyor components, analysis and alerts, the dashboard allows you to identify problems at an early stage and cross-reference information between other machine monitoring points. This enables proactive measures to be taken to avoid critical failures, reduce maintenance costs and minimize downtime.

Belt conveyor roller dashboard

This dashboard is used to control and analyze the alerts from the sensors on the sides and centers of the rollers. Its function is to offer visual management of all the monitoring points on a single screen. This visual layout makes it easier to manage and monitor these components.

Belt conveyor drive dashboard

The Belt Conveyor DynaDash is also used to control and analyze sensor alerts on belt conveyors, installed on components such as the motor, bearing and gearbox. Its visuals include a customized drawing of the asset, with the monitored points and their alerts, as well as diagnostics by spot.

DynaNeo – visual management dashboard

With the DynaNeo visual management dashboard it is possible to create panels with the most relevant flows for the type of asset or industrial segment. View the main indicators of your production process in real time. Also identify which assets need your immediate attention, accessing asset health data in a clear and centralized way and speeding up decision-making.

Additionally, DynaNeo makes it much easier to manage the priorities of your asset management and maintenance process. Select the most important assets and indicators to set up a personalized flow, predict the consequences of a shutdown by analyzing the process in a unified way. Quickly find your alarmed assets and identify where your maintenance team should act. 

By doing this, you can drastically reduce the time it takes to identify and resolve faults throughout the production chain. Besides guiding decisions according to the potential of each asset without interrupting the entire process in the event of a failure.

Get to know Dynamox’s complete portfolio of belt conveyors

Check out the complete portfolio on belt conveyor monitoring! Take a look at all the detectable failure modes, as well as explanations of operation, practical examples, and a case study showing the Dynamox Solution in action! Check out the complete portfolio on belt conveyor monitoring! Take a look at all the detectable failure modes, as well as explanations of operation, practical examples, and a case study showing the Dynamox Solution in action!

Access the complete portfolio of belt conveyors

Do you want to increase the availability and reliability of your industry’s plant assets? Through online 24/7 monitoring and periodic sensitive inspection, Dynamox’s solution identifies early signs of wear and potential failures in belt conveyors and many other types of assets, helping to raise productivity levels and optimize equipment. 

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