In the pursuit of maintenance savings and uptime, operation managers are increasingly looking for plug-and-play solutions, to gain insights into pump and system performance – and about potential faults – from day one.

In this module, we will look at how condition monitoring solutions take measurements from several different sensors and gather data from other sources, to help you see how the system behaves over time. We will then see how these insights can be used to reduce energy consumption, enable the system to adapt to the actual working conditions and minimise downtime. This is now possible, because over the last decades sensor technology has improved enormously; sensors are now able to detect many of the potential faults which could cause major damage or a production shutdown. This has generated a shift to pro-active, predictive maintenance.

The Grundfos approach to condition monitoring using sensor measurements and operational data is called Grundfos iSOLUTIONS MONITOR. This solution opens for predictive maintenance and performance optimisation, resulting in energy savings.

Let us take a closer look at the elements that make up Grundfos iSOLUTIONS MONITOR: The unit consists of the enclosure, which is rated IP 54; A very flexible power supply; The Input/Output board for additional sensors and the ModBus interface; And finally, the communication module and sensor connection.

Connected to the Grundfos iSOLUTIONS MONITOR unit is a single sensor combining three sensor technologies, which take vibration, liquid temperature and ultrasonic measurements. Collectively, we call this a VTU sensor: Vibration may indicate hydraulic issues or mechanical failures that are about to happen; The liquid temperature is a useful measure for optimising pump processes; and, Ultrasonic measurement for shutting down the pump in the event of dry running, which is one of the most common failures for pump applications.

In addition to the VTU sensor, a user-configurable sensor board is also available and can be connected, which allows for up to five additional sensors: Digital input for digital switches, for example alarms and warnings; Analog inputs, temperature sensors, pump flow, pressure and many more; and, A relay output for further alarms, warnings, or functions.
When connected to a Grundfos E-motor, such as an MGE motor with an integrated frequency converter or a CUE external frequency converter, operational data including power consumption, speed and set points are also registered.

Installing Grundfos iSOLUTIONS MONITOR requires the Grundfos GO 2.0 app. You need to download Grundfos GO 2.0, and then you can start your installation and daily inspection from any Bluetooth device. From the app you can commission Grundfos iSOLUTIONS MONITOR, change settings and view the status of your pumps and pump systems. You can also enable Grundfos iSOLUTIONS MONITOR for connection to the Grundfos iSOLUTIONS Cloud. Insights from the data collected can be accessed using the cloud-based interface, which works on any browser. This requires signing up to Grundfos iSOLUTIONS CLOUD.
Furthermore, Grundfos iSOLUTIONS MONITOR integrates also with your existing SCADA system, and all data are retrieved via ModBus RTU. In fact, Grundfos iSOLUTIONS MONITOR integrates to other systems, regardless of industry or application.

That concludes our look at how the data insights collected by Grundfos iSOLUTIONS MONITOR benefit your operations. To recap, measurements from several different sensors and data gathered from other sources enable you to see how the system behaves over time; And use these insights to reduce energy consumption, enable the system to adapt to the actual working conditions and minimise downtime. This shift to pro-active, predictive maintenance enables you to detect many of the potential faults which could cause major damage to your pumps or pump systems – or maybe even cause a production shutdown.