Regal Power Transmission Solutions to Showcase New Mill-Drive Condition Monitoring Program at AISTech 2015

Regal Power Transmission Solutions (PTS) will introduce its new mill-drive condition monitoring program to the iron and steel industry at next month’s AISTech 2015 event in Cleveland, OH. The system incorporates technology that monitors drive dynamics, presents mill operators with a real-time snapshot of system health and alerts them when vibration and torque values exceed threshold limits.

Use of this technology, Regal says, has already led to savings of millions of dollars in unplanned downtime for a major U.S. steel producer. The condition monitoring program includes development and installation of custom turnkey monitoring systems for long-term users, as well as for short-term troubleshooting and diagnostics.

As part of its program offering, which the manufacturer calls “unique” in industry, Regal supports users with design, retrofit/rebuilding and installation of solutions that increase drivetrain reliability, utilizing Kop-Flex and Jaure mill couplings, Milwaukee custom gearing, Leeson and Marathon motors and bearings from Rollway and Sealmaster.

How the technology works
According to Dennis Craig, Senior Metals Marketing Specialist for Regal’s PTS business, his company’s mill-drive condition monitoring system compares real-time torque and vibration values with known limits of drive components so that process conditions, machinery health and maintenance planning can all be optimized for maximum performance. “This technology,” he notes, “allows mills to move from emergency maintenance to planned downtime, which is a major competitive advantage in an industry that traditionally operates with a ‘run-to-failure’ model and endures up to $2000 per minute for unplanned downtime.”

According to Craig, its speed is what makes Regal’s technology so effective: “Our turnkey systems,” he says, “utilize high-sampling-rate data acquisition and advanced engineering algorithms to perform analyses in seconds that used to take weeks. That’s the only way to capture short-term torsional oscillation, chatter and torque overloads caused by cold-end slabs, cobble and other conditions.” He points out that those overloads can be masked by the high inertia in mill drivetrains, thus making motor current/speed unreliable measurement parameters.

For short-term troubleshooting and diagnostics
In short-term situations where mill personnel have failures with a particular component but can’t diagnose the cause, Regal can analyze the drivetrain and produce empirical data to suggest what the problem is. It then can design solutions to improve the dynamics and demonstrate how the solutions will work before installation.

For more information on Regal Power Transmission Solutions products and services, visit Booth #2371 at AISTech 2015 in Cleveland, or go to www.RegalPTS.com.

About AISTech 2015 — Steel’s Premier Technology Event
The AISTech Conference and Exhibition features technologies that can help steel producers compete more effectively in a global market. This year’s event will also hosting  ICSTI 2015 — The 7th International Congress on the Science and Technology of Ironmaking. ICSTI provides an open forum to present, discuss and achieve solutions associated with the essential issues and challenges in ironmaking. AISTech 2015 runs from Monday, May 4 through Thursday, May 7, at the Cleveland Convention Center.