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Monitor protects against diesel engine wear

A Schaller product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team May 17, 2005

BeCOMS is a revolutionary new bearing monitoring and protection system that can be used to monitor all slide bearings as well as protecting other sliding metallic surfaces in diesel engines.

BeCOMS is a revolutionary new bearing monitoring and protection system that can be used to monitor all slide bearings (main bearing, connecting rod bearings) as well as protecting other sliding metallic surfaces in diesel engines.

The system is equally applicable to to pumps, turbines and transmission applications.

The measurement principle is based on the detection of thermoelectric voltages caused by friction of moving engine components made from different metals or alloys.

The thermoelectric voltage is detected by only one sensor per engine.

This sensor is mounted at the free end of the engine or generator crankshaft outside of the crankcase.

The following data are recorded: thermoelectric voltage as function of wear generated by friction; the angular velocity of the crankshaft; and the number of revolutions.

The ultimate goal of the BeCOMS is to protect the crankshaft and associated main rotating and oscillating components from damage (and consequential disaster) prior to the earliest appearance of failures.

As a consequence, replacement of the crankshaft itself becomes unnecessary, and according expenses in the magnitude of millions of dollars will be saved.

More than 120 existing installations on diesel engines of different manufacturers, used in power generation worldwide, have proven the reliable operation of the BeCOMS system.

As well as numerous well documented cases of damage prevention to bearings, there are also several recorded and documented cases of the system identifying failing parts not directly related to the crankshaft.

These include: detection of high friction against the housing in a failing turbocharger due to loose locknut of the rotor; detection of high friction of the connecting rod bearing due to a broken exhaust valve; detecting high friction in cylinder liners due to failing lubrication; and detection of connecting rod and camshaft bearings.

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