Real-time oil monitoring system set to slash operating costs and enhance output

Tan Delta Systems is leading the way in preventative maintenance with the launch of Sense-2.

A new oil condition monitoring kit provides real-time data about machine oil quality to optimise maintenance and reduce operating costs.

The Sense-2 is plug-and-play and accurately identifies when oil reaches the end of its life, according to the manufacturer of real-time oil quality monitoring sensors and systems, superseding traditional time-based maintenance schedules, which can result in oil being discarded prematurely with the potential of wasting up to 50 per cent of its useful life.

With the uncompromising hygiene standards throughout the food manufacturing industry, its equipment must be able to withstand water washdowns, high temperatures and areas highly susceptible to oil contamination by product ingress.

The demand to meet production requirements means the costs associated with equipment failures can often be overlooked, but if a processing machine has a catastrophic failure, its repair or replacement is one cost but can also lead to the potential loss of production and product.

Research has shown that by switching to a condition-based monitoring approach, manufacturers in the food and drink industry could reduce their predictive maintenance tasks by up to 30 per cent.

Chris Greenwood, CEO at Tan Delta Systems, said: “The food manufacturing industry faces unique challenges in equipment maintenance. As new food products hit the market at an accelerated pace, companies must consistently add or modify their existing equipment without causing disruptions to the production process.

“Due to how the industry operates with intermittent packing and filling, typically businesses operate schedule-based maintenance, which includes oil analysis, but this means the maintenance is carried out regardless of whether it’s needed or not, and machine parts may be replaced prematurely.

“Our Sense-2 real-time monitoring utilises our world-leading sensor technology and associated analytics to detect any issues before any damage occurs, identifying subtle changes in oil condition early. It can be fitted easily and efficiently to any existing equipment in any application and is configurable to any oil type.

“Ineffective lubrication is the single biggest cause of processing equipment failures, so by monitoring the oil, it provides precise information concerning both the health of the machinery components and the effectiveness of the current lubrication protection.”

The real-time aspect of the system is what sets it apart, utilising unique active molecular-level analysis to detect all changes in oil condition and any contamination. The Tan Delta sensor works by providing a full-spectrum holistic (FSH) oil quality analysis, which continuously monitors the ratio of two key measurements, capacitance and conductance, to provide real-time insight.

The Sense-2 Display Kit is easily installed on existing food manufacturing equipment and will continuously monitor the real-time quality of the oil with the molecular analysis taking place every few seconds. Data can be displayed locally, integrated with an existing telematics system, or streamed directly to the Tan Delta online portal.

The OQSx-G2 oil quality sensor within the Sense-2 kit is also available as a Mobile Oil Tester (MOT) Kit, created with workshops and mobile maintenance teams in mind. Any oil from any equipment can be sampled and tested simply and easily on-site in seconds.

The sensor is used in conjunction with the MOT software, which operates on any Windows-based laptop, tablet, or PC. Users simply install the MOT app, connect it to the sensor, collect the sample in one of the bottles provided, and follow the steps in the software to test the sample.

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