As the cooling units of a District Cooling System (DCS) utilise seawater pumps to dissipate heat, the operation of the seawater pumps has a direct impact on the stability of the cooling system. In light of this, the EMSD installed a vibration monitoring system for the four seawater pumps of the DCS at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port to further enhance the operational reliability of the seawater pumps.
Each seawater pump is equipped with four sensors. In case any abnormal vibration is detected by the sensors, the EMSD or the contractors will be notified to take actions. The system is able to detect abnormalities in advance by monitoring the vibration frequency and amplitude, so that problems can be resolved at an early stage, thus reducing the risk of operational failure and realising predictive maintenance. In addition, manual operation is not involved in the entire sensing, data collection and frequency analysis process, saving human resources for carrying out inspection and maintenance, thereby reducing costs in the long run while maintaining the DCS safe and reliable.