Predictive maintenance at the Kalle-Albert Industrial Park

In the scope of the Industry 4.0 concept, ISW-Technik, a subsidiary of industrial park operator InfraServ Wiesbaden (ISW), uses innovative technologies to implement smart servicing and maintenance processes based on digital condition monitoring of machines and systems for small and medium-sized companies. Predictive maintenance has also achieved positive results indicative of future success. Late 2019 saw digital technology secure the production of compressed air essential for the industrial park and prevent the failure of an important pump used in this process.

InfraServ Wiesbaden (ISW) has been operating the 96-hectare Kalle-Albert industrial park since 1997 and provides various utilities including power. The company employs about 900 people. Its subsidiary ISW-Technik has established itself among small and medium-sized companies based in the Rhine-Main region as an innovative service provider for applications including servicing and maintenance of machines and systems.

InfraServ Wiesbaden ensures that the industrial park is supplied with compressed air around the clock, providing about 22 thousand cubic metres of compressed air per hour at a gauge pressure of 5 bar which adds up to about 200 million cubic metres per year. ISW relies on two KSB components to keep the vital compressed air system running reliably and to cool the operating temperature continuously: Etanorm pumps and the reliable KSB Guard monitoring unit.

Having already had positive experience with KSB during previous projects, ISW was curious to see how the newly established system would prove its worth in this case. KSB Guard offers ISW production management and KSB technicians round-the-clock access to all pump status data (e.g. temperature, vibrations and load condition) via a web portal.

A deviation from normal operation was reported on one of the pumps in October 2019. After KSB Guard had detected excessive vibrations and output a relevant warning, InfraServ Wiesbaden was informed automatically. Thanks to KSB Guard, ISW-Technik was able to detect impending bearing damage at an early stage – a normal sign of wear that makes bearing replacement necessary at varying intervals depending on the pump’s load.

ISW-Technik initiated a repair in its own workshop during periods when pump operation is not essential. This helped prevent in time a sudden system failure with unplanned downtimes and far-reaching resultant losses. If one pump had suddenly failed, a second pump would have cut in to maintain the production of compressed air. Nevertheless, the advantages of targeted and predictive maintenance measures are tremendous.

KSB technology has not only helped to increase the safe and reliable supply of energy at the industrial park, this positive experience has also prompted ISW-Technik to install KSB Guard on other customers’ systems located in the industrial park.

System: Cooling system for compressed air supply in the Kalle-Albert Industrial Park

End user: InfraServ Wiesbaden