How Continuous Monitoring Prevented a Critical Fan Failure in an Industrial Lime Plant

Overview

A leading industrial manufacturer with over 65 years of experience in the cement, concrete, and lime sector across Chile, Argentina, and Peru faced a critical reliability challenge in one of its most essential assets: the induced draft (ID) fan of a lime kiln. The ID fan is vital to kiln stability, and any deviation in performance can directly affect production continuity.

Due to harsh environmental conditions and limited access, the plant struggled to conduct frequent manual vibration checks, increasing the risk of undetected early‑stage failures.

The Challenge

Without continuous monitoring, the plant had no real-time visibility into the fan’s dynamic performance. In this type of equipment, failures rarely begin as obvious mechanical defects; they typically originate as aerodynamic instabilities and airflow irregularities. Left undetected, these early-stage issues can intensify, leading to unplanned downtime, secondary equipment damage, and increased maintenance costs.

Solution: Implementing Continuous Monitoring with Sensoteq Kappa X

To overcome this challenge, the plant deployed Sensoteq Kappa X wireless sensors on both the motor and fan (coupling side). These sensors continuously measured triaxial vibration and temperature, sending data to the Analytix software platform for automated analysis and trending.

This upgrade eliminated the need for frequent manual measurements and enabled 24/7 remote monitoring, even under difficult operating conditions.

Drive-end motor

Drive-end fan

(L - Drive-end motor, R - Drive-end fan)

Early Detection of a Critical Aerodynamic Fault

Shortly after commissioning, vibration analysis detected a dominant subsynchronous component at ~76% of running speed, significantly higher than the 1X vibration level.

The waveform showed a clear sinusoidal pattern, consistent with Rotating Stall, an aerodynamic instability in which disrupted airflow creates pockets of stagnation that rotate more slowly than the rotor.

Root Cause Analysis

Based on the Kappa X data, engineers concluded the fan was operating under unstable flow conditions, likely caused by obstructions or material buildup.

A targeted inspection confirmed:

• Material adhered to the impeller

• Damage in the coupling hub

Both conditions contributed directly to the onset of Rotating Stall.

Corrective Action

Maintenance teams conducted a full cleaning of the fan, removing adhered material and restoring proper airflow. These actions were planned proactively, informed entirely by condition‑based data.

Results

Following the intervention:

• The subsynchronous component linked to Rotating Stall dropped by ~60%

• Overall vibration levels returned to normal and stable operation conditions

Trend analysis confirmed the corrective maintenance was successful, significantly reducing the risk of future failure and extending asset life.

Business Impact

By detecting the issue early, the plant avoided:

~USD 90,000 in production losses

~USD 10,000 in repair costs

~9 hours of unplanned downtime

This case demonstrates the tangible financial and operational value of continuous condition monitoring.

Conclusion

This real‑world example showcases how Sensoteq Kappa X wireless sensors enable early detection not only of mechanical failures but also of aerodynamic and process‑related issues that threaten the health of critical equipment. Continuous access to vibration and temperature data enables predictive maintenance, reduces operational risks, and delivers measurable economic benefits.

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Case Study provided by Servige