Shortly after CAMS APM began monitoring a site, an alert was issued due to irregular vibration behaviors in the Aux Cooling Tower Fan Motor. For approximately 11 months, the vibration readings had been erratic, spiking to 0.62 mils compared to a historical trend of around 0.3 mils. Despite these fluctuations, the anomaly had not yet affected the Non-Drive End of the assembly, indicating a potential gearbox issue.
In response to the APM notification, the station initiated a work order to inspect the cooling tower fan, suspecting a gearbox problem. To mitigate further risk, the fan was placed in emergency-use-only status until the next scheduled outage, during which the gearbox is planned to be replaced. In the meantime, the gearbox was designated for emergency-use only to prevent further damage and operational failures.
The site is prepared to replace the auxiliary cooling tower gearbox during the upcoming outage. Post-replacement, CAMS APM will monitor the fan’s performance and refine the model as new data is collected. By designating the gearbox for emergency use and planning the replacement, the site successfully mitigated operational risks, reduced potential repair costs, and ensured that repairs were conducted in a controlled, planned manner rather than through reactive responses.