Orbit Analysis With Orbit Plot | Dewesoft

Dewesoft offers an out-of-the-box Orbit Analysis solution with Orbit Plot for vibration analysis of any kind of rotating machinery. Start with a FREE demo.

Orbit Analysis Orbit Analysis

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Overview

Orbit Analysis With Orbit Plot For Machine Health Condition Assessment

Precise rotor movement measurements and advanced analysis tailored for turbomachinery applications. Dewesoft Orbit Analysis is a complete solution that will help you improve the operating efficiency, lower wear, and prevent any potential critical failures of your machine.

IEPE

Charge

Voltage

Counter/Encoder

RPM

Acceleration

USB 2.0

EtherCAT

Main Features

POWERFUL ANALYSIS: Complete set of functionalities and displays for turbomachinery monitoring: Raw, averaged, and harmonic orbits, Bode plot, Waterfalls, runout compensation, reference orbit, and many more.
EASY SETUP AND CONFIGURATION: Only a few steps from connecting the sensors to having stored all data. Post analysis: Offline calculation using raw signals from proximity probes.
MACHINE TRAIN SUPPORT: Simply add the number of desired bearings to the analysis.
HIGH DYNAMIC CAPABILITIES: DualCoreADC converter technology, seamlessly covering 160dB dynamic range out-of-the-box.
HIGH ACQUISITION RATE: Acquisition rates with up to 200kS/s sample rate enabling analysis of high-speed rotors.
MULTI-BRAND PROXIMITY PROBE SUPPORT: Dewesoft LV type of signal amplifiers on SIRIUS data acquisition systems cover the needed ranges and supplies excitation to the majority of proximity probes.
TEDS SENSOR SUPPORT: Our orbit analysis system features plug-and-play sensor detection with proximity probes that support TEDS IEEE 1451.4 standard.
UNLIMITED CHANNEL COUNT: Catering to any R&D measurement need, regardless of the number of bearings analyzed and/or proximity probes used.
MONITORING CAPABILITIES: Orbits (raw, averaged, H1, H2, etc.), FFTs, cascade plots, Bode plots, and polar plots can be uploaded to the Historian database for long-term condition monitoring.
MULTI FUNCTIONALITY: Maximum measurement capabilities - functions with any Dewesoft DAQ system and additional sensors can be added to simultaneously capture temperature, vibra- tion, video, strain, etc. in the same SW and perfectly synchronized.
SOFTWARE INCLUDED WITH LIFETIME FREE UPGRADES AND SUPPORT: Award-winning Dewesoft X data acquisition software is included for FREE. The software package is always evolving and new features are being added. We offer lifetime FREE software upgrades and technical support to all our users.

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Why Orbit Analysis?

Measuring vibration data on a rotating machine is a strong diagnostic tool enabling the detection and prevention of many types of potential faults and machinery downtime.

Orbit analysis is an ideal analysis tool for rotor movements examination and assessment of any movement restrictions causing vibration. It prevents potential, unwanted damages to rotating machinery that would result in premature wear of components and could cause critical failures. It also helps to determine lubrication state, bearing states and can optimize machine operation.

With fully-fledged and wholesome turbomachinery analysis, easy setup, intuitive presentation of measured data, and industry-leading measurement expandability orbit analysis measurement is reimagined the Dewesoft way.

Our orbit analysis works independently of a machine type. It can be a power plant or a high revving compressor. Steady, continuous operation with as little malfunctions and vibration as possible is essential for maximizing productivity and ensuring reliable operation of a machine. To achieve this, measurement and analysis of rotational vibration data is crucial.

The package is bundled with DewesoftX data acquisition software and a chosen flexible DAQ hardware configuration. A simple user interface allows quick configuration, measurement, recording, interpretation of the measured results, and building a printable report. Software approach with free updates and technical support ensures a future proof solution - totally hassle and cost-free.

The Dewesoft Orbit Analyser solution can be used for research and development or for operational machine condition monitoring purposes.

Rich Functionality

Out of the box, Dewesoft Orbit Analysis packs the entire set of industry-proven analysis metrics, supporting calculation and graphical representation of:

Raw orbit
Averaged orbit
Filtered orbit
Polar plot
Bode plot
Shaft centerline
Full-motion graph
Clearance circle
Runout compensation
Reference orbit
Complete set of waterfalls.

For more detailed vibration analysis, other Dewesoft modules can be added to the measurement configuration, e.g. supporting monitoring or in-depth turbomachinery analysis together with Order Tracking analysis.

Orbit Analysis Applications

Turbomachinery provides kinetic energy to operations enabling movement - a function that is widely used in industrial processes to move solids, liquids, or gases through drivers, driven components, and transmissions such as:

Compressors
Drills
Generators
Turbines
Engines
Pumps
Blowers
Gearboxes

Above rotating machinery is applied in a variety of industries, e.g. automotive, chemical, oil and gas, metals, HVAC or mining, and in the majority of different power plants:

Hydroelectric
Nuclear
Thermal
Gas
Coal
Biomass

Measurement and Visualisation

Dewesoft Orbit Analysis module comes will a full set of display widgets for real-time data and measurement visualization. The following widgets are preset for orbit analysis:

Raw/Direct orbit (with clearance circle)
Averaged orbit (with clearance circle)
Nx/Filtered orbit
Reference orbit
Shaft centerline
Full motion graph
Polar plot
Bode plot
FFT Waterfall
Runout compensation

A set of designated widgets are needed for precise analysis and representation of results. Widgets can easily be configured to show standard parameter combinations used in orbit analysis. Different standard visual displays are also included with software by default.

As with any other Dewesoft module, additional inputs like temperature, CAN, deformations, vibration, etc. can easily be added and shown on the same display. On the right is an example of a predefined Orbit Analysis display.

Raw Orbit With Clearance Circle

Raw orbit is seen in the orange color on the graph with a clearance circle in turquoise color.

X and Y mark the position of proximity probes, whereas T marks the tacho’s position.

The rotation direction is also shown on the graph with an arrow.

Shaft Centerline

Shows shaft centerline movement in white vs. RPM inside the clearance circle.

Full Motion Graph

Full motion graph displays Shaft centerline, Clearance circle, and Raw orbit on the same display widget.

Average Orbit With Clearance Circle

Average orbit is seen in turquoise on the graph with clearance circle in blue.

X and Y mark the position of proximity probes, whereas T marks the tacho’s position.

The rotation direction is also shown on the graph with an arrow.

Nx/Filtered Orbit

The above display widget shows examples of filtered orbits in white, turquoise, and orange. The particular orbits shown are:

X (White)
2X (Orange) and
3X (Turquoise).

Polar Plot

A single display in polar plane displaying phase and amplitude(displacement) at certain RPMs.

Bode Plot

Display widget for the complex channel with different available data to display phase and amplitude.

FFT Waterfall

Both orders vs. RPM and FFT vs. time waterfalls are supported. The image shows an example display of order waterfall vs. RPM with an added digital display for speed.

Multiple Machine Trains

To save time, you can mount multiple sensors and measure and monitor several machine trains within the same setup in parallel. This is very useful when you want to monitor and analyze several machine trains at the same time.

The configuration is as simple as using a single instance. There can be any number of bearings defined within individual machine trains even when using more than a single instance of Orbit Analysis.

Typical Orbit Analysis System Configuration

Dewesoft Orbit Analysis system is very flexible and can be configured for single or multiple bearings measurements at the same time. Input channel count can be expanded at any time. DAQ system can also be configured to allow different sensor connection at the same time - thermocouples, RTDs, IEPE accelerometers, strain gauges, and more.

The typical Orbit analysis measurement system will consist typically of the following elements:

SIRIUSi isolated data acquisition system with 8xLV amplifiers or 6xLV-2xLV+ (counter) amplifiers.
2-8x Eddy-current probes
DewesoftX Orbit Analysis option

Optional:

DewesoftX FFT Analyzer option
MODBUS protocol option
OPC UA Client/Server option
Dewesoft Historian time-series database option

Typical Orbit Analysis System Configuration

Simple Machine and Bearings Setup

Dewesoft orbit analysis software module offers a simple machine and bearing configuration. Machine configuration setup can be further broken down into subsections.

Machine Configuration

Quick settings: Pair/Mono, CW/CWW, input ch., Angle, Position
Measure: measure the DC gap button
Setup: opens additional settings for the bearing, further explained below under Bearing setup

Bearing Configuration

Sensors: configure proximity probes, keyphasor/tacho position, and angle.
Runout compensation and reference orbit: input runout compensation or reference orbit data into the designated table or simply paste it from elsewhere.
Measurement: set shaft rotation direction, clearance circle size, and shape, number of periods, and averages taken into the average orbit calculation or manually input DC Gap.

Machine Condition Monitoring

Orbit analysis is a standard component for machine condition monitoring and can be combined with other capabilities of the Dewesoft Machine Condition Monitoring solution.

What parameters can we measure and observe?

Temperature monitoring
Vibration monitoring
Strain monitoring
Pressure monitoring
Rotational speed monitoring
Force monitoring

What faults can we detect?

Bearing faults
Overheating
Shaft un-balance
Detached mounting
Gear-tooth failure
Load misalignment
Stator excentricity
Other machine catastrophic failures

Additional Orbit Analysis Resources

Manual and Documentation

Orbit Analysis Online Software Manual

Case Studies and Application Notes

Remote Turbine Monitoring at Geothermal Power Plant

FAQ

What is orbit analysis?

Orbit analysis is a tool for vibration analysis on rotating machinery, especially those machines that are permanently equipped with proximity probes for vibration measurement. The process is essentially an extension of time waveform analysis as it uses time-domain data from a pair of orthogonal probes plotted on an X-Y graph with consideration for the physical location of the proximity probes.

What is orbit plot?

Orbit Plot displays the movement of the shaft centerline for orbit analysis on sleeve bearings. Orbit Plot requires two or four channels and the turning speed. If you use a tachometer, the signal is recorded automatically.

What is polar plot?

A polar plot is a single display in a polar plane displaying phase and amplitude (displacement) at certain RPMs.

What equipment is needed to perform orbit analysis?

A typical configuration would consist of a pair of proximity probes and a keyphasor (tacho probe) per one bearing. Dewesoft supports a virtually unlimited number of bearings, so this configuration can be multiplied as many times as needed in a particular application. If needed, Dewesoft Orbit Analysis also supports mono configuration with a single probe per bearing and offers additional customizability options to suit different measurement needs.

Do you support any industry typical orbit analysis displays?

Yes. There is a predefined Orbit Analysis screen to help you out in the beginning and there are virtually unlimited options when it comes to defining your measurement screen. In short, we support:

raw/direct orbit (with clearance circle)
averaged orbit (with clearance circle)
filtered/NX orbit
Shaft centerline (with clearance circle)
Full motion graph
Bode plot
Order and FFT waterfalls vs. RPM.

Channels are easily added to different dedicated displays (Orbit plot, Polar plot, 2D graph) in order to create exactly what you need. For example, the shaft centerline with a clearance circle is easily transformed into a full-motion graph with a single click.

Is Dewesoft Orbit analysis capable of compensating for shaft shape irregularities?

Of course. This is done through dedicated Runout compensation, which can be performed at any desired rotation speed. The user inputs the speed and selects the number of revolutions to average when performing the runout compensation. The compensation itself is handled through a dedicated measurement screen and is completely automated once started.

Are future updates and upgrades to the Orbit analysis module free?

Absolutely. All DewesoftX data acquisition software upgrades are free for all users and there is no exception to the orbit analysis module. The new future updates will be available for free to all existing users.

Do you offer monitoring capabilities together with Orbit analysis measurements?

We do. Our Historian time-series database can offer a complete solution for long term machine condition monitoring. Since these systems can vary in their architecture and requirements, we recommend getting in touch with the local representative and they will arrange for our engineer to contact you and prepare a solution for your measurement needs.