Process sensors facilitate condition-based maintenance

9th May 2024

Process sensors facilitate condition-based maintenance

The ifm oil humidity sensor

The continuous monitoring of relative humidity and temperature enables the efficient and effective use of oil, which helps to protect plants and enables plant operators to carry out condition-based changes and maintenance.

Using an oil humidity sensor from ifm allows the medium to be used with maximum efficiency while avoiding plant damage owing to reduced cooling or lubricating action. Corrosion and cavitation caused by free water can also be prevented.

The standardised process connection and M12 connector of the LDH1xx sensor enables easy operation. The IO-Link technology enables data to be used for IT-based condition monitoring. The stainless-steel housing is designed to withstand the harsh conditions of the operating environment.

Oil samples must be analysed at regular intervals to ensure the efficiency of hydraulic systems, but this can add to increased costs. The continuous measurement of oil humidity enables condition-based maintenance, reducing costs and the prevention of system downtimes.

Moisture in the hydraulic oil can cause component corrosion and cavitation, which can damage the pumps, resulting in complete component failure, unplanned downtime, and increased repair costs. Gaining information about current humidity content of the oil enables the implementation of measures to prevent water from penetrating the system and averting corrosion and cavitation. Possible points of entry such as damaged seals or open oil tanks can also be detected.

The quality of the oil decreases with increasing oil humidity, this reduces the efficiency of the filter and lubrication and has a negative effect on the ageing of the oil. By measuring the oil humidity, the quality of the oil can be determined, and measures can be taken to prevent the oil from losing the effectiveness of its properties, such as lubrication.

An IO-Link enables convenient setup and configuration of the sensor and the parameter sets are written directly to the new device during device replacement.

Transparent processes mean that oil humidity and temperature can be checked digitally at any time, and digital communication ensures loss-free data transmission.

The sensor is also available with two analogue outputs.