Co-operation with Clarke Energy
Clarke Energy are a leading supplier of power generation equipment in the UK to sectors which include
- Natural gas-fuelled combined heat and power (CHP) facilities
- Biogas-fuelled combined heat and power facilities
- Closed coal mine sourced gas power generation
Most of this generation equipment is on remote sites.
Clarke Generating Set based on a Jenbacher Type 4 Engine
Clarke Energy have decided to co-operate with Gyrometric to trial digital shaft monitoring to its generating equipment. Initially the monitoring will employ Gyrometric’s unique digital monitoring of the bearings in the generator sets, and monitoring of shaft alignment.
The objective is to evaluate the potential to realise value by utilising a predictive maintenance strategy utilising real time data harvested by the Gyrometric system, rather than a timed based planned maintenance system. There is potential for savings in maintenance and down time costs from such an approach. This is indicative of Clarke Energy’s continual improvement to deliver increased value and machinery availability and reliability to their customers. In particular the use of Gyrometric’s rapid intervention system which shuts down equipment automatically when serious faults are detected is thought to be particularly useful.
The co-operation will begin with a pilot project, where a single generating set will be comprehensively instrumented with Gyrometric Monitoring Systems with digital information flowing into the internet as the equipment is run.
Analysis of the data harvested, and experience gained during the installation may point the way to spreading the technology around Clarke Generating sets installed around the UK.