Asset Analysis
ASSET ANALYTICS
Asset Analytics is the practice of making complex machine data meaningful for improving life cycle management through predictive maintenance. In a world of abundant data, today’s challenge is recognizing patterns in the right data at the right time so professionals can take targeted action.
Analyzing complex assets presents challenges many organizations are unable to overcome. Complex assets typically experience continually changing operating conditions, such as speeds, loads, and product types. Over the past 30 years, ITR has helped companies in industries with the most complex assets solve these problems and significantly improve their maintenance and asset management practices.
Asset Profiling
System configuration, component geometry, and process parameters are critical to effective asset condition monitoring. The more complex the asset, the more critical the asset profile. ITR engineers work closely with site maintenance and reliability engineers to develop complete asset profiles that enable not only predictive maintenance but also ongoing reliability engineering through global data analysis.
Feature Recognition
One outcome of asset profiling is identification of measure locations and relevant features. Features are calculated distinguishing characteristics of measure locations. For complex assets, sorting pertinent features from the irrelevant presents a difficult challenge. ITR engineers assist site engineers with making these distinctions through both years of experience and use of expert system technology.
Expert Systems
Collective complex asset analysis experience combined with advanced algorithm development capabilities results in proven expert systems for condition monitoring. Expert systems enable engineers to capture years of experience and apply this experience to data analysis and information reporting. ITR engineers use expert systems to validate feature recognition, analyze broader data sets, simplify monitoring strategies, and apply “like” asset comparison testing.
Human Intervention
Despite ongoing advancements in technology, complex asset data analysis still requires human intervention to assure effective condition monitoring and predictive maintenance. PdM experts fill the gaps. Since assets evolve over their life cycles and not all process variations can be predicted, humans are still (and will likely always be) the critical part of the process.
Making it Work
Real-world condition monitoring of complex assets requires a balance between algorithm development, expert system monitoring technologies, and human interaction. ITR engineers work with site reliability and maintenance professionals to find the right balance for each asset and overall PdM process.