Early Detection on Screw Pump Avoids Failure, Saves $50K+

Case Study

The Challenge

At a major cement producer, a critical screw pump began showing rising vibration trends that scheduled checks would likely miss. The risk was seal damage, premature bearing wear, and an unplanned stop.

The Skyler Solution

Skyler’s continuous monitoring flagged the increase and our vibration expert reviewed the new data the same day. An expert alert was pushed in the app and sent to the site contact with clear checks and actions.

What We Detected

Vibration evidence:

Acceleration and velocity trends are climbing on both drive end and non-drive end.

Pattern

Looseness signature with once-per-rev high impacting.

Consequence in the Field

Dust observed at the seal area, indicating leakage and local overheating.

Component

Pump NDE

Speed

1185 RPM

Our Recommendations

1
Inspect:
Inspect bearing clearances and fit on inner and outer races.

2
Clean:
Check for scorch marks and any sign of inner race rotation on the shaft or outer race in the housing.

3
Verify:
Verify screw and coupling condition and look for material rubbing under the coupling guard.

On-Site Findings

The maintenance crew confirmed elevated temperatures and visible dust at the seal location. Upon disassembly, the diagnosis was validated: the pump bearings and screw had suffered damage consistent with looseness and internal rubbing. Both components were replaced, and the mechanical fits were corrected during reassembly.

Once the work was complete, vibration levels immediately dropped to normal, with healthy, stable trends returning to the monitoring dashboard.

The Result?

$50K+ in total savings.

Thanks to Skyler’s early detection and expert intervention, the issue was contained before it could cause a costly shutdown.

The pump was returned to reliable service, the process remained in operation, and an estimated $50,230 in secondary damage and lost production was avoided.

Skyler’s proactive monitoring once again demonstrated the power of continuous insight—catching failure at the warning stage, not the breaking points.

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