Fan Bearing Faults Detected Despite Limited Access
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Marine Download Case Study (PDF)
Working to Achieve
AVT Reliability are working with a shipping company to achieve a more structured, cost-effective approach to condition monitoring across marine assets. By introducing a tiered review process data ownership and first-line decision-making now sit closer to the point of collection, enabling vessel and onshore teams to manage asset health more directly.
This collaborative approach ensures that only the most complex cases escalate to AVT Reliability’s Remote Diagnostic Centre, optimising resource use while maintaining diagnostic precision and equipment reliability.
The Challenge
Onboard the vessel, the compressor room exhaust fan developed a fault in its fan bearings. With limited direct monitoring, only motor-end sensors available due to inaccessible fan bearings, detecting developing failures was complex.
Given the fan’s critical role in maintaining airflow within the compressor room, an undetected bearing failure could have resulted in significant operational disruption and costly downtime.
The customer needed a reliable remote condition monitoring solution that worked within their equipment access limitations.
Our Approach
AVT Reliability® supports this customer with condition monitoring services via the Machine Sentry® platform, integrating fixed and mobile sensor data with expert remote diagnostics. In alignment with the customers updated three-stage data review process, responsibility for asset monitoring is now tiered: Vessel team collects and reviews data post-sync.
The onshore reliability team conducts a second-phase review. If further analysis is required, AVT’s Remote Diagnostic Centre (RDC) performs the final review, issues diagnostic guidance, and raises action notes in Machine Sentry®. This structure enables the customer to take greater ownership of condition monitoring in early stages, streamlining third-party involvement and improving cost-efficiency.
Our Findings
Despite the absence of direct sensors on the fan bearings, AVT RDC analysts identified spectral patterns consistent with bearing deterioration, specifically on both the inner and outer races. This was made possible by careful analysis of motor-end vibration signals, which reflected stress being transferred back through the drive train. Our early detection and insight enabled this customer to address the issue proactively before it progressed to failure, demonstrating the value of high-skill remote diagnostics in complex or access-limited environments.
"Even without direct access to the bearings, AVT’s team identified the issue early and clearly guided the vessel team through the next steps. This highlights the strength of the new data review process and the value of remote diagnostics."
AVT Reliability Engineer
