Technology-driven changes in maintenance of centrifugal pumps

Today, the maintenance of pump systems is based mainly on either a breakdown strategy or a time-based maintenance strategy. There are several disadvantages of these strategies: the required availability often is not reached, unscheduled downtimes occur and costs increase because of necessary redundant resources. In future, the requirements of a plant for efficient and cost-effective operation can only be reached through predictive maintenance. In this context, the combined use of technologies like RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and condition monitoring techniques is a possible solution to increase the efficiency of operation and maintenance. This is accompanied by significant technology-driven organizational changes in maintenance as simplification of work procedures, additional personnel qualification requirements and decentralization of maintenance activities, i.e. on-site maintenance of pumps. Thus, the efficiency and effectiveness potentials of maintenance will be realized in the future by using these technologies.