Condition monitoring in the chemicals and process industry

Updated on 24th January 2025

Safety, reliability & predictive maintenance in chemical processing

Safety, Health, Environment and Quality are critical priorities in the chemicals and process industry, where operations often involve flammable, toxic, and corrosive materials. These hazards make dependable, continuous operation essential.

Unplanned downtime is not only costly and disruptive, but can also compromise product quality, sometimes resulting in the loss of an entire batch or production run. In such environments, improving reliability and moving toward predictive maintenance is key to maintaining both safety and profitability.

Condition monitoring systems enable early fault detection, allowing operators to transition from reactive to predictive maintenance strategies, reducing downtime and protecting both assets and product integrity.

Faraday Predictive’s MBVI technology provides a distinct advantage over conventional condition monitoring techniques, particularly in hazardous process environments.

Why condition monitoring matters in the chemicals industry

Condition monitoring in chemical and process plants goes beyond preventing equipment failure. It plays a central role in maintaining safe, compliant, and efficient operations by supporting:

Downtime reduction – early fault detection prevents unplanned shutdowns
Product quality protection – avoids disruption that can compromise entire batches
Maintenance optimisation – shift from reactive to predictive maintenance
Cost control – reduce waste, rework, and emergency interventions
Operational safety – minimise exposure to hazardous environments

Monitoring in hazardous and restricted environments

Chemical plants present unique challenges for traditional monitoring approaches. Routine walkaround vibration monitoring can be difficult due to:

Exposure to flammable, toxic, or corrosive substances
Restricted or hazardous access areas
Safety constraints on personnel movement

Similarly, permanently installed sensors on plant equipment can be affected by harsh environmental conditions, leading to reliability and maintenance issues.

MBVI systems overcome these challenges by relocating monitoring away from the plant and into the switchroom.

Safe and simple installation

Faraday Predictive MBVI systems are installed within electrical switchgear rather than on the plant itself, offering a safer and more practical deployment model:

Installed in switchrooms; typically clean, dry, and safe environments
No requirement for hazardous area installation
Minimal exposure of personnel to process risks
Reduced installation complexity

Overcoming traditional monitoring challenges

ATEX & hazardous area constraints

Switchroom-based installation avoids the complexity, cost, and compliance requirements associated with hazardous-area equipment.

Toxic and corrosive environments

Monitoring equipment is not exposed to aggressive chemicals, improving system reliability and longevity.

Cabling and installation costs

Traditional systems often require long cable runs from plant-mounted sensors to central systems, sometimes exceeding the cost of the sensors themselves.

With MBVI systems:

Sensor-to-processor connections are typically contained within the switchgear cabinet
Communication is via existing ethernet infrastructure
New cabling requirements are minimal, reducing cost and installation time

Wireless system limitations

Wireless condition monitoring systems can avoid cabling but introduce other challenges:

Limited battery life requiring periodic replacement
Signal attenuation due to dense pipework and steel structures
Dependence on repeaters and mesh networks
Reduced data frequency to conserve power (often only once or twice per day)

In contrast, MBVI systems are permanently powered within the switchroom, enabling:

Continuous 24/7 monitoring
No battery maintenance
High-frequency data capture without compromise

Extending monitoring coverage

MBVI systems are particularly well suited to assets that are difficult, hazardous, or costly to monitor using conventional techniques, including:

Pumps (including those in hazardous or restricted areas)
Fans and blowers in chemical processes
Equipment located in corrosive or high-risk zones
Electrically driven rotating machinery connected via switchgear

By monitoring these assets from within the switchroom, operators can detect developing faults early, without needing direct access to the equipment itself.

How condition monitoring reduces risk and downtime

Implementing Faraday Predictive MBVI systems delivers measurable benefits in chemical and process operations:

Reduced unplanned downtime
Improved process stability and product quality
Lower maintenance and lifecycle costs
Safer maintenance practices
Increased reliability of critical rotating assets

By embedding condition monitoring into operational strategy, chemical plant operators can reduce risk, improve safety, and maintain consistent production performance.