Digitisation helps to increase rotating equipment performance

SKF has signed a three-year, multi-million-pound contract with BP to supply condition monitoring services to its UK offshore assets. As well as collecting data from a range of rotating equipment - including fans, motors and generators - SKF will provide analytics, reports and recommendations to better inform BP's decisions around efficient and effective use of equipment.

Anecdotal evidence suggests just 1 per cent of offshore operators use the vast volume of data they collect to aid their decision-making process. The contract is already capturing and documenting significant efficiency gains through close collaboration between the BP and SKF teams.

Ian Peverill, Head of Service at SKF says: "Using accurate data to drive decision-making and avoid repeat issues is good for our clients and for the industry as a whole. Ultimately, this helps drive out waste and increases reliability.

"Recently, our technology was able to detect the underlying cause of bearing vibration and provide recommendations to prevent failure of a critical motor. Our data analytics software can even propose alternative solutions that would be longer-lasting and better suited to the conditions."

While the agreement between BP and SKF covers a defined equipment list, SKF can also supply "non-routine' services to BP on demand - such as electric motor monitoring, or dynamic balancing of rotating equipment.

To learn more please visit www.skf.co.uk.