Commissioning Vibration Analysis on Seven Vertical Wastewater Pumps at a Tampa Pump Station
When a new pump station is being commissioned, one of the most important questions is whether the equipment is operating the way it should before the site is fully relied upon. That's why AME was brought to a Pump Station in Tampa, Florida, where our client needed commissioning vibration analysis performed on seven vertical wastewater pumps. The station had recently completed construction, each pump and motor was operating at normal capacity, and each unit was equipped with its own VFD. Testing was carried out at both minimum speed, 347 motor RPM / 35 Hz VFD input, and maximum speed, 595 motor RPM / 60 Hz VFD input, to evaluate performance across the operating range.
To complete the survey, AME used a Pruftechnik VibXpert II dual channel FFT spectrum analyzer along with Omnitrend software. A database of measurement points was built around the pump and motor arrangement, then uploaded to the analyzer so readings could be collected consistently at the drive and non-drive ends. Once the data was captured, it was downloaded for detailed review and trending against accepted vibration criteria, including ISO 20816-3.
The results were straightforward and important from a commissioning standpoint: low-frequency vibration levels were low and remained well within ISO 20816-3 tolerances for rotating machinery across all seven pumps at both test speeds. High-frequency vibration levels were also low across all seven pumps. In other words, the pumps were performing well with no exceptions identified during the survey.
Based on those findings, AME recommended incorporating annual condition monitoring vibration analysis into a reliability-centered maintenance program. That recommendation gives the customer a practical next step: establish a trend baseline now, then use repeat testing to catch changes in machinery condition before they become larger reliability issues. For rotating equipment like this, commissioning data is valuable, but long-term trending is what turns a one-time survey into a maintenance advantage.
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AME is an authorized distributor of PRUFTECHNIK products in Florida, Georgia, North & South Carolina, helping teams apply them correctly, interpret results, and integrate alignment into their overall maintenance approach. Contact us today to learn more.
