Integrated, predictive vibration analysis of rotational machine within electronics rack

• US 9,739,685 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2014
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chernega, Gary J., Cruz, Ethan E., Jourdan, Udo, Notohardjono, Budy D., Tsfasman, Arkadiy O., Zhang, Jing
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woodward, Nathaniel T
• Application Number:
  US14/252,990
• Publication Number:
  US 20150292937A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: 73660, 714 472
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 1/003 of rotating machines G01H1/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 13/045 Acoustic or vibration analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0754 by exceeding limits

Abstract

Predictive monitoring of a rotational machine of a cooling apparatus is provided by integrating a predictive vibration analyzer into an electronics rack being cooled by the cooling apparatus. The integrating includes associating at least one sensor of the predictive vibration analyzer with the rotational machine of the cooling apparatus. The analyzer includes a predetermined harmonics table of one or more base operational frequencies and associated rotational speed harmonics for the rotational machine indicative of one or more rotational faults, and the predictive vibration analyzer automatically evaluates vibration of the rotational machine during operation of the machine by analyzing vibration data therefor, and automatically ascertains, based on the vibration data, and the predetermined harmonics table, whether the rotational machine is predicted to possess a rotational fault of the one or more rotational faults.

Claims

1. A cooled electronic system comprising:

an electronics rack comprising one or more electronic components to be cooled; and

a cooling apparatus integrated within the electronics rack for facilitating cooling the one or more electronic components of the electronics rack, the cooling apparatus comprising a rotational machine, and a predictive vibration analyzer associated with the rotational machine for facilitating predictive evaluation of operation of the rotational machine, the predictive vibration analyzer comprising;

a predetermined harmonics table of one or more base frequencies of vibration and associated rotational harmonics for the rotational machine indicative of one or more rotational faults therein;

at least one sensor coupled to the rotational machine to generate vibration data therefor during operation of the rotational machine; and

a control monitor programmed to evaluate the vibration data sensed from the rotational machine during operation thereof, and to automatically ascertain based thereon, and based on the predetermined harmonics table, whether the rotational machine is predicted to possess a rotational fault of the one or more rotational faults; and

wherein the control monitor transforms the vibration data into a plurality of sample frequency signals with associated amplitudes and generates, from the plurality of sample frequency signals, a peak amplitude table of sample frequency signals of the plurality of sample frequency signals, the generating including, for a selected frequency signal of the plurality of sample frequency signals, determining whether the selected frequency signal has a peak signal amplitude by;

comparing the associated signal amplitude of the selected frequency signal to an average signal amplitude for a window of sample frequency signals, of the plurality of sample frequency signals, about the selected frequency signal within a set frequency range; and

determining whether the associated signal amplitude of the selected frequency signal exceeds the average signal amplitude for the window of sample frequency signals within the set frequency range by a preset percentage.

2. The cooled electronic system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises one or more triaxial accelerometers coupled to the rotational machine to facilitate generating the vibration data therefor in multiple directions.

3. The cooled electronic system of claim 1, wherein the control monitor automatically generates, from the plurality of sample frequency signals, a peak amplitude table of sample frequency signals of the plurality of sample frequency signals with peak amplitude values in at least two of an x, y, or z direction.

4. The cooled electronic system of claim 1, wherein generating the peak amplitude table further comprises automatically determining, by the predictive vibration analyzer, whether to add the selected frequency signal to the peak amplitude table when its associated signal amplitude exceeds the average signal amplitude for the window by the defined percentage, the automatically determining comprising ascertaining whether the peak amplitude table already contains, within a preset frequency range of the selected frequency signal, an existing peak amplitude value, and if so, substituting for the existing peak amplitude value the selected frequency signal'"'"'s signal amplitude within the peak amplitude table when that signal amplitude is greater than the existing peak amplitude value.

5. The cooled electronic system of claim 4, wherein the control monitor automatically repeats the determining whether the selected frequency signal possesses a peak amplitude signal to evaluate the selected frequency signal in each of the x, y, and z directions.

6. The cooled electronic system of claim 1, wherein the control monitor of the predictive vibration analyzer automatically references the predetermined harmonics table and the peak amplitude table in determining for a base frequency of vibration in the predetermined harmonics table a count of a number of harmonic frequencies of the base frequency that are present in the peak amplitude table, and if three or more harmonic frequencies are present for the base frequency within a set frequency range, automatically predicting, by the predictive vibration analyzer, that the rotational machine possesses the rotational fault of the one or more rotational faults.

7. A computer program product for predictively evaluating a rotational machine of a cooling apparatus to provide cooling to an electronics rack, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium readable by a processor and storing instructions for execution by the processor to perform a method comprising;

storing a predetermined harmonics table of one or more base frequencies of vibration and associated rotational harmonics for the rotational machine indicative of one or more rotational faults therein;

monitoring vibration of the rotational machine during operation thereof by evaluating vibration data therefor within the electronics rack, and automatically ascertaining based thereon, and based on the predetermined harmonics table, whether the rotational machine is predicted to possess a rotational fault of the one or more rotational faults; and

wherein the automatically ascertaining comprises transforming the vibration data into a plurality of sample frequency signals with associated amplitudes and generating, from the plurality of sample frequency signals, a peak amplitude table of sample frequency signals of the plurality of sample frequency signals, the generating including, for a selected frequency signal of the plurality of sample frequency signals, determining whether the selected frequency signal has a peak signal amplitude by;

comparing the associated signal amplitude of the selected frequency signal to an average signal amplitude for a window of sample frequency signals, of the plurality of sample frequency signals, about the selected frequency signal within a set frequency range; and

determining whether the associated signal amplitude of the selected frequency signal exceeds the average signal amplitude for the window of sample frequency signals within the set frequency range by a preset percentage.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the monitoring automatically generates, from the plurality of sample frequency signals, a peak amplitude table of sample frequency signals of the plurality of sample frequency signals with peak amplitude values in at least two of an x, y, or z direction.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein generating the peak amplitude table further comprises automatically determining, by the predictive vibration analyzer, whether to add the selected frequency signal to the peak amplitude table when its associated signal amplitude exceeds the average signal amplitude for the window by the defined percentage, the automatically determining comprising ascertaining whether the peak amplitude table already contains, within a preset frequency range of the selected frequency signal, an existing peak amplitude value, and if so, substituting for the existing peak amplitude value the selected frequency signal'"'"'s signal amplitude within the peak amplitude table when that signal amplitude is greater than the existing peak amplitude value.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the monitoring automatically repeats the determining whether the selected frequency signal possesses a peak amplitude signal to evaluate the selected frequency signal in each of the x, y, and z directions.