Sometimes the most interesting data is the data you weren’t looking for.
We currently have UNIs living in a freezer as part of our environmental testing.
While reviewing the data, we noticed the vibration measurement was unusually high. The reason is pretty obvious from the graph – we’re watching the freezer compressor cycle on and off.
It’s a nice example of the value of ancillary measurements.
A UNI might be installed primarily to monitor temperature, pressure or another process variable, but its accelerometer, internal temperature, supply voltage and other measurements can tell you much more about the machine around it.
In this case, monitoring changes in compressor run time and duty cycle could potentially provide an early indication of deteriorating door seals, reduced refrigeration efficiency or another developing problem.
Sometimes the useful information is already there. You just need to notice it.
