Asset type
Compressor monitoring
SAM4 monitors gas, air, and process compressors from the motor control cabinet — detecting bearing wear, valve faults, imbalance, and efficiency degradation without accessing the compressor skid. No sensor on the machine. No process shutdown for installation.
At a glance
- Monitoring method
- Electrical Signature Analysis (ESA)
- Sensor location
- Motor control cabinet (MCC)
- Voltage range
- Low and medium voltage
- Drive type
- DOL, soft starter, VFD
- Compressor types
- Reciprocating, screw, centrifugal, axial
- Faults detected
- 5 fault types
- Typical lead time
- 3–10 weeks before failure
Why monitor compressors
High-value assets in hard-to-reach locations — often running without condition monitoring
Compressors drive critical gas and air supply in refineries, chemical plants, and mining operations. They operate in hazardous zones, often behind blast walls or in ATEX areas, making physical access for routine inspection costly and infrequent.
typical cost of an unplanned compressor failure — including equipment damage, lost production, and emergency mobilisation.
of compressor failures are preceded by detectable changes in the electrical signature weeks before the event.
average lead time from compressor trip to full restart in a refinery — including isolation, repair, and recommissioning.
What SAM4 detects on compressors
Five fault types from one sensor location
| Fault type | What's happening | How SAM4 detects it | Typical lead time | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bearing wear | Rolling element degradation in motor and compressor bearings | Characteristic bearing fault frequencies in the motor current spectrum | 3–10 weeks | Full |
| Valve faults | Suction/discharge valve leakage or failure in reciprocating compressors | Cyclic load pattern anomalies detected in the current waveform | 2–6 weeks | Full |
| Imbalance | Rotor fouling, deposit buildup, or erosion causing rotational imbalance | 1× running speed component increase in the current spectrum | 2–8 weeks | Full |
| Efficiency degradation | Compressor operating below design efficiency due to wear or fouling | Power consumption deviation from baseline at equivalent operating conditions | Continuous | Partial |
| Electrical faults | Stator winding degradation, rotor bar cracks, supply quality issues | Phase imbalance, harmonic changes, and winding signature anomalies | 4–12 weeks | Full |
Detection capability depends on drive topology, sampling rate, load variation, and operating conditions. See ESA detection constraints.
Installation on compressors
30 minutes. No access to the compressor skid required.
Open the motor control cabinet
SAM4 installs at the MCC — the same panel your electricians already access. No confined space entry, no scaffolding, no process shutdown.
Clip sensor onto motor supply cables
Current and voltage sensors clip directly onto the existing cabling. No wiring changes. No interruption to the asset's operation.
Connect and commission
The SAM4 gateway connects via cellular (4G/LTE) — no dependency on your IT network. Monitoring starts immediately. First diagnostic results within 48 hours.
Energy monitoring
Not just fault detection. Energy optimisation too.
Compressors are among the highest energy consumers in industrial facilities — often accounting for 20–30% of total plant electricity use. SAM4 tracks power consumption continuously, identifying compressors running below design efficiency due to fouling, wear, or control issues.
Power baseline tracking
SAM4 establishes a power consumption baseline for each compressor and tracks deviations over time — flagging when efficiency drops below acceptable thresholds.
Load profile analysis
Continuous monitoring of load patterns reveals compressors running at suboptimal points, enabling scheduling and staging optimisation.
Maintenance-driven efficiency recovery
By linking efficiency losses to specific fault signatures, SAM4 provides data to justify and prioritise maintenance actions that recover energy performance.
Where compressors are monitored
Industries using SAM4 on compressors
Oil & Gas
Gas compressors, process compressors, injection compressors. Hazardous zone monitoring from the MCC.
Chemicals
Process air compressors, refrigeration compressors. Monitoring without entering classified areas.
Metals & Mining
Instrument air compressors, process gas compressors. Remote and harsh environment deployments.
Pulp & Paper
Air compressors, process compressors. Continuous monitoring across mill operations.
See SAM4 monitoring compressors
A 30-minute demo shows SAM4 running on compressors like yours — with real fault data, real diagnostics, and real energy insights.