Streamline Control & Brüel & Kjaer Vibro: Enhancing Rotating Equipment Reliability Through Integrated Condition Monitoring

Unlocking Operational Excellence

At Streamline Control, we help organizations maximize their technology investments through proven strategy and deep industrial expertise. With over a decade of experience in control systems, IIoT, and OT/IT integration, we deliver scalable AVEVA™ solutions that strengthen operational performance.
As a trusted AVEVA integrator, Streamline Control delivers robust, tailored solutions that drive value across the industrial lifecycle. Our strength lies in our ability to connect control systems, operational data, and enterprise platforms into cohesive environments. Streamline’s first approach ensures AVEVA technologies deliver real operational value, not just technical deployment.

Brüel & Kjaer Vibro’s SETPOINT® Expertise

Streamline integrates Brüel & Kjaer Vibro’s SETPOINT® vibration monitoring into AVEVA environments to strengthen enterprise asset reliability.

SETPOINT® continuously monitors critical rotating equipment, capturing real-time vibration data and applying protection thresholds to detect early signs of mechanical degradation. Integrated with the AVEVA™ PI System™, it extends asset health visibility across the enterprise to support predictive maintenance and improve operational reliability.

Introduction

Streamline Control worked with a large midstream energy producer to configure and deploy Brüel & Kjaer Vibro’s SETPOINT® and CMS (Condition Monitoring System). This case study explores how Streamline’s expertise in AVEVA PI System integration combined Brüel & Kjaer Vibro’s advanced vibration monitoring technology to deliver a rotating equipment health monitoring solution that seamlessly integrates with the client’s centralized PI infrastructure.

Client Profile

A large midstream energy producer in North America specializing in pipeline transportation, compression, and processing infrastructure. At the time of the project, the company had a broad network of pipeline transportation, terminals, storage, and gathering assets located in major crude oil and NGL production areas across the United States and Canada. At the time of the project, the company moved over 8 million barrels of crude oil and NGL daily on average. The organization operates critical rotating equipment including compressors, and reciprocating machinery across multiple facilities. Equipment reliability is paramount to maintaining continuous operations and avoiding costly unplanned downtime.

The Challenge

The client faced several critical challenges related to rotating equipment monitoring and maintenance.

  • Process plant equipment downtime from failed mechanical components and lost production can range in millions of dollars, especially when critical spares are not readily available.
  • Limited ability to detect small equipment issues before they developed into larger, more costly problems.
  • Vibration data existed in isolation from broader process data, making root cause analysis difficult.
  • Operations and reliability engineers spent significant time manually reviewing equipment displays weekly to identify potential issues.
  • Lack of advanced trending and playback capabilities to analyze how equipment conditions developed over time.

The organization needed a solution that could provide early detection of rotating equipment issues while integrating seamlessly with their AVEVA PI System architecture.

The Solution

Streamline configured and implemented Brüel & Kjaer Vibro’s SETPOINT® CMS as an integrated component of the client’s centralized PI System. SETPOINT® provides plant-wide condition monitoring for rotating and reciprocating assets, such as pumps and compressors, with native integration into the AVEVA PI System.

Key Solution Components

SETPOINT® automatically creates PI tags and PI Asset Framework (AF) hierarchy for compressors and rotating equipment, eliminating manual configuration efforts and ensuring consistent data structure.

PI Asset Framework hierarchy automatically created by SETPOINT®.

Data Visualization Environment

 AVEVA™ PI Vision serves as the primary plant-wide monitoring platform with machine train diagrams, PIDs, alarms & events, and multi-variable trends.

Automatic Data Collection and Retention

SETPOINT®’s data collection methodology captures waveform snapshots with 80ms fast trend resolution, automatically retaining data that reflects significant change while discarding redundant information.

Plot Types

SETPOINT® supports over 20 specialized plot types including spectrum analysis, Bode plots, polar plots, waterfall/cascade displays, shaft centerline, orbits, and time-based plots – essential tools for machinery diagnostics.

Implementation

The client faced several critical challenges related to rotating equipment monitoring and maintenance. Streamline Control’s implementation focused on configuration and integration rather than physical hardware installation.

AVEVA PI System Configuration

  • Configured SETPOINT®’s automatic PI tag creation for all monitored equipment points
  • Established PI Asset Framework hierarchy for compressors, pumps, and rotating equipment
  • Integrated vibration data with process parameters (flows, levels, temperatures, pressures) in unified displays

Visualization Development

  • Built machine train diagrams in PI Vision incorporating equipment vibration, bearing temperatures, auxiliary data, and process parameters
  • Configured Quick View navigation links allowing users to drill down from PI Vision dashboards directly into SETPOINT® CMS for detailed waveform analysis
  • Implemented alarm status indicators and event lists for rapid issue identification

User Workflow Optimization

  • Configured displays to support weekly equipment scanning routines
  • Enabled historical data playback for root cause analysis
  • Set up trending capabilities to track percentage changes and predominant vibration frequencies over time

Results

The integrated SETPOINT® CMS solution delivered significant operational benefits:

  • Early Issue Detection

    • Small equipment issues are now flagged before they develop into larger, more costly problems. The system’s ability to detect tiny but meaningful anomalies in machine behavior that other systems miss provides critical early warning capabilities.

    • Automatic PI tag and AF hierarchy creation eliminated manual configuration efforts, while Quick View navigation between PI Vision and SETPOINT® CMS enables seamless movement between plant-wide monitoring and detailed vibration analysis.

    • Beyond condition monitoring and visualization, SETPOINT® can be extended to support automated work order generation with leading enterprise maintenance systems such as IBM Maximo and SAP. In a typical architecture, vibration tag values flowing into the AVEVA PI System would be evaluated against configurable thresholds using PI Analysis, and defined thresholds would trigger an integration layer to automatically raise corrective maintenance work orders in the target ERP or CMMS.
  • Reduced Downtime Risk
    • By identifying developing issues weeks or months before failure, the organization can schedule maintenance during planned outages rather than experiencing costly unplanned shutdowns worth millions of dollars in lost production.
  • Unified Data Environment
    • Operations and reliability engineers now access both vibration and process data in a single integrated environment, dramatically improving root cause analysis. When a noticeable change occurs in the PI Vision overview display, engineers can immediately drill down into SETPOINT® CMS to analyze waveform data, trending analysis, frequency content, and percentage of change.
  • Enhanced Diagnostic Capability
    • Historical data playback and state-based analysis allow engineers to compare current equipment behavior against known-good baselines, identify resonance shifts, and visualize how events developed over time.
  • Data Sharing and Collaboration
    • SETPOINT®’s portable .cms file format allows engineers to export data and share with remote diagnostics experts anywhere in the world using free viewer software – no license administration required.

Conclusion

The successful implementation of Brüel & Kjaer Vibro’s SETPOINT® CMS, configured and integrated by Streamline Control, demonstrates the power of combining specialized condition monitoring technology with enterprise-wide data infrastructure. By seamlessly integrating vibration monitoring into the client’s centralized AVEVA PI System, Streamline enabled a proactive maintenance approach that protects against multi-million-dollar equipment failures while providing engineers with best-in-class diagnostic tools. The solution continues to support the client’s operational excellence objectives by transforming raw vibration data into actionable intelligence that prevents costly unplanned downtime.

Contact

For further information on Streamline Control’s AVEVA PI System integration services, please contact Matthew Vana, Director, Historians & Business Intelligence, at matthew.vana@streamlinecontrol.com.

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