In brief
Finkova is Bently Nevada's authorised partner in Finland. For data center projects in Finland, Finkova can supply, commission and support condition monitoring and machinery protection for circulation pumps, chiller and heat pump compressors and backup power, from sensors and 3500 or Orbit 60 protection systems to System 1 software, including cyber security for the systems.
What a buyer should provide
Share the machine list with types, speeds and drives, the redundancy of each system, the results of a failure mode or criticality analysis if one exists, the alarm and trip philosophy, and the network and cyber security requirements for monitoring data.
Why rotating machinery decides cooling availability
Cooling capacity in a data center rests on rotating machines: circulation pumps, chiller compressors, fans, heat pump compressors and backup generators. A loss of cooling shows up in the hall in minutes, not hours.
Bearing and seal damage in pumps develops gradually and is detectable by vibration measurement weeks before failure. Early warning lets service be scheduled within the redundancy instead of during an outage.
Which machines to monitor, and how, follows from a failure mode and criticality analysis rather than from the equipment list. The method is covered in data center cooling: failure modes and condition monitoring.
Matching monitoring to criticality
Not every machine needs the same monitoring. A common approach matches the technology to the consequence of failure.
Critical machines: continuous online protection with 3500 or Orbit 60 series systems. Chiller compressors are the largest rotating machines on site, and machinery protection trips them before a fault turns into damage.
Intermediate criticality: online condition monitoring with Trendmaster Pro for circulation pumps and other machines that do not need automatic shutdown protection but whose failure would reduce redundancy.
Balance of plant: Orbit DCM edge monitoring, Ranger Pro wireless vibration sensors or SCOUT200 portable data collectors on inspection routes, for fans, smaller pumps and standby pumps.
Motors and backup power: motor and generator monitoring finds electrical and mechanical faults before they matter in an outage. Backup power rarely runs, but it has to start every time.
The Bently Nevada systems
3500 series. Continuous online machinery protection and condition monitoring for turbines, compressors, pumps and generators. The system reacts immediately to deviations to prevent serious damage.
Orbit 60 series. Bently Nevada's newer protection and condition monitoring platform, with a distributable architecture and a built-in data diode for one-way data transfer.
Sensors. Vibration, temperature, pressure and shaft position measurements feed the protection systems and the software.
System 1 software. Brings machine condition data to one platform for real-time monitoring, trending, diagnostics, alarm management and reporting, supporting predictive maintenance.
Finkova's role
Finkova supports the monitoring system through its whole life:
- design and sizing for the site's machines and criticality
- supply with factory warranty and expert support
- commissioning, including the vibration baseline recorded at handover
- further development as the site and its IT load grow
- cyber security services for Bently Nevada systems: secure design, commissioning, update management, access management and ongoing maintenance, especially for System 1 environments
Installation and commissioning work
Equipment supply on this page is for projects in Finland. The installation and commissioning work also covers systems supplied by others and projects elsewhere in the Nordics:
- installation and commissioning of the specified instruments, machinery protection and condition monitoring systems
- flow surveys and measurement verification during cooling commissioning
- signal, alarm and interface checks against the approved test plan
- condition monitoring setup, diagnostics and agreed support for the operations team
Safety functions, setpoints and acceptance authority are defined before testing.
Machinery protection is safety automation
Protection systems act on their own: they watch the machines continuously and trip them before a fault becomes damage. That makes them part of the site's safety automation. Their settings, alarm limits and test results belong in the handover documentation, as described in data center cooling: commissioning and handover.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between machinery protection and condition monitoring?
Machinery protection watches a machine continuously and trips it automatically when a limit is exceeded, which prevents damage. Condition monitoring collects and analyses data over time to find developing faults and plan maintenance. Bently Nevada systems combine both, with System 1 software for analysis.
Which machines in a data center should be monitored?
The choice follows from a failure mode and criticality analysis. Chiller and heat pump compressors, circulation pumps whose failure reduces redundancy, and backup power are usually monitored first. Fans and smaller pumps can be covered with wireless sensors or portable data collection.
How early can vibration monitoring find a pump fault?
Bearing and seal damage develops gradually and is typically detectable by vibration measurement weeks before failure. That leaves time to schedule service within the redundancy.
Is Finkova an authorised Bently Nevada partner?
Yes. Finkova is Bently Nevada's authorised partner in Finland and supplies Bently Nevada sensors, 3500 and Orbit 60 protection systems and System 1 software with factory warranty, expert support and lifecycle services.
