Study on Equipment Diagnostic Technology Utilizing Tribology

Today about 800 out of the 2,000 wastewater treatment plants across Japan have been in operation for more than 15 years, and it is expected that upgrades of aged equipment will increase in the coming years. Costs can possibly be reduced if the service life of equipment can be extended through proper maintenance. Condition monitoring technology, a method to keep track of equipment deterioration, is a highly anticipated technology to allow proper maintenance. This study recaps the major points that need to be considered when implementing conditionbased maintenance in a wastewater facility. In particular, the study's primary focus was equipment diagnostic technology utilizing tribology, which is one of the technologies used for condition-based maintenance (hereinafter referred to as “lubrication diagnosis”), and it collates basic ideas regarding the applicability of such technology, the points that need to be considered when implementing it, and analytical tests.