MISTRAS | Triple 5 Monitors Over 130 Boilers through Virtual AMS (VAMS)

A screenshot from VAMS

Although Triple 5 has been monitoring boilers since 1988, Virtual Acoustic Monitoring System (VAMS) hastaken on-line monitoring to new heights. Where the surveillance team once had to wait for slow 56k modems or involved VPN connections, they now have the ability to point and click to select a boiler for tube leak detection. The internal success of the VAMS has paved the way for VAMS Replay software, a program now being sold and used daily by plant personnel. With VAMS, our customers have the ability to monitor their boilers remotely, from home or while travelling. Plant personnel consider VAMS a valuable tool for asset management.

How does it work? The AMS data logger at the customer site transmits binary data every 20 seconds to a server housed at MISTRAS Worldwide Headquarters. The binary data is compiled and displayed through the VAMS software and is accessible by the Triple 5 Surveillance team. The VAMS software is nearly a mirror image of the AMS software; the main difference is the AMS allows the user to view real time and historical spectra while the VAMS only stores historical spectra. All software changes must be made to the AMS through a remote connection to the data logger. The software updates will automatically be sent to the VAMS once per day.

The advent of VAMS has accelerated both the time management aspect of online monitoring and aided in the development of a new SmartLeak program. Each morning, a Triple 5 engineer runs the SmartLeak program that accesses and analyzes data from VAMS. A comparison program runs and a report is distributed to the surveillance team. Expect to hear more on the SmartLeak in the coming months!