Engine diagnosis method based on vibration and acoustic emission energy

This paper presents a fast and automatic engine diagnosis method based on the analysis of the vibration/acoustic emission signals' energy. The method is based on the comparison of the vibration and acoustic emission energy with reference values, obtained when the engine is working in normal conditions, to determine whether the engine condition is faulty. The measurement system was optimised and the best processing technique was determined. The energy was obtained by taking the integral of the root mean square (RMS) signal in the time (or crankshaft angle) domain for the different events of the engine cycle and compared with the original ones. This methodology has been proven to be a reliable, accurate and low-cost tool. This diagnosis tool was successfully used to detect a fault in a diesel generator in a nuclear power plant.