The challenge
In a quarry, two 110 kW dewatering pumps continuously empty a basin where rainwater and runoff accumulate. On one of them, cavitation set in between two vibration analysis campaigns: the pump kept running, but its impeller was eroding and its hydraulic performance was dropping, with no visible symptom.
The approach
Continuous analysis of electrical signals revealed a cavitation signature in the motor current spectrum on 16 April. A dedicated metric that tracks low-frequency energy jumped sharply and stayed abnormally high. The customer, alerted immediately, confirmed the noise of severe cavitation on site.
The result
The cause was quickly found: algae were partially blocking the suction strainer shared by both pumps. One week after detection, the basin was dredged and the strainer cleaned. The metric and the active power immediately returned to normal. A simple cleaning, planned at the right time, avoided a pump replacement and a site shutdown.
👉 Download the full use case to discover how electrical analysis turns an invisible cavitation into a simple, planned maintenance operation.