applied

sciences
Article
Investigation of Failure Causes of Oil Pump Based on
Operating Conditions
Jong-Jik Lee 1 , Yongjin Kim 1 , Taehyun Lee 1 , Myung-Sung Kim 1 , Jeong-Hyeon Kim 2 , Hyun-Jin Tak 3 ,
Jong-Won Park 1 and Dongho Oh 4, *

1 Department of Reliability Assessment, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials,

Daejeon 34103, Republic of Korea
2 Hydrogen Ship Technology Center, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
3 Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Pusan National University,
Busan 46241, Republic of Korea
4 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
* Correspondence: [email protected]

Abstract: Pumps, as core pieces of equipment in ships, are installed in the engine room to supply
refined oil to the engine. Pump failure causes critical problems for ship operations. Therefore, failure-
monitoring-based diagnosis technology is an essential requirement in the shipbuilding industry.
For this purpose, a database containing information about the failure states depending on the main
cause of the failure cases of the pump needs to be developed. In the present study, failure causes of
pumps based on actual accident records were quantitatively analyzed. Then, failure modes for the
bearing, coupling, sealing, and screw, which are the core parts of the oil pump, were determined. Test
infrastructures for the oil pump were developed to obtain normal and abnormal data considering
diverse operating conditions. Based on the vibration data from the accelerometer installed on the
test infrastructures, the frequency of failure was analyzed through Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). In
addition, more precise results were obtained by performing Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT)
for the FFT results that indicated severe failure. Finally, over 200 data entries were accumulated on
the core parts of the oil pump, considering normal as well as abnormal operating conditions. The
database constructed in this study is expected to help in investigating failure diagnosis and prediction
of algorithm models for ship management.
Citation: Lee, J.-J.; Kim, Y.; Lee, T.;
Kim, M.-S.; Kim, J.-H.; Tak, H.-J.;
Keywords: marine oil pump; failure characteristics; operating database
Park, J.-W.; Oh, D. Investigation of
Failure Causes of Oil Pump Based on
Operating Conditions. Appl. Sci.
2023, 13, 4308. https://doi.org/
10.3390/app13074308 1. Introduction

Academic Editor: Koji Murai

Machines have become essential for our lives, and faster, more complex, and auto-
mated machines are being developed to meet the evolving requirements of human beings.
Received: 4 March 2023 Recently, technologies that use cleaner fuel or reduce pollutants are being developed in
Revised: 24 March 2023 the interests of being environmentally friendly [1–5]. In the shipping and offshore indus-
Accepted: 26 March 2023 tries, there are various types of equipment and many types of ships, e.g., cargo ships for
Published: 28 March 2023
transporting cargo, passenger ships to transport passengers, oil tankers for transporting
crude oil, and LNG carriers to transport LNG. Even though various types of ships feature
various differences, most of them share one common machine, i.e., the engine. A few ships
Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.
do use fuel cells and electricity in order to be environmentally friendly, but this is a small
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. number compared to all vessels operating at sea. According to the European Maritime
This article is an open access article Safety Agency, most failures occur in the engine room [6]. Consequently, securing the safety
distributed under the terms and of the ship’s engine room system is most important, and it is necessary for engines to be able
conditions of the Creative Commons to work smoothly, even in the face of minor breakdowns of some of its components [7–9].
Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// In past decades, maintenance technology for ships focused on prevention techniques
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ for the planned maintenance system, which depends on component replacement after a
4.0/). certain period, regardless of the fault. However, such maintenance is carried out irrespective

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4308. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13074308 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4308 2 of 18

of the fault level; thus, it tends to be expensive owing to frequent interruption and part
replacement. In particular, in the case of small ships, an alarm system installed on board is
required to send alarm sounds or visual signals when a device is facing issues; however, it is
difficult to pinpoint the exact issue if there is no professional knowledge of how the device is
affected. Furthermore, there is an increased risk of marine accidents if a mechanical device
has a problem. These problems arise in many other industries as well, and to mitigate
them, increasingly, condition-based maintenance technology is being developed. The study
of abnormal detection and classification is being actively conducted using various types
of data from the machine to diagnose the condition of the machine with more specificity
and exactness. This is expected to be able to reduce the maintenance cost by improving
management technology and minimizing parts replacement by performing prediction
maintenance in a timely manner. Currently, domestic and foreign ship failure diagnostic
systems are being developed by engine manufacturers to perform monitoring and failure
diagnosis of their own engines.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) defines a maritime autonomous sur-
face ship (MASS) as a vessel that can operate at a certain level without human intervention.
It aims to be a full-time autonomous vessel, and for this purpose, failure diagnosis must
be available in most equipment systems and the engine. A large amount of actual data on
the target equipment is required to develop effective failure diagnostic technology for the
ship engine system. However, existing ships have been carrying out post-maintenance and
regular maintenance; thus, a database containing the appropriate data needs to be created.
In addition, data collection on actual ships is time-consuming, making it challenging to
develop such technology. The best way to do this is to build a state-based database based
on land and demonstration tests. In the past few decades, fault monitoring of marine diesel
engine-based equipment on ships has been widely reported [10,11]. Rubio [12] investigated
the development of a four-stroke high-speed marine diesel engine failure simulator used in
military and civil vessels as the main engine of small patrols and yachts. This simulator
was adjusted and validated using an experimental database from a real engine in a test
bench. A thermodynamic model was developed that reproduces engine behavior not only
under normal conditions but also under failure conditions [12]. Radica and Matulic [13]
reported an engine model for onboard engine failure simulation. A physical model was
built for engine optimization and diagnostic purposes that can be used onboard ships. The
engine model was calibrated using a low-speed marine diesel engine, and the results were
successfully verified against the measurement [13]. Chybowsk et al. [14] investigated the
impact of marine engine component failures upon an explosion in the starting air manifold.
A cause-and-effect analysis of the explosions was performed, and their root causes were
identified. In addition, a probabilistic model of an explosion in the starting air manifold
of a marine engine was built using a fault tree analysis [14]. Wang et al. [15] investigated
the fault monitoring method of marine diesel engines. A hybrid fault monitoring scheme
combining manifold learning and anomaly detection was proposed. The results showed
that a zero-dimensional marine diesel engine simulation model realistically represented
the behavior of the engine with acceptable parameter deviation [15]. Gao et al. [16] investi-
gated the failure of gear teeth fracture of seawater pumps in a diesel engine. The results
showed that the root reason of the failure was gear fatigue fracture, which was caused by
non-metallic inclusions in the teeth. The condition monitoring and fault diagnosis system
(CMFDS) installed on the engine captured some useful information, which provided crucial
clues to diagnose and locate the fault [16]. Kowalski et al. [17] identified diagnostic signals
in the composition of exhaust gas from marine four-stroke diesel engines. An active experi-
ment was performed that consisted of measurements conducted during a laboratory-based
engine operation with simulated malfunctions [17]. Karatug and Arslanoglu [18] reported
the condition-based maintenance strategy for fault diagnosis for ship engine systems. Cer-
tain parameters of the large-sized container ship are collected for the development of the
condition-based maintenance strategy. These data were analyzed using an artificial neural
network in order to create an engine performance model [18].
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4308 3 of 18

A number of related studies have been reported, but a database focused extensively
on parts related to pumps, which play an important role in the engine room, has not been
developed. Furthermore, it is difficult to find studies that have established an infrastructure
capable of evaluating the performance of a pump and analyzed its behavior in normal and
abnormal conditions using this infrastructure. In the present study, experimental research
was conducted to build a condition-based ship device database. The failure mode was
selected by analyzing the failure case and reliability analysis of the pump, which is an
essential system. Fault scenarios were derived through several studies on how to test
failure modes. The test bed for the land test was established for the fault test. In addition,
a performance monitor was used to obtain the actual monitoring and measurement data
using the system, and the data characteristics of the time and frequency region were
observed using vibration data.

2. Target Structure
The pump, an autonomous vessel assistant device, is a core assistive device of the
engine room that supplies refined oil to the engine. There are various types of pumps.
The pump selected in this study is the three-axis screw-type pump, which is used to
supply clean oil purified by a purifier in the engine room of the ship. It needs to have
stable operation characteristics because it supplies high-viscosity ship oil. Figure 1 shows
the cross-section of the tested screw-type pump. In addition, Table 1 describes the main
composition of each part of the pump in Figure 1 [19]. As shown, the pump is composed
of various different parts, such as the coupling, motor, sealing, and bearing. The pump
continues to operate during ship operations, and if a breakdown occurs, the supply of the
oil decreases, which can interfere with smooth engine operations and cause subsequent
failures. The ship oil used for ship operations has high viscosity and can be operated in a
high-temperature environment, and the three-axis screw type pump has a stable operation
even in the high-point and high-temperature environment. The maximum pressure of the
target pump is 16 bar when media such as polyol, isocyanate, and lubricating oil are used.
However, the manufacturer suggests an operating pressure up to 8 bar for safety (with
a delivery rate of 50 L/min) when heavy fuel oil (HFO) is used as the medium. Motor
bearings and pump bearings, couplings, sealings, and main screws are known to be the
major components with high risk priority number (RPN) scores in the pump.

Figure 1. Cross-section of the tested screw-type pump.

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4308 4 of 18

Table 1. Description of the main composition of each part of the pump in Figure 1.

No. Equipment No. Equipment

K1 Pump K11 Sealing space unit
K2 Coupling (pump side) K12 Sealing
K3 Intermediate coupling ring K13 Main screw
K4 Coupling (motor side) K14 Ball bearing
K5 Motor K15 Flange cover
K6 Pump bracket K16 Thrust pin
K7 Screw plug K17 Relief line
K8 Overflow valve K18 Idle screw
K9 Pump housing K19 End over
K10 Balancing cylinder

3. Analysis of Failure Mode

The main failure modes of the pump were analyzed using various studies [20]. In
addition, the cause and mechanism of failure for major components were analyzed. Table 2
shows the failure mode of oil pumps installed on ships. For the core modules classified by
function, the failure modes and corresponding failure mechanisms were summarized. We
confirmed that there are various failure modes, such as crack, wear, adhesion, vibration,
and leakage. In addition, the failure mechanism in each component was different for
each failure mode. The FMECA (failure modes, effects, and critical analysis) is a way to
determine all the possible failure modes for components of the system and to evaluate and
optimize the risk of potential failure modes, failure effects, and causes of failure. According
to the critical evaluation criteria, the incidence and severity of the failure derived from the
literature data analysis were quantified and applied. RPN was evaluated, and the main
failure mode was derived. Table 3 shows the failure modes and mechanisms for each part
of the pump. As shown, the core parts selected are the bearing, coupling, sealing, and
screw.

Table 2. Failure mode of oil pumps installed on ships.

Module Function Component Failure Mode Failure Mechanism

Misalignment-based
Screw Cracking 1-1
vibration
Power transmission
Poor lubrication,
Motor through shaft to operate Wear 2-1
contamination
the pump screw Bearing
Shaft bending,
Adhesion 2-2 misalignment, poor
lubrication
Surface wear, vibration,
Overheating 2-3
screw rubbing, fan failure
Noise and Overload, short circuit, and
Other 3-1
vibration screw rubbing
Screw damage and cracks,
Pump Vibration 4-1 misalignment, bearing
Flow distribution Body
Body damage
Poor lubrication and
Overheating 4-2
bearing damage
Erosion and Foreign substance chemical
5-1
Pump Heavy fuel oil (HFO) corrosion reaction
Screw
Screw intake and discharge Fatigue failure, idling, and
Cracking 5-2
bearing damage
Poor lubrication and
Overheating 5-3
bearing damage
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4308 5 of 18

Table 2. Cont.

Module Function Component Failure Mode Failure Mechanism

Surface cracking and
Reduction of friction of Wear 6-1 misalignment due to
Pump
components having Bearing vibration
Bearing
relative motion with Wear and misalignment due
parts Overheating 6-2
to insufficient lubrication
Lack of lubrication, fatigue
Adhesion 6-3
failure
Gap on sealing surface due
Pump Contamination, pressure
Sealing Leakage 7-1 to fatigue, shaft vibration,
Sealing and leakage protection
and insufficient lubrication
Pump Motor and pump shaft Elastomer wear 8-1 Overload and overheating
Coupling
Coupling connection Noise and Misalignment, bearing
8-2
vibration damage, overload

Table 3. Failure modes and mechanisms of each pump part.

Failure Mode
Failure Part
Name Mechanism
Poor lubrication Poor lubrication-based adhesion and foreign
Bearing
Contamination substance-based wear
Misalignment Crack caused by angle, parallel, and lateral changes
Coupling
Elastomer wear Deterioration of elastomer
Degradation of material propertiesdue to thermal
Sealing Temperature aging
aging
Cavitation Corrosion and wear due to pressure changes
Screw
Contamination Surface wear caused by fluid contamination

In addition, we analyzed the proportion of the causes of failure in the main parts
by referring to the documentary database. The incidence of failure by failure mode was
evaluated through quantitative evaluation, and the main failure mode was selected for
parts with high RPN scores.

4. Test Bed
Acquiring the actual data of the normal and abnormal components of the pump would
take considerable time and would be expensive. Instead, a test bed was established to
implement each major failure characteristic and acquire data considering the operating
environments of the parts of the pump. Figure 2 shows the test bed for collecting normal
and abnormal data from the parts of the pump. As shown in the figure, the test bed on
land was built as an individual system, unlike the multi-connected system configuration, to
monitor the pump’s functional parts [21]. Table 4 presents the measurement ranges, error
ranges, and sampling rate information for sensors installed on the equipment, such as the
flowmeter, pressure gauge, thermometer, and accelerometer.
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4308 6 of 18

Figure 2. Test bed for the components of the pump on land.

Table 4. Sensors installed in the test bed for the pump test.

Pressure Gauge Flowmeter Thermometer Sound Level Meter Accelerometer

Name PSH KTR-550-F-T PT100 GRAS 46AE 1/2 PCB Kistler
0–100 ◦C
Range 0–10 bar 0–50 17–135 (dBA) 0.7–5 kHz 0.3–10 kHz
(L/min)
Sampling rate 1 kHz 1 kHz 1 kHz 51.2 kHz 25.6 kHz 25.6 kHz

The pump test bed is designed to control normal and abnormal characteristics precisely.
In line with the advice of the manufacturer, the test facility was optimized and upgraded
to verify its suitability for the test. More specifically, the piping design conditions were
optimized to stably implement the operating conditions (flow rate, etc.) of the target device
by performing a preliminary operation. In addition, uncertainty-inducing factors, such
as cavitation, that could affect the operating environment were eliminated to accurately
control and measure the flow rates. Using the installed sensors, the database was obtained
considering environmental parameters such as temperature and pressure flow. In addition,
the additional failure response for vibration and noise was acquired. The data were
collected and stored in CSV data files through simultaneous modules such as the DAQ
Card module and Sinus Apollo Light module [22]. Table 5 presents information about the
manufacturer and operating conditions of the pump test bed. The test bed was prepared
using a screw pump (KRAL company), which is commonly used in ships. Then, a trial
test was conducted to confirm whether the performance and safety of the equipment were
secured and whether the operating environment could be reproduced. Fault test diagnostic
data acquisition and system control software was configured to enable monitoring of
driving data 16CH and vibration characteristic data 8ch. In addition, the operation of the
development SW enabled real-time analysis of acquisition signals, such as the acquisition of
failure diagnostic data for each failure scenario and FFT analysis. Vibration data were used
in real-time monitoring of high frequency bands using Amadeus software (FAMTECH),
and the application of the condition-based monitoring system was verified by comparing
data using the development software. The test was conducted three times for 900 s.
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4308 7 of 18

Table 5. Manufacturer and operating conditions of the test bed for the pump.

Manufacturer KRAL Pump

0 to 0.1 bar (inlet)
Pressure
0 to 1.3 bar (outlet)
25–35 ◦ C (inlet)
Temperature
28–38 ◦ C (outlet)
95–99.99 L/min (inlet)
Flow rate
95–99.99 L/min (outlet)
Rotational speed 1770 (RPM) (Motor, pump)

5. Failure Tests
5.1. Motor Bearing
During the motor operation, the bearing is located at the end of the motor and main-
tains a smooth rotation. The bearing, combined with the motor, is exposed to high stress
levels during the motor operation. Therefore, the proper lubricating conditions must be
maintained, and the penetration of external pollutants must be prevented. When the motor
has been operating for a long time, friction may occur between bearing components owing
to poor lubrication or aging of the lubrication. In addition, the penetration of foreign
substances and piling up on the inside of the bearing results in the adhesion of the bearing.
In this case, subsequent failures such as vibration and noise due to bearing rotation and
faults in operating the equipment may occur. In the present study, the bearing sample was
subjected to lubrication failure and foreign substance injection failure to collect data for
a quantitative database. Figure 3a shows the results of the vibration data in the normal
and abnormal states. In the case of Figure 3b, the vibration occurred in each frequency
band, similar to a normal database. In addition, the amplitude has been decreased in all
areas of the motor in the radial direction. However, over 400 Hz, it can be confirmed that
the vibration was slightly increased. Figure 3c shows the vibration data according to the
contamination state inside the motor bearing. Overall, it was confirmed that vibration
occurs in the frequency band similar to the normal condition. However, it was confirmed
that the amplitude near 400–450 Hz in the radial direction increased significantly owing
to the high-speed rotation. Based on Figure 3, it was confirmed that the severity of the
vibration of the motor bearing was more dependent on the state of contamination inside
the motor bearing rather than the absence of lubrication. This is thought to be due to an
immediate reaction when pollutants are generated. However, once the motor is operated
over a longer time period, it is expected that more severe problems will occur, such as heat
generation, wear, and adhesion of the bearing.
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4308 8 of 18

Figure 3. FFT for (a) normal state and abnormal states such as (b) without lubrication and
(c) contamination of the motor bearing.

Figure 4 shows examples of wear, scratches, and dents that appear on the bearing by
comparing the conditions prior to testing and the tested conditions. After the test, several
scratches and dents were found in several places on the motor bearing. In particular, the
wear, scratches, and dents appeared on the outer surface of the inner ring and on the inner
surface of the outer ring after the test.
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4308 9 of 18

Figure 4. Wear characteristics of the bearing (a) prior to testing and (b) under the tested condition.

5.2. Coupling
The coupling has a structure in which an elastic body is inserted between the hub that
transmits power and the hub that receives the power. The driver hub of the coupling is
operated by the motor and transmits the power of the driver by pushing the elastic body
and the driven hub. The elastic body inserted between the hubs can reduce noise, vibration,
and impact during operation. As the surface of the elastic body is the curved surface, the
contact area of the coupling hub and the elastic chain improves the torque density and
increases the vibration damping effect. The pump for the fuel supplying system of ship is
rotated at high speed, and once the pump is operated in a long or harsh environment, the
sides of the elastic body and the hub can be worn or compressed, causing fatigue damage.
In addition, in the case of inappropriate installation of the pump and motor, vibration
occurring in the coupling unit can accumulate, leading to fatigue damage of the coupling.
Finally, this can lead to subsequent failures such as wear or damage of the coupling hub.
Such an artificial defect was applied to the coupling specimen, and data were acquired.
Figure 5 shows the FFT for abnormal states such as breakage of the elastic body
and misalignment of the coupling. When comparing the vibration data between normal
operation (see Figure 4a) and breakage of the elastic body, the frequency band showed
a similar trend. That is, even though some part of the coupling was broken, the overall
vibration trend was similar to the normal state of the coupling. However, in the case of the
misalignment of the coupling, the amplitude significantly increased in the overall frequency
ranges. In particular, the amplitude near 550 to 600 Hz in the radial direction increased
significantly.
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4308 10 of 18

Figure 5. FFT for abnormal states such as (a) breakage of the elastomer and (b) misalignment of the
coupling.

5.3. Sealing
The sealing consists of two seal faces, i.e., the stator and screw, which are vertically in
the rotation shaft with a cross-contact sealing device. The screw surface rotates with the
rotating axis and continues to maintain the sealing of the rotating part with the tension of
the spring or the pressure of the fluid. As a result, the sealing plays a role in preventing
leakage when the pump is operated. The pump for the ship’s fuel supply works at all
times when it operates, supplying high-viscosity and high-temperature refined oil to the
engine. A defect, such as wear or damage, may occur. In addition, the heat generated
by the temperature of the operating fluid or the operation of the machine can cause the
rubber o-ring of the sealing to deteriorate. Finally, it can lead to subsequent failures such
as wear and leaks. In the sealing, artificial defects were applied, and data were acquired
by mounting it on the equipment. Figure 6 shows the FFT for abnormal status caused
by thermal degradation of the sealing. As shown in the figure, it was confirmed that the
overall amplitude of the abnormal status increased slightly in the random frequency region
of the motor’s radial direction when compared to the normal state.

Figure 6. FFT for abnormal (thermal degradation) state of the sealing.

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4308 11 of 18

5.4. Screw
The screw is a major rotating part of the pump drive. The screw rotates the auxiliary
axis together, and the fluid is moved by the rotational force. For the smooth flow of fluid,
the screw must be smoothly rotated, and for this, it is necessary to maintain the pressure
inside the pipe at a constant value and maintain the state of the purified fluid. The pump
for the ship’s fuel supply works at all times when it is operated, and when the pump is
operated over a long time or in a harsh environment, it faces the pressure environment of
unexpected plumbing. This can increase the vibration and noise in the pump. In addition,
it may cause friction between the rotor blades by supplying a clean fluid in a state that can
increase vibration and noise in the pump. Finally, such problems may accumulate, which
can lead to subsequent failures such as corrosion or damage of the screw.
In order to simulate the screw failure, an artificial defect was applied, and real-time
state data were acquired. Figure 7 shows the results of the vibration database in the
normal state and abnormal state. In the case of the cavitation status shown in Figure 7a,
the amplitude increased significantly in the overall frequency ranges. In particular, the
amplitude was concentrated near 400–550 Hz. Figure 7b shows the results of the vibration
data for the wear dependence of the screw. As shown, the vibration occurred in each
frequency band, similar to normal data, except for a slight increase in amplitude in the
350–600 Hz frequency range. Figure 8 shows the wear characteristics of the rotor prior
to and after the test using the contaminated fluid. As shown, the contamination area is
distinctive.

Figure 7. FFT for abnormal state: (a) cavitation status dependence and (b) wear dependence of the
screw.
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4308 12 of 18

Figure 8. Wear characteristics of the rotor (a) prior to testing and (b) after the test using the contami-
nated fluid.

5.5. Multi Fault

Most equipment encounters failures that occur within a single component, but multiple
failures, i.e., two or more failures caused by vibration and environmental influences, also
need to be analyzed. The test was conducted considering the simultaneous occurrence of
misalignment and cavitation failure, which are harsh environmental conditions that can
occur in pumps used for fuel supply to ships. Even in the case of misalignment of the shaft
due to improper installation of the pump and motor, vibration occurs in the coupling part,
and fatigue accumulates, leading to fatigue damage of the coupling. Cavitation problems
may occur in the face of an unstable pipe pressure environment, which may increase
vibration and noise in the pump. Eventually, these problems can accumulate and lead
to subsequent failures such as worn out or damaged couplings and screws. In order to
simulate complex failures, artificial defects were applied, and real-time status data were
acquired. Figure 9 shows the FFT for a multi-fault (misalignment and cavitation) state of
the sealing. As a result, the amplitude of the pump increased, and it was confirmed that
the amplitude increased at random frequencies.

Figure 9. FFT for multi-fault (misalignment and cavitation) state of the sealing.

6. STFT
STFT is a technique that analyzes rapidly changing data, such as vibration or noise,
in the time–frequency domain. After dividing the data into regular time units, Fourier
Transform is applied to each time unit. As the data is divided into units of time and analyzed
separately, it is possible to simultaneously analyze the time and frequency domains, and
the result can be used as two-dimensional data. STFT was performed considering the
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4308 13 of 18

time unit for the severe scenario of abnormal conditions, such as the contamination state
of the bearing, in various conditions of the coupling, and finally for the cavitation of the
screw. Vibration data for 300 s were acquired using the accelerometer. The STFT results of
dividing the data at regular time intervals and proceeding with FFT are shown as a result of
combining the data over time. The x-axis is the time domain, and the y-axis is the frequency
domain, indicating the change in amplitude in the frequency domain over time. In the
case of the accelerometer, vibration data were obtained on the pump and motor sides, and
through this, both cases were presented.

6.1. Bearing
Figure 10 shows the STFT for normal and abnormal states after the contamination.
Owing to the contamination of the bearing, the amplitude in all directions near the motor
increased significantly, especially within the 2–10 kHz range.

Figure 10. STFT for (a) normal state and (b) abnormal state due to the contamination.

6.2. Coupling
Based on the previous FFT analysis, it was confirmed that significant vibration oc-
curred owing to shaft misalignment. Therefore, the test was performed considering three
simulated conditions. Figure 11 shows the configuration of test scenarios showing three po-
tential misalignments between the pump and motor. When the motor moved to the vertical
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4308 14 of 18

direction, as shown in Figure 12a, the vibration occurred in a frequency band similar to the
normal data overall, and the amplitude around 2–4 kHz in the pump radial and tangential
direction increased slightly. When the motor moved in the horizontal direction, as shown
in Figure 12b, the vibration occurred in each frequency band similar to the normal data as a
whole. Finally, when the angular offset was applied in the direction perpendicular to the
motor axis, the amplitude increased rapidly around 0–10 kHz, and it was confirmed that
the amplitude increased around 0–4 kHz in the radial and axial directions of the pump.

Figure 11. Configuration of test scenarios showing three potential misalignments between pump and
motor: (a) vertical, (b) horizontal, and (c) angular cases.
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4308 15 of 18

Figure 12. STFT for (a) vertical, (b) horizontal, and (c) angular state.
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4308 16 of 18

6.3. Screw
Figure 13 shows the STFT for the normal and abnormal state due to the cavitation.
Owing to the cavitation of the screw, the amplitude in all directions near the pump and
motor increased significantly.

Figure 13. STFT for abnormal state due to the cavitation.

7. Concluding Remarks
In the present study, the main cause and the mechanism of failure for major compo-
nents were analyzed on a three-axis screw-type pump, which is normally used in the ship’s
engine room. The frequency of failure was analyzed using FFT, and more precise results
were obtained by performing STFT on the database. More than 200 databases were built
with data for the core parts of the oil pump; the data represented operation under both
normal and abnormal conditions. The results obtained from this study are summarized
below:
(1) The failure modes and mechanisms of each part of the pump, such as the bearing,
coupling, sealing, and screw, were analyzed using various studies and an accident
database.
(2) A test bed was established to implement each major failure characteristic and the
acquired data considered the pump’s operating conditions.
(3) From the results of the FFT for the motor bearing, the contamination condition showed
significantly larger amplitude near 400–450 Hz than the case with an absence of
lubrication.
(4) In the case of the misalignment of the coupling, the amplitude significantly increased
in the overall frequency ranges compared with the elastomer breakage case. In
particular, the amplitude near 550–600 Hz significantly increased.
(5) For the screw of the pump, the amplitude increased significantly in the overall fre-
quency ranges near 400–550 Hz in the case of the cavitation state compared with the
wear dependence of the screw.
(6) From the results for the sealing, the overall amplitude for the abnormal status in-
creased in the random frequency region. However, most of the amplitude was below
0.1 mm/s2, which is relatively low compared with the other core parts such as the
bearing, coupling, and screw.
(7) STFT was performed considering the time unit for the extreme scenario of the ab-
normal condition, such as the contamination state of the bearing, under various
conditions of the coupling, and finally for the cavitation of the screw.
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 4308 17 of 18

Data, such as for the normal and abnormal states of various core parts of the oil
pump, were collected in multiple ways and are still being collected. The STFT can analyze
frequency characteristics effectively, but we need to efficiently analyze abnormal signals.
Therefore, as a follow-up study, research techniques will be developed to analyze the
abnormal signals much more effectively using STFT. In addition, we plan to establish a
dynamic database for failure conditions and continue to prove reliability based on this
database. The data verified through this study are expected to serve as the basis for
developing failure diagnosis and prediction algorithm models to improve ship integrity
management technology.

Author Contributions: Conceptualization, J.-J.L. and Y.K.; methodology, T.L. and M.-S.K.; investiga-
tion, J.-W.P. and J.-H.K.; writing—original draft preparation, D.O., J.-J.L. and Y.K.; resources, T.L. and
J.-H.K.; writing—review and editing, M.-S.K., H.-J.T. and J.-W.P.; All authors have read and agreed to
the published version of the manuscript.
Funding: This work was supported by the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and
Planning (KETEP) and the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE) of the Republic of Korea
(20224000000090). This research was supported by Korea Institute of Marine Science & Technology
Promotion (KIMST) funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea (20200455). This research
was supported by Korea Institute of Marine Science & Technology Promotion (KIMST) funded by the
Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (20220603).
Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement: The data presented in this study are available on request from the
corresponding author.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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