Monitoring system for grounding apparatus

A shaft grounding and monitoring system for a device having a rotating shaft, the shaft grounding and monitoring system comprising:

• a grounding member configured to make sliding electrical contact with the rotating shaft, the grounding member configured to be connected to ground;
• a current sensor configured to sense an electrical current flowing through the grounding member to ground;
• a voltage sensor configured to sense an electrical voltage in the rotating shaft;
• a processor operably coupled with the current sensor and the voltage sensor, the processor configured to receive and analyze snapshots of data from the current sensor and the voltage sensor;
• the processor is further configured to analyze the snapshots of data from the current sensor and the voltage sensor during a time interval prior to analyzing additional snapshots of data from the current sensor and the voltage sensor during a subsequent time interval;
• and
• a memory operably coupled with the processor and configured to store data processed by the processor that is representative of the snapshots of data from the current sensor and the voltage sensor if a potential anomalous or threshold condition is identified by the processor.

A method of monitoring a rotating conductive shaft in a device including a grounding apparatus, the method comprising:

• temporarily storing a snapshot of data from a current sensor that is operably coupled with the grounding apparatus with a buffer of a monitoring system, the snapshot of data from the current sensor indicative of an electrical current flowing from the rotating shaft to ground through the grounding apparatus during a first time interval;
• temporarily storing a snapshot of data from a voltage sensor of the monitoring system with the buffer of the monitoring system, the snapshot of data from the voltage sensor indicative of a voltage within the rotating shaft during the first time interval;
• sending the snapshots of data from the current and voltage sensors from the buffer to a processor of the monitoring system;
• and
• analyzing the snapshots of data from the current and voltage sensors with the processor of the monitoring system to identify a potential anomalous or threshold condition.