PE_21_10

Simple PLC control ...on STEROIDS!

Stackable I/O Modules

CPU unit starting at only $89

We’ve taken our most practical, most popular PLC family and supercharged it with features you wouldn’t expect from a simple low-cost controller. Data logging, Wi-Fi connectability, MQTT communication and increased security measures are just a few of the impressive features offered with the new CLICK PLUS PLC series. With a starting at price of only $89.00 and free easy-peasy programming software, CLICK PLUS PLCs are a “must have” for simple, affordable control...with a kick!

Built-in Option Module Slot

For custom stand-alone PLC I/O configurations that exactly match your application (option module sold separately).

Add up to 8 additional I/O modules for applications with larger I/O needs. www.CLICKPLCs.com

Fed up?

Problem: You want to use the latest automation technology. However, the complexity is overwhelming.

Solution: MOVIKIT® software modules! They empower you to perform complex automation tasks easily and without experience. No more long hours. No more complex programming.

Positioning? Synchronization? Torque sharing? Winders? Yes, and even more! Simple is good...

18 EDITOR’S INSIGHT

11

|

A pressing case for predictive analytics at MacLean-Fogg

Predictive maintenance on a hot forming press gets automotive supplier started in smart manufacturing

15 |

A new era of thermowell-free temperature measurement

In oil, gas and chemical processing applications, accurate and reliable temperature measurement is crucial, and is traditionally achieved using thermowells, which have been known to be problematic

18

SOLUTIONS 5 | From automation platform to industrial ecosystem

21

|

|

PVDF piping used for nuclear facility acid handling project

Facility engineers designing a process for maximum safety and efficiency

Top three advantages of integrated explosion protection

7 | The supply chain battles back

Building resilient, flexible supply chains in the post-Covid era

8 |

With recent technology advances, intrinsic safety now offers the safest, most cost-effective and easiest way to deploy solutions that safeguard process operations

U.S.

DOE

issues final rule for testing small electric motors

Small motor testing gets an upgrade

26

|

Four things to keep in mind when performing FMECA

FMECA is a complex process but can optimize processes

Double containment using clear outer plastic containment. Cover courtesy: Simtech Process Systems. TM Technology and

SOLUTIONS

28 | How to avoid COVID-19-related schedule delays using Lean

If implemented effectively, Lean planning practices can help manufacturers meet critical production start dates and make up for delays caused by the pandemic

35 | Emerging technologies advance condition monitoring techniques

Lubrication engineers extend machine life by integrating lab analyses with online-generated data

44 | Air Force base water supply piping system challenge met

Designing an efficient, long-lasting piping system

48 | How to get your ROI from IIoT

An analysis of enhanced productivity through smart device monitoring technology

30 | Integrate ERP and CRM for manufacturing

Smart manufacturing firms bring together technology, business processes and people; a critical component in this plan is the integration of ERP with CRM

32 | Capacity planning in a postCOVID manufacturing world

Capacity and supply-chain strategies help manufactures remain competitive

UPCOMING WEBCASTS

OCTOBER 6, 2021: Simplicity in the Cloud: The benefits behind cyclebased preventive maintenance

To view all upcoming webcasts for Plant Engineering visit WWW.PLANTENGINEERING.COM/WEBCASTS

51 | Why more manufacturers are turning to microgrids

Microgrids mitigate power distribution vulnerabilities

53 | Consider modular reed valves for your reciprocating compressors

Tips for reliability professionals engaged in due diligence

INSIDE: APPLIED AUTOMATION

A4 | Cybersecurity Demands Coordinated Tactics

Securing operational technology (OT) networks for resiliency against cyberattacks requires coordination between information technology (IT) and OT personnel, and recognition of the differences between the two domains

PlantEngineering.com

3010 Highland Parkway Suite 325 Downers Grove, IL 60515

Ph. 630-571-4070, Fax 630-214-4504

CONTENT SPECIALISTS/EDITORIAL

KEVIN PARKER, Editor KParker@CFEMedia.com

JACK SMITH, Managing Editor JSmith@CFEMedia.com

AMANDA PELLICCIONE, Director of Research 860-432-4767, APelliccione@CFEMedia.com

KATIE SPAIN NAREL, Art Director KSpain@CFEMedia.com

SUSIE BAK, Production Coordinator SBak@CFEMedia.com

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

H. LANDIS “LANNY” FLOYD, IEEE Life Fellow H.Landis.Floyd@gmail.com

JOHN GLENSKI, President, Automation Plus jglenski@processplus.com

SHON ISENHOUR, Partner, Eruditio LLC sisenhour@EruditioLLC.com

DR. SHI-WAN LIN, CEO and co-founder,Thingswise, LLC Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) board member shiwanlin@thingswise.com

JOHN MALINOWSKI, Senior manager of industry affairs (retired), Baldor Electric Company

DAVID SKELTON, Vice president and general manager Phoenix Contact Development and Manufacturing dskelton@phoenixcontact.com

BILLY RAY TAYLOR, Director of commercial and off-highway manufacturing The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Billytaylor@goodyear.com

LARRY TURNER, President and CEO, Hannover Fairs USA lturner@hfusa.com

MARK WATSON, Senior director, manufacturing technology, IHS Markit Mark.watson@ihsmarkit.com

CFE MEDIA CONTRIBUTOR GUIDELINES OVERVIEW

Content For Engineers. That’s what CFE Media stands for, and what CFE Media is all about—engineers sharing with their peers. We welcome content submissions for all interested parties in engineering. We will use those materials online, on our Website, in print and in newsletters to keep engineers informed about the products, solutions, and industry trends.

* www.plantengineering.com/contribute explains how to submit press releases, products, images and graphics, bylined feature articles, case studies, white papers, and other media.

* Content should focus on helping engineers solve problems. Articles that are commercial in nature or that are critical of other products or organizations will be rejected. (Technology discussions and comparative tables may be accepted if non-promotional and if contributor corroborates information with sources cited.)

* If the content meets criteria noted in guidelines, expect to see it first on our websites. Content for our enewsletters comes from content already available on our Websites. All content for print also will be online. All content that appears in our print magazines will appear as space permits, and we will indicate in print if more content from that article is available online.

* Deadlines for feature articles intended for the print magazines are at least two months in advance of the publication date. Again, it is best to discuss all feature articles with the content manager prior to submission. Learn more at: www.plantengineering.com/contribute

INSIGHTS

By Kevin Parker, Editor

From automation platform to industrial ecosystem

In late September, Bosch Rexroth Automation & Electrification Solutions hosted a press briefing on its ctrlX AUTOMATION ecosystem. The company first launched what it characterized as an alternative concept to previous proprietary automation systems at the end of 2019. It includes tools for new generations of engineers and developers more familiar with how things get done outside the insular world of industrial automation.

In short, information technology (IT) converging with automation. In this new world, instead of a black box, the programmable logic controller (PLC) becomes a software application on a control platform. Device drivers still play an important role in automation systems integration. Here, however, applications downloaded from a store “talk” to the process. “The control platform includes tools to 1) select and configure, 2) design and program and 3) innovate and customize,” said Dave Cameron, director of sales, Bosch Rexroth.

Machines and processes

Many ctrlX features support the machine builder’s need to generate and document countless user-mandated variations on the basic processes involved.

“Besides the advantages to the machine designer,” said Cameron, “ctrlX AUTOMATION is a complete redesign of the hardware/software functions to allow a strong ‘future-proof’ concept for upgrading and adapting to new technologies like 5G. Having the ability to update apps, functions and programming with the Rexroth device portal from anywhere allows fast servicing to maximize production time.”

More than 300 companies have implemented ctrlX AUTOMATION. Support of virtually all popular programming languages and the corresponding engineering tools enable automation solutions to

be developed without ties to provider-specific or proprietary systems. The platform also includes a range of ready prepared standard components, e.g., for PLC, motion, safety, communication or a secure connection to IT systems. These can be combined with users’ own software components or those from third-party providers.

Supply chain challenges

The 2022 26th annual 3PL Logistics study was just released by NTT Data. According to reporting in Forbes, the study found that 83% of shippers reported disruption in the supply of key materials this year compared to 49% of respondents to the 2021 survey. In addition, almost two-thirds (68%) of respondents said they believe supply chains have become too global.

The pandemic placed a spotlight on supply chains, illuminating the downsides of just-in-time inventory management and vulnerabilities in sourcing strategies.

Solutions to these challenges being promulgated include 1) use of technology to improve supply-chain visibility, 2) reshoring, or what some are calling regionalization, and 3) adopting a supply chain-as-a-service model.

Other recommendations to manufacturers include that they review current inventory policies to reflect the new reality, better monitor suppliers while identifying alternative suppliers and a focus on production schedule flexibility.

According to the 3PL Logistics study, 83% of shippers said they plan to adjust sources of supply as a direct result of efforts to rebalance toward regional and domestic sources.

In fact, some say the world already has begun moving away from radical globalization, with trade in manufacturing goods now growing more slowly than the world economy, according to an article in the Washington Post by Marc Levinson. PE

Reduce and Distance Plant Personnel while Boosting Output and Preventing Contamination with automated, enclosed bulk equipment and systems from

Automated, sealed BULK-OUT® Discharger-Conveyor Systems replace multiple workers dumping hand-held bags manually, while preventing contamination.

Enclosed Bulk Bag Weigh Batch Systems feed a central weigh hopper mechanically, and remove weighed batches pneumatically, requiring labor only to attach/detach bulk bags.

Bulk Bag Discharging Systems can loosen solidified material and meter it into liquid streams (shown), screeners, size reduction equipment and continuous blenders—automatically.

Dumpers seal, tip and mate a discharge cone to a gasketed hopper lid, open a slide gate and feed downstream processes— automatically and dust-free.

automated equipment and systems can move your bulk materials at higher capacities with fewer personnel, cutting costs while distancing operators from one another.

INSIGHTS

SUPPLY

By Joe Berti

CHAIN

The supply chain battles back

Building resilient, exible supply chains in the post-Covid era

The COVID-19 pandemic attacked supply chains from every angle, prompting labor, part and supply shortages while also drastically altering consumer behavior. And as we know by now, the impact stretched far beyond retailers and manufacturers. A recent survey found that 94% of procurement officers across aerospace and defense, financial services and IT reported negative impacts from the pandemic, with companies averaging $184 million in lost revenue.

For many manufacturers, the pains of the pandemic have hardly subsided even as vaccines became widely available across the U.S. Shortages have remained such that manufacturers now set their product strategy based on what parts and components are available as opposed to what their consumers want or what their competitors can’t offer. For plant managers, the imperative is threefold: Build supply chain resilience and inventory visibility, extend asset lifespan to decrease downtime and enhance productivity across all of their operations to remain competitive in the face of ongoing supply chain threats.

Resilience with AI and blockchain

One of the main lessons of the pandemic was the critical importance of establishing greater supply chain resilience. Even before the pandemic, 87% of chief supply chain officers said it was extremely difficult to predict and manage supply chain disruptions. For most organizations

84% – the greatest challenge for supply chain officers is the lack of visibility, with an estimated 90% of today’s supply chain data going effectively unused. If you don’t know where your goods are or when your supply chain partners experience disruptions, it is incredibly difficult to plan. Even relatively localized supply chain incidents have massive global effects. Roughly 90% of Fortune 1000 companies reported having tier 2 suppliers in the regions of China most affected in the initial phase.

Organizations that have invested in advanced technology that can promote supply chain resilience are significantly more likely to thrive both in the face of disruptions but also post-pandemic. Working together, the predictive capability of AI and the accountable track-and-tracing provided by blockchain can promote supply chain resilience in a number of ways. These newer intelligent supply chains offer end-to-end inventory actionable intelligence and visibility, giving companies significantly more warning in the event of supply chain disruptions. They can also manage the inflow and outflow of inventory more

efficiently, reducing storage and transportation costs. Procurement officers can also collaborate more effectively with their supply chain partners, aligning or spotting problems much earlier in the production cycle, reducing dispute resolution and letting them collaborate in near real time using up-to-date information.

Maximize output with predictive maintenance

Manufacturers also need to ensure they do not create bottlenecks and supply chain disruptions of their own when equipment goes down. This requires taking advantage of the predictive capabilities of a cutting-edge enterprise asset management system that can ensure you can keep your equipment and operations running. It also requires knowledge of what parts and equipment are critical to operations, oftentimes, across large numbers of MRO spares inventory and thousands of assets. Unplanned downtime costs an average $260,000 an hour, according to one study. Across a large organization, the source of outages or reason for downtime can also be obscure: 70% of companies lack full awareness of whether downtime is the result of replacement, upgrade or maintenance. These costs are not necessary with a fully integrated asset management system capable of giving you a holistic picture of asset health, detecting and flagging anomalies automatically and helping technicians prioritize and expedite repairs. To help gather data and make it actionable, an estimated 125 billion connected IoT devices are expected in the field by the year 2030. Organizations that don’t invest in gathering, analyzing and operationalizing their data will fall behind.

Many of the supply chain and operational issues organizations grappled with over the last year are not new. For reasons ranging from sustainability to increasing consumer expectations about ethical sourcing, manufacturers were already under increasing pressure to modernize and digitalize their supply chain operations. What the pandemic made painfully obvious, however, is the lack of resilience that stretches across every supply chain in almost every industry. In the world of supply chain and global shipping, disruptions are the norm, whether it’s a pandemic or a bad hurricane season. Organizations that invest now in supply chain intelligence and digital transformation will be positioned to thrive in both good times and bad. PE

Joe Berti is VP product management, AI applications, with IBM Cloud and Cognitive Software.

INSIGHTS

MOTORS

& DRIVES

By Thomas H. P.E.

Bishop, P.E.

U.S. DOE issues nal rule for testing small electric motors

Small motor testing gets an upgrade

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued rulemaking on test procedures for small electric motors for more than a decade. The present “final rule,” effective February 3, 2021, is the culmination of those efforts. The final rule will be mandatory for product testing beginning July 6, 2021. If you want to view the complete detail of the final rule that was published in the Federal Register on January 4, 2021, it can be found at go.easa.com/1421. For further reading, another DOE site with information about the final rule is go.easa.com/eere.

A question you may ask is how the rule defines a small motor. The Energy Policy and Conserva-

tion Act (EPCA) defines “small electric motor” as “a NEMA general purpose alternating current single-speed induction motor, built in a two-digit frame number series in accordance with NEMA Standards Publication MG 1–1987.” In another rule, DOE determined that CSIR (capacitor-start, induction run [often termed “capacitor-start”]), CSCR (capacitor-start, capacitor-run) and certain polyphase motors are the only motor categories that satisfy the relevant criteria set by EPCA to be regulated as small electric motors.

In the final rule, DOE further harmonized its test procedures with industry practice and harmonized certain test conditions with current industry standards to improve the comparability of test results for small electric motors. None of these changes affected the measured average full-load efficiency of small electric motors or the measured nominal fullload efficiency of electric motors when compared to current test procedures. These changes are summarized in Table 1. PE

Thomas H. Bishop, P.E. is a senior technical support specialist at EASA, Inc., St. Louis, MO; 314-993-2220; www.easa.com. EASA is an international trade association of more than 1,800 firms in about 70 countries that sell and service electromechanical apparatus.

Table 1: Summary of test procedure changes. Courtesy: EASA

Siemens SITOP smart

 Built-in 120% overload capacity

 Adjustable output voltage

 DC o.k. contact for remote indication

 Compact design and small footprint

 Low energy consumption and heat generation

Siemens SITOP PSU6200

All the benefits of the smart power supply plus:

 Onboard configuration

 Diagnostics monitor and interface

 Built-in 150% overload capacity

 Push-in terminals for easy, error-free installation

 Active power factor correction

 Now available in single-phase and 3-phase

Added protection with SITOP SEL 1200/1400 modules

Distribute and monitor load current over several circuits with SITOP selectivity modules! Available with limiting and switching capabilities for expanded protection.

input #5 at www.plantengineering.com/information

SECURE STRAW

DUAL SPRAY NOZZLE WITH PERMANENTLY ATTACHED STRAW

THE BEST KEEPS GETTING BETTER!

ERGONOMIC DESIGN

COMFORT TRIGGER RECESSED TO HELP PREVENT ACCIDENTAL DISCHARGE

DUAL POSITION SPRAY STRAW IN UP POSITION FOR PRECISION PIN-POINT APPLICATIONS

GHS COMPLIANT LABELING ON BACK PANEL INSURES COMPLIANCE WITH OSHA REQUIREMENTS

SCANABLE QR CODE ON SIDE PANEL FOR QUICK ACCESS TO PRODUCT INFORMATION AND SDS SAFETY DATA SHEETS

Chain & Cable Fluid - Penetrating Oil

A superior, cleansing, non-gumming penetrating oil for wire rope, chains, cables and general lubrication. Prevents rust and corrosion.

11 OZ. Spray Can / Part No. L0135-063

Gear Shield Extra Heavy

tough, tacky, extreme pressure lubricant was developed for the lubrication open gears, slides, pins other applications where an adhesive lubricant is needed. also excellent for fifth wheel applications.

OZ. Spray Can No. L0152-063

FMO-350-AW H1 Food Grade Spray Oil

multi-purpose, NSF H1 registered, anti-wear fortified, mineral oil-based, food machinery lubricant. use in food and beverage plants where a NSF H1 registered oil is required. viscosity grade 68.

OZ. Spray Can No. L0882-063

Spray Lube ‘A’ - White Lithium Grease

super multi-purpose, lithium-based grease medium density. Sprays like a fluid, congeals to a grease. Excellent for latches, locks, hinges, tools, battery terminals other hardware.

OZ. Spray Can No. L0034-063

General Purpose Food Grade Silicone

multi-purpose, NSF H1 registered food machinery silicone lubricant for on bottling, dairy and processing machinery. slides, chains, O-rings, rubber seals and general lubrication.

OZ. Spray Can No. L0723-063

Metal Working Fluid

specially developed product designed metalworking operations.

Excellent for drilling, tapping, cutting grinding.

OZ. Spray Can No. L0185-063

FGL-1 H1 Food Grade Spray Grease

NSF H1 registered, food grade lubricant in handy, to use spray can. Quick and clean applications. Contains LUBRI-ARMOUR Anti-Microbial Additive. Fortified with anti-wear, anti-rust and anti-corrosion additives. NLGI #1

OZ. Spray Can No. L0231-063

SOLUTIONS

PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE

By Mo Abuali and the MacLean-Fogg team

A pressing case for predictive analytics at MacLean-Fogg

Predictive maintenance on a hot forming press gets automotive supplier started in smart manufacturing

Smart manufacturing in the form of predictive analytics is driving manufacturers toward a production paradigm of zero downtime, zero waste and zero defects. They’re replacing traditional reactive or preventive maintenance approaches with the use of sensors, Internet of Things (IoT) devices and advanced analytics. Analytics incorporate machine learning algorithms to make sense of the data and ultimately develop better maintenance practices, reductions in unplanned downtime and improvements in productivity (see Figure 1).

From the perspective of suppliers on tight budgets, those goals may sound laudable but risky and expensive. The good news is that rather than concern oneself with modernizing an entire enterprise, a manufacturer can begin to gain the benefits of analytics and connectivity relatively quickly and easily. The solution is to start small, perhaps by networking a single piece of equipment to gather data that enables predictive maintenance, and after seeing benefits accrue, scaling up to other machines.

Hot forming at Metform

That was the approach taken by Metform, a Savannah, IL-based manufacturer that supplies parts and solutions to the automotive and heavy truck

industry. Metform is a division of MacLean-Fogg, a fourth-generation family-owned manufacturing company. Metform’s products include Securex wheel nuts for heavy trucks and trailers, gear blanks for automotive and various special fasteners and special formed parts.

The company has 10 Hatebur hot forming presses. The hot forming process is “really the backbone of our business,” said John Delk, Metform director of continuous improvement. “We basically take steel bar, heat it up above the transformation stage to 2,250°F.”

A blank is cut off, then moved to the next station where it is pressed via a punch and die set into a basic form. The workpiece has some contour added at a second station and finally, at a third station, there’s a knockout of a hole in the center of the piece.

“The process happens at a rapid stroke rate per minute — the machine is moving fast, and the parts are very hot,” Delk said.

The largest of the hot forming presses is a Hatebur AMP50XL (see Figure 2). “We only have one of those,” said Metform general manager Steve Wright.

The AMP50XL was installed in 2012 and, in the ensuing nine years, “We've had three major unplanned maintenance events on this machine. Given that it’s the only press of that capacity we have, and that we’re using it to supply parts to the automotive industry, we just cannot have that. You can imagine the anxiety those downtimes created for our customers,” Wright said.

While the company did have what it thought was a reliable, robust preventive maintenance system in place, the planned maintenance events made it clear that a better system was needed. “We partnered with IoTco to use Predictronics (PDX),” said Wright.

IoTco LLC, Cincinnati, is a consultancy that works with companies to help create a competitive advantage through digital transformation, using Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and predictive analytics tools to connect and analyze complex manufacturing

Figure 1: The business case for predictive analytics.

Courtesy: IoTco

SOLUTIONS PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE

processes, systems and machines. Doing so identifies opportunities to reduce costs, increase efficiencies, eliminate waste and enhance productivity. Predictronics is a predictive analytics and artificial intelligence (AI)/machine-learning software solution.

Starting small, with a big press

A single hot form press, however, as physically large and important to the company as it may be, is still just one piece of equipment. The decision to delve into predictive analytics with just that press is emblematic of Metform’s strategy to achieve a quickly measurable return on investment (ROI) — and also of IoTco’s standard advice to start small.

“We wanted to define the business need for this project. We had an ROI of less than two years,” said Delk. “While starting small, we focused on our most critical asset — and only that asset.”

To calculate ROI, the company considered not just the cost of repairing the press if it went down but also the cost of the lost production time, since it is a single point asset, according to Delk. “Tool life is another area we're going to explore with this deployment. The combination of those three things and being able to improve our OEE [overall equipment effectiveness] were the key factors that played into the ROI calculation.”

Metform chose to focus specifically on the AMP50XL’s drive train because “that was the area

where we saw the biggest opportunity for improvement.” While they’d previously been gathering data from the machine for predictive-maintenance use, the old process was neither efficient nor of adequate detail, they realized. “From a data collection standpoint, there was a lot of spreadsheets, a lot of handwritten notes, a lot of tribal knowledge,” Delk said. “We wanted to make sure we could gather that information and put it into context as we were analyzing the equipment.”

Recognizing that there was a gap in the data, Delk continued, “We had some good information off the machine in terms of how it was performing — data that was captured within the PLC [programmable logic controller] — but we needed to make sure we were providing that data to the right team members at the right time, so that the operators, the maintenance team and our leadership were all getting good information on what our next steps might need to be. We recognized that there was a gap in instrumentation.”

A team that included Metform and MacLean Fogg engineers as well as those from Predictronics and Forging Equipment Solutions — a partner of Hatebur, the manufacturer of the AMP50XL press concluded that sensors would be needed at four collection points around the drivetrain.

“One important aspect to this project was identifying the vibration sensors and where to put them,”

Figure 2: AMP50 hot forming press at Metform. Courtesy: Metform

said MacLean Fogg manufacturing engineer Roman Totten.

“We discussed whether we wanted single axial or triaxial sensors and where to position them. Ultimately, remembering some of the past press failures, and where in the drive train they may have occurred, we decided that it was best to go with triaxial sensors to get all three ranges of motion for the shafts that we were monitoring,” Totten said. “Also, the locations are widely spread, and touch nearly all the main shafts within the main drive train on that machine.”

From sensor to software

The data from the four newly installed triaxial sensors, as well as data previously available via the PLC, is fed into a system running on Predictronics software, which was developed for Industry 4.0 and smart-factory types of applications, including predictive maintenance.

The software has modules for data collection and connectivity because collecting good quality data is the foundation for making better decisions about your machine health and equipment. It also includes modules for analyzing all this data.

The system leverages a combination of preprocessing techniques, extracting metrics or features from the data, as well as machine learning, Totten said.

“In terms of the architecture for how the solution was configured, we start with the machine layer, and we look at what data we can collect, which includes sensors that may be already there for the control of the machine. This could include tonnage or maybe the stroke rate of the machine and so on,” said Totten.

To this is added data from the four sensors installed to monitor the condition of the machine. “We use our data collection software to aggregate all this data, then send it to the IT server, where more in-depth analytics could be run,” said Totten.

Signal processing involves filtering, finding patterns in the data. Then, feature extraction finds the pertinent “symptoms,” of those metrics related to the health of the machine (see Figure 3).

“Those results can then be displayed on a dashboard as well as presented to the end user,” Totten explained. “The idea is to track those over time and use machine learning to compare those to reference conditions, usually initially a baseline condition. And then as you have assessment of the machine or process over time, you can then take additional steps for diagnosis and prediction as needed.”

A picture of health

With the system now in place on the AMP50XL, “every 20 minutes during a production run, we are gathering 10 seconds worth of data at 10,000 Hz. A lot of data being collected,” said Delk. “Our PDX solution is doing some analytics in the background and providing us with a health index.”

Early in the process, the team used about three weeks’ worth of data to establish a baseline of health, Delk said: “Now, the system’s dashboard can show if and how we are deviating from that baseline.”

Delk cautioned that these are still early days on the project but that they are already finding the now-visible data to be useful. “We're very early in our journey but the process is really generating conversations between our maintenance team, our operations team and [manufacturing engineer] Roman [Totten] and myself,” he said.

“As we see change in the data, we're asking, ‘what are we seeing here?’ It’s also important to understand what we’re seeing in the data as evidenced on the plant floor. As a result, we have a good snapshot of machine health over time,” Delk said.

Figure 3: Predictive analytics systematic approach. Courtesy: Predictronics

SOLUTIONS PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE

artificial intelligence, there are six ‘pillars’ of data we consider when we set up a data collection system,” Seigel said. “They are data collection, signal processing, feature extraction, fault diagnosis, trending/prediction and health assessment.

“Information from controllers using protocols like MT Connect, as well as from additional instrumentation such as the four triaxial sensors added to the Metform machine can be combined together with an appropriate triggering and sampling rate to enable useful data of those six categories to be made visible,” Seigel said. “When you have good quality data, you can make better decisions about your machine processes.”

The business case for the project assumed achieving ROI in two years and on one asset — the AMP50.

“We’re remaining true to our roadmap,” Delk said. “There’s always an urge to engage in mission creep, to expand further, faster, before we’re ready, or to get more out of what’s already accomplished. We need to take the time on the front end and understand the data before we make assumptions regarding the machine’s health.” (See Figure 4).

At the same time, the team is excited to — eventually — scale up the process within the facility.

“I’d say as a general manager, I like what I see so far,” said Wright. “We're able to monitor the machine health, see in real time how the machine is doing and see a signal of a problem before it becomes a major problem. We have a long way to go in terms of learning how to better use the system and gain further confidence in the system, but at this point, I’m really pleased with the progress we made. I’m anxious to expand this to the other nine Hatebur presses.”

Beyond predictive maintenance

Metform is focusing on predictive maintenance and on a single machine — for now. However, there is a lot more that can be done with such a system.

“If you look at the approach to building these predictive systems, using machine learning and

“And there are also opportunities for enterprises to tie these predictive systems into their maintenance systems or engineering asset management systems that they might be running — SAP, Infor, Oracle, whatever that might be,” said Abuali.

Eventually, Metform will order spare parts in a more predictable fashion. It will optimize preventive maintenance schedules in a more elaborate way. It will eliminate overhead maintenance and shift the operation from a reactive mode to a predictive and preventive, and even prescriptive mode of doing maintenance.

This not only improves OEE but also impacts mean time between failure, mean time to repair and labor and scheduling of maintenance resources. Predictive quality — actually correlating machine and process data with quality of the products and the lots being produced is also a future possibility. It will be possible to be prescriptive in detecting and predicting scrap that might be produced on the machine due to process parameter deviation or maintenance issues on the machine.

The ability to measure, record and use such data enables benefits to accrue across the production floor and beyond. It’s good to smart small, but the important thing is to start. PE

Dr. Mo Abuali is the CEO and managing partner at IoTco, a CFE Media content partner. He is an Engineering Leader Under 40 winner .

Figure 4: Machine health, prediction and diagnostics. Courtesy: Predictronics

SOLUTIONS

PROCESS TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT

By Guruprasad Sosale

A new era of thermowell-free temperature measurement

Thermowells have been widely used for many years for measuring the temperature of flowing liquids. Essentially a sensor within a protective casing, thermowells are designed to guard the sensor from damage caused by excessive pressure, corrosive materials and high velocity materials. While thermowell reliability has come a long way, there is a risk that wear could cause a sensor to fail or break. If a thermowell fails and is not detected, the medium temperature could go unmonitored, which can have catastrophic results, and even if detected the process must be shut down to maintain or replace the device.

Thermowells require drilling into the pipe to establish contact between the sensor and the medium. This is problematic, as it can affect the integrity of the pipe, and the reluctance to drill too many holes in pipes places limitations on how many sensors can be used, which can lead to potential blind spots in process data. Installations can be costly, must be planned far in advance and may require suspension of the process, leading to expensive downtime, as well as a high cost per measurement. This historically has limited the use of temperature as a parameter to gain better process insight across in upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas processes.

However, a new solution has emerged that allows operators to understand the thermal nature of the material inside the pipe without the need to drill into it and requiring no physical contact between the sensor and the medium. ABB’s TSP-341 noninvasive temperature solution treats the pipe itself as the sensor, taking readings from the surface and then using software to predict the true medium temperature based on variables such as ambient conditions, insulation and process and medium variables like volume, pressure and viscosity (see Figure 1).

The software interprets the readings from dual sensors — one measuring the temperature of the pipe

wall, the other measuring the ambient temperature and uses the resulting data to calculate and output the process temperature in real time. By taking the ambient conditions during the measurement into account, the transmitter significantly increases the accuracy and the responsiveness of the pipe surface measurement. Coupled with models that predict the range of application of the sensor, i.e., liquid-like processes flowing in the turbulent regime in metal pipes, the performance matches that of a traditional invasive measurement.

Suitable applications

The inherent benefits of the noninvasive temperature transmitter allow it to be used throughout the oil and gas chain with potential applications in upstream, midstream and downstream processes. Oil wellheads are an example of an upstream application ideal for noninvasive temperature measurement. Wellhead applications are three-phase mixtures of sand, gas, oil and water flowing at high speeds, and are thus extremely aggressive. Since noninvasive measurement does not require contact with the medium, the risk of device failure is reduced.

The issues presented by the varying pipe sizes used in a typical oil and gas installation can be addressed by ABB’s noninvasive measurement solution, which attaches to the pipe using straps, enabling one device to cater for every requirement. By overcoming the challenges associated with installing invasive temperature or pressure devices, noninvasive temperature measurement presents an easy and low-cost solution for connecting new or existing wellheads to the digitalized plant in a cost-effective way. Noninvasive means that temperature measurement can be used to complement pressure sensing, helping to discern conditions such as slugging or low flow where dynamic pressure swings are not visible.

In oil, gas and chemical processing applications, accurate and reliable temperature measurement is crucial, and is traditionally achieved using thermowells, which have been known to be problematic

SOLUTIONS

PROCESS TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT

suited to conventional thermowells and can present a challenge for accurate and responsive temperature measurement.

ABB’s sensor can also be used not only on heat traced piping, but also for monitoring the heat tracing process itself when mounted directly on the process piping to ensure the heat transfer is occurring as it should. Unlike a thermowell, which is only in contact with a specific area of the medium, noninvasive sensors can detect the variances in temperature across the pipe, known as thermal stratification, and give a truer reading of process performance. Since noninvasive solutions are cheaper to purchase and quicker and simpler to fit, multiple devices can be installed to enhance accuracy across the process and provide validation of existing thermowells and other noninvasive devices across the application. For large piping, for instance in refineries, noninvasive sensing can complement invasive measurements in measuring flow profiles during low flow periods, such as startup and shutdown, giving a truer picture of the temperature profile.

Figure 1: ABB’s TSP-341 noninvasive temperature solution treats the pipe itself as the sensor, taking readings from the surface and then using software to predict the true medium temperature based on variables such as ambient conditions, insulation and process and medium variables like volume, pressure and viscosity. Courtesy: ABB Measurement & Analytics

Noninvasive measurement can also be used in temperature monitoring for leak detection on midstream oil and gas pipelines, supplying the data needed to factor temperature compensation into leak detection algorithms. Mounting the sensor outside the pipe removes pigging challenges as well as the risk of high-pressure gas leading to sensor failures. A unique advantage of the noninvasive approach is its ability to enable a remote installation without compromising on performance, as the temperature display and transmitter can be located above ground, while measurement insets are mounted underground, where they are protected from ambient conditions.

Monitoring of temperature on heat tracing lines in downstream applications is another application for noninvasive temperature measurement. The small pipelines used for steam tracing are not

Other applications can include using the sensor to help prevent overheating of flowing product, for instance highly viscous fluids such as heavy oils and lubricants, by monitoring the outlet of pumps for abnormal temperature levels, generally exceeding the performance of in-built pump sensors, while removing the risk of exposing the sensor to viscous and abrasive materials within the pipeline.

Predicting performance

While innovation can prove beneficial in providing new ways of tackling known problems, the perceived uncertainties of using new technologies can also deter engineers from embracing their possibilities. For this reason, ABB has developed an online tool that allows engineers to determine the suitability of using a noninvasive temperature device for an application by allowing them to input process and pipe characteristics to predict its performance. Part of ABB’s My Measurement Assistant, the web-based tool factors in the influence of flow rate, wall thickness, insulation, wind and thermal conductivity to demonstrate the sensor’s accuracy in different circumstances without the time and costs involved in physically testing a device in a real-life environment.

Validation in situ

Noninvasive measurement is also a cost-effective way of checking whether existing thermowells insitu are accurate. Quick installation and low engineering costs, coupled with eliminating the need for drilling into pipes, means that noninvasive temperature sensors can be used to validate measurements of thermowells and other noninvasive sensors. If the noninvasive sensor handling the measurement is delivering substantially different readings to the other devices, then this may indicate a problem that requires investigation. Previously, the only way of achieving this would be to install additional thermowells, which has considerable cost implications while potentially affecting the safety and integrity of the process. The more operators can measure, the better they can understand and optimize processes. Noninvasive solutions provide a means of doing so in a cost-effective way without having to shut down or re-engineer the process.

Time to do things differently

While temperature may be one of the oldest process

measurements, it doesn’t follow that the way it is measured must stay the same. The conventional justification for maintaining the status quo — based on the argument of “we’ve always done things this way” — is increasingly being challenged by the new possibilities that digitalization is bringing to all areas of industrial measurement.

Advances in temperature measurement technology, particularly when it comes to digitalization, are presenting new opportunities that can benefit most companies operating processes with turbulent flows.

While thermowells still clearly have their place and can present the better solution in certain applications where extremely high accuracy levels and response times are required, noninvasive solutions are ushering in a new era of precise, flexible and low-cost temperature measurement. PE

Guruprasad Sosale is global product manager of noninvasive and wireless technologies at ABB Measurement & Analytics.

®

Committed to providing continuing education to engineering professionals.

Whether enrolled students need a refresher course on a particular topic or need to know more about the latest engineering industry issues, CFE Edu offers courses that touch on a wide variety of topics.

Want to drive your career forward with CFE Edu?

View the course catalog at:

cfeedu.cfemedia.com

Our course catalog is RCEP Accredited, as well as certi ed by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for continuing education. AIA CES credits (learning unit hours) are earned for each course upon completion.

After nishing each course, participants will receive a certi cate of completion. Each course will educate and test participant knowledge via a mix of reading, video clips, and interactive elements.

SOLUTIONS

CASE STUDY

By Tommy Harrison and Alexandra Peters

PVDF piping used for nuclear facility acid handling project

Facility engineers designing a process for maximum safety and ef ciency

When a prominent nuclear fuel processer was in the design phase with a system processing combinations of hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid and deionized (DI) water, it chose Kynar PVDF piping systems to secure the expected lifetime of its fluid handling process. Compared to commodity plastics and metals, the fluoropolymer, Kynar PVDF excels in withstanding highly acidic chemistries.

Industry experience indicates that sulfuric acid and hydrofluoric acid can be aggressive to high performance metals and typical polymers. There are countless stories of corrosive attack and stress cracking failures with those materials. Kynar PVDF, on the other hand, has many documented successful case histories handling these chemicals individually and as mixtures.

Major concerns in the aforementioned nuclear design were chemical attack, system pressure, wide temperature range and process safety. After evaluating a complete Kynar PVDF piping system including pipe, fittings and valves versus a similar system made from Hastelloy, the end user decided that the Kynar PVDF option would be the most cost effective for long life performance.

Chemical handling

There are a host of chemicals involved in the process

and each of them on their own present difficult handling issues. In cases where they are combined, there are additional concerns related to potential temperature excursions and by-products.

Simtech process systems has a complete line of plastic piping with various joining methods. Selection of the proper joining method can save time and add safety to the construction of the fluid handling system. Simtech also provides systems fabricated offsite by their engineering team or onsite training for the maintenance professionals operating within a facility.

Along with the piping and fittings, Simtech offers a variety of valves and instrumentation made with

Figure 1: Close up of welded valves and piping. Courtesy: Simtech Process Systems.

Table 1: Pipe specification for acid systems

Table 2: Recycle acid composition

Kynar PVDF to assure fluid contact surfaces can be the same material. The types of valves used in this process were horizontal check, pressure relief and manual and actuated ball. (See Figure 1 for photos of components.)

The fluid handling systems involve outdoor transfer of chemicals to an indoor facility. Extra care was preferred for this transfer so the user requested double containment for moving the acids from the outdoor unloading area to the indoor process area. Kynar PVDF piping was easily welded by socket fusion or butt fusion in the double containment system (see Figures 2 and 3).

The double containment systems handle 93% sulfuric acid and 49% hydrofluoric acid. The diameter of the inner pipe was 1 inch and 1½ inch and the outer pipe needs to be sized to easily fit the transfer pipe inside.

In the process system, the same sulfuric acid and hydrofluoric acid are processed through 1½ inch and above diameter dual laminate piping. The Armor Tech dual laminate piping combines an inner layer of Kynar fluoropolymer with an outside support layer of FRP. The outside support layer gives strength and protection to the more corrosion resistant thermoplastic liner. In pipe sizes 1 inch and below, for the same process system, Simtech provided solid Kynar PVDF piping that was joined by socket fusion for both acids. All systems on this project were successfully hydrotested before commissioning. See Table 1 for the piping specifications.

System design

For the solid piping system, butt fusion was chosen as the joining method because the thick lap joint provides a level of safety when containing very strong chemicals. In the dual laminate system, butt fusion was chosen because the overwrap of FRP provides the additional safety should a weld be somehow compromised (See Figure 4).

In the process, the temperatures range from -18°C to 50°C and the pressures inside the pipe range from 20 psi to 50 psi. In this type of service, Kynar PVDF provides performance that other polymers could not achieve.

Recycle stream

To add to all of the design considerations, after the

chemicals are used in the process, they are combined in a chemical waste line. The chemical waste line is made up of DI water, 67% nitric acid, 49% hydrofluoric acid and 93% sulfuric acid. This process is expected to run at 50°C and 32 psi, however, it is designed for upset condition of 82°C and 40 psi. Again, the use of Kynar PVDF in this combination of chemicals and temperature gives a nice range of safety in the design. See Table 2 for actual conditions of the recycle stream.

Final thoughts

By choosing Kynar PVDF to handle a combination of 93% sulfuric acid, 49% hydrofluoric acid, 67% nitric acid and DI water, the nuclear facility was considering long term operating costs with minimum expected maintenance over a long period of time. A combination of solid Kynar PVDF socket fused pipe and butt fused dual laminate pipe were installed depending on the size of the pipe and the chemistry involved. In addition, by using double containment technology, the facility engineers were designing for the ultimate in safety. PE

Figure 2: Double containment using clear outer plastic containment.

Courtesy: Simtech Process Systems.

Figure 3: Double containment assembly of Kynar PVDF piping.

Courtesy: Simtech Process Systems.

SOLUTIONS STUDY CASE

“Kynar PVDF Helps Maintain Product Purity, Minimize Maintenance at Ashland Chemical,” Spotlight Kynar Volume 17 Number 2, A History of Performance, ELF Atochem, p.5.

Beach, Steve; “In-Situ Relining Saves Shutdown at Dow Corning,” Plant Services, Putman Publishing, October 2005.

Tommy Harrison started with Simtech in distribution/ fabrication 8 years ago and now is a part of Simtech’s technical sales department and is responsible for the Mid-Atlantic Region. His expertise in thermoplastics allows him to work with engineers and end users on designing systems.

References

Kim, John; “Selection of Materials Used in Power Plant Chemistry Equipment and Operation,” Ultrapure Water, December 2004, pp 20-26

“Materials of Construction Guidelines for Hydrofluoric Acid Solution (Aqueous),” 2014 Hydrogen Fluoride Industry Practices Institute, Washington D.C, p. 7, p. 12.

Alexandra Peters received her B.S. in chemical engineering from Villanova University in 2020. She works for Arkema Inc. as marketing and end-use applications engineer for the Fluoropolymer Division. She was recently recognized by the International Association of Plastics Distribution for completing its Performance Plastics Level I Certificate Program.

Figure 4: Simtech dual laminate piping. Courtesy: Simtech Process Systems.

SOLUTIONS

INTRINSIC SAFETY

By Jesse Hill

Top three advantages of integrated explosion protection

In every industry, exploding equipment is a bad thing. In process industry settings, however, the risk of explosions is very real. And the stakes — from impacts on revenue and the environment to loss of life — are far too great to ignore.

Engineers designing electrical equipment and processes for use in hazardous areas are offered many different methods of explosion protection. These range from exclusion methods, such as oil immersion or purge and pressurization, to containment in the use of explosionproof or flame-proof enclosures, as well as energy limiting technologies such as non-incendive, increased safety or intrinsic safety. These principles and techniques have some inherent advantages and disadvantages. There also are some ideal applications, such as protecting an entire control room using pressurization.

Figure 1: Intrinsic safety technology, such as the ELX EtherCAT Terminal series from Beckhoff, offers benefits in safety, cost and ease of implementation. Courtesy: Beckhoff Automation

In the correct situation, however, intrinsic safety stands out as the safest, least expensive and easiest to deploy. Here are three reasons why.

1. Intrinsic safety is the safest

Intrinsic safety is the only method of explosion protection approved for Zone 0. This is the most hazardous area recognized by ATEX, IECEx and NFPA 70-2020: National Electrical Code (NEC), Article 505 and is considered hazardous “continuously.” This is because intrinsic safety is required to withstand

two electrical faults and remain safe. It is also immune to some of the issues arising from mechanical explosionproof installations such as improperly sealed conduits and damaged or improperly secured enclosures. Intrinsic safety also is inherently safer for personnel as its energy limiting principle typically allows only up to 30 V or 100 mA into the hazardous area.

2. Intrinsic safety is the least expensive

In many cases, nonhazardous-rated equipment can be used in an intrinsically safe circuit if it meets certain criteria. These devices are considered “simple apparatuses,” which means they are not capable of generating more than 1.5 V, 100 mA or 1.5 W, or they dissipate no more than 2.5 W. These devices include thermocouples, switches, RTDs and LEDs and are typically less expensive and more readily available than hazardous area approved devices.

Another area in which intrinsic safety is less costly than other forms of explosion protection is the ongoing maintenance of the process or machine. Since they use energy limitation as an explosion protection concept, the devices in the hazardous area can be worked on without removing power. Additionally, maintenance time and effort can be significantly reduced because no gas clearance is required, and additional time is no longer needed to access electronics inside explosionproof enclosures.

3. Intrinsic safety is the easiest

One of the biggest deployment advantages to intrinsic safety is the ability to use mostly safe area wiring practices. Of course, there are some wiring rules to follow, i.e., intrinsically safe and non-intrinsically safe wiring must be separated by 50 mm, and intrinsically safe wiring must be identified by a label or light blue cable jacket. However, all other aspects of wiring — when to use cable tray, types of glands, etc. — are similar to safe area wiring practices. This is in comparison to the many rules regarding explosion-proof wiring installations such as how and where conduit must be sealed as well as the type of cables and fittings required by the

With recent technology advances, intrinsic safety now offers the safest, most costeffective and easiest way to deploy solutions that safeguard process operations

THAT’S THE TRUE MEANING OF RELIABILITY

SOLUTIONS

INTRINSIC SAFETY

electrical codes. Intrinsic safety is also much easier to deploy than purge or pressurization systems as there is no need for an inert gas supply to pressurize the enclosure nor the tubing and fittings associated with this gas supply.

Exciting technological advances in intrinsic safety technology are making these deployments even simpler. An example is the integrated intrinsic safety in new EtherCAT input/output (I/O) terminals (see Figure 1). These components combine explosion protection with a standard, DIN-rail-mounted I/O terminal (see Figure 2). Other vendors offer some sort of integrated approach to explosion protection, but many result in different form factors than their non-ex counterparts and they cannot be integrated directly into the same I/O node with non-ex terminals.

The integrated approach provides many other benefits. For starters, it eliminates the need for a third-party intrinsic safety barrier. This not only greatly reduces the size of the enclosure that houses the control system, but it also cuts the number of time-consuming wiring terminations in half. This also eliminates the need to add another vendor to the bill of materials. Another noteworthy benefit of these integrated technologies is that engineers can take advantages of the benefits of EtherCAT technology, including:

• Real-time communication speeds at 100 Mbit/s and the EtherCAT G/G10 Gigabit expansions that will soon offer even greater bandwidth for demanding applications.

• Free selection of topology without impact on performance,

• Practically no network size limitations, with up to 65,535 nodes on a single EtherCAT network.

• High synchronization due to the principle of distributed clocks.

In terms of safety, cost and ease of deployment, the benefits of intrinsic safety are clear. Engineers should evaluate whether this method fits their application and implement it as appropriate. It’s also important to work with technology partners that take the risks just as seriously as you do and provide solutions to help keep your team, company and equipment safe. PE

Jesse Hill is the process industry manager at Beckhoff Automation.

Figure 2: The ELX series offers a range of intrinsically safe “blue terminals” for hazardous environments, enabling communication from Zone 0 up to the cloud. Courtesy: Beckhoff Automation

EXPLORE THE BROAD RANGE OF NEW SULLAIR COMPRESSORS AT SULLAIR.COM

Supply Chain – Reimagined

Joe Limbaugh, Motion

Supply chain [noun]: the sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of a commodity, part or product.

The term supply chain is relatively new. In fact, although I have worked in the industry for almost 40 years, we didn’t really talk about supply chain until the past decade or so. Never mind that the principles and concepts can be traced back to the early 1900s, or a hundred years ago.

Motion entered the industrial distribution space in 1946, when our founders, Caldwell Marks and William Spencer, purchased a single industrial supply store located in Birmingham, Alabama. (The original company, Owen-Richards, was inaugurated in the early 1920s.) Through organic growth and acquisitions, Motion has evolved to an international organization serving North America and the Asia Pacific. With sales of over $5.5 billion (2020) and a team of over 7,000 people, Motion has come a long way.

Why the history lesson? Because for decades, industrial distribution companies have operated the same hub-and-spoke model with no regard for how

customers want to be served. True, advancements have been made through computerizing the existing model, but the model itself remains intact. That is, until now.

In early 2019, our President, Randy Breaux, issued a challenge (substitute: “directive”). “All customer orders entered by 3:00 p.m. for normally stocked items will be delivered the following morning of the next business day. Same-day delivery will always be available.”

The thought process was sound. Our customers’ expectations have changed, and we needed to change with them. While we still operate in a B2B environment, our customers want to be served in a B2BC manner. They expect the same transactional experience at work as they receive at home. That means access to even more products and for Motion to be closer to the point of demand for even faster deliveries. They want a personalized journey and the ability to self-serve, but still have access to world-class technical support via customer service representatives, technical sales representatives and product support experts.

Motion reimagined its entire supply chain, including procurement, inventory management, and Fulfillment Center logistics—to better serve its customers. Image courtesy: Motion

Supply Chain – Reimagined

So, we got to work. We began conducting a careful and honest self-evaluation. We confirmed that we were doing many things right, but we also recognized there was work to do. Our current product offering, footprint and delivery methods were not always meeting our customers’ expectations, and we needed to change.

We took a hard look at our 75-year-old model and began reimagining the future. When the dust settled, we had reinvented how a premier industrial distribution and service company should look and operate, and among other things, announced our plans to develop Fulfillment Centers throughout the markets we serve. These Fulfillment Centers will satisfy the need for additional product at the point of demand, and provide custom-tailored, final-mile packaging and delivery. Specifically, they will be stocked with an optimal level of inventory, fortified with state-of-theart technology (like goods-to-person product storage and retrieval). In addition, final mile will be managed by a custom fleet of delivery vehicles complete with logistics software.

To support our theory, we implemented a pilot Fulfillment Center and, in one of our existing Distribution Centers, tested our first goods-to-person system. Both investments have proven to bring efficiency to a whole new level, reinforcing our plans to replicate them in additional markets. On the digital side, we realized efficiency gains when we rebuilt our website for an even better online experience. (Check it out at Motion.com!)

From the start, Motion’s biggest strength has always been its people, who, moving forward, will be even more important than ever. Motion’s new model will allow our teams to work with customers to provide an even deeper focus on technical expertise for the products and services that we provide.

To get where we needed to go, many historic building blocks had to be replaced, modified, or

Motion’s goods-to-person system brings its distribution efficiency to a whole new level. Image courtesy: Motion

just eliminated. Because to support this initiative, our entire supply chain had to be reimagined, including procurement, inventory management, and Fulfillment Center logistics. It was hard, sometimes unpleasant work. But fundamentally imperative.

Is reimagining easy? Yes and no. It’s one thing to sit and theorize about what the future should look like. But it’s quite another to be brave enough to implement the changes once identified. A model that is 75 years old is brittle, steeped in tradition and exhausting to modify. Changing people’s minds can be tricky. (Remember the old saying: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”? It’s true!) Fortunately, at Motion, we have embraced a culture of “challenge.” Randy says that nothing is off the table, and he means it. So, we pressed on, believing that what we were doing was right, and that our customers would benefit from our efforts.

These efforts’ results exceeded our expectations. Our customers and employees have seen and communicated the benefits, and we are exceedingly encouraged as we begin moving further, faster.

The former model served Motion well for 75 years. We could never have come this far without it. However, to get where we want to go, we identified the need to understand and embrace change. Admittedly, it is hard to see into the future, especially during these unprecedented times. So, while nobody knows what the future holds, at Motion, we understand that the best way to predict the future is to create it.

Motion’s new van eet is integral to the company’s nal-mile packaging and delivery process, bringing product to customers faster than ever before. Image courtesy: Motion input #9 at www.plantengineering.com/information

is

Serving the Company since 1983, he is currently responsible for product procurement and inventory, distribution and fulfillment centers, branch operations support, headquarter campus operations, marketing, productivity improvement, and company-wide lease management.

To find out more, visit Motion.com/plantengineering.

In addition, discover Motion’s 75-year story here: Motionind.biz/3hUm1yT

Joe Limbaugh

Executive Vice President – Supply Chain / Operations Support / Marketing / Enterprise Excellence at Motion in Birmingham, Alabama.

SOLUTIONS

By Bryan Christiansen

Four things to keep in mind when performing FMECA

FMECA is a complex process but can optimize processes

Failure Mode Effect and Criticality

Analysis

(FMECA) is a reliability design engineering technique that looks into the potential failure modes of any system and analyzes the severity of their impact on system performance.

FMECA is an extension of Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) by adding a criticality analysis to it. The criticality analysis involves classifying and ranking failure modes based on their probability of occurrence and the severity of impact on overall system performance requirements.

FMECA, just like FMEA, is a bottom-up approach that is carried out at the design phase and is intended to not just develop the corrective actions but also to rank them for prioritization. Prioritization of corrective actions is imperative where a large number of assets generally require intervention and the available capital cannot fulfill needs for all assets.

With that being said, FMECA has gained importance over time within various industries, especially within capital-intensive businesses. They are typically subjected to stricter requirements to optimize the process, operations and maintenance with always insufficient resources to execute all of the required corrective actions.

This article outlines a few items that should be considered while performing any FMECA.

1. Defining objectives of criticality in FMECA

The main objective of criticality analysis is to contain the risk that any failure poses to the system performance. Before performing FEMCA, it is important to define the risk that is required to be mitigated.

The definition of risk may vary from industry to industry. An event that is considered normal in one industry can be considered risky to another.

For example, specialized explosion-proof enclosures are mandatory for pump assemblies that carry flammable gasoline in an oil refinery. On the other hand, a similar-sized municipal pump carrying drinkable water may have a standard enclosure without posing any safety risk from product leakage. Therefore, the team conducting FMECA must possess strong industry-specific

knowledge and tailor objectives accordingly that fulfill their industry’s need.

2. Analyzing quality of data

The availability and accuracy of data play a crucial role in the successful outcome of FMECA exercises. The biases in the interpretation of data have always been a challenge to reliability engineers. Oftentimes, the lack of data on equipment health and performance leads to speculations and opens doors to a decision based on the human experience as opposed to some quantitative decision model.

The best action plan is to streamline all the data points that are needed for the FMECA exercise. The typical data points could include operations and maintainability data, maintenance history picked up from CMMS or maintenance logs, quality defect reports from similar equipment, parts manual and warranty details provided by original equipment manufacturers (OEM).

3. Defining methods of criticality analysis

As we discussed, the criticality analysis involves ranking the failures modes based on the severity of impacts on system performance. The criticality analysis can be carried out in either a qualitative or quantitative manner. The availability and accuracy of equipment data play a significant role in the selection of the method of criticality analysis. The general rule of thumb is to go by quantitative criticality analysis when detailed component-level failure data is available. However, if the asset data is difficult to quantify in numbers, then the qualitative analysis may also give reasonable results.

As the name implies, the quantitative analysis looks at the equipment data that can be quantified such as equipment failure rates, conditional probability data and operating hours. If it is decided to perform quantitative analysis, it is always useful to look at the compilation of infield equipment test data as it can help construct necessary failure rates. For some applications, there may be outside sources or published literature that can be leveraged to obtain general failure distribution data for specific assets.

On the other hand, qualitative analysis is more driven by subject matter expertise (SME) and is used when detailed component level failure data is not

available. In qualitative analysis, the risk priority number (RPN) is often calculated through qualitative numerical analysis of design risk.

The components of risks such as probability and impacts are graded on a multi-point scale system. Each point on a scale is given a definition based on qualitative discussions among equipment stakeholders including subject matter experts (SME), reliability engineers, operations, OEM, etc.

4. Integrating FMECA results into CMMS

To ensure the integrity of the FMECA process, it is important to have a closed-loop system that records the outcome of FMECA including priority analysis for continuous improvement. This is because the criticality of equipment depends on variable parameters such as equipment's health, failure rates and operational conditions that vary throughout the asset’s lifetime.

To record the variance of asset performance over their life cycle, the asset criticality data should be stored and continuously be updated in a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) or a comparable digital system.

CMMS is a platform that provides a range of benefits to any organization relevant to sustaining the FMECA process. Some of the benefits include tracking of asset failures, automating maintenance tasks, generating work orders, creating interactive performance dashboards and monitoring costs and resources overruns. It also acts as a database of historical data on asset performance that can be used by reliability engineers to predict failures and develop proactive failure containment and asset maintenance regimes.

Final thoughts

FMECA is a complex process, but so are all other maintenance and reliability techniques that have a significant impact on machine performance and reliability. To get the most value out of the process, FMECA should be led by trained professionals or consultants that know common pitfalls and how to avoid them. PE

Bryan Christiansen is the founder and CEO of Limble CMMS. Limble is a modern, easy to use mobile CMMS software that takes the stress and chaos out of maintenance by helping managers organize, automate and streamline their maintenance operations.

SOLUTIONS

By Brandon Darroch and Brian Arend

How to avoid COVID-19-related schedule delays using Lean

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many manufacturing companies placed their design and construction projects on hold. Many of these projects were critical to meeting production targets and already had aggressive construction schedules before the pandemic began to impact the global economy. As the manufacturing industry begins to ramp up again, owners are looking for creative solutions during design and construction to make up for lost time.

Effectively implementing Lean practices during initial planning can help identify design, procurement and construction strategies for bringing facilities online in a compressed timeframe. Here are several key considerations and insights.

Develop an effective plan

Historically, manufacturing leaders have preferred the traditional design/bid/build model, which takes a linear, step-by-step approach to project delivery and uses the critical path method of scheduling. While this model typically provides the most control and the least amount of risk to the owner, the linear nature of this method makes it the longest in terms of schedule duration.

Based on Lean concepts, pull planning focuses on the desired end state and works backwards to identify activities that can be done in advance or completed simultaneously with the goal of meeting that end state. Pull planning is a collaborative process that requires participation from all project stakeholders, and as a result, helps build trust and consensus — elements critical to a successful project. Done correctly, an effective pull plan will drive the development of an efficient and feasible project delivery method.

Schedule acceleration versus procurement protocols

A pull planning session may identify opportunities for significant schedule savings. However, taking full advantage of these opportunities may require owners

to approach the procurement process in a less than traditional way. Consider an open book procurement approach where the general contractor is transparent with the owner’s procurement team on bids received for key trades or project components. This enables owners to maintain competitive bidding protocols while being open to potential schedule savings alternatives. Since open book procurement is a relatively new concept, consider sharing previous project examples or case studies to educate procurement staff on how they can remain involved and retain control over the procurement process.

Rethink corporate standards

Many institutional and manufacturing owners have established supplier networks and longstanding purchasing agreements that support operations and maintenance. There is a reason that light fixtures and roof membranes are typically the same across multiple locations. You can streamline maintenance stock, purchase equipment and parts in bulk, reduce cost per unit and simplify overall maintenance programs. However, constraints such as these can pose challenges when trying to accelerate project schedules. Should speed to market be a priority business driver, owners are encouraged to be open to non-standardization and consider alternative products and equipment that still meet their requirements but might be available at reduced lead times.

For example, following the pandemic, standard switchgear for a manufacturing plant may take 26 weeks or more to be delivered, while a switchboard that provides a similar function can be delivered in half the time. Additionally, a manufacturing plant may require more than 400 light fixtures. Placing an order of this size may take a supplier weeks to produce and deliver to the site. By dividing the order among multiple suppliers or considering alternate light fixtures that still meet the specification but are a different model, the fixtures may be delivered and installed before the larger order is even shipped. This can apply to HVAC systems and

If implemented effectively, Lean planning practices can help meet critical production start dates and make up for delays caused by the pandemic

other building components as well. It is important to note that, when considering alternate solutions, careful review is required by the installing contractor, engineer and owner. Electrical and mechanical systems require constant maintenance, so the facility lifecycle risks and rewards must be evaluated by all parties.

In another example, a greenfield automotive assembly plant includes heavy-duty cranes that require numerous large columns to support. Traditionally, these columns are steel. However, due to steel shortages, steel fabricators could not meet the project’s aggressive schedule. During a planning session to address the issue, the design team proposed using precast concrete columns rather than steel. Although a deviation from the client’s standard, the alternative solution was accepted, and the precast columns were fabricated and installed eight weeks sooner than the steel would have been delivered.

Jumpstart the construction process

An effective pull planning session may also identify opportunities to break up projects into smaller scopes of work. These “pull ahead” packages can enable an owner to start construction activities before the bulk of design is complete, enabling a significantly compressed overall project schedule.

For example, take a greenfield manufacturing plant. By completing the sitework design and awarding an early site/civil package, the project can begin construction before other building elements are designed. Foundations and steel can be completed separately, enabling steel mill orders to be placed before the bulk of the mechanical/electrical design is complete. Large mechanical and electrical equipment can require up to six months lead time, so specifying and ordering substations, switchgear, chillers, air handling units (AHUs) and so on early places them in the manufacturing queue sooner. Finally, the balance of the architectural, mechanical and electrical systems can be designed after construction has started, allowing the owner additional time to refine their own process equipment design and subsequent utility requirements, giving more time for the engineering details for the production lines to be refined without impacting the overall construction schedule.

By breaking the project up into smaller packages rather than completing the entire project design in a single comprehensive package, owners can achieve significant schedule savings.

The importance of owner involvement

Every project will face challenges as it moves forward. How the project team addresses those challenges can make or break a project schedule. The owner’s project

leadership sets the tone from the very beginning and should facilitate collaboration and create an environment of trust and respect of each participant to ensure issues do not become exercises in finger pointing or devolve into blame game scenarios. By being open to innovative ideas and encouraging all team members to participate and contribute to solutions, the owner establishes an effective project culture. In addition to being open minded, a good owner’s lead (or owner’s representative) should have the ability to actively listen, effectively communicate and most importantly, be empowered and be comfortable making decisions.

Accelerating project execution after COVID-19

Many manufacturing organizations use the same project delivery method over and over because “that is how it has always been done.” As a result, it is crucial for professional services consultants and contractors to make clear to manufacturers that the traditional design/bid/ build approach typically comes with the longest duration, and that an alternative delivery method may be necessary to meet start-of-production deadlines. In many cases, pandemic-related project delays have provided the necessary catalyst for manufacturers to investigate alternative approaches. If implemented effectively, these Lean practices can help manufacturers meet critical production start dates and make up for delays caused by the pandemic. PE

Brandon Darroch, PMP, is southeast division manager and senior associate at SSOE Group, a global project delivery firm for architecture, engineering and construction management. He has 15 years of experience leading projects for both general contractors and design firms.

Brian Arend, PE, LEED AP is electrical power department manager and senior associate at SSOE Group. He has 17 years of industry experience and has worked across many different manufacturing industries as well as automotive.

Rather than traditional design/ bid/build, alternative delivery methods may be necessary to meet start of production deadlines.

SOLUTIONS

ERP AND CRM

By Pat Garrehy

Integrate ERP and CRM for manufacturing

Smart manufacturing rms bring together technology, business processes and people; a critical component in this plan is the integration of ERP with CRM

Customer relationship management (CRM) software has always been driven by the need to manage relationships with customers to increase revenue and profits. CRM does this by giving firms access to critical customer and business data to help streamline the sales cycle, identify new markets, build unique customer histories and support informed business decisions throughout the company. Especially critical to manufacturers, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software's primary objective is to help businesses operate as efficiently as possible.

CRM contains customer information while ERP contains sales, inventory, financial and other business data critical to manufacturers. Keeping these two systems separate, as most companies have been doing, does not provide the complete view needed to meet customer requirements. Companies have typically purchased and deployed CRM and ERP systems separately from each other. However, integrating the two systems can bring substantial benefits through faster time to market, improved cash flow and increased agility.

When cloud computing came along, companies realized they could replace their old, on-premise, spreadsheet-heavy systems with on-demand business apps for manufacturing. These cloud-based systems store big data on servers, don’t have to be maintained onsite and enable increased productivity and business efficiencies. Cloud ERP provides on-demand, real-time access to big data from any device, helps reduce costs, especially information technology (IT)-related costs, and can be scaled up or down to fit changing production requirements.

Industry analysts agree that manufacturing firms need to create a clear ERP and CRM strategy to ensure they are using the latest and most comprehensive data available. Manufacturers who have integrated their CRM and ERP systems have gained critical insight into what they can offer and deliver to their customers.

Lee Wylie, who as group vice president of applications research at Gartner in 1990 coined the name ERP, said, “Functional departments within an enterprise had historically implemented their own solutions. In the early years, you could find the engineering department on an HP platform, accounting on IBM, manufacturing on Digital Equipment and sales using stand-alone PC-based solutions. Integration was difficult to impossible to say the least.

“Today, the modern cloud platform, with applications designed specifically for the cloud, is facilitating the process of true enterprise integration. In addition to near seamless integration of ERP and CRM, the platform provides a manufacturing enterprise with the ability to integrate engineering PLM systems as well as move beyond the enterprise with customer and supplier communities.”

Separate versus integrated CRM and ERP systems

Though the two systems can be used independently and can be beneficial for companies, it becomes difficult to maintain two systems’ data simultaneously as the business grows. ERP systems allow firms to get a real-time view of their entire enterprise. But these firms also need a real-time view of their customers. Integrating CRM and ERP systems exponentially increases the value of each system, giving manufacturers the data they need to drive revenue and increase efficiency from the shop floor to customer relations. For example:

Operational costs. As a business grows, the data generated by its CRM systems increases exponentially and needs to be entered into the ERP system for further processing. When CRM and ERP systems are maintained separately, this task requires extra resources and increases operational costs.

But integration automates data transfer from CRM to ERP so it reduces errors caused by manual entry. This reduces duplication by letting employees update

a single, central database instead of spending a lot of time trying to manually connect business processes. By removing manual data entry and expensive customization from the picture, manufacturing firms can lower their operational costs and drive higher revenues.

Communication and collaboration. CRM is used by the sales and marketing departments and ERP is used by departments such as purchasing and production. Customer data entered into the CRM system must be entered accurately into the ERP system for further planning and processing. But the manual entry required by maintaining two separate systems can create errors which, in turn, create miscommunication between departments and result in loss of business.

When integrated, CRM and ERP systems store customer details and this data is accessed and used by every department. This results in closing the communication gap between departments since they are using the same data. For example, a purchasing manager can plan purchases based on the requirements entered by Sales. Or engineering or production can see something entered by the salesperson in a note on a lead or opportunity that wasn’t communicated via some form or procedure when the requirements got to their department.

Business processes. Maintaining separate CRM and ERP systems introduces errors through manual entry. When customer leads are converted into accounts, the CRM customer data is updated but, when the two systems are not integrated, data on the ERP side may not be updated at the same time. Not only does this introduce data mismatches between the two systems but it also makes it difficult to track sales and marketing performance.

One of the most significant benefits of integrating CRM and ERP systems is improved productivity by streamlining processes, automating workflows and reducing errors and duplication of data. Employees and processes become more efficient, more productive and increase profitability.

Business decisions. Sales forecasting is a critical function for organizations and it needs perfect data from both CRM and ERP systems. However, those same errors created by having to manually enter CRM data into a separate ERP system can carry over into the sales forecast and cause potentially massive business losses.

Because an integrated CRM and ERP solution eliminates errors caused by manual entry, sales

forecasting becomes more accurate. Furthermore, all employees can access critical business information exactly when they need it. Inventory, shipments, customers, order history, returns, payments, pricing and more are available in real time from any device anywhere, allowing the firm to react quickly to the changing needs of the market.

Customer focus. When CRM is maintained as a separate system from ERP, sales departments will have insight into the firm’s customers, but other departments will not. Expensive customization and maintenance must be done to try to let the rest of an enterprise view critical customer data and those efforts do not guarantee that everyone will have the same customer focus.

Every department can track and record key customer information and make it available to relevant people throughout an enterprise, providing a complete view of a customer. The enterprise that wisely integrates CRM and ERP systems gains complete visibility into customers’ needs, buying habits, order history, account standing and so much more. Not only does this knowledge give firms better insight into their customers, it also helps build relationships with customers and focuses the enterprise on areas with the potential for future growth.

Keeping everyone up to date

Manufacturing firms want a robust, easy-to-use CRM application to store and organize customer data and improve the company’s customer focus. They also want an ERP solution that delivers realtime access to critical business and product data for all employees anywhere in the world on any device. Smart companies with a strategic plan for their business know that a system that integrates their CRM and ERP systems can help deliver the increased efficiencies, productivity and agility needed in the global marketplace.

The ability to integrate CRM and ERP should be an important part of any manufacturing firm’s strategic plan. By combining CRM with ERP and other partner solutions, manufacturers not only receive the benefits of an integrated CRM plus ERP solution, but they can also extend their ERP system to support many other business processes. PE

Pat Garrehy is the founder and CEO of Rootstock Software and has an extensive background as a software architect and engineer. With more than 30 years of management, sales and technical experience, he brings a unique blend of analytical focus and business savvy to the table.

SOLUTIONS

SUPPLY CHAIN

By Michael D. Verdier

Capacity planning in a post-COVID manufacturing world

Capacity and supply-chain strategies help manufactures remain competitive

COVID-19 has had a notable impact on manufacturing in every industry sector.

In a recent survey by the National Association of Manufacturers, almost 80% of manufacturers anticipated financial and operational consequences from the COVID-19 pandemic. Even prior to the pandemic, there was a notable shift from global to more local economies due in large part to international trade tensions, increased foreign wages, quality control and other factors; the pandemic only intensified this trend.

Now, many industries are looking to bring supply chains (critical component/raw material production) closer to home, resulting in manufacturers building new production facilities or expanding existing facilities as a means of improving supply chain resiliency. This changing landscape is pushing companies to re-evaluate their processes and production capacities.

There are multiple elements to consider. Compare 12-month rolling average sales with the previous three months to identify trends. Evaluate sales projections with actual revenues. Task sales or business development leaders with analyzing industry trends.

Consider the cost index of production and packaging materials and building materials with that of current interest rates. How will this influence customer’s near and long-term demand for products and services? Will inflation of material costs reduce consumer demand resulting in capacity demand reductions and idle assets, or are current near-zero interest rates an opportunity to invest in capital improvements, including expansions?

Accessible onsite inventory alleviates interruptions in throughput levels.

Courtesy: BHDP

Forecast production volumes

Whether the industry is experiencing growth or anticipating a reduction in revenue, it is critically important to forecast the production volume demand accurately as this influences all aspects of the near and long-term growth strategy — from equipment asset utilization, to staffing and capital spending for new facilities and infrastructure.

Don’t forget to consider the impact of government stimulus programs on the industry. For example, there are some bills in Congress meant to stimulate the airline industry, which may in turn significantly impact manufacturing suppliers that produce components to support the assembly and inspection of aircraft engines.

Maintain focus on the geopolitical and economic environment as well. Are there incentives to bring production back to the U.S.? Are there quality or supply chain reliability challenges companies are experiencing with offshore suppliers in developing countries? There are a multitude of interdependent factors to consider — every manufacturer is unique, necessitating the need to carefully evaluate each of these factors that may influence the production demand forecast and in turn the near- and long-term strategy for growth.

Calculate throughput levels

Understanding the throughput capabilities of production equipment factors into assessing your production volumes and capacity levels. When determining your equipment needs and planned capital spending, factor in equipment reliability, including downtime for change overs and scheduled maintenance because the equipment cannot always run at 100% capacity.

For example, consider a scenario where the demand forecast indicates a need to produce 1,000 units per hour. Even if a production line is rated at 1,000 units an hour, the actual throughput will need to be adjusted

for downtime and reliability to gain a more accurate prediction of actual production capacity.

Once the actual throughput capacity per line is established, the next step is to translate that into the quantities and types of equipment needed to deliver the production demand, whether it is making systems, converting lines or packing systems. Remember to take into consideration that each production line, which will likely be multiple equipment modules, will typically have varying throughput capacities.

This will be critical when it comes to developing equipment general arrangements and beginning to plan for material delivery, maintenance and utility distribution to the lines. For example, on a single production line, someone may need two case erectors, but only one palletizer to avoid bottlenecks in the line.

Infrastructure support

Understanding production volume and throughput capacity is only one part of the planning puzzle. One area that is easily overlooked is the infrastructure it takes to support the production operations: power, compressed air, domestic water, steam, as well as any waste byproduct that must be collected, treated and disposed of properly.

To add incremental capacity and additional equipment, what is required to support and bring that production line to life? Is there sufficient power, compressed air or steam? If not, is there a need to add an incremental transformer and switchgear, compressors or boilers to support the increased process utility demand. The addition of incremental utilities and their respective distribution will require proper space planning for the equipment as well as the distribution of pipes, cable tray, conduit, ductwork and so on to avoid creating interference or a barrier to future growth.

In addition to utilities and utility distribution, investigate the upstream and downstream impact that an increase in production may have to other infrastructure areas. Increased production may require additional raw materials. Where will they be stored? Additional packing materials may also be required. Will additional or new types of racking systems be required? Will additional warehouse space be needed? Will more dock doors be required to receive materials or ship finished products? It is critical to conduct a comprehensive upstream and downstream study of your entire material storage strategy, utility requirements, onsite logistics and material flows, maintenance protocols, as well as staffing needs with each capacity increase initiative.

Consider a sensitivity analysis

Adding capacity to a manufacturing facility is not for

the faint of heart. It is an expensive endeavor. Not only is the equipment a significant investment, but increasing capacity may also require additional staffing, raw materials and an investment in utility infrastructure. Consider conducting a sensitivity analysis, which is a front-end study that explores different scenarios to determine expansion thresholds and associated requirements.

For example, sales trends show that manufacturing company “ABC” needs to increase production capacity 15% to meet demand, and they commissioned a sensitivity study to analyze the existing production volume, as well as the spatial and utility impacts of adding additional production lines.

The sensitivity analysis showed that the company only had sufficient facility and utility capacity to add two incremental production lines. If they elect to add three new production lines, it will be a significantly higher investment because it would require additional transformers, more compressors and a building expansion. A sensitivity analysis presents owners with a best value options analysis (BVOA) of various capacity expansion scenarios to allow them to make informed decisions of how best to phase their long-term growth while managing their capital spending.

Custom shipping technology minimizes waste and excess storage of boxes.

Courtesy: BHDP

Mezzanine view of newly expanded capacity and opportunities for future increases.

Courtesy: BHDP

SOLUTIONS

ensure a focus on the long-term business objectives are maintained and that short-term decisions do not become barriers to long-term growth and success.

Capacity planning is a team sport

Strategies for future capacity expansion

In the example above, adding a third line would have been much more expensive. However, there are other costs such as construction mobilization/demobilization and plant downtime to take into consideration with each capacity initiative or building expansion decision.

If a building expansion is involved, consider expanding the production building to ultimately accommodate four new lines (four production bays) in the future but only install two new lines in an initial expansion phase.

This offers an opportunity to use the two empty bays for incremental raw material and packing material storage or warehousing of finished product in support of the two new lines on a temporary basis until such time that the third and fourth production lines are needed.

This approach also offers an opportunity to defer capital spending for new material storage space while protecting future production line installations. It also offers a benefit of minimizing disruptions to operations as a result of another production building expansion adjacent to operating lines.

This strategy provides the option of adding capacity incrementally as required with reduced downtime and the benefit of avoiding business interruptions due to a new capital expansion and construction project. The overall goal is to plan with a longer horizon in mind, which involves protecting the space that will ultimately be needed in the future without investing in the building or equipment now.

Future capacity expansion requires advance planning and development of robust equipment general arrangements, location control plans and phasing strategies to ensure building expansions, equipment, material flows, utilities and utility distribution are synchronized.

That is why it is important to invest in a comprehensive site and facility master plan based on an aligned production capacity master plan. It is equally important to regularly review and update these plans as a business changes. Regular reviews and refinements to plans will

As any successful sports coach will tell you, people need a team with the right experience to win a championship title. And, that applies to capacity planning, too. From the beginning, it is important to have a cross-section of expertise representing all aspects of the business at the planning table who are willing to share their unique insights. Early involvement of team members supports commitment to the capacity planning process. Ideally, the process is led by an individual who has a history with the company and experience working across multiple roles and functions throughout their career. By sharing the process with a cross-functional team, the capacity planning and expansion option development and evaluation process can be conducted in as little as eight to 12 weeks.

Increased acceptance of automation

Prior to the pandemic, many manufacturers were challenged to attract and retain skilled technicians to operate their production equipment. The pandemic required manufacturers to suspend operations or reduce the number of staff working to ensure worker safety, which led to backlogs in order fulfillment and severe supply chain shortages globally. As a result, manufacturing leaders are accelerating their investment in automation to improve supply chain resiliency in the future.

While the initial investment may be high, automation has multiple benefits. It can help protect workers’ health by minimizing contact with one another (automation requires fewer workers in a given space). It also has a benefit of increasing consistency in product quality, and over time can mitigate the impact of production cost due to rising wages whether production is offshore or domestic.

While manufacturers may not be able to invest in full-scale automation all at once, consider identifying one or two areas that could be automated and integrate into your overall capacity and master plans.

Capacity planning post COVID-19

The manufacturing sector experienced significant disruption from COVID-19, but as organizations restart their operations, capacity planning combined with site and facility master planning can help leaders re-imagine a resilient and efficient future. PE

Michael D. Verdier, P.E., is vice president and market leader of integrated industrial design with BHDP.

Data-informed designs from computer modeling that simulated increased production helped minimize bottlenecks.

Courtesy: BHDP

SOLUTIONS

CONDITION MONITORING

By Neil Canter

Emerging technologies advance condition monitoring techniques

Lubrication

Monitoring lubricants and the machinery where they are used is becoming more important as end users wish to extend operating life for as long as possible. End users require lubricants and machinery to operate at optimum levels under more demanding conditions. To achieve this, lubricants and machinery must be monitored to ensure they retain the original operating characteristics needed to do their required tasks.

Condition monitoring, i.e., fluid analysis, is a valuable tool needed to periodically assess the properties of lubricants and machinery. The value of this technique is increasing because end users have fewer resources available to them, and if a specific machine is not performing up to expectations, condition monitoring is essential to find the root cause and determine a solution as quickly as possible in real time.

This article provides an update on new test procedures that have been implemented to assess the condition of lubricants and machinery.

Wear debris alloy classification

Table 1: Standard used oil analysis on a synthetic gear oil was conducted at three specific times and showed that all the lubricant’s key parameters are within expectation.

Courtesy: OELCHECK GmbH

STLE-member Allison Toms, senior technical consultant to GasTOPS Inc. in Huntsville Ala., and former vice president of technology and engineering services, has focused on using techniques to monitor wear debris. She said, “Since the 1940s, wear debris analysis has been determined by bulk elemental analysis of debris in oil. On or about the year 2000, individual particle analysis using scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive X-ray (SEMEDX) was applied in broader applications to oil analysis, particularly for aviation, rather than primarily being used for detailed post-mortem failure analysis. However, SEMEDX, although simplified from a research grade instrument, was still complicated, difficult to operate, and used a 900-pound instrument, making it difficult to use in field applications.”

Toms said a new analytical technique using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for individual wear particle determination represents a fundamental change in oil analysis. She said, “The availability of specific particle alloy identification means the need to

engineers extend machine life by integrating lab analyses with online-generated data

SOLUTIONS CONDITION MONITORING

interpret elemental results is eliminated. Specific alloy classification of wear debris improves failure detection often missed by bulk elemental analysis. This technique was initially designed for high value machinery such as aircraft.

“Short laser pulses create micro hot-plasma ablation of debris, and then spectroscopic tools are employed for analysis. The wear debris can originate from chip collector and chip detector devices, filters, ferrograms, and loose particles. This technique is currently in use globally by commercial aviation, military, and MRO [maintenance, repair, and operations] industries and OEMS [original equipment manufacturers],” Toms said.

An example can be found in the analysis of a patch for an aircraft engine shown in Figure 1. Toms said, “Size detection ranges from particles as small as 70 microns and up into thousands of microns. Alloy classification rates are greater than 95% for all 23 alloys tested, greater than 97% for some. The technique we use takes a few minutes to analyze up to 20 particles by alloy and size. It is small, lightweight, easy to operate, and deployable.”

A complementary technique known as advanced oil fines analysis (AOFA), identifies wear debris particles in lubricants by alloy and by particle size down to 0.5 microns along with the concentrations of each alloy to provide enhanced knowledge on damage severity. Toms said, “AOFA presently uses a SEMEDX to analyze and identify alloys in particles. This technique is currently used by airlines to profile their engines and provide significantly

advanced notice of impending failures. Research is currently underway to incorporate this technology into a smaller, compact LIBS approach.”

Figure 2 compares an AOFA analysis versus atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) on two aircraft engines. Toms said, “Two distinct failures occurred, yet AES results were identical for both engines. In contrast, AOFA evaluated each particle and generated detailed alloy results. The difference in the two techniques is that AOFA analyzes particles individually while AES is providing a bulk chemical/elemental analysis of all particles together.”

Another benefit for wear particle analysis using LIBS is to have instrumentation that is portable, easy to use, and provides results in a prompt timeline. Toms said, “The military wanted a smaller, more rugged, and easier-to-operate instrument.”

Toms provided an example of an operator of turboprops that used AOFA to detect a problem that could not be identified by spectrometric oil analysis. She said, “After a warning light detected a problem, an oil sample was tested by AOFA, which confirmed the operator’s suspicion that the cause was deterioration of a carbon seal. Proactively, engine removal was scheduled for the next downtime and carbon seal deterioration was confirmed. The turboprop operator detected this problem more than 700 hours prior to scheduled removal of the engine resulting in a savings of approximately $400,000 by avoiding delays, cancellations, and secondary damage.”

Figure

Toms believes there is always the desire for enhanced diagnostics and prognostics in machinery monitoring. She said, “Knowing the specific alloy(s) and number of each alloy particles provides enhanced granularity with detailed information on the component’s wearing. This knowledge provides more in-depth failure analysis and advance failure notice. Adding the concentration of each alloy enhances knowledge on damage severity.”

Transportable lab

STLE-member Jack Poley of Condition Monitoring International in Miami, Fla., also feels the availability of portable instrumentation has led to new condition monitoring test procedures. He said, “Speaking primarily for fluid analysis, portable testing, including handheld instruments, are playing a significant role in what is perceived as a growing movement ‘toward the machine,’ i.e., the advent of packaged onsite laboratories that include the most popular tests currently employed, including AES wear metals. This is reflective of the innate (real time) quest for instant gratification, in terms of data from which an evaluation can be rendered ASAP.”

The goal in real-time condition monitoring is the use of sensors. Poley said, “Sensors are relatively new (circa 2000) to fluid analysis but still are not stable enough to always survive in a hot,

Figure 2: Atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) and advanced oil fines analysis (AOFA) were conducted on two engines that failed. AOFA analyzes particles individually and produced detailed analysis about the specific alloys detected. In contrast, AES provides a bulk chemical/elemental analysis for all particles together producing identical results that do not provide clues as to why both engines failed. Courtesy: GasTOPS Inc.

often-contaminated lubricant environment. But fluid analysis sensors cannot compete with vibration sensors because data is too incomplete due to instrument capabilities restrictions such as only being able to detect ferrous wear, rather than other necessary wear metals (copper, lead, aluminum, etc.). Another element, silicon, used to detect abrasives, cannot be detected by currently available sensors. A progression that begins to have onsite laboratories increasingly gaining ground on offsite laboratories will occur as sensors begin to gain more sensitivity and begin to mimic the full gamut of lubricant testing for condition monitoring.”

Poley provided an example of a fully fitted transportable lab that features an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer as the wear metals inspection method. He said, “This approach is able to detect short-term failure possibilities by quantifying large wear metal

SOLUTIONS CONDITION MONITORING

Poley indicates that in the future, such instrumentation will include artificial intelligence (AI) software since such applications already exist. He said, “This development, fully realized, will elevate condition monitoring fluid analysis to not just provide real-time analysis but also offer auto-diagnosis and advisory rendering.”

Most advances in condition monitoring have not been in technology used to conduct tests but in improving the ease and speed of performance. Poley said, “No new parameters have been developed during the past five years except for the transportable laboratory. The focus has been on accelerating the execution of monitoring tests without degradation in detection and quantification quality.”

Tribometers

particles (greater than four microns) beyond iron to other wear metals.”

This technique can be adapted in Poley’s opinion to evaluate in-service lubricants for net effective lubricity. Poley said, “Reductions in film strength can lead to excessive boundary lubrication that can throw off large particle wear metal (LPWM) analysis.”

Online testing techniques are under development but not yet ready for commercial use. Poley said, “The technology is not quite there for online/ inline analysis other than for iron at a rather limited 40-micron detectability limit at best. My expectation is that we are about five to 10 years out in terms of practicality or affordability.”

Convenience is a key characteristic for Dr. Deepak Veeregowda, head of global marketing and sales for Ducom Instruments Europe B.V in Gronigen, The Netherlands. He said, “We are now being asked to use tribometers (designed to measure the friction and wear of lubricants) in condition monitoring of lubricants during use. This tool is used in combination with conventional tools such as spectroscopy techniques that establish a correlation between additive depletion in a lubricant and machine performance factors such as friction.”

Deepak said while spectroscopy can measure an increase in friction that infers lubricant performance has declined, this technique does not necessarily confirm the cause is additive depletion. He said, “Tribometers can help investigate the root cause of lubricant performance and determine if an additive such as a friction modifier or an extreme pressure additive has become depleted while the lubricant is in use.”

Deepak provided examples of tribometers such as the KRL shear stability tester used to measure depletion of viscosity modifiers, the high frequency reciprocating rig used to monitor friction modifiers,

Figure 3: Three examples of tribometers (KRL shear stability tester, high frequency reciprocating rig, and four-ball tester) can be used to monitor the depletion of the specific additives shown. Courtesy: Ducom Instruments Europe B.V.

and a four-ball tester that measures depletion of friction modifiers and extreme pressure additives.

Figure 3 shows all three tribometers and indicates the lubrication regime where they function. Deepak said, “When deployed for condition monitoring, the tribometers can be used to measure coefficient of friction, specific heat, viscosity loss, and wear scar diameter. Lubricant applications where the tribometers can be used include transmission oils such as gear oils and hydraulic fluids used in heavy and renewable energy industries.”

With the growing use of aluminum and other non-ferrous metal alloys, formulating lubricants with metal deactivators and monitoring their performance over time has become more important for end users. A prime example is the evaluation of a synthetic gear oil used in a wind turbine. The expectation is that the gear oil must produce optimum performance while the turbine operates for many years.

High pressure liquid chromatography

Dr. Thomas Fischer, scientific director for OELCHECK GmbH in Brannenburg, Germany, said, “The traditional technique for monitoring synthetic gear oils is Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It provides information based on the changes of the used oil through a comparison with the spectrum of a corresponding fresh or reference oil.”

Besides other results, FTIR can detect oil oxidation by the formation of oxygen bonds but, especially for the synthetic oils, this method cannot be used to quantify this phenomenon. Changes in the FTIR spectrum can only be quantified if the molecules present in the lubricant absorb the infrared light differently at different wavelengths. Polyalphaolefin (PAO) or ester oils are used as base oils for modern synthetic gear oils because they are more stable against oxidation over a long period compared to conventional Group I or II mineral oils.

Fischer said, “In using mineral oil-based lubricants, the IR-method can be used to calculate oxidation by an increasing peak at a wave number of 1710 cm-1. This peak is representative of carbonyl bonds. It rises continuously as the lubricant ages due to the introduction of oxygen into the hydrocarbon molecules. However, this approach cannot be used for ester-based lubricants because one of the main peaks for esters is present at a close wave number of 1740 cm-1. Therefore, the peak at 1710 cm-1 cannot be used for synthetic oils to monitor oil degradation by oil oxidation.”

Since oil oxidation in synthetic gear oils are designed to remain in service for up to 10 years

and cannot be monitored by the FTIR method, an alternative technique known as high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been used to develop a method to gain additional information on those lubricants. In this field of industrial applications, HPLC is commonly used to measure the inhibitor depletion in water-based coolants. To develop the new method, synthetic gear oil samples taken out of a wind turbine gearbox over a period of six years were used.

Fischer said, “The main planetary gear of a 1.5 MW wind turbine is filled with approximately 600 liters of a synthetic gear oil. We analyzed the oil periodically over six years. The samples for the HPLC method were taken at 12,600, 43,800, and 52,700 operating hours. While all the values of the standard used oil analysis, as shown in Table 1, indicated that the gear lubricant’s key parameters were within expectation, the oil became steadily darker, as shown in Figure 4. Even though there is no standard, a change in the color provides an initial appraisal to the tribology engineer, who is diagnosing each sample individually, of whether the composition of the lubricant may have changed over time.”

Initially, the color of the oil sample after 12,600 hours was, like the fresh oil, light and clear. By the next samples, the oil discolored within a short period to dark brown. Fischer said, “This darkening of the oil did not provide any indication for whether lubricant performance was deteriorating, but it was alarming and led to further investigation of the oil’s characteristics. In reviewing the usual analytical data, we found that key parameters such as viscosity, viscosity index, and water content, as well as an IR comparison, remained stable. Only the neutralization number (AN), a measure of acidity, increased barely. The key elements, phosphorus and sulfur, reflective of the additive components, only dropped slightly but remained within expectation. The wear metals, except for copper, showed no increase. The diagnosis statement concluded that the oil could remain in service, however, because of copper, it should be analyzed at a shorter period.”

The copper content, which was within limits at 43,800 hours, increased significantly after 52,700 hours. This led to the recommendation that the oil must be changed immediately. However, the copper content did not necessarily explain the discoloration of the lubricant. Fischer said, “We felt the rise in copper might be an indication that the non-ferrous metal deactivator concentration in the gear oil had dropped. It was striking to us that both the high increase in copper levels and the dark discoloration of the gear oil had taken place within the relatively

SOLUTIONS CONDITION MONITORING

short period of less than 10,000 operating hours. Unfortunately, we could not use any of the fast and relatively inexpensive traditional analytical techniques, including FTIR, to determine, whether and how much the metal deactivator concentration did change. Metal deactivator additives are usually based on azole chemistry and include such examples as tolyltriazole and benzotriazole.”

These metal deactivators are effective in protecting copper-containing surfaces against corrosive wear. Unfortunately, metal deactivators are consumed continuously. If they are not present in the lubricant, copper corrosion will start. In windmill gearboxes, the main components where such corrosion will lead to catastrophic failure are the cages of double-row spherical roller bearings. If these bearings fail, a very costly overhaul is the result. Fischer said, “Because we use the HPLC method regularly to measure the concentration of inhibitors in automotive coolants, we decided to also use this instrument to evaluate the metal deactivators in lubricants and define the remaining concentration of non-ferrous inhibitors in synthetic gear oils.”

The HPLC method was used to measure the concentration of tolyltriazole and benzotriazole in the fresh and used oil samples. Fischer said, “We found the fresh oil displayed a high content of tolyltriazole. However, after the oil was used for 43,800 hours, we measured a significant decline in the concentration of this type of metal deactivator. The sample, which was in use for more than 50,000 hours, showed

only a small concentration of the non-ferrous metal deactivator. This decline in the deactivator content can be used as a strong indication that high copper content in the oil sample is caused by corrosive wear of the bearing cage because the additive is not present anymore. In our experience, non-ferrous metals such as copper, lead, and tin can increase in concentration dramatically in a short time when a system is running with a depleted inhibitor. The new HPLC method, presently not used as a standard for gear oil analysis, is an approach to monitor a possible source for the fast-progressing corrosive wear.”

Fischer believes if HPLC had been used to monitor the condition of the wind turbine gear oil, the decline in metal deactivator concentration would have been identified already after 43,800 hours. He said, “Knowing these results, our tribology experts would have recommended the gear oil must be changed with the next 2,000 operating hours because otherwise, the wear of the bearing-cage would rapidly increase.”

The new HPLC method is, compared to the standard oil analysis methods, a time-consuming and expensive analytical technique, but the results from this case study justifies its use. Fischer said, “The process itself is relatively expensive because every sample needs to be extracted using a solid phase extraction method prior to the HPLC analysis. However, the advanced warning made through HPLC analysis is justified because it will enable damage and cost-intensive repairs to be avoided.”

Membrane patch colorimetry test

STLE-member Greg Livingstone, chief innovation officer for Fluitec International in Bayonne, N.J., said the membrane patch colorimetry test (ASTM

Figure 4: The color of the synthetic gear oil used in a wind turbine becomes progressively darker over time. Courtesy: OELCHECK GmbH

D7483) has made a significant contribution to condition monitoring of the deposit tendencies of turbine, compressor, and hydraulic fluids. He said, “This procedure is able to predict when a fluid has potential to form deposits, allowing users to take proactive action prior to varnish formation.”

In the membrane patch colorimetry test procedure, a sample of the fluid is diluted with an equal volume of petroleum ether and filtered through a 0.45-micron nitro-cellulose membrane. Livingstone said, “The color of the oil-degradation products captured on the filter are measured by a spectrophotometer and compared to a control. The color difference, or ΔE, is evaluated on the CIE scale to assess the magnitude of the deposits. This method enables end users to take proactive action prior to varnish formation, which can have a detrimental effect on the lubricant.”

Livingstone said, “The membrane patch colorimetry test is the only ASTM-approved method designed to predict the deposit characteristics of in-service lubricants. Users of this method avoid having to react once a varnish deposit has caused a reliability issue.”

Livingstone said lubricant applications sensitive to deposits including turbine, compressor, and hydraulic systems are most suitable for using this test procedure. He said, “Non-detergent mineral and synthetic industrial lubricants have proven to be effectively evaluated for deposit formation by this procedure. Lubricants with detergent/dispersant additive systems have not been extensively tested yet. One concern is that lubricants containing heavy amounts of contaminants will plug the membrane, making the test much harder to administer or requiring an augmented test protocol.”

Livingstone said many rotating equipment OEMs now recommend the membrane patch colorimetry test as a key part of monitoring fluids used in their systems. He said, “Research is underway to develop an online procedure to adequately perform real-time deposit testing of lubricants. The hope is to enable end users to more quickly determine the condition of their lubricant systems so that the necessary corrective action steps can be made.”

Foam

Foam or entrained air can adversely impact the performance of the lubricant. Among the problems that foam can create are reducing the ability of the lubricant to remove heat, increasing the possibility of oxidation, resulting in poor fluid flow in applications such as hydraulic fluids. Dr. Aaron Mendez, director of research and applications at Ayalytical Instruments Inc. in Chicago, said, “The foaming

tendency of lubricants is one of the most important properties to be measured in lubricants.”

Two of the methods used to measure foaming are ASTM D892 and ASTM D6082. Mendez said, “Both methods are somewhat operator-biased, suffer from poor precision, and are prone to human error in sample preparation and handling. Other issues include the bulkiness of the test device, difficulty in handling oil samples to be tested, and relatively long test period duration.”

A new foam testing apparatus has been developed that uses standardized lighting, a high-resolution camera, and a patent-pending algorithm to accurately and repeatedly measure foam height at the different experimental conditions of the two test methods. The apparatus measures foam formation, foam dissipation, foam height, and air release.

Mendez said, “The new foam testing apparatus, actually under development for ASTM approval as a revision of the current D892 and D8062 standards, represents an improvement toward the sensitivity, precision, and unbiased determination of lubricant foaming tendency. It also improves throughput of samples, reduces uncertainty in the analysis, and positively benefits the overall process of quality control and product characterization.”

Mendez said the new foam testing apparatus is not in any way incompatible with lubricant formulations. He said, “Users of this technique will be able to develop applications to determine additive performance (defoamers in particular), study foam kinetics, and conduct air release experiments.”

The automated procedure used to run the new foam testing apparatus makes it possible to determine the influence of instrumental configuration and design in the determination of foam height and foaming tendencies. Mendez said, “The new test procedure can evaluate the material and shapes of gas diffusers and determine objectively possible correlations between pore sizes and foam production.”

The new foam testing apparatus provides the user with an advantageous environment for studying and accurately measuring foam. Mendez said, “We have found that foam heights and temperatures can be measured with an uncertainty of ±0.25 milliliter of foam and a temperature uncertainty of ±0.1°C.”

Mendez expects this new technique can be adapted to observe online performance of lubricant base stocks and finished lubricant formulations.

The future

Livingstone said, “Change is imminent in the lubricant industry as we are seeing integration of traditional laboratory analyzers merged with data produced from

SOLUTIONS CONDITION MONITORING

online sensorics and incorporated into an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) network. Oil analysis in the future might not just be for assessing the health of the lubricant or a specific component but may play an integral role in optimizing manufacturing processes and remote monitoring of plants.”

An IIoT network enables sensors, actuators, and other devices to become interconnected, leading to the more rapid sharing and analysis of data. The objective of this network is to enhance manufacturing and industrial processes.

Deepak agrees and goes further by indicating IIoT can be linked with Industry 4.0, which involves the use of AI to enable machines used in a production plant to interact through wireless connectivity and sensors as a means to optimize the manufacturing process. He said, “Industry 4.0 will revolutionize the lubricant condition monitoring business. IIoT with sensor enablement, mixed reality for data visualization, and machine learning (ML) for Big Data will help in creating digital twins of lubricants deployed in the field. These digital twins are the representative lubricant conditions in the field that can be accessed remotely to optimize the performance of machines. Industry 4.0 will transform the conventional business models, for example, machine uptime will be the value proposition offered by companies associated with condition monitoring.”

Mendez is optimistic about the future of condition monitoring. He said, “Since the global lubricant industry spends a large amount of time and money in corrective maintenance and lubricant reposition, the future is bright for improvements toward objectiveness, precision, and performance of methods for lubricant condition monitoring.”

Toms said, “Industry would like more on-equipment sensors for lubricant and machinery monitoring. Wear debris analysis using on-equipment (inline) sensors has been available for more than 25 years with more than 500 million hours in aviation, power generation, wind turbine, and marine applications.”

Customers using inductive wear debris sensors would like lubricant monitoring sensors incorporated into one package to eliminate the need for manual oil condition sampling. However, it is difficult to find a reliable, repeatable lubricant condition sensor that can monitor all the lubricant parameters of interest for different applications. Typically, lubricant condition/contamination (water, fuel, degradation, viscosity, particle counts, cleanliness, etc.) sensors detect one parameter where numerous oil condition and contamination parameters are required. Multiple lubricant condition sensors are probably

necessary. In addition, they often require cleaning and/or replacement components. Numerous research and trial projects are working on this topic.

Poley believes the future of fluid analysis and condition monitoring of lubricants and machinery is highly encouraging. “Test instrumentation continues to make great strides with onsite analysis enabling users to gain faster access to data to improve timeliness of warnings and encourage involvement of maintenance in advisory construction,” Poley said. “Another mitigated issue is that improved testing techniques have led to the reduction of sample sizes, leading to reduced disposability of chemicals used in the analyzes. Onsite fluid analysis testing is now able to quickly assist in vetting a sensor alarm in at most a couple of hours, depending on installation logistics versus days when testing was confined to offsite labs.”

Poley predicts eventually onsite analysis installations will accelerate the movement to the possibility of all-sensor asset condition monitoring (ACM), which is the real-time Holy Grail of ACM. He said, “Artificial intelligence-infused intelligence agents are on the threshold, indeed a few already exist, as the primary data evaluators based on the sheer complexity of the evaluation process in the 21st Century. Data will continue to be more varied and more proliferated when multiple condition monitoring disciplines are amalgamated [especially when sensors are in play]. Artificial intelligence will be needed to provide the adaptability required to independently assess the importance of the results to instantly conduct problem solving of the complex issues facing lubricant systems.”

Condition monitoring has assumed an important role in ensuring lubricants and machinery can continue to be used over the long term. Technology advances are enabling users to start working with online techniques and even envision the future use of AI.

These steps will further improve the accuracy, precision, and speed at which condition monitoring can provide users with vital information about lubricant systems and machinery in the future. PE

Neil Canter heads his own consulting company, Chemical Solutions, in Willow Grove, Pa.

This article first appeared in Tribology & Lubrication Technology (TLT), the monthly magazine of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE), an international not-for-profit professional society headquartered in Park Ridge, Illinois. Reprinted with permission from STLE.

BOILER TECH SUPPORT

Topog-E® Gasket Company, formulates and mixes its own rubber manufactures superior moldedrubber handhole and manhole gaskets for steam, hot water boilers, water heaters, softeners, deaerators, make-up tanks, and other selected pressure vessels.

Topog-E® Gaskets have become an industry standard since 1956. Topog-E® Gaskets seal quickly, completely, preventing seepage, corrosion and pitting. They peel off easily leaving clean surfaces for inspection.

Topog-E® Gasket Company offers a FREE Technical Specification and Usage Guide containing useful information about boiler maintenance safety.

Also, FREE a pocket slide rule that charts steam temperature versus pressure.

For more information contact:

Topog-E Gasket Company

1224 North Utica

Fax: 918-587-6961

Tulsa, OK 74110

www.topog-e.com

Tel: 800-587-7123

info@topog-e.com

SOLUTIONS

By Steve Cooper

Air Force base water supply piping system challenge met

Designing an ef cient, long-lasting piping system

Building the United States Air Force’s new basic training facility at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas required large diameter pipe and fittings to move 155 º F (68 º C) water effectively throughout the campus at 90 psi.

The problem was that the 6,000 feet of pipe would need to be installed in crawl spaces, trenches and in riser locations. More than 250 fittings would be needed. The goal was to have a system that would provide long-term performance and need as little maintenance as possible.

“The build of the campus is essential to advance the Air Force’s training capabilities,” said Col. Dave Norton, director of AFCEC Facility Engineering Directorate. “The new infrastructure is designed to allow the Air Force to successfully train future enlisted personnel in a more functional, modern campus environment.”

The base dates back to just before World War I when it was established to provide aviation training for the country’s new Air Service and later becoming Lackland Air Force Base. It is now the only site for Air Force enlisted Basic Military Training (BMT).

Traditional pipe materials

Traditional pipe materials such as copper and carbon steel were considered, but a type of thermoplastic pipe was selected for the system that would move hot and cold potable water, non-potable HVAC heating and chilled water, plus condenser water. Solving the problem would win the pipe’s manufacturer, Asahi/America, Inc. (Lawrence, MA) the Project of the Year Award from the Building & Construction Division (BCD) of the Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI).

The association’s annual awards program recognizes projects and members for exceptional contributions to the industry. Submissions in the association's divisions are reviewed, evaluated and voted upon by the PPI members. PPI is the major North American trade association representing the plastic pipe industry.

Construction

The ongoing construction of the West Campus at the base will add four recruit dormitories, two classrooms, dining facilities and a chapel. The $226 million project is a partnership between Air Force Civil Engineering Center (AFCEC), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the 802nd Civil Engineer Squadron, Merrick and Company and the 737th Training Wing, the largest training wing in the Air Force. Some 1,250 trainees will be assigned to each of the two 280,550 square foot dormitories once the total project is completed in late 2022. The design called for piping that would range from four through eighteen inches and consist of both SDR 11 and SDR 17 wall thicknesses, and which would accommodate the different requirements of the cold and hot water services and non-potable lines. Plus, potable pipes need to meet NSF requirements for drinking water.

A U.S. Air Force basic military graduation at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.

Courtesy: U.S. Air Force

The Air Force’s new basic training facility required large diameter pipe and fittings to move 155ºF (68ºC) water effectively throughout the campus at 90 psi. Using PP-RCT pipe also enabled sections of the system to be fabricated and lifted into the trench. Courtesy: Asahi/ America

Four to sixteen-inch diameter SDR 17 PP-RCT would be used for plumbing, non-potable, while SDR 11 PP-RCT would be used for HVAC chilled and heating water, condenser water, plus domestic hot water in diameters from four inch to eighteen inch.

Challenges

“Tight places are challenging locations for installing piping systems,” stated Lance MacNevin, P. Eng., director of engineering for PPI's BCD. “Asahi/ America’s Asahitec PP-RCT pipe would provide light weight, ease-of-maneuverability and would use faster and safer heat fusion welding methods than steel pipe.

Because this pipe is made from random co-polymer polypropylene (PP) with modified crystallinity and temperature resistance, it has a more complex crystalline structure that provides greater pressure capabilities at higher temperatures than conventional PP materials.

PP-RCT piping products are rated for continuous operation at 180ºF (82ºC) temperature, with pressure rating depending on their wall thickness. PP-RCT pipes also may include reinforcement layers for benefits such as reducing longitudinal thermal expansion/contraction. Additionally, the use of PP-RCT piping increases efficiency and long-term maintenance savings. Steel pipes in hydronic systems suffer from the chemical formation of iron oxides, leading to rust and corrosion.

Corrosion build-up can take a toll on the efficiency of pumps needed to distribute water

throughout a facility. PP-RCT allows water to move efficiently and operate at higher velocities without corrosion concerns. With the increased performance of a PP-RCT hydronic system, less energy is put into the creation and maintenance of the system, which creates a smaller carbon footprint.”

The Air Force’s new basic training facility required large diameter pipe and fittings to move 155ºF (68ºC) water effectively throughout the campus at 90 psi. Using PP-RCT pipe also enabled sections of the system to be fabricated and lifted into the trench. Courtesy: Asahi/America

SOLUTIONS

According to Asahi/America, the smooth internal surface of its Asahitec pipe has a Hazen and Williams coefficient of 150.

MacNevin offered, “Although new steel pipe has a Hazen and Williams coefficient of 140, its flow factor and flow characteristics typically change over time due to scaling, rust and pitting. This internal corrosion could reduce the flow coefficient to 110 or 90, resulting in pumps that have to draw more power to overcome growing flow resistance, leading to increased energy usage and decreased efficiency.”

“This is an extensive installation with thousands of feet of piping in buildings and underground,” stated David M. Fink, president of PPI. “The use of Asahitec PP-RCT provided significant peace of mind that major essential campus services at this military base will be trouble-free for decades to come.”

Types of piping

“We’ve been seeing more use of PP-RCT hightemperature plastic pressure piping for plumbing and hydronic heating. PP-RCT pipes also provide resistance to highly acidic and basic solutions, which may be seen in certain non-potable lines. It was perfect for this project. The design engineers

knew that a great amount of the pipe would have to be installed in confined spaces and made it a top priority to consider how the crew could handle it it,” concluded Fink.

A six-inch diameter, 20-foot section of carbon steel weighs nearly 400 pounds, which would require special rigging to lift and hangers and support bracing. The PP-RCT is considerably lighter, weighing just 4.5 pounds a foot, or 90 pounds for 20 feet. Being about one quarter of the weight of carbon steel, using PP-RCT pipe made the job a lot easier, practical and safer. PP-RCT provided all the weight savings, installation benefits and performance efficiencies promised by the material characteristics.

While the light weight of the pipe helped ease the installation underground and in crawl spaces, the fusion process using a hydraulic butt fusion tool to connect pipes and fittings also provided a critical benefit. Using heat fusion joining releases no hazardous fumes or gases, which makes it much safer to use in confined spaces.

Because there are no open flames or combustible gases, using PP-RCT pipe does not require extra permitting tags. The time required to weld Asahitec is also considerably less than that of steel. To weld one 12-inch joint of steel pipe

The Air Force’s new basic training facility required large diameter pipe and fittings to move 155ºF (68ºC) water effectively throughout the campus at 90 psi. Using PP-RCT pipe also enabled sections of the system to be fabricated and lifted into the trench. Courtesy: Asahi/America

could take up to three hours, while a butt fusion weld of Asahitec takes roughly 41 minutes to complete, according to the company. Because of this, the time and cost savings to both the contractor and the customer were considerable on this project.

Performance

The hydraulic fusion tool served additional functions beyond welding. It acted as a come along for the movement and pressurized fusion of the large pipe, kept weldments in alignment, and the process allowed for continuous operator inspection of the fusion process and final weld.

“The system’s performance will be reliable for decades,” stated MacNevin. “The efficiency of the system will remain as designed, and will not change due to any degradation of the piping system. The base will not have to perform any

Long runs of PP-RCT pipe are in tight crawl spaces below the first floor. Because of the polypropylene pipe’s light weight there was no need to use heavy duty hangers or supports.

Courtesy: Asahi/America

maintenance on the system, unless outside factors damage it.

“This project provides proof that plastic piping offers all the installation and performance benefits that plastic piping suppliers claim,” he concluded.

The Air Force plans to add two new dormitories, an additional classroom and dining facility and the chapel in the coming years. Once completed, the 1.33 million square foot West Campus will be able to simultaneously train nearly 5,000 recruits. PE

The Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI) is the major North American trade association representing the plastic pipe industry and is dedicated to promoting plastic as the materials of choice for pipe and conduit applications. PPI is the premier technical, engineering and industry knowledge resource publishing data for use in the development and design of plastic pipe and conduit systems. Additionally, PPI collaborates with industry organizations that set standards for manufacturing practices and installation methods.

SOLUTIONS

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

By Nick Schiltz

How to get your ROI from IIoT

An analysis of enhanced productivity through smart device monitoring technology

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is paving the way for a safer and smarter digital workplace. Digital transformation for maintenance has made it easier to plan than ever before. When maintenance needs are scheduled out in advance through early insights into their equipment health, technicians are better equipped to prepare for the task at hand. As opposed to reactive maintenance where the pressure is high to get everything back online as quickly as possible.

IIoT can be defined as, “a network of machines, computers, and people enabling intelligent industrial operations using advanced data analytics for transformational business outcomes.” IIoT uses advances in sensing, communications, cloud and computing technologies to help reduce costly unplanned downtime by providing an early indication of pending failure and digitally capture human experience in a

way that makes it easy to transition expertise from one worker to the next.

Organizations can now deploy smart sensors onto critical assets and use continuous vibration and/ or temperature monitoring to watch trends and trigger alerts when irregular thresholds are met. For example, wireless sensors can be deployed onto motors and rotating equipment to monitor vibration and temperature. The sensors interpret this data and alert maintenance teams when anomalous behavior is detected. This early warning of an impending equipment failure allows maintenance teams to proactively react as opposed to running to a failure that wasn’t predicted.

Reactive maintenance

Reactive maintenance is defined as any sort of maintenance work that was scheduled less than

Figure 1: Unlike the run-to-failure method, both preventive and predictive maintenance methods fall under the proactive maintenance category. Image courtesy: Grace Technologies

Figure 2: With a data-driven approach, organizations are provided with a more productive means of integrating future generations of skilled maintenance personnel by equipping them with the complete history of each critical asset. Image courtesy: Grace Technologies

20 hours before execution. During this time, a sense of urgency is created that contributes to higher risk taking and less planning. Most injuries occur during a fast-paced reactive maintenance scenario over those that are scheduled out, well planned for and executed by a well-equipped team.

Unlike the run-to-failure method, both preventive and predictive maintenance methods fall under the proactive maintenance category. Though the preventive and predictive methods share a common category, the principles, strategy and implementation methods are different and in some cases a bit complex for the predictive tools. A robust and reliable maintenance program will include elements of both preventive and predictive maintenance tools.

With a data-driven approach, organizations are provided with a more productive means of integrating future generations of skilled maintenance personnel by equipping them with the complete history of each critical asset they are tasked with maintaining. However, one of the main drivers for IIoT technology is that it can also be used to replace, or potentially augment, hard to find skilled maintenance personnel. Many facilities around the globe are seeing maintenance teams that have maintained equipment for decades are beginning to retire with little more than tribal knowledge left in their wake for the next generation.

College graduates who once would line up to fill these skilled maintenance positions are starting to lean more toward innovative fields and are less inclined to take up maintenance positions. As a result, it's important for technologies to take up that mantle and allow these organizations that are losing skilled maintenance personnel to replace some of their expertise with IIoT technologies.

IIoT promises

IIoT promises to reduce downtime especially in the 24/7 world of the industrial space. In most industrial verticals, downtime can be incredibly costly; about $20 billion in terms of lost revenue in process industries alone. In general, anytime you have legacy equipment that could be upwards of 60 years old still running in your facility there's going to be a constant need for maintenance. If

IIoT can eliminate the route-based inspections of that legacy equipment and bring about route prioritization it can be a high value proposition for organizations.

Underlying technologies for IIoT are ready for prime time right now. Easy to deploy sensors are now affordable and accessible. The wireless and network communication architectures have been built out to be robust in the industrial environment. Cloud hosting has become pervasive, affordable and really trusted. These three achievements alone can help organizations build robust and reliable IIoT solutions.

Many facilities have issues with downtime that cost their organization lost time and money. They don't have a huge maintenance budget to counteract

the losses they're seeing in equipment degradation or unexpected failure. Some facilities have issues where they have spent so much money on maintenance that they've effectively eliminated their downtime problems.

However, this can be a suboptimal deployment of maintenance dollars as well because you're spending more than you need to optimize your downtime requirements. What we hope to see with IIoT is to even this balance where you're spending the appropriate or the optimal amount of maintenance dollars to reduce your downtime to the levels that are necessary for the functioning of your business.

No size fits all

IIoT technology is not a one-size-fits-all solution. The decisions that go with it are always going to be complex and multifaceted. And because of that, if you don't think through the ramifications of the integration with your legacy equipment and the ramifications of a new system with your existing workforce it likely will lead to worse results from

an IIoT rollout than you might see if you lay the groundwork for network integration.

There is a massive potential for ROI in the automation space for IIoT. It can serve to bring value by reducing unexpected downtime, but it can also be used to help augment the widening gap in the skilled maintenance workforce that's been created as more and more skilled maintenance personnel are retiring. Above all else, the most important aspect we should value is the safety enhanced through IIoT analytics that provide better planning and a proactive approach to maintenance. PE

Nick Schiltz is a copywriter for Grace Technologies located in Davenport, Iowa. The company specializes in electrical safety products and predictive maintenance solutions. During his five years at Grace, Schiltz has published more than two-hundred and fifty blog posts ranging in topics from electrical safety best practices to the future impact of IIoT in the industrial space. You can read more of Schiltz’ work on Grace’s weekly electrical safety and reliability centered maintenance blog at GracePort.com

SOLUTIONS

ELECTRICITY & POWER

By Brent Tracy

Why more manufacturers are turning to microgrids

Microgrids mitigate power distribution vulnerabilities

North America has now deployed more microgrids than any other region in the world, and manufacturers are a leading adopter of the technology. As more manufacturing facilities look to rely less on the power grid and integrate renewable energy into their operations, microgrids and backup power are becoming increasingly popular.

According to Microgrid Knowledge and data from Navigant, “commercial and industrial (C&I) microgrids are poised to grow faster than any other form of microgrid, as data centers, stores, resorts, manufacturers and other business operations turn to the technology.”

Manufacturers face a great many challenges: obligations to customers, planning for infrastructure repairs and upgrades, maintaining a healthy workplace and meeting environmental goals. In addition, they also face a new set of issues that have recently emerged. These include:

• Constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic

• Tariffs stemming from international trade disputes

• Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues important to investors

• Power failures due to poor weather, accidents, equipment malfunctions or other causes.

An analysis of national power outage data from Climate Central shows that there has been a 67% increase in major power outages from weather-related events since 2000. Two-thirds of states experienced an increase in outages caused by extreme weather in recent years.

Power disruptions have a significant impact on manufacturers. Even small fluctuations in power quality can disrupt assembly lines and cause costly delays. An increased use of automated assembly technology, use of artificial intelligence (AI) and use of 3D printing technologies make resilient, reliable power increasingly important. A recent survey found that more than a quarter of manufacturing businesses experienced an outage at least once a month, and 58% reported an outage lasting longer than one hour.

For large manufacturing enterprises, cost of a single hour of downtime can easily top the $5 million mark. These disruptions have a ripple effect beyond the factory and can even affect supply chain logistics and businesses that rely on real-time delivery of products.

Manufacturers must address all of these challenges while delivering on the constant expectation to lower costs across the business year over year.

Microgrids offer manufacturers a flexible platform to head off these issues — ensuring power is reliable, enabling renewable energy for sustainability goals, controlling energy costs and attracting customers and investors that want manufacturers to continuously raising the bar on ESG performance. A microgrid can help control energy generation, usage and cost stability.

A microgrid meets needs

The are many options available to configure the best microsystem for your organization. Some of the bestknown components are:

Photovoltaic (PV) solar arrays, which can be built onto existing roofs, structures or ground-mounted frames and tied into AC inverters, batteries and other electrical infrastructure comprising a microgrid. The power generated from the panels can be channeled and stored into energy storage battery banks or incorporated with other power sources like generators and wind power via inverters that change dc to ac voltage.

When a grid outage occurs, a facility can operate without the grid, using the solar generation to power operations during the day, and store excess energy in batteries to continue into nighttime. Solar plus energy storage microgrid can provide cost savings when the grid is operating on-peak by shifting load to electricity stored during less expensive, off-peak hours.

Solar parking canopies: While covered parking provides vehicles protection from the elements, it can also be an overlooked area for onsite renewable power generation.

Onsite wind generation: Wind generation can be coupled with a battery energy storage system (BESS) to provide a robust onsite option for power generation

SOLUTIONS ELECTRICITY & POWER

and an important contributor that helps organizations meet their sustainability goals.

Battery storage and UPS: A battery energy storage system (BESS) stores energy through battery technology. It can be a critical component in the microgrid system by acting as an energy buffer when intermittent renewable electricity generation creates new demands on the grid.

Main battery storage coupled with an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system can be used to provide sensitive computer controls and data center servers with the proper stable backup voltage and protection to keep IT and control system operations online.

Backup power generators: Conventional generator systems can provide reliable backup power during unplanned outages. Generators can be combined with energy storage and on-site renewable energy to provide a comprehensive microgrid solution.

Fuel cells: If someone’s manufacturing operations have dependable access to natural gas, biogas or hydrogen, fuel cells are a great option. Fuel cells can supply continuous power when wind, solar, batteries or other resources are unavailable.

In addition, fuel cells generate about half of the greenhouse gas emissions of centralized power and release virtually almost no carbon monoxide, lead, ground-level ozone, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, the six most common sources of air pollution. They also offer a high degree of cost predictability, making it possible to lock in long-term power costs instead of facing yearly utility rate uncertainty and increases.

Microgrid controls: Operation of the microgrid needs to be adaptable, depending on the power supply from the grid, time-of-use rates, demand response agreements with the local utility and arbitrage where a deregulated market exists for selling off excess power.

A robust microgrid controls system will handle conditions in near real-time response and provide the required flexibility to accommodate dynamic optimization strategies as well as grow and change with future growth and power options.

The bottom line

Microgrids can help manufacturers meet many of the challenges they face today.

A well-designed microgrid can bring efficient, lowcost power as well as reliability and resiliency benefits to critical infrastructure. A microgrid with robust controls and up-to-date cybersecurity supports operational flexibility while providing predictable costs optimized for both efficiency and sustainability.

An investment in a microgrid can act as insurance for continued growth, success and innovation. A power disruption brings vulnerability, loss of time and money a microgrid puts you back in charge. PE

Brent Tracy is the manufacturing sector lead for Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions, a subsidiary of Duke Energy that serves private and public companies, government-led organizations and educational institutions nationwide. Tracy is an engineer whose career has been focused on creating energy savings and operational improvements for commercial and industrial projects.

SOLUTIONS

VALVES & PIPING

By Heinz P. Bloch

Consider modular reed valves for your reciprocating compressors

Tips for reliability professionals engaged in due diligence

The main function of reciprocating compressor valves is to control flow in and out of the compressor cylinders. Valves are critically important components for reciprocating compressors; their functional integrity usually governs the availability, reliability and efficiency of these positive gas-displacing machines. Virtually all manufacturers’ and users’ statistics place valves at the top of failing components in reciprocating compressors.

Four or five types of valve configurations are normally used in reciprocating compressors. Except for suction valve unloaders, which use mechanisms to physically keep a valve open during part or the entire stroke length (displacement) of a piston, valves are actuated by differential gas pressure. Valves open when the pressure on one side of the cylinder is greater than the pressure on the opposing side.

The compressor designer’s and knowledgeable user’s choice of valve depends largely on the characteristics or parameters of a process application. While valve type and size are being specified by the compressor

manufacturer, the user-purchaser must be involved in valve selection. Selection involves trade-offs. Perhaps a given configurations has better efficiency but needs more maintenance or the manufacturer believes that unless the marketplace demands it, there is no incentive to change the present spare parts-oriented business model. Accordingly, he continues to provide valves that do not represent best available technology.

Modular reed valves

Although new valve designs are not entering the marketplace every year, some new entries do exist and are well worth considering. In fact, because owner-purchasers are likely the most reliability-focused of the various entities dealing with valves, users will benefit from a fuller understanding why modular reed valves have found rapid acceptance since 2014; many are now installed in oil refineries and hydrogen compressors with power ratings approaching 20,000 hp (see Figure 1).

In traditional (legacy) valves, the gas must travel around corners, which causes efficiency decays due to pressure loss. However, in a modular reed valve, the gas path is unobstructed. Also, the differential pressure needed for a valve to open is considerably less in modular reed valves than in legacy valves. When these parameters combine with demonstrable life extensions, the overall advantages are difficult to ignore.

Since many factors will affect reliability, user-touser comparisons can be difficult. We advocate that reliability-focused owner-purchasers look for demonstrated experience in similar services elsewhere. As an important aside, a cooperative vendor or valve manufacturer will not withhold their reference lists from reliability professionals engaged in due diligence.

Design considerations

Considering modular reed valve design, the underlying design principle of a modular reed valve is captured in the term “straight-through flow” or StraightFlo. Although these valves are placed in the category “reed valves,” their use of high-performance polymers and truly modular elements of construction distinguish them from most other valves.

Figure 1: Modular reed valve Courtesy: Zahroof Valves

SOLUTIONS

VALVES & PIPING

In virtually all precursor valves, the gas must flow at high velocity past two or more corners (see Figure 2). The StraightFlo valve has much lower pressure drop; it consistently results in power savings of 0.5% or higher (see Figure 3). The manufacturer submitted data from a highly instrumented case study indicating a 41% reduction of power losses in the valves of a 1,000 hp integral gas engine compressor in natural gas service. Specific power (bhp/volume flow) was improved by 9.3% and similar results were achieved at other compressor stations.

In the pursuit of comparison, a well-managed userpurchaser usually applies the principles of machinery quality assessment (MQA)(ref. 2). While carrying out their MQA tasks, reliability professionals verify that the vendor’s material selection meets the purchaser’s gas conditions, operating temperature criteria and

anticipated range of power losses. Obtaining a warranty-backed gain of 0.5% in overall power efficiency in a 6,000-kW reciprocating compressor at $0.06/kwh and 8,760 operating hours per year is worth more than one might think. Considering the value of downtime avoidance will further enhance the often very attractive payback.

A competent valve manufacturer will explain all about design compromises, gas velocity limitations, the meaning of valve lift (distance from seated to fully open, absence of valve flutter), tolerance for liquids and solid impurities carried in the gas and overall valve operation in clean versus fouling services. Recall that there are bone-dry gases in some, and oil carryover in other services. Explore if and how compressor valves tolerate these extremes. Find out before a sequence of premature failures tells you that experimentation is rarely acceptable when important assets are involved.

Examining modular reed valves

The inventor chose the generic term “modular reed valve” for compressor valves designed and constructed as depicted in several of our illustrations. Adaptations are available of different cages, stacked valve models, unloading mechanisms and other configurational choices. However, the high-performance plastic, reedcontaining components depicted in Figure 1 are common to all; even their external dimensions are identical. Where traditional valves experienced severe fouling, a StraightFlo drop-in replacement always showed considerably less fouling in the same time frame. Because of its largely self-cleaning action, the drop-in replacement greatly extends the run length capability of other valves. The novel valve concept allows field-cleaning by a relatively inexperienced labor force and usually takes less than 15 minutes.

We ascertained ease of service, improved compressor flowrates, servicing possible by lower skilled workforce members, above-average operating performance over a very wide speed range and generally well aboveaverage availability/reliability. While the first applications were in upstream facilities (oil exploration and gathering), StraightFlo valves have made significant inroads in downstream facilities such as oil refineries and petrochemical plants. The uniform construction of the valve internals facilitates spare parts procurement and management to an unusual degree.

The flow area ratios of two widely used valves were compared with three modular StraightFlo valves; the percentage increases in flow areas were judged to be quite significant. Elementary physics explains that, for a given volume of gas, larger flow areas have lower pressure drop than smaller flow areas. Lower

Figure 2: Traditional valves and depiction of flow. Courtesy: Zahroof Valves

Figure 3: Two modular reed elements illustrating straightthrough flow path. Courtesy: Zahroof Valves

maximum pressures in cylinders reduce pressure ratios by a small amount. Together with inherently larger areas of gas passage, these ratio reductions save energy and increase compressor throughput.

Final thoughts

We were able to verify that the success of these valves is based on well-instrumented factory tests as well as field tests. We ascertained the various reports did not refer to comparisons of brand-new modular reed StraightFlo valves with old and/or worn valves. Instead, the comparisons were for unused old-style valves versus unused new-style valves.

The tests also showed sizeable improvements in specific energy efficiency (bhp divided by volume flow), no valve flutter, low noise and vibration, extremely lowpressure differential needed to activate valves, greatly extended trouble-free operating time and realization of significant maintenance savings. PE

References

Bloch, H. P., and H.G. Elliott; “New Approaches to Compressor Technology,” (2021) De Gruyter Publish-

ing GmbH, Berlin, Germany, ISBN 978-3-11-067873-4

Bloch, H. P., and F. K. Geitner; “Compressors: How to Achieve High Reliability & Availability,“(2012), McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, New York, NY, ISBN 978-0-07-177287-7

Heinz P. Bloch resides in Montgomery, Texas. His professional career commenced in 1962 and included long-term assignments as Exxon Chemical’s Regional Machinery Specialist for the US. He has authored or co-written more than 780 publications, among them 23 comprehensive books on practical machinery management, failure analysis, failure avoidance, compressors, steam turbines, pumps, oil mist lubrication and optimized lubrication for industry. Bloch has B.S. and M.S. degrees (cum laude) in mechanical engineering from NCE, Newark College of Engineering. He is an ASME Life Fellow and was awarded lifetime registration as a professional engineer in New Jersey. He is one of 10 inaugural inductees into NCE’s Hall of Fame, which honors its most distinguished alumni.

CONTACTS

Advertiser Contacts for plant engineers

Request more information about products and advertisers in this issue by using the http://plantengineering.hotims.com link and reader service number located near each. If you’re reading the digital edition, the link will be live. When you contact a company directly, please let them know you read about them in Plant Engineering.

PlantEngineering.com

3010 Highland Parkway, Suite 325 Downers Grove, IL 60515 Ph. 630-571-4070, Fax 630-214-4504

CONTENT SPECIALISTS/EDITORIAL

KEVIN PARKER, Editor KParker@CFEMedia.com

JACK SMITH, Managing Editor JSmith@CFEMedia.com

KATIE SPAIN NAREL, Art Director KSpain@CFEMedia.com

AMANDA PELLICCIONE, Director of Research 860-432-4767, APelliccione@CFEMedia.com

CHRIS VAVRA, Production Editor CVavra@CFEMedia.com

SUSIE BAK, Production Coordinator SBak@CFEMedia.com

PUBLICATION SERVICES

JIM LANGHENRY, Co-Founder & Publisher JLanghenry@CFEMedia.com

STEVE ROURKE, Co-Founder SRourke@CFEMedia.com

KATIE SPAIN NAREL, Art Director KSpain@CFEMedia.com

PAUL BROUCH, Director of Operations PBrouch@CFEMedia.com

COURTNEY MURPHY, Marketing Services Director CMurphy@CFEMedia.com

MCKENZIE BURNS, Marketing and Events Manager MBurns@CFEMedia.com

MICHAEL ROTZ, Print Production Manager 717-766-0211, Fax: 717-506-7238 mike.rotz@frycomm.com

MARIA BARTELL, Account Director, Infogroup Targeting Solutions 847-378-2275, maria.bartell@infogroup.com

RICK ELLIS, Audience Management Director 303-246-1250, REllis@CFEMedia.com

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Please e-mail your opinions to KParker@CFEMedia.com

INFORMATION

For a Media Kit or Editorial Calendar, e-mail Susie Bak at SBak@CFEMedia.com

CUSTOMER SERVICE OR SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES (800) 217-7972

e-mail Plant Engineering at PE@omeda.com

REPRINTS

For custom reprints or electronic usage, contact: Shelby Pelton, Wright’s Media 281-419-5725 x138, cfemedia@wrightsmedia.com

PUBLICATION SALES

Robert Levinger, Midwest RLevinger@CFETechnology.com 3010 Highland Parkway #325 Tel. 516-209-8587 Downers Grove, IL 60139

Karen Cira, Southeast KCira@CFEMedia.com 879 Autumn Rain Ln. Tel. 704-523-5466

Charlotte, NC 28209 Fax 630-214-4504

Diane Houghton, AL, FL DHoughton@CFEMedia.com

38 Charles River Drive, Tel. 508-298-9021 Franklin, MA 02038

Increases employee safety

—

Condition monitoring

For mechanical components

The ABB AbilityTM Smart Sensor for mechanical products is an easy-to-use, wireless sensor which monitors the health of mounted bearings and gear reducers. The sensor provides warnings when health status declines, reducing the risk of unplanned downtime. In addition, connectivity and trend data allow maintenance to be planned proactively instead of reactively, and remote monitoring capabilities keep employees away from areas that are difficult or dangerous to access.

Operate safely. Reduce downtime. Improve reliability.

Improves productivity

Eliminates unplanned stops