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Maintenance Management Skills

Maintenance Managers and Supervisors, Lead a world-class maintenance department using as well as Supervisors from Operations, planning and scheduling best practices to drive work execution, improve productivity, motivate staff, Warehouse or Housekeeping areas increase output and reduce waste. Apply preventive and predictive maintenance practices. Planner/Schedulers, Maintenance Calculate work measurement. Schedule and coordinate Supervisors, Maintenance Managers, work. Handle common maintenance problems, delays Operations Coordinators, Storeroom AND INEFlCIENCIES Managers and Purchasing Managers

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Apr 25-26, 2017 (CHS) Sept 26-28, 2017(CU)

3 consecutive days $1,495 2.1 CEUs

May 8-12, 2017 (CU) Jun 19-23, 2017 (CHS) Sep 11-15, 2017 (CHS)

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Materials Management

Apply sound storeroom operations principles. Manage Apr 11-13, 2017 (CU) Materials Managers, Storeroom inventory to optimize investment. Understand the role Oct 24-26, 2017 (CHS) Managers, Planner/Schedulers, Maintenance Managers and Operations of purchasing. Implement effective work control processes. Managers

Planning for Shutdowns, Turnarounds and Outages

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Predictive Maintenance Strategy

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Collect and analyze data to assess the actual operating Plant engineers and managers, Maintenance, Industrial and Manufacturing condition. Use vibration monitoring, thermography and Engineers, Maintenance Supervisors and tribology to optimize plant operations. Managers

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Reliability Engineering Excellence

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OV DE I

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TABLE OF CONTENTS APRIL 2017 / VOL. 37, NO. 4

FEATURES

SPECIALISTS

28 / COVER STORY

07 / FROM THE EDITOR

13 / ASSET MANAGER

PdM Balance

Is There a PdM Skills Gap?

Ergonomics and Your CMMS

Our 2017 predictive maintenance survey reveals how plant teams are tying fresh approaches into their PdM programs

And will advances in automation and robotics help fill it?

Get comfy, and don’t let your asset management system get you bent out of shape

34 / ASSET MANAGEMENT

Who’s Deciding Who Does What?

You Heard It Here First Ultrasound technology can amplify your condition monitoring efforts far beyond leak detection 38 / INDUSTRIAL SAFETY

Automate Safely Here’s what you need to do to keep your people safe when integrating new automation technologies

09 / HUMAN CAPITAL

Set priorities and boundaries for task allocation to optimize everyone’s time 11 / TECHNOLOGY TOOLBOX

Sonic Gold: Ultrasound on the Rise

17 / PLANNING CORNER

Go Back to the Future Planners need to focus on preventing tomorrow’s fires, not fighting those of today

Ultrasound’s finding a greater role in electrical inspections and as a complementing to lubrication, vibration testing

DEPARTMENTS

42 / OPERATIONS

18 / AUTOMATION ZONE

24 / TACTICS & PRACTICES

Get Active About Monitoring Your Compressed Air System Efficiency

On Guards: MachineGuarding Basics

Pass the Shift Baton Effectively

Can you answer the question, “How efficient is my CA system?”

Protect your people by choosing the right machine guards for your needs

50 / BIG PICTURE INTERVIEW

20 / AUTOMATION ZONE

Jeff Shiver, president and CEO, People and Processes Inc. “Many newer people (would like) to start where they’re making close to $150,000 a year and they jump into an experienced maintenance position, but many companies don’t do that. They want to start you maybe at a smaller plant (where) there’s a lot of opportunity to implement, develop, and actually show success.”

Prevent Robotic Welding Accidents Do your robotic welders meet federal safety requirements and national standards? 22 / WHAT WORKS

Nobody Likes an Ore Loser How predictive analytics is helping a soda ash producer bump up its grind

Put formal handoff procedures in place to prevent “good shift gone bad” syndrome 27 / TACTICS & PRACTICES

Using IR to Diagnose Motor Issues Temperature data can be key to optimizing motor and drive performance, uptime 46 / PRODUCT ROUNDUP

Vibration Reduce maintenance costs and equipment downtime by detecting equipment faults 48 / CLASSIFIEDS / AD INDEX

PLANT SERVICES (ISSN 0199-8013) is published monthly by Putman Media, Inc., 1501 E. Woodfield Road, Suite 400N, Schaumburg, IL 60173. Phone (630) 467-1300, Fax (630) 467-0197. Periodicals Postage Paid at Schaumburg, IL and additional mailing Offices. Canada Post International Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 40028661. Canadian Mail Distributor Information: Frontier/BWI,PO Box 1051, Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, L2A 5N8. Printed in U.S.A. POSTMASTER: Postmaster: Please send change of address to Putman Media, PO Box 1888, Cedar Rapids IA 524061888; 1-800-553-8878 ext 5020. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Qualified reader subscriptions are accepted from PLANT SERVICES managers, supervisors and engineers in manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Canada. To apply for qualified-reader subscriptions, please go to www.plantservices.com. To non-qualified subscribers in the U.S., subscriptions are $96 per year. Single copies are $15. Subscription to Canada and other international are accepted at $200 (Airmail only) © 2017 by Putman Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without consent of the copyright owner. In an effort to more closely align with our business partners in a manner that provides the most value to our readers, content published in PLANT SERVICES magazine appears on the public domain of PLANT SERVICES’ Website, and April also appear on Websites that apply to our growing marketplace. Putman Media, Inc. also publishes CHEMICAL PROCESSING, CONTROL, CONTROL DESIGN, FOOD PROCESSING, THE JOURNAL, PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURING and SMART INDUSTRY. PLANT SERVICES assumes no responsibility for validity of claims in items published.

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FROM THE EDITOR

IN MEMORY OF JULIE CAPPELLETTI-LANGE, Vice President 1984-2012 PUTMAN MEDIA, INC. 1501 E. Woodfield Road, Suite 400N, Schaumburg, IL 60173 (630) 467-1300 Fax: (630) 467-1120 MIKE BRENNER Group Publisher mbrenner@putman.net

EDITORIAL STAFF THOMAS WILK Editor in Chief twilk@putman.net

CHRISTINE LaFAVE GRACE Managing Editor clafavegrace@putman.net

ALEXIS GAJEWSKI Associate Editor, Digital Media agajewski@putman.net

STEPHEN C. HERNER V.P., Creative & Production sherner@putman.net

DEREK CHAMBERLAIN Senior Art Director dchamberlain@putman.net

DAVID BERGER, P.ENG. Contributing Editor

PETER GARFORTH Contributing Editor

SHEILA KENNEDY, CMRP Contributing Editor

TOM MORIARTY, P.E., CMRP Contributing Editor

DOC PALMER, P.E., MBA, CMRP Contributing Editor

PUBLICATION SERVICES CARMELA KAPPEL Assistant to the Publisher ckappel@putman.net

JERRY CLARK V.P., Circulation jclark@putman.net

JACK JONES Circulation Director jjones@putman.net

RITA FITZGERALD Production Manager rfitzgerald@putman.net

RHONDA BROWN Reprint Marketing Manager Foster Reprints (866) 879-9144 ext.194 rhondab@fosterprinting.com

EXECUTIVE STAFF JOHN M. CAPPELLETTI President/CEO

THOMAS WILK, EDITOR IN CHIEF

IS THERE A PdM SKILLS GAP? And will advances in automation and robotics help fill it? First things first – the results of the 2017 PdM survey are in, and respondents are painting a much more positive picture of their predictive programs than they did in 2016. In short, overall program satisfaction increased by more than 30%, and the share of respondents who consider their PdM programs “very effective” nearly tripled. One data point from the survey stood out though for reasons that are not completely centered on PdM. When asked to rate the obstacles limiting the success of PdM initiatives, the two most-cited obstacles were “limited engineering resources” and “poor program execution.” Respondents raised similar concerns in our 2017 Workforce survey over their organizations’ ability to recruit new talent and balance deskilling resulting from retirements (http://plnt.sv/1702-WF). A separate set of automation and industry studies emerging this year adds some explanatory context to these data. Most of these studies take some familiar numbers as their starting point: the potentially sizable manufacturing skills gap in the United States estimated 18 months ago by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute (2 million jobs unfilled) and the fact that U.S. manufacturing output currently is at a record high, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, whereas U.S. manufacturing employment currently sits at pre-WW2 levels (12.1 million workers). The first of these studies, “A Future that Works” (http://plnt.sv/1704-FTE1), was released by McKinsey in January; it suggests that about 60% of all occupations have at least 30% of constituent activities that could be automated, concluding that “more occupations will change than will be automated away.” The second of these studies, “Robots and Jobs” (http://plnt.sv/1704-FTE2), re-

leased in March by the National Bureau of Economic Research, strikes a more ominous tone, estimating that every new robot added to an American factory in recent decades reduced employment in the surrounding area by anywhere from 5.6 to 6.2 workers, depending on levels of trade in the area. The most recent of these studies, “Work in the Automation Age” (http:// plnt.sv/1704-FTE3) was released at the

PdM HELP MAY BE ON THE WAY FROM A VARIETY OF EMERGING CAREER PATHS. start of April by A3 and is focused on identifying sustainable careers now and into the future. The report forecasts new jobs across industry for “predictive equipment analytics specialists, industrial safety experts, (and) IoT and data analysts” as well as vision system experts, motion control engineers, and other technicians with specific expertise in PLC controls and mechatronics, networking, and human-robot interfaces. If you counted yourself this year among those who need more resources to manage your assets, help may be on the way from individuals pursuing a variety of emerging career paths that are being driven by advances in automation and machine learning. We’ll dive further into one of these areas – prescriptive analytics – in our next issue.

Thomas Wilk, Editor in Chief twilk@putman.net, (630) 467-1300 x412

KEITH LARSON VP, Content and Group Publisher

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WHO’S DECIDING WHO DOES WHAT? Set priorities and boundaries for task allocation to optimize everyone’s time An engineering manager supporting a maintenance or-

ganization was distraught. He had several people giving him direction on how he and his small staff should be allocating their time. He felt as though he and his team were trying to put 50 pounds of potatoes in a 30-pound-capacity sack. There were only so many hours in the day. When we think about the all-too-common scenario that the engineering manager was facing – too many people making too many demands on his team’s time – we see that the problem likely is twofold. First, too many people are handing priority work to the team. This is perhaps the more straightforward problem to solve. The manager must be the central point of contact for his team. Team members should not accept tasks that do not come from their manager. In addition, the department head to whom the engineering manager reports should provide clear guidance on priorities so that the manager can make better decisions on what work to authorize and how to balance the workload. It is the department head’s responsibility to provide guidance to the managers when executives seek to task lowerlevel managers directly. An organizational chain of command exists for a reason: Information should flow up and down the organization through established channels. Senior decision-makers need input so they can make the best decisions. Lower-level leaders need clear, decisive guidance so they can carry out what the senior leaders need done. The second part of the twofold problem stems from the fact that the team did not have good time management practices. Each employee is expected to provide eight hours of productive time during the work day. The engineering team was certainly not slacking off; members worked very hard. However, the team did not properly plan and track time spent on assigned projects. One of the lessons we teach in our Productive Leadership workshops is time management. Time management is great for helping people make sure they make time for the important things that need to get done. But managing your time and having your team better manage its time has another benefit. Properly planning projects means that you allocate work time to the priorities that you have been assigned, estimating and adjusting the project status periodically as the project progresses. When a team member works multiple projects, he or she must integrate all projects

into an overall schedule. Using a project management software tool to lay out individual project schedules or schedules for an entire team will let you graphically show your team’s time and effort allocation. Many organizations use Microsoft Project, but it can be expensive to have multiple seat licenses. I’ve recently discovered Smartsheet (www.smartsheet.com), a cloudbased project software tool that works well for this type of

AN ORGANIZATIONAL CHAIN OF COMMAND EXISTS FOR A REASON: INFORMATION SHOULD FLOW UP AND DOWN THROUGH ESTABLISHED CHANNELS. project tracking. Smartsheet lacks some of the high-powered features of Project, but it is inexpensive and easy to use. If you don’t have access to a project management software tool, at least use a calendar or an Excel spreadsheet to graphically show use by project. When you show a realistic layout of the time it takes to complete projects and you track your progress, it can become apparent to others that your time is fully utilized. Providing a graphical utilization chart to the manager or department head and asking for guidance on priorities will communicate your resource constraints. Your goal is to encourage discussion of priorities and resource allocation. The more senior someone is in an organization, the more he or she gets paid to make decisions. If you’re a team manager, it would be in your best interest to provide the person to whom you report with the information he or she needs to make the best decision possible. When you have the priorities discussion with your boss, remind him or her that the more priorities change, the less efficient your team will be at completing tasks. Encourage your boss to resist frequent changes or ambiguous directions. Shelter your team from multiple people directing them, and document and share your team’s planned activities. Doing so is an important part of being a great leader. Tom Moriarty, P.E., CMRP, is president of Alidade MER. Contact him at tjmpe@alidade-mer.com and (321) 773-3356. WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM APRIL 2017 9

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TECHNOLOGY TOOLBOX SHEILA KENNEDY, CMRP

SONIC GOLD: ULTRASOUND ON THE RISE UT finding greater role in electrical inspections and as a complement to other tests Ultrasonic inspection of mechanical and electrical

equipment is gaining ground. This nondestructive testing (NDT) method has long proved effective in structure-borne applications such as finding faults in rotating equipment and in airborne applications such as detecting compressed air and gas leaks. Increasingly, ultrasonic testing (UT) is being employed in electrical inspections – to detect corona, tracking, and arcing – and as a complement to lubrication and vibration testing programs. UT training and service options are expanding accordingly.

TRENDING APPLICATIONS

Ultrasound is becoming prominent in a growing range of condition-based maintenance (CBM) applications. Ultrasound’s ability to detect increases in friction levels makes it a valuable leading indicator for online and permanent CBM for rotating equipment and increasingly a broad range of nontraditional applications, explains James Neale, director of the Energy Research Centre at University of Waikato, New Zealand. “New software and hardware tools are now available to provide immediate feedback to CBM inspectors/technicians in the field, with real-time sound wave form and frequency spectra analysis crucial to detecting subtle changes in equipment condition,” says Neale. “This is particularly useful when dealing with low-energy applications such as slow-speed bearings, low-pressure valves, and low-pressure steam-trap assessments.” UE Systems is seeing wider adoption of remote continuous monitoring using ultrasound for both mechanical and electrical GE INSPECTION TECHNOLOGIES

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applications. Companies such as Nissan North America are incorporating remote-access sensors in their ultrasound programs and sharing the results with management to improve awareness of and support for their predictive maintenance efforts, according to UE Systems marketing director Maureen Gribble. “This trend is being driven first by safety and the inaccessibility of equipment that needs to be monitored but can’t (be) through traditional data collection methods due

ULTRASOUND’S ABILITY TO DETECT INCREASES IN FRICTION LEVELS MAKES IT A VALUABLE LEADING INDICATOR FOR ONLINE AND PERMANENT CBM. to guarding,”she says. “It is also driven by the need for increased monitoring of the health of the asset and data integration into a facility’s CMMS/EAM program.” TOOL INNOVATIONS

Ultrasonic flaw detection and imaging systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated. The future of UT technology in the NDT space is a focus on expanded features and functions available in a single platform that delivers the most benefits and the shortest ROI at a value-oriented price point, suggests Keith Erk, a global manager at NDT Systems. “Customers want to be able to perform multiple inspections with one device,” he says, adding that the company’s Raptor flaw detector offers “advanced shear wave, precision thickness gauging, and on-board capability to drive automated scanners that provide 3D C-scan images of CFRP aerospace components or hi-def corrosion maps on pipes and tanks.” The Mentor UT ultrasonic array flaw detector from GE Inspection Technologies is optimized for corrosion and erosion mapping of process vessels, tanks, and piping, according to GE Oil & Gas product manager Matt Skinner. Custom or preinstalled inspection applications that guide users through inspection procedures help improve productivity and minimize training costs. Advanced, intuitive digital features such as guided calibration, wireless connectivity, and a fully customizable touch-screen interface “improve inspection accuracy and shorten training time for new inspectors,” Skinner says. WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM APRIL 2017 11

TECHNOLOGY TOOLBOX

inspectors is ongoing in many industry sectors,” explains Marcus Jones, global manager of strategy and development at TWI Training and Examinations. TWI offers online courses through its Virtual Academy as well as blended learning packages that combine online and classroom education. Blended packages geared toward certification include Ultrasonic Testing (UT) of Welds levels 1 and 2, Time-of-Flight Diff raction (TOFD), and Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT). “The facility for students to learn course theory online, in their own time, and at their own pace will enhance their classroom experience,” says Jones.

GE INSPECTION TECHNOLOGIES

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Email Contributing Editor Sheila Kennedy, CMRP, managing director of Additive Communications, at sheila@addcomm.com.

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPLEMENTATION

Wider use of ultrasound demands making it a training priority. “Advanced ultrasonic inspection has in many cases replaced inspections previously carried out with radiography; therefore, the demand for ultrasonic training has increased in recent years, and the need for highly skilled ultrasonic

REFERENCE WEBSITES: www.energyeffi ciencynz.com www.uesystems.com www.ndtsystems.com

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ASSET MANAGER DAVID BERGER, P.ENG.

ERGONOMICS AND YOUR CMMS Get comfy, and don’t let your asset management system get you bent out of shape Oh, how we love technology. When you think of how

much time many of us spend sitting in front of a computer screen, you might conclude that most companies put considerable effort into designing individual workstations to maximize safety, comfort, and productivity. Alas, you would be wrong. The way in which a user works with computer systems such as a CMMS often affects realization of the system’s benefits. That’s why we need to consider ergonomics – i.e., the adaptation of mechanical equipment to human characteristics – as it pertains to computer workstations. Ergonomics is an area often overlooked when purchasing, upgrading, or reconfiguring a CMMS. This may surprise you, given the extensive history of health and safety issues experienced by companies that have chosen to ignore the interface between people and the work environment. For example, with many CMMS implementations, basic decisions such as where to put the computer equipment and the optimum design of a workstation are made at the last minute. Numerous studies point to the benefits of a welldesigned work environment. Employers can pay dearly each year for stress- and strain-related lost-time injuries. These injuries are invariably traced back to ignorance or to simply ignoring simple ergonomic design considerations such as outlined below.

VIDEO DISPLAY

Distance from video display: The video display should be no more than 24" and no less than 15" from your eyes. Any closer and you increase the risk of radiation exposure from some screens. In addition, lower-definition displays will have a more grainy appearance. At a distance of greater than 2 feet, the display will be more difficult to read. In either case, the possibility of eye strain increases dramatically. Video display height: A line drawn from the center of the screen to the tip of the nose should be 10 to 20 degrees below the horizontal. People who have multiple lenses such as bifocals require a minimum of 20 degrees or special lenses. Adhering to these angles minimizes possible neck strain with prolonged use. Screen brightness: Adjust the brightness on video displays to as low a setting as is comfortable. Eye strain and headaches can result from settings that are too bright. Placement of documents: Any source documents used in

keying should be suspended in the same plane and at the same height as the video display, at the same distance from the operator. This requires use of an adjustable stand. Neck and eye strain occurs when, for long periods of time, users view documents on the table beside the video display. Ambient lighting: Avoid any natural or office lighting that may cause a glare, such as that from a light source placed in front of the video screen.

STUDIES POINT TO THE BENEFITS OF A WELL-DESIGNED WORK ENVIRONMENT. EMPLOYERS CAN PAY DEARLY EACH YEAR FOR STRAIN-RELATED LOST TIME. KEYBOARD

Keyboard height: Avoid bending the wrists while typing. Various wrist support devices can be purchased to maintain a straight line parallel to the floor from knuckles to elbows. Your elbows should hang comfortably by your side. Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by performing repetitive tasks with your wrists in awkward positions. It can be extremely painful and debilitating as tendons swell and put pressure on surrounding nerves. People with carpal tunnel syndrome initially experience a numbness, tingling, or burning sensation. If left untreated, permanent damage may occur, making it impossible to return to the same type of work. Key spacing: The spaces between keys on a keyboard or keypad should accommodate a variety of finger and hand sizes. Many handheld devices have inadequate spacing for people with large fingers. This increases the data-entry error rate and makes it extremely frustrating for operators. When spacing is too great or when accessing special keys requires excessive reaching by the fingers, then hand and finger strain can occur in the form of tendinitis. Tendinitis is caused by the irritation and swelling of the tendons, the tissue connecting bones to muscles. Key shape: The top face of the keys should be concave to help fingers locate the center of the key. Sometimes keys are marked tactically using a protrusion on the key. Typically, the “F” and “J” keys on a QWERTY keyboard and the “five” key on a numeric keypad are marked in this manner. These WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM APRIL 2017 13

ASSET MANAGER

protrusions make it easier for fingers to move to the proper starting position without looking down at the keyboard. Key movement: When you depress a key, there should be enough movement

so as to give a tactile sensation affirming successful completion of the keystroke. Sometimes this is accompanied by a clicking or beeping sound for further verification, as is common with touch-

screen keypads on smartphones. Without some level of confirmation while keystroking, it is difficult to achieve high levels of productivity and accuracy. WORKSPACE

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Workspace dimensions: The workspace height, length, and width should minimize the need for bending, twisting, or stretching. This reduces strain on all muscles and joints, especially in the back. In recent years, adjustable work surfaces have become more popular as they allow users to alternate between sitting and standing positions throughout the day for improved health and productivity. For safety, security, and privacy, work spaces should be physically separated from one another. Body support: The chair should support the natural curves of the body, as with lumbar support for the curved spine. The seat should support the thighs but not hit the back of the knees. Feet should be flat on the floor at a 90-degree angle. An angled foot rest adds greatly to comfort. Make sure knees and legs are not cramped under the work surface. Chair arms should support forearms parallel to the floor without requiring a person to lift shoulders or stretch forward to reach the keyboard. The chair arms should be low and short enough to let the legs slide under the keyboard. Chair stability: To avoid tipping, the chair should have five legs. Castors should be hardy enough to roll easily over rough surfaces in any direction. Adjustment capability: Change your position and chair settings throughout the day to reduce fatigue. Adjustments should be accessible while seated wherever possible. Email Contributing Editor David Berger, P.Eng., MBA, president of The Lamus Group Inc., at davidb@lamusgroup.com.

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PALMER’S PLANNING CORNER DOC PALMER, PE, MBA, CMRP

GO BACK TO THE FUTURE Planners need to focus on preventing tomorrow’s fires, not fighting those of today This month, we want to discuss the second principle of planning, namely that planners should focus on future work. We define future work simply as work that has not yet been started. There is still time to avoid a potential delay through planning. Most plants experience enormous frustration with planning because they start planning with the false notion that proper planning will eliminate problems from the execution phase of maintenance jobs. Instead, the proper approach to planning is to realize that planners cannot create “the perfect plan.” Planners should be giving jobs a head start and later collect feedback to improve job plans. Those plants with frustration typically start planning programs by telling all of their craftspersons, “Now that we have maintenance planners, you’ll never have to hunt for parts or information anymore!” Consequently, as soon as craftspersons at these misguided plants find problems with their jobs, they complain to the planners that they did not get a perfect plan. The planners apologize for being wrong and abandon planning to help these jobs-in-progress. The planners are soon helping so many jobs-in-progress that they cannot plan much of the incoming new work. The craftspersons then come to the planners for help with work they started without job plans, and the planners assist those jobs-in-progress while apologizing that no plan had been provided. See how the planners change from focusing on future work to jobs that have already begun? Furthering this misapplication of planning is the fact that the help planners provide to jobs-in-progress is quite valuable. For spare parts, planners are in a great position to understand both the inventory system and the purchasing bureaucracy. For equipment information, planners have ready access to the CMMS and other files for nameplate and other asset information as well as history records. In addition, craftspersons think that it’s “only right” that planners help them, given that the planners ultimately failed to give the craftspersons everything needed for the job. Unfortunately, many times planners are helping solve a problem with an in-progress job that was solved years ago. Plants need to recognize that maintenance tasks are repeated over the years. Not even counting PM, if crafts work on an asset today, there is a 50% chance they will work on it again within a year. There is an 80% chance they will work on it again within five years. This repetitive nature of main-

tenance means that if planners can plan all work in advance, they can solve many problems before those jobs even start. As an example, let’s say a planner sends out a plan requiring one gasket. During execution, the mechanic struggles with the equipment and determines a second gasket is needed. The mechanic records this feedback and sends it to the planner after the job ends. The next year (or whenever the job comes up again), the planner includes two gaskets

FOCUSING PLANNERS ON FUTURE WORK TO RUN A DEMING CYCLE OF LEARNING PROVIDES THE SECOND PRINCIPLE IN MAKING PLANNING SUCCESSFUL. in the job plan. See how this is different from the planner helping the mechanic in the field the first time so much that the planner has no time to plan future work, resulting in the planner year after year having to help with that same job-inprogress because no one ever recorded the need for a second gasket and the plan was never adjusted accordingly? The greatest value is gained when nearly all incoming work receives planning so that better job plans grow over time. This idea of the cycle of improvement is hardly new; the philosophy is simply the PDCA cycle (Plan-DoCheck-Act, also called the Deming Cycle) taught by Dr. W. Edwards Deming in the 1950s. Maintenance planning runs a Deming cycle of improvement for the maintenance department. Plants must never see plans and procedures as perfect or complete but rather as living, growing documents. Plants achieve this focus on future work by understanding two concepts. First, plans can never be perfect. It is almost impossible for a planner to account for every single circumstance that any particular craftsperson might encounter on a particular maintenance job. Maintenance is not assembly-line work wherein industrial engineers can precisely prescribe individual steps for a line worker to repeat without variance. Second, maintenance does repeat itself. Doc Palmer is the author of McGraw-Hill’s Maintenance Planning and Scheduling Handbook and helps companies worldwide with planning and scheduling success. Visit www.palmerplanning.com or email docpalmer@palmerplanning.com. WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM APRIL 2017 17

AUTOMATION ZONE

STEVE WEIGHART, GORDON ENGINEERING CORP.

ON GUARDS: MACHINE-GUARDING BASICS Protect your people by choosing the right machine guards for your needs Machine guarding is a vital part of many plant opera-

tions. Enhancing the safety of workers who operate and support the operation of production machinery is of paramount concern to companies. Secondarily important is maximizing manufacturing efficiency and keeping costs within affordable margins. Machine safety concern and government action, at least in the U.S., is documented at least as early as 1915 with the

WHEN IMPLEMENTED PROPERLY, EACH OF THREE MAIN GUARDING TECHNOLOGIES – HARD GUARDS, RF GUARDING, AND LIGHT CURTAINS – ENHANCES SAFETY. formation of the National Safety Council and the American Society of Safety Engineers. There are three basic categories of technology for machine guarding. When implemented properly, each of these machine guarding technologies enhances safety by directly guarding against someone putting part of his or her body or an object into a machine area that is dangerous while the machine is operating. How the guarding is achieved is different for each technology. MACHINE-GUARDING TECHNOLOGIES

Hard guarding, the first machine-guarding technology, is still in use today. This technology makes use of a physical barrier between machine operators and potentially hazardous moving machine parts. These machine parts can include point of operation, power transmission, functional components, pinch and shear points. The physical barrier is usually movable so that operators can access the machine when it is stopped to service it for maintenance or repair, reload stock or address a machine stoppage resulting from stock being stuck in the machine. Today, moving barriers are typically mounted on a hinge and include electronic interlock circuitry that detects that the guard is being opened and sends a signal to shut down the machine, if it’s not shut down already, before attempting to move the physical barrier. Next is what is referred to as radio frequency (capacitance) presence-sensing, or RF guarding. It’s an interesting technology that combines radio frequency (RF) signal transmission with capacitive presence sensing. A system 18

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using this technology has three basic components: a control unit, a coupler, and an antenna. RF guarding technology uses a coupler that generates a low-level RF field around the antenna. Any part of a person or object that intrudes into the area around which the antenna is placed attenuates the signal. The control unit senses the attenuated field and triggers a machine stop. Here’s where things get even more interesting and flexible. There are two ways RF guarding technology is flexible to the benefit of users. First, the antenna (made from readily available copper tubing or conduit) can be fashioned in any shape necessary to guard complex areas. Second, the sensitivity of the alarm threshold can be adjusted on the control unit to change the intrusion detection distance. An industrial light curtain is presence-sensing machine safety technology that uses opto-electronics to send and detect a series of LED light beams across a 2D plane. The units are placed in pairs of transmitter and receiver, with each laser pair needing to be aligned across an opening. Any object, hand, etc., crossing the beams interrupts some or all of the beams, and a control is sent to a device that shuts down the machine being guarded. The number of light beam pairs needed can be anywhere from several to more than 100, depending on the length of the plane being guarded, covering about 0.5 inches to 60 feet. These systems typically are able to detect object presence within 0.5 inches to 1 inch, depending on the product and its length. Single-beam light curtains for detecting a person walking by a large perimeter area are another application of this technology. MATCHING APPLICATIONS WITH GUARDING TECHNOLOGIES

So which technology is best for your application? While each application is unique, some general guidelines can be considered. Hard guarding may be best for a large area, e.g., an area the size of a room. In this case, hard guarding can make the most sense because of its lower cost. Another possible application for hard guarding technology is for an area that is accessed infrequently. RF guarding technology makes sense if flexibility of the guarding area is needed or if areas that need to be guarded are more complex than a single plane. One example is around corners (two planes). This allows customization in 3D for guarding one or more areas as the application needs. Another example is in situations where vibrations from

machinery are present (which could cause misalignment of light curtain arrays); vibrations do not affect RF guarding installations. In addition, sensing distance is adjustable from having to nearly touch an antenna to being up to a foot away to trigger a machine shutdown. This degree of flexibility can provide a greater safety margin by shutting down the machine upon an intrusion when the person or object is at the furthest distance possible from the hazardous moving machine components, while balancing this need with sensitivity to eliminate false stops. Complex 3D antennas of up to 75 ft in length can be implemented using this technology. RF guarding technology is usually substantially less expensive to implement than light curtains, so cost can be another consideration for choosing this technology. Light curtains offer a relatively straightforward setup and make sense in applications where there is a plane or “flat” open area that needs protecting or where there is more than one 2D plane. Users simply select a length that fits their opening within the increments offered, mount them across the opening to be guarded, and then align them. Networking of multiple guard controllers is an option with some manufacturers’ products. A stamping machine with jaws opening and closing is an ideal light-curtain application. While the transmitter-receiver pairs are enclosed in rectangular housings that must face each other across the opening to be guarded, newer products have a thinner profile to provide the most access through the opening they guard. Both RF guarding and light curtain technology products are available that perform continuous diagnostics to ensure proper operating performance of the machine guard presence detection equipment. All of these tech-

nologies improve plant safety, and the manufacturers who produce them and their representatives can be helpful in choosing and implementing the best system for their specific application.

Steve Weighart is president of Gordon Engineering Corp. (www.gordoneng.com) and has more than 40 years of experience in engineering design and management. Contact him at sweighart@gordoneng.com.

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AUTOMATION ZONE CARRIE HALLE, ROCKFORD SYSTEMS

PREVENT ROBOTIC WELDING ACCIDENTS Do your robotic welders meet federal safety requirements and national standards? Although robotic welders are one of the most expensive pieces of equipment on a plant floor, welder manufacturers may not provide the safeguarding needed for compliance with Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards. This represents a challenge as well as a danger for any manufacturer deploying robotic welders.

MACHINE GUARDING VIOLATIONS ARE ONE OF THE TOP 10 INDUSTRIALENVIRONMENT VIOLATIONS CITED BY OSHA, RANKING NO. 8 IN 2016. ANSI, in particular, is the author of industry-specific safety standards as to how robotic welders are required to be safeguarded. ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012 is now harmonized with the International ISO 10218-1 & 2 standard for robot manufacturers and robotic system integrators. In addition, the American Welding Society (AWS) has created more than 350 standards for welding practices and procedures and safety standards for welding robot systems. Compared with other robotic systems that have been in place in U.S. manufacturing since the 1960s, robotic welding is a relatively newer technology, having been introduced in the mid-1980s. Today, however, it is estimated that more than half of the robots in North American manufacturing are used in welding. Robotic arc welding alone now commands about 20% of all industrial robotic applications. Despite this surge in use, some robotic welder manufacturers continue to not include basic safeguarding devices as part of a new equipment package, nor are they required to do so in the United States. This places safeguarding responsibilities, as well as the legal liability should an accident occur because of the absence of safeguards, squarely on the shoulders of the end user. UNDERSTANDING SAFEGUARDING

The term “safeguarding” simply refers to protective measures for employees who operate or come into contact with dangerous moving machines in a manufacturing setting. Safeguarding devices will detect or prevent accidental or 20

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intentional access to a potential hazard. Safeguarding devices operate automatically to protect workers from hazards found at the point of machine operation, power transmission, and other places moving parts are found. While the total number of workers injured each year has decreased significantly since 1970, when the Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed that first required safeguarding, experts say the rate of fatal and non-fatal worker injuries is still far too high. In 1970, there were about 38 worker deaths a day, compared to 13 a day in 2014. Machine guarding violations are one of the top 10 industrial-environment violations cited by OSHA, ranking No. 8 in 2016. Unguarded hazardous machinery is a major source of amputations and other traumatic injuries. According to OSHA, nearly 5,000 workers in metal fabricating plants suffer nonfatal injuries annually in the United States. Besides being dangerous, a lack of machine safeguarding can be expensive. OSHA recently fined a steel tubing manufacturer $139,800 and placed it in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program for repeat and serious machine guarding violations found at its Ohio facility. In another instance, OSHA assigned a Jacksonville, FL, manufacturer $697,700 in penalties in connection with the death of a 32-year-old machine helper. Robotics professionals are quick to point out that while industrial accidents involving robots do happen, they are infrequent. But again, they do happen – typically during nonroutine operating conditions, such as programming, maintenance, testing, setup, or adjustment. Way back in 1979, the first recorded death by robot happened in a car factory where a worker collecting parts from a storage facility was hit and killed by a robotic arm. Fast-forward to June 2015, when a worker in a German Volkswagen factory was crushed to death when setting up an industrial robot. A month later, a similar type accident involving a robot occurred in India. Accident statistics maintained by OSHA identify 27 fatalities associated with robots from 1984 to 2013, while the total number of workplace fatalities in the United States in 2013 alone was 4,585. In short, industrial accidents involving robotics are rare but are increasing as robots’ use proliferates across all manufacturing sectors. Also, the ability of a robot to move and act independently through advanced software and vision systems raises important safety questions, especially with the emerging trend of “co-bots” manufacturers are

starting to install to work alongside workers on the production line. An effective risk-reduction strategy for the deployment of robotic welders includes a customized combination of electrically interlocked perimeter guards, safety light curtains, safety laser scanners, and pressure-sensitive safety mats. Additional safety devices such as automatic weld screens and high-volume ventilation systems can also minimize exposure to hazards in the welding environment. Perimeter guards are designed to keep machine operators and other plant employees safely away from the robotic welding cell. The guards are positioned around a robot work envelope and incorporate gates equipped with interlocks so that all automatic operations of the robot and associated machinery will stop when any gate is opened. Robotic welders tend to do the same thing again and again, and cannot generally tell what it is they are working with. That’s why factories establish “danger” or “kill” zones with perimeter guards that people have to stay out of while the robot is operating. OSHA will issue citations for robotic welding cells that are unguarded or improperly guarded for not meeting 29 CFR 1910.212, also known as the “general duty clause.” A laser scanner is a reliable, costeffective safeguard installed around robotic welders. These are fully programmable devices, utilizing an infrared laser to scan its surroundings and measure distances. It can be set up to scan on a horizontal or vertical plane. Should a person or object come into contact with the infrared beam, hazardous machine motion stops. A light curtain system is another common safeguard used with robotic welding equipment. Often it’s used where an operator requires frequent access to a hazard and the hazardous

Source: Rockford Systems

SAFEGUARDING ROBOTIC WELDERS

machine motion can be stopped relatively quickly. Most systems include a transmitter that emits infrared light to the receiver. The transmitter and receiver can be installed top to bottom (vertical protection field) or side to side (horizontal protection field). Should an object or the operator interrupt an infrared beam, it generates a stop signal to the machine control. The light screen sensing field can be desensitized to ignore some objects but respond to other objects of a defined size, or muted for temporary suspension to allow material feeding. Pressure-sensitive safety mats are yet another option for safeguarding robotic welding equipment. While they can be used around the perimeter of machines, more commonly they’re used as a secondary safety device located inside of perimeter guarding systems. When someone stands on the mat, the metal plates make contact and hazardous machine motion stops. They must not be used as primary safeguarding except when all other

means are not applicable. Also, when installing mats, ensure they’re located so an operator or other employee, when stepping onto the mat, cannot reach into the point-of-operation hazard prior to the machine’s hazardous motion coming to a stop. Along with these measures, it is critical to remember the human variable. If a specific safeguard prevents the operator from running the welder the way he or she wants to, the operator may look to defeat safeguarding without understanding the ramifications of doing so. Providing training to know how to intervene if a production problem arises is extremely important to keep workers safe. Carrie Halle is vice president of marketing for Rockford Systems (www.rockfordsystems.com). She has more than 25 years experience in global business planning, branding, product management, and marketing communications with leading manufacturers and safety equipment suppliers.

WHAT WORKS

NOBODY LIKES AN ORE LOSER How predictive analytics is helping a soda ash producer bump up its grind Ciner Wyoming in Wyoming’s Green River basin makes soda ash (sodium carbonate), a substance used in the production of glass, chemicals, and soap and in other industrial applications. It does this by mining and refining a natural substance called Trona. Ciner uses continuous drum miners to mine the Trona, which then is calcined and dissolved to separate the desired soda ash from insoluble impurities. Insoluble impurities go into a machine called the Vertimill, which grinds them further to extract any trapped soda ash. The challenge for Ciner (www.ciner.us.com) is that the grade of the ore it mines varies, and when a lot of low-grade ore is processed, a lot of insoluble impurities go into the Vertimill – and the Vertimill can handle only so much stuff being fed into it at one time. If it gets overloaded and goes offline, the consequences are serious: 60% of the plant’s production rate is lost when the Vertimill is down. Lab analysis of the ore – to determine whether it’s “good” or “bad” – can only be performed after it’s processed. There’s no real-time way to assess the ore itself to get an indication of the volume of impurities that will wind up in the Vertimill. But Ciner needed some way to predict when the Vertimill is at risk of being overloaded. The solution? An analytics tool that could filter, so to speak, through 10 streams of process data generated as ore makes its way from the ore bin through a calciner, conveyors, and agitators. If patterns could be discerned from buildups of bad ore before they reached the Vertimill, then the Ciner team could intervene whenever these patterns were detected in order to adjust the flow of material into the

APRIL 2017 WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM

Vertimill. This would help ensure not only that the Vertimill didn’t get overloaded and go offline but also that operators didn’t act overly cautiously, reducing flow into the Vertimill when it wasn’t necessary to do so and slowing production. Ciner already was collecting process data, but making sense of all of it – picking out which indicators were significant in light of other indicators, etc. – proved impossible for technicians and engineers to do on their own. “Analytics are a lot more difficult than I think people give them credit for – running them and looking for signals and weeding out the bad stuff,” says Jolene Baker, SMART plant lead at Ciner. As Baker and Ciner’s Scott Schemmel describe it, a chance meeting with Crick Waters, a senior vice president at pattern recognition software provider Falkonry (www.falkonry.com) at an OSIsoft user group event in Salt Lake City, provided the introduction to the data-crunching tool that Ciner sought. Baker mentioned to Waters that the Ciner team had been working with data scientists and machine learning tools from third-party organizations in the hope of addressing its unplanned downtime with the Vertimill. Waters relays that in that first meeting, Baker said: “This looks like the kind of thing we could do ourselves. Is this tool designed for my process engineers so that they can solve these problems without even a third party?” “I said yes,” Waters says. “It connects directly into your PI server; you can choose the signals that are relevant to your particular process or your assets, and your process engineers or your maintenance people really are the ones that interpret the results and make use of them.”

Notes Baker: “I’ve done analytics, (and it’s surprising) just how much more your eyes can be opened to what’s actually going on” with the help of pattern recognition software. The pattern recognition software from Falkonry that Ciner used to augment its expanded use of its OSIsoft platform (www.osisoft.com), which until 2015 been used only as a data historian, allows users to see “little things that you never would have caught before,” she adds. In a two-month trial, the Falkonry software was used to crunch Ciner’s data streams, grouping and color-coding similar operating conditions. The time periods for “bad ore” events and times when there was an inadequate grinding media charge were identified and defined to help show what operating conditions for different pieces of equipment looked like leading up to known problems with the Vertimill. The software then was able to develop prediction models for these undesired events; the Ciner team ran numerous tests of the models to validate them. Thanks to the models, operators now have better visibility into the ore-refining process in real time and can better identify, for example, the implications for the Vertimill of an

alarm that sounds in the calciner. Insolubles from bad ore build up hours before the Vertimill is affected, and because such buildups now are identified earlier, there is time to take corrective rather than reactive action. When new events do occur at some point along the pipelines, the models update automatically. The business implication is decreased production losses and cost savings from avoided reactive work. “It’s showing you so much more than something you just created as an analytical interface ... You cover the firstorder, second-order, third-order problem just looking at the patterns, and that’s quick, and then all of a sudden you’re investigating the fourth-, fifth-, sixth-, seventh-, eighthorder problems,” says Baker. “Your view of what’s happening just gets so much larger.” For operators, says Schemmel, it’s an experience of, “Hey, I see new patterns; that’s interesting; I never would have correlated those things.” And with decision science built into the software, there’s no steep learning curve with the software for operators, he says. “You don’t have to train that operator or that process engineer on our or any other machine learning language. You can just give them the tool,” Schemmel says. Were operators on board with using a new analytical software tool to inform their work rather than than relying on their own equipment expertise and institutional knowledge to decide when and how to respond to red flags in the refining process? Actually, yes, says Baker. “I think they’ve been excited about it since the beginning,” she says. “(This is) a very complicated thing to look at. We’ve tried for years – they want the insight.” Baker adds: “They’re on board because it helps their job ... If you give them the easy way to do it, they’re going to do it. If you give them something like, fill out this piece of paper and this piece of paper and then look at this – you can’t do all that stuff. You have to think of the solution they want and then go that route.” WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM APRIL 2017 23

TACTICS&PRACTICES

PASS THE SHIFT BATON EFFECTIVELY Put formal handoff procedures in place to prevent “good shift gone bad” syndrome by Paul Borders, Life Cycle Engineering

Eddie pulled into the parking lot at the plant ready to go

back to work. As a shift supervisor, he was looking forward to a smooth, drama-free shift. All of his best employees were at the plant this rotation, and he could count on them to do a great job. As he parked his car, he saw Pete, the shift supervisor he was relieving, drive past him in a hurry. “Leaving early again,” thought Eddie as he entered the plant and quickly assessed the situation. The hot mill was

A GOOD HANDOFF PROCEDURE CAPTURES WHAT YOUR BEST PEOPLE DO ALREADY, AND LEADERS CAN USE IT TO DEFINE EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL SHIFT HANDOFFS.

PREVENT MISFIRES WITH A SHIFT HANDOFF PROCEDURE

Over time, people gravitate toward the path of least resistance, and it’s only natural that employees would shortchange something that occurs at the end of the shift when people are worn out and ready to leave. Shift-change misfires can be alleviated by using a basic tool – a shift handoff procedure. This procedure documents how a supervisor from the shift that is leaving interfaces with a supervisor on the incoming shift. A good procedure captures what your best people do already, and organizational leaders can use it to define expectations for all shift handoffs. It’s important in addition to understand that tools and procedures need to be supported by a culture of discipline and execution. IT’S A FUNCTION, NOT A FORM

running and all of his folks were in place to turn over the shift. He quickly ran the numbers from the prior shift and found that they had exceeded the production target – a promising indicator of what he could expect to experience. About 10 minutes later, the maintenance supervisor showed up at his door, looking angry. “Why are you guys still running? You know we’ve got a major roll change going on and you’ve not even started to let things cool down on the mill! My guys are going to have to twiddle their thumbs while it comes down to temperature,” he shouted as he angrily stomped off. After lots of radio communications and some tantrums from annoyed operators, Eddie was able to shut down the mill. After a while, the crew was able to change out the roll and get the hot mill restarted. “Now it’s time to make some pounds!” Eddie exclaimed to his team. “Not so fast, Eddie,” responded one team member. “I just ran into Ralph from R&D, and he said something about running a trial with a new alloy in about 15 minutes.” Eddie then spied Ralph coming down the line with a clipboard and a laptop. “What’s this I hear about you running a trial today?” asked Eddie. “We’ve been talking about this for weeks!” Ralph exclaimed. “I even called Pete on the shift before you to remind you!” Eddie resigned himself to the fact that his shift wasn’t going to be a good one because of a lack of good communications from his prior shift. “A good shift gone bad,” sighed Eddie, “and none of it was my fault.” 24

APRIL 2017 WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM

The degree of complexity and risk of the work dictate how simple or how complex the shift handoff procedure needs to be. The most complex I’ve seen was in a hospital environment, where patients’ lives depended on good shift handoff practices. At the other end of the spectrum, I’ve seen many simple HOT MILL SHIFT HANDOFF Note: To be conducted 15 minutes prior to start of next shift

Issues and transition discussion items Any open safety issues that require addressing? Environmental issues that require discussion? Operating equipment review: • • • • • • •

Furnace issues? Scale breaker issues? Roughing mill issues? Finishing mill issues? Strip cooling issues? Downcoiler issues? Weight and banding station issues?

Production schedule review and upcoming machine downtime events review Housekeeping audit results discussion Miscellaneous issues - upcoming tours, trials, audits, new employees, etc. Outcoing shift supervisor’s initials: Incoming shift supervisor’s initials:

shift handoffs that have less than a half-dozen items to cover. The scope of the procedure can also vary. For example, the procuredure could cover the handoff from one operator to another on a single large machine or unit, or it could apply at a departmental level with multiple players. CREATING THE SHIFT HANDOFF PROCEDURE

All business processes should have an overall defining process, and shift handoff procedures are no different. The example procedure included with this article shows the items that the supervisor in our scenario could have reviewed with the outgoing supervisor. As portrayed in the opening scenario, all of the issues that created problems for Eddie would have been covered in this simple document. It could have also prevented the “cutting out early” displayed by Pete, the outgoing supervisor. In addition to the above document, several other documents should be part of a broader handoff management system: • Shift handoff procedure. This document lays out the basic process on a single page in block diagram form. • Step definition document. This document provides more detail on each step in the process and is used to lay out expectations for execution. • R ASI (Responsible, Accountable, Supportive & Informed) document. This matrix document describes the roles and responsibilities in conjunction with the steps in the shift handoff procedure. In summary, the shift handoff form is not a document that lives by itself. It should exist as part of a process and part of your overall management system that needs to be reinforced by leader’s expectations and formal system audits. A good shift handoff procedure facilitates discussion on the right things at the right time. For example, an up-to-date production schedule review is almost always an item on the shift handoff procedure. This ensures good communication on execution of the production schedule which is vital for a successful shift. Depending on the work environment and requirements, the procedure can be implemented in different ways. One can use a form as illustrated above, but understand that written documents are difficult to manage and retain. It could be a special screen on a manufacturing system interface, or it could be part of a handheld program. Many businesses that don’t have document retention requirements use a whiteboard with critical handoff items articulated on it. In all cases, the shift handoff function should be highly visible, auditable, and done consistently. Managers need to periodically review the procedure and watch the shift handoffs as they occur. For example, a produc-

tion foreman should examine 5%-10% of shift handoffs and audit them for completion. This can include attending the shift handoff personally, reviewing the document that was completed, or interviewing one of the supervisors involved in the handoff. It’s critical that the people running the handoff understand that it’s an important function – important enough that their bosses pay attention to how well it is working! Poor communication is a very common problem in industrial settings, and it can cause significant frustration and operational issues when it gets in the way of smooth shift handoffs. Make sure you have a good shift handoff procedure in place; communicate the expectations covered in the procedure; and then audit a small percentage of shift handoffs to insure the procedure is being followed. You’ll eliminate a lot of frustration and improve operating performance. A principal consultant with Life Cycle Engineering (www.lce.com), Paul Borders has more than 28 years of experience implementing performance improvement initiatives in manufacturing environments. Contact him at pborders@LCE.com.

2017

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TACTICS&PRACTICES

USING IR TO DIAGNOSE MOTOR ISSUES Temperature data can be key to optimizing motor and drive performance, uptime by Sat Sandhu, Fluke

Infrared cameras, also called thermal imagers, are useful for troubleshooting motor problems as well as for monitoring motor condition for preventative maintenance in power generation, manufacturing, and commercial plants. Thermal images of motors reveal their operating condition as indicated by surface temperature. Such condition monitoring is important as a way to avert many unexpected motor malfunctions in systems that are critical to manufacturing. The onset of motor failures often can be detected by a variety of techniques, including vibration, ultrasound and thermal imaging. Thermal imaging specifically enables you to: • Inspect while the equipment is running • Verify repairs have been done properly • Inspect faster and from a safer distance • Improve repair efficiency and reduce costs To get started in building heat profiles of your motors, it is a best practice to capture good-quality infrared images when the motors are running under normal operating conditions. That gives you baseline measurements of the temperature of components. An infrared camera can capture temperatures of all the critical components: motor, shaft coupling, motor and shaft bearings, and the gearbox. When you are working with low electrical loads, the indications of a problem may be subtle. Thus, a minimum of 40% of design load is recommended (National Fire Protection Association NFPA 70B), and the higher the load, the better. When inspecting in low-load situations, be sure to note all possible problems, even if they reflect only a small temperature difference. As a load increases, the temperature will increase, and if a problem exists, you can expect to see greater temperature differences at higher loads. To start building heat profiles of your motors, it is a best practice to capture goodquality IR images when motors are running under normal operating conditions.

All motors should list the normal operating temperature on the nameplate. Abnormal temperatures, which will show up on a thermal imaging inspection, can be an indication of: Inadequate cooling because of insufficient air flow. Clearing this issue may require only minor cleaning on the air intake grills.

THE ONSET OF MOTOR FAILURES OFTEN CAN BE DETECTED BY A VARIETY OF METHODS, INCLUDING VIBRATION, ULTRASOUND, AND THERMAL IMAGING. Power quality issues such as unbalanced voltage or overload or harmonics. All of these will cause excessive heat dissipation. Impending bearing failure. An overheating bearing is an indication of an impending bearing failure. Bearing condition degrade for a number of reasons: • Heavier than anticipated loading • Inadequate or incorrect lubrication • Ineffective sealing • Shaft misalignment • Incorrect fit Insulation failure. With failing insulation of the motor windings the overall motor temperature increases this overheating causes failures and reduces insulation time. Shaft misalignment. Most misalignment cases are a combination of parallel and angular misalignment. Creating regular inspection routes that include thermal images of all critical motor/drive combinations and tracking to those baseline images will help you determine whether a hotspot is unusual and help you verify whether the repairs were successful. Sat Sandhu is a thermography services manager for Fluke (www.fluke.com), supporting customers worldwide. Sandhu has worked in electronics design and thermal imaging for over 36 years.

WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM APRIL 2017 27

COVER STORY / 2017 PdM SURVEY

Last year you told us that, despite planned and actual investments in predictive maintenance, you were not all that happy with the results of these. What a difference a year can make – more PdM technologies than ever are being deployed, often in targeted and complementary fashion, and your levels of satisfaction are DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY AND PRESCRIPTIVE ANALYTICS

Our 2017 predictive maintenance survey reveals how plant teams are tying fresh approaches into their PdM programs. By Thomas Wilk, Editor-in-Chief

APRIL 2017 WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM

Data from the first two questions of the survey – what is your job function (see Figure 1) and how many plants does your organization manage (see Figure 2) – demonstrate further progression of the trends identified last year. A plurality of 2017 respondents (22.5%) still identify as maintenance managers, with reliability engineers as the next largest category (15.7%). Technicians were more strongly represented this year in both maintenance and reliability, and several non-MRO job categories continue to hold steady over time (controls and applications engineers, sales and marketing, and executive-level). The decline of traditional “plant” job titles continues, as these positions seem to be evolving into one of the more-specialist categories listed under both maintenance and reliability. However, it is worth noting that you also told us that decision-making power over monitoring tools and configurations still resides primarily in the hands of the plant manager (37.5%) and the maintenance manager (57.9%), despite the fact that significantly fewer of these job roles seem to exist now than in 2014. Some decision-making authority does rest with the reliability engineer (25.0%) and maintenance engineer (23.0%), perhaps reflecting that those job titles are on the rise. It’s useful to consider these data in the context of the trend in total number of plants organizations are managing. Figure 2 spotlights the continuing trend toward plant consolidation, with the number of single-plant operations having dropped by almost 40% since

on the way up. Even the challenges to success have shifted away from how to define expected benefits and more to whether you have enough people (and the right people) to execute effectively. Read on for the survey highlights, and then download the full set of 2017 PdM survey data at plnt.sv/1704-PDM.

WHAT IS YOUR PRIMARY JOB FUNCTION? Plant manager

12.8% 6.7%

Plant engineer

15.2% 4.5%

Maintenance manager

24.2% 22.5%

Maintenance engineer

7.1% 12.4%

Maintenance technician

2014

2017

7.1% 7.9%

Reliability engineer

9.0% 15.7%

Reliability technician

7.1% 12.4%

Controls engineer

5.2% 5.6%

Sales/marketing

1.4% 1.7%

Applications engineer

3.8% 3.9%

Corporate executive

6.6% 6.7%

figure 1

HOW MANY TOTAL PLANTS DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION MANAGE? 1 plant

35.9%

2-5 plants

29.3%

6-15 plants More than 15

2014

2017

21.9%

31.5% 13.7 16.3% 21.2% 30.3%

figure 2

WHICH TYPES OF MAINTENANCE APPROACHES ARE CURRENTLY EMPLOYED BY YOUR PLANT?

15.3%

14.5%

Reactive (run-to-fail) Preventive (periodic and/or route-based) Predictive (diagnostics ahead of failure) Prescriptive (diagnostics and guidance for repair)

29.8%

40.5%

figure 3

WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM APRIL 2017 29

COVER STORY / 2017 PdM SURVEY

late 2014, and the number of operations with 15 or more plants having increased by 43%. When contrasted with job title data, it suggests that plant managers are often being asked to take responsibility for more than one plant at a time – a finding that was reinforced by our 2017 Workforce survey, in which 47% of respondents told us that their current responsibilities include additional plants beyond their primary location (see our February 2017 cover story). For this year’s survey, we also wanted to ask about how and your teams are approaching the Next Big Thing: prescriptive analytics. If predictive maintenance is concerned with what is likely to happen to an asset based on a given set of condition monitoring data, prescriptive analytics is the logical next step, using those data sets as well as other less-traditional data sets (such as MES, ERP, and/or GIS data) to identify a set of actions or decision options that will address the earlier prediction. In essence, prescriptive analytics extracts actionable insight from piles of data, answering the question, “What is the best course of action for a given situation?” Also, as machine learning and predictive modeling offerings get more sophisticated (and affordable), prescriptive analytics can continually take in new data to re-predict and re-prescribe, thus learning with plant teams by improving prediction accuracy and prescribing better options over time. This year’s PdM asked two brief questions to identify where on the prescriptive maintenance spectrum you and your industry peers would place yourselves (see Figures 3 and 4). The good news is that almost half of respondents (45.1%) indicated they were engaging in some form of proactive maintenance approach, whether predictive or prescriptive. Of those who indicated they were exploring prescriptive options, 37.4% said they were engaged now with prescriptive 30

APRIL 2017 WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM

TO WHAT DEGREE DOES YOUR TEAM OR ORGANIZATION CURRENTLY ENGAGE IN PRESCRIPTIVE MAINTENANCE?

Using now

29.8%

37.4%

In 2017 plans/budget Within 3 years No plans

23.7%

10.7%

figure 4

PdM PROGRAM: PERFORMANCE COMPARISON, 2014-2017 2014

2016

2017

Not effective

15.5%

15.6%

8.4%

Needs some improvement

40.3%

49.4%

45.8%

Satisfactory

24.8%

18.2%

21.4%

Effective

15.5%

14.3%

17.6%

Very effective

3.9%

2.6%

6.9%

figure 5

maintenance, and an additional 10.7% said there was money in this year’s budget for prescriptive. (Just under 30% of respondents indicated that they have no plans in this direction.) TYING PdM PROGRAMS TOGETHER

In one of the more discouraging findings from last year’s survey, readers indicated that their overall levels of dissatisfaction with their PdM programs had increased, despite planned modest growth in levels of PdM investment. (Three areas of investment in particular stood out as gaining since 2014: control systems, EAM/CMMS systems, and predictive analytics software.) We are happy to report that things have changed: The overall level of satisfaction with your PdM programs has gone up by 34% since our last survey, and the share of respondents who thought that their PdM programs were “very effective” nearly tripled. Figures 5, 6, and 7 include trending data from our past three surveys, from 2014-2017, to better illustrate this rise in satisfaction and showcase the

organic growth in application of PdM tools and technologies among survey respondents. When asked which PdM technologies are being deployed, respondents indicated that the same three options that led the 2016 survey (infrared, oil analysis, and vibration) also lead this year’s survey, with each being selected by more than 70% of respondents and with infrared again the most-deployed PdM technology (at 74.8%). Two other data trends stand out: (1) the general increase in PdM technology use, and (2) the decline in reported use of predictive modeling software. Ultrasound, electric motor testing, acoustic, and corrosion technologies registered increases in use, suggesting that plant teams are more comfortable than ever with balancing a wide suite of PdM tools and techniques in their asset management programs. This includes internet-enabled tools: Figure 8 identifies the asset types on which plant teams are using IIoT equipment – primarily automation and control assets (67.6%), electrical systems (31.8%), and rotational/mechanical

COVER STORY / 2017 PdM SURVEY

assets (25.2%). Also, when asked the more-general question of whether respondents were deploying internet-enabled technologies at part of their PdM program, numbers did not change significantly over the past 12 months, with about 20% of current respondents indicating they are currently engaged, and 55.6% of respondents saying they had no plans to deploy these technologies. It came as a surprise that predictive modeling technologies declined in reported use by 2017 survey respondents; after increasing in use by almost 50% from 2014-2016, the reported use of predictive modeling declined by about 20% over the past 12 months. This could possibly be the result of the success of other PdM approaches, where the need for predictive modeling might be reduced as teams experience greater success with PdM technologies that deliver condition monitoring data in real time.

This also may reflect the trends observed in Figure 7, which charts the stated obstacles to PdM success. Although budget constraints continue to lead all obstacles reported on the survey, several new trends are emerging. Specifically, respondents are more confident in their ability to articulate PdM financial and operational benefits (62.1% and 57.6%, respectively) than in previous years, whereas the challenges of “limited engineering resources” (67.4%) and “poor program execution” (57.6%) are starting to take their place as topof-mind concerns. In other words, the PdM roadmaps are coming into stronger focus, but will there be enough skilled staff to deliver on the predicted promise? Finally, the types of assets that readers tell us they are managing via PdM did not change significantly from 2014 to 2017; in general, respondents consider their production assets the top priority, followed by electrical, automation, and control systems.

WHICH PdM TECHNOLOGIES HAVE YOU DEPLOYED? Using now

In this year’s budget

Within 3 years

No plans

2014

2016

2017

2014

2016

2017

2014

2016

2017

2014

2016

2017

Vibration

60.0%

72.1

70.5%

5.8%

7.0%

9.8%

12.9%

9.3%

7.6%

21.3%

11.6%

12.1%

Ultrasound

45.5%

52.3%

59.1%

5.2%

9.3%

12.1%

16.9%

17.4%

7.6%

32.5%

20.9%

21.2%

Acoustic

24.7%

27.1%

34.4%

6.5%

3.5%

5.3%

14.3%

22.4%

16.0%

54.5%

47.1%

44.3%

Corrosion

33.8%

35.3%

45.0%

7.8%

2.4%

3.1%

14.9%

22.4%

10.7%

43.5%

40.0%

41.2%

Infrared

65.8%

66.3%

74.8%

3.9%

7.0%

3.1%

15.5%

10.5%

7.6%

14.8%

16.3%

14.5%

Oil analysis

62.3%

75.6%

73.5%

4.5%

3.5%

5.3%

15.6%

4.7%

6.1%

17.5%

16.3%

15.2%

Predictive modeling software

17.5%

25.9%

20.6%

6.5%

7.1%

10.7%

25.3%

23.5%

19.8%

50.6%

43.5%

48.9%

Electric motor testing

50.0%

45.3%

47.0%

5.8%

9.3%

9.8%

14.9%

23.3%

21.2%

29.2%

22.1%

22.0%

figure 6

PLEASE RATE THE OBSTACLES LIMITING THE SUCCESS OF YOUR PdM INITIATIVES Not a factor

Low

Medium

High

2014

2016

2017

2014

2016

2017

2014

2016

2017

2014

2016

2017

Budget constraints

5.8%

6.8%

14.3%

16.3%

18.2%

37.7%

44.2%

40.9%

42.2%

33.7%

34.1%

Undefined financial benefits

9.1%

7.0%

10.6%

18.8%

24.4%

27.3%

46.1%

32.6%

39.4%

26.0%

36.0%

22.7%

Undefined operational benefits

16.9%

14.0%

9.1%

26.6%

22.1%

33.3%

39.6%

37.2%

45.5%

16.9%

26.7%

12.1%

Limited engineering resources

16.2%

11.6%

10.6%

22.7%

24.4%

22.0%

42.9%

39.5%

39.4%

18.2%

24.4%

28.0%

Poor program execution

24.0%

20.9%

16.7%

32.5%

34.9%

25.8%

30.5%

31.4%

40.9%

13.0%

12.8%

16.7%

figure 7

APRIL 2017 WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM

WHICH TYPES OF ASSETS ARE YOU USING INTERNET-ENABLED / IIoT TECHNOLOGIES TO MANAGE? Automation assets (field devices, control valves)

19.5% 27.2%

Control system assets (DCS, I/O, controllers, networks)

20.8% 40.0%

Production assets (rotating equipment, mechanical pumps)

27.3% 25.2%

Distribution pipelines Electrical systems Fleet vehicles HVAC/R system

2016

2017

6.5% 7.9% 24.7% 31.8% 9.1% 6.0% 13.0% 18.5%

Safety systems / devices

15.9%

Manufacturing productivity

15.2%

figure 8

WHO USES THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY YOUR PdM SYSTEMS AND WITH WHAT FREQUENCY? Never

Weekly

Monthly

Quarterly

2014

2016

2017

2014

2016

2017

2014

2016

2017

2014

2016

2017

In-house maintenance

8.0%

3.9%

6.2%

59.4%

55.8%

48.7%

20.3%

27.3%

33.6%

12.3

13.0%

11.5%

In-house operations

29.0%

24.7%

32.7%

39.1%

36.4%

34.5%

24.6%

23.4%

16.8%

7.2%

15.6%

15.9%

In-house reliability engineers

31.9%

16.9%

21.2%

40.6%

44.2%

16.7%

24.7%

27.4%

10.9%

14.3%

7.1%

Totally outsourced

65.2%

59.7%

76.1%

8.0%

6.5%

6.2%

14.5%

16.9%

10.6%

12.3%

16.9%

7.1%

Third-party remote monitoring

73.9%

74.0%

76.1%

10.9%

3.9%

11.5%

4.3%

7.8%

8.8%

10.9%

14.3%

3.5%

OEM supplier

71.7%

77.9%

69.0%

8.0%

2.6%

6.2%

7.2%

6.5%

12.4%

13.0%

12.4%

figure 9

WHO GETS TO SEE YOUR PdM DATA?

One of the more interesting trends uncovered by the PdM survey over the past several years is the general unwillingness of respondents to share their data with experts outside of their organization. The 2017 survey is no exception – you’ve told us yet again that if you can avoid sharing data with OEMs or other third parties, then you will. When it comes specifically to the ability to use remote monitoring technologies to share data back with OEMs, the share of respondents who said they were doing this now dropped from 31.9% in 2016 to 18.6% this year; and the number of respondents with no plans to do so jumped from 38.5% to 60.2%. These data aligned with a separate question which asked whether respondents were using embedded remote monitoring devices as part of their PdM program. Just shy of 40% of respondents said yes, which suggests that users are leveraging embedded devices to monitor the plants they are being asked to manage remotely, and that they are not always sharing these data with OEMs.

Figure 9 provides additional nuance to this issue of PdM data-sharing, with respondents able to drill down into the types of teams they share their data with as well as the frequency of sharing. In general, in-house maintenance and reliability teams have quite frequent access to the data, with most respondents sharing it weekly (44%–48%) and/or quarterly (27%–33%). The greatest reluctance on data-sharing is saved for third parties: a whopping 76.1% of respondents say they have no plans to share PdM data with third-party remote monitoring service providers, and 69.0% say they have no plans to share PdM data with OEMs. The sweet spot, such as it is, seems to be monthly data sharing, with 12.4% of respondents sharing with OEMs and 19.4% sharing with other contracted thirdparties (similar to the rate of monthly data-sharing with operations teams). It’s unclear whether the resourcing or program execution challenges identified in this year’s PdM survey will eventually soften the overall resistance to sharing PdM data outside the organization. WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM APRIL 2017 33

RELIABILITY / ULTRASOUND

by Adrian Messer, CMRP, UE Systems

YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST Ultrasound technology can amplify your condition monitoring efforts far beyond leak detection

Airborne and structure-borne ultrasound has been around for more than 50 years. In the technology’s early days, the main application was compressed air leak detection. Even today, that’s still the most widely used application for airborne ultrasound. Over the years, through advancements in ultrasound instrumentation and software, more maintenance and reliability personnel have begun to use ultrasound technology for more than just compressed air leak detection. Three applications in particular have seen a large increase in use: condition monitoring of bearings and rotating equipment, condition-based lubrication using ultrasound, and electrical inspection of energized electrical equipment. Ultrasonic equipment detects airborne and structureborne ultrasounds normally inaudible to the human ear and electronically “transposes” them into audible signals that a technician can hear through headphones and view on a display panel as a dB level. On some instruments, incoming sound can also be viewed on a spectral analysis screen that shows either the FFT or the time wave form. With this information, a trained technician can interpret the bearing condition to determine what, if any, corrective action is needed, and the current data can be compared on the spot with the baseline data. Ultrasound technology has many advantages: • It can be used in virtually any environment. • Learning to use ultrasound technology is relatively easy. • The technology is relatively inexpensive. • Modern ultrasonic equipment makes it easy to track trends and store historical data. • Ultrasonic technology has proved itself to be extremely reliable as a predictive maintenance tool, helping organizations save thousands of dollars and hours of productivity. • There are remote monitoring options for both mechanical and electrical applications. Airborne and structure-borne ultrasound instruments are an extension of the user’s sense of hearing. Similar 34

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to how vibration feels what you can’t feel and infrared cameras see what you can’t see, ultrasound hears what you can’t hear. There are sounds in a typical manufacturing environment (machines running, etc.) that prevent us from hearing other sounds, such as compressed air leaks or electrical discharges such as corona, tracking, or arcing. Ultrasound instruments listen for sounds that are not present in our normal audible range. Typically, the sounds outside normal human hearing are high-frequency sounds. The high-frequency sounds are detected by the instrument and translated through a process called heterodyning into an audible sound that the inspector hears in the headset. The unit of measurement for sound is a dB level, which is indicated on the display of the ultrasound instrument. WHY REMOTE MONITORING WITH ULTRASOUND?

Remote monitoring with vibration analysis and temperature has been available for many years. For ultrasound, remote monitoring is a fairly new addition to the technology’s repertoire of capabilities. When you’re considering adding ultrasound to your condition monitoring program, your decision will depend ultimately on which assets you would like to monitor. Once you have determined the assets that you would like to monitor, you need to identify the failure modes related to those assets. Understanding how those assets will fail will help you determine which condition monitoring tool can be applied to find those failure modes. Ultrasound is a proven technology that can detect certain mechanical and electrical faults much sooner than other technologies can. By sensing subtle changes in ultrasonic amplitude, ultrasound is adept at finding early-stage premature bearing faults, as demonstrated by the I-P-F curve. Ultrasound plays a critical role in helping extend the life of bearings in the I-P interval by condition lubrication of bearings. Studies have shown that the majority of prema-

ture bearing failures can be attributed to lubrication errors. Whether it’s over- or underlubrication, using the wrong grease for the wrong application, or lubricant contamination, it all comes back to improper grease application. Ultrasound can prevent over- and underlubrication, thus potentially eliminating a large number of bearing failures. When a bearing lacks lubrication, there’s an increase in friction. The higher friction also increases the amount of ultrasonic noise the bearing produces; this is indicated by a rise in the decibel (dB) level. When greasing a bearing that needs lubrication, one should see a gradual decrease in the dB level. Once the dB level has fallen back to a normal or baseline level, greasing can cease. If the bearing already has sufficient grease, then the dB level will slowly begin to rise as more grease is applied. That’s because overlubrication also increases friction in the bearing housing, thus producing a higher dB level. The inspector would notice the rise in dBs as grease is applied and would stop greasing. In the P-F interval, once a failure has begun, ultrasound is excellent at finding it. These are bearing failures that can be detected even before changes in vibration are. If you’re monitoring critical assets, ultrasound and vibration should be used together in an effort to potentially detect multiple failure modes that may be missed when using one technology alone. REMOTE MONITORING – MECHANICAL INSPECTION

Remote monitoring of bearings and other rotating equipment with ultrasound can be done one of two ways. The first is by using wired remote access sensors (RAS). The sensors are mounted to the assets when it is safe to do so, and the cables are brought out to a safe area (outside of guarding) where they can be connected directly to a portable handheld ultrasound instrument. The cable lengths for the ultrasound

Failure begins

Ultrasound

Oil Analysis

Vibration

Infrared

Audible noise

Hot to the touch

Proactive Domain

Predictive Domain

Fault Domain

I-P-F curve showing ultrasound as an early indicator of a potential problem in bearings and rotating equipment. SOURCE: Adrian Messer

remote access sensors can be made to up to 100 ft (30.48 m). The ultrasound remote access sensors can also be connected to a junction box or a switch box. As many as 12 ultrasound remote access sensors can be connected to one switch box. Similar to the way vibration-analysis switch boxes work, the ultrasound sensors are connected to the switch box along with the handheld ultrasound instrument. During analysis, the inspector turns the dial to the next point to collect a reading. Remote monitoring with ultrasound can also be done continuously via a sensor that offers an audio output for easy connection to plant process monitoring systems. This audio output will allow for sound recording for further diagnostics or for comparing baseline sound files with alarm level sound files. With adjustable alarm levels and dB threshold settings, this type of sensor can be used to track alarm conditions and trend potential problems. REMOTE MONITORING – ELECTRICAL INSPECTION

Ultrasound can be used to inspect almost any energized electrical equipment. This may include metal-clad switchgear, transformers, substations, relays, and motor control

Traditional ultrasound inspection of enclosed energized electrical equipment. SOURCE: UE SYSTEMS

Corona activity advancing to the tracking stage on insulation board resting on 13kV bus. Notice the carbon deposits and light brown discoloration of the insulation board on the right. SOURCE: UE SYSTEMS

WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM APRIL 2017 35

APRIL 2017 WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM

-40 -42 -44 -46 -48 -50 -52 -54 -56 -58 -60 -62 -64 -66 -68 -70 -72 -74

Corona shows very distinct 60 or 50 Hz harmonics

60 Hz

31.2 90 140 190 240 290 340 390 440 490 540 590 632.7

Frequency (Hz) FFT view of a recorded sound file of corona showing 60Hz harmonics.

Arcing

100 80 60 40 20

SOURCE: UE Systems

Amplitude

center, along with many others. Ultrasound can be used to measure equipment voltages from the low end (110 volts) to well over 12,000 volts (12kV). Traditionally, inspection of energized electrical equipment has been performed using noncontact infrared cameras. However, increasingly, ultrasound is being added to these inspections. One of the main reasons has been safety: An ultrasound inspection of electrical equipment can be done without the need to open the energized cabinet or enclosure. The handheld ultrasound instrument is used to scan openings on the cabinet. The high-frequency sound produced by corona, tracking, and arcing from inside the enclosure will exit through the openings. The inspector will hear the sound via the headset and know an anomaly is present. The sound can then be recorded to determine whether the condition is corona, tracking, arcing, or some type of mechanical looseness. Corona refers to the ionization of air surrounding an electrical connection higher than 1,000 volts. Corona by nature does not produce significant heat that would be detected by an infrared camera. However, it does produce high-frequency sound that can be detected by the ultrasound instrument. If corona discharge continues to occur, it can lead to a more severe problem such as tracking or arcing. By-products of the ionization process are ozone, electromagnetic emissions, ultraviolet light, and nitric acid. The nitric acid is a corrosive and can deteriorate insulators and connectors and lead to tracking and arcing. When the sound file of corona is recorded, signature characteristics visible in the FFT and time wave form (TWF) will help diagnose the condition. For corona, the discharge points occur only at the highest-voltage point on the sine wave. This means that the amplitude peaks in the TWF are somewhat equally spaced as the discharges are only at the positive peak of the sine wave. The result will be well-defined 60Hz or 50Hz harmonics. Tracking (low current pathway to ground across an insulator) and arcing (electrical discharge to ground across an insulator) also have characteristics to look for. With tracking, the discharge does not have to take place at the peak of the wave form. Instead, it can happen anywhere on the positive portion of the cycle. The spacing of the peaks in the TWF would be similar but not uniform. As tracking becomes more severe, there would be more discharge events and therefore more nonuniformly spaced narrow peaks. Arcing has the most nonuniform “look” in the FFT and TWF. Only the bursts of the discharge can be heard, and these will be seen as wide peaks in the TWF view. A remote mounted sensor that offers a heterodyned audio output to allow for sound recording can be a valuable tool for electrical inspection. Analyzing recorded ultrasounds of electrical anomalies is the only way to diagnose with ultrasound the condition heard. For optimum flexibility, consider

RELIABILITY / ULTRASOUND

0 -20 -40 -60 -80 -100

0 6.2

Time Arcing as seen in the time wave form view.

an ultrasound sensor that can be mounted inside of an electrical cabinet such as a transformer or switchgear and wired into the facility’s process monitoring systems or a PLC. CONCLUSION

Remote monitoring with ultrasound is a viable option for maintenance and reliability programs that are already monitoring assets traditionally with handheld devices and for programs where ultrasound is not currently in use. Because it is complementary to vibration analysis for mechanical inspection and infrared thermography for electrical inspection, ultrasound will only enhance existing condition monitoring efforts. In areas that are remote, inaccessible, or dangerous, remote monitoring with ultrasound may be your only option. Additionally, a multitechnology approach to condition monitoring increases your chances of finding multiple failure modes and detecting them early enough to make necessary repairs before problems become catastrophic. Adrian Messer, CMRP, is manager of U.S. operations at UE Systems (www.uesystems.com). Contact him at adrianm@ uesystems.com.

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SAFETY / AUTOMATION

Workers’ health and safety is among many things to account for when making changes to manufacturing processes and equipment. Failure to fully consider health, safety, and other operational aspects at the concept and design phases of a project can result in costly setbacks during construction and operationalization. Achieve safety and productivity dividends over the long term by employing the following strategies and tactics to make safe design, safe construction, and safe operations a reality where you work. KNOW APPLICABLE STANDARDS

If you were to hear, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you,” you wouldn’t be alone if your response were, “Thanks, but no thanks; I’ve got this.” People don’t want to be forced into action. Most of us would rather be guided into choices by benefits. There are benefits to standards (even the mandatory ones). Government regulations and consensus standards are rich sources of good practices and pain-free lessons learned. People like you from companies like yours provided the 38

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insight upon which standards were written. The adage that safety standards are “written in blood” isn’t far from the truth. Why in the world would anyone want to learn their own hard lessons? It’s much easier to learn from others’ experiences. You’ll want to figure out which standards apply to your projects and to do this during early phases of the project, ideally before putting a project out for bid, writing internal work orders, or taking other initial steps. Contracts should require compliance with applicable standards and regulations. Outcomes will be predictable if applicable standards and regulations (your expectations) are not specified during the work scoping and bidding process: 1) Vendors will bid low and perform minimally to preserve profit margins, or 2) You’ll incur numerous delays and change orders for out-of-scope requests. One thing that standards and regulations require for some systems in some regions (and is a best practice for all systems in all areas) is a risk assessment. In a risk assessment, the vendor documents the expected as-installed hazard and grades the risk for operation and maintenance in the pres-

ence of these hazards, and then uses the process to quantify risk mitigation possible through recommended controls/ precautions. Even when risk assessments are not formally required to meet minimum government expectations, it is always wise to ask vendors to provide this documentation. It almost goes without saying that companies should do their own assessments and see if things match up. Another frequently included contract requirement is that the vendor must have a “safety-competent person” on-site during the work’s construction/integration phase. The role of the safety-competent person is to ensure that health and safety considerations are accounted for (so your organization will not be affected by contractor safety mistakes). The vendor’s competent person is a point of contact from whom to receive site-specific information about hazardous energy control, confined space entry, hazardous chemicals, and egress/evacuation protocol. In an ideal world, the foreman or site superintendent (the overly busy person whom you see carrying blueprints and project schedules) can serve doubleduty as the safety-competent person. Dedicated safety resources are recommended for complex and large-scale jobs. Most progressive health and safety management systems contain provisions for contractor/vendor approval. The health and safety department or purchasing agent will typically furnish vendors with expectations prior to bidding. Vendors in turn furnish necessary documentation regarding historical health and safety performance and mechanisms in place to ensure site safety. Typically, contractors will also furnish policies for prehire and random substance and alcohol testing, insurance coverage, and other documents. Less-safe vendors will be screened out prior to bidding work. Clear contract language goes a long way toward preventing confusion, costly change orders, and delays. Companies that receive vendor work products will want to follow through and ensure contract compliance actually happens. UNDERSTAND APPLICABLE STANDARDS

Standards and regulations can be difficult to read and apply properly. Simply handing a safety regulation or standard to maintenance, operations, and other (nonsafety) support personnel probably won’t lead to a deep understanding or correct application of the subject matter. Support specialists such as health and safety professionals should be part of the project team. These specialists can help decode and interpret tricky regulatory language. Even if there is a health and safety professional on the project team, you may still want to consider briefing/training the entire project team on applicable standards. A common language and understanding is needed so project team members can communicate around common goals of the

project. When training, emphasize the reasons for standards. To aid in clear understanding, project leads should request project team participation in end-user and vendor visits for a more complete as-used representation of processes and equipment. Remember, people would rather choose to comply because of benefits, not because the government or “corporate” says so. Train early in the process for full project lifecycle benefits. Expect coordination and communication difficulties if the health and safety specialist is the only person who understands the standards. A parting note about nongovernmental industry consensus standards: Consensus standards aren’t always as optional as they may seem. Adopting practices that exceed regulatory minimums helps prevent incidents and can provide ongoing protection from “general duty” penalties and civil liability. Think of consensus standards as a way to do more and get more in return. INVOLVE STAKEHOLDERS

Stakeholder needs must be met for project success. Groups potentially affected need to have a voice in project decisions (how else can companies validate that project plans will address stakeholder needs?). Involving affected groups fosters a sense of ownership and ensures foundational knowledge needed for procedure development and ongoing support of implemented systems. Production and maintenance groups are frequent project initiators, and as such their voices are commonly heard. Other affected groups may be unfortunate afterthoughts to novice project leads. Think big when soliciting project input. Get multiple perspectives: Talk with other sites using similar processes and equipment, and hear from operators, maintenance employees, supervisors, managers, and support personnel. Seek third-party perspectives from equipment manufacturers and process integrators. Third parties have insight, an interest in project success, and a network of end users (so ask for introductions). Intended changes can give rise to unintended side effects. After stakeholders have been identified, gather the group and apply “if/then” logic to brainstorm secondary effects attributable to the intended project deliverables. Consider all angles – upstream, downstream, and forward into the future – in an attempt to anticipate these often-overlooked impacts. One project I supported introduced pallet picking automation. Material configuration on incoming pallets became a concern. Suppliers were made aware of pallet configuration changes. Suppliers were asked to furnish test pallets for preacceptance picking reliability validation. The supplier missed an opportunity to correct stressful new configuration stacking practices (force and posture risk factors were WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM APRIL 2017 39

SAFETY / AUTOMATION

present during test pallet stacking). The supplier experienced an outbreak of soft tissue injuries directly correlated with the increased demand for pallets in the new configuration. The window to act on force and posture risk factors closed with operationalization of new picking automation. In this case, the ergonomic benefits of automated pallet picking were offset by the increased ergonomic burden on suppliers. Secondary effects can be expected, need to be watched for, and should be identified and acted upon early so controls can be implemented before adverse consequences occur. SAFE CONSTRUCTION AND INTEGRATION

Construction and integration will vary depending on the project, so we’ll be purposefully brief in addressing this topic. The strongest enabler of safe construction/integration performance has already been mentioned – namely, making sure expectations for the project are well-understood, clearly specified, and scoped/priced into bids. Again, this is likely to involve including provisions for a safety-competent person and/or a dedicated safety resource. You can expect that the safety resource or competent person will handle safety activities such as making sure workers coming on site are properly trained and drug-free; making sure equipment is properly inspected prior to use; conducting daily site inspections; investigating incidents for root causes; weighing in on potential conflicts related to the day’s work (e.g., it might be a bad idea to use flammable PVC pipe cement near welding, cutting, and grinding activities; conversely, it may be a great idea to perform welding, cutting, and grinding activities away from operational areas). The vendor safety resource will be one point of contact for the project team. Project team members will have occasion to observe vendor work activities. Any unsafe acts and conditions observed need to be brought to the attention of the vendor’s safety resource. In most cases, it is appropriate for the vendor safety resource to directly address safety issues. Along these lines, the project team should usually stop short of directing vendor employees, as this is the vendor’s responsibility. OPERATIONALIZING PROCESSES AND EQUIPMENT

Most companies cannot afford having much nonproductive time pass after the conclusion of construction and equipment integration activities. Companies want to begin realizing a return on project investment as soon as productive use of equipment and processes is possible. Immediate productivity is a risky proposition unless the project team has made operational readiness a priority well in advance of construction/integration completion. Project schedules should include milestones for the completion of safe operating procedures, hazardous energy control procedures, confined space entry procedures, job hazard 40

APRIL 2017 WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM

analysis (if required), and the like. Machine safety interlocks and other safety controls identified through risk assessments need to be thoroughly tested. It may be discovered that risk that seemed well-controlled in theory (and two-dimensionally on prints) is not quite so safe up close and personal with as-installed processes and equipment. Time also needs to be allocated for workers to receive training and become proficient in new operations. Similarly, coaching and reinforcement, too, will be especially important, so factor in time for these. Early procedures are written without much actual experience using the equipment. Companies invariably find that procedural revisions are needed according to this new understanding. Ask people to talk it up. Spend time on the floor asking people for feedback. Convey the message that it’s OK to find things wrong and that you want to learn from fresh perspectives of workers experiencing equipment and processes for the first time. As much as the project team hopes to anticipate effects, some small ripple may still be missed. It’s better to face this reality than to run from it. This is why many successful project leads develop a punch list for items identified by operational owners of installed systems. New manufacturing processes and processes can bring many benefits, but they can also introduce risk into the business. Time spent considering perspectives, wants, and needs of all stakeholders helps keep projects on track and on budget. Successful project integration requires a team effort, and a team effort takes planning, legwork, and reinforcement. Putting the effort in before the project starts will save time and money and ultimately will help keep your employees healthy, safe, and on the job. Jonathan Jacobi is a senior EHS adviser in UL’s EHS Sustainability Advisory Services practice (www. ulehssustainability.com). He has more than 20 years of health and safety leadership experience in the nuclear, automotive, semiconductor, paper, and tobacco industries and has served the U.S. DOE and companies such as Intel Corp., Altria Corp., Kimberly-Clark, and Honda. Jacobi s a certiﬁed safety professional (CSP) and OSHA Authorized Outreach Trainer.

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OPERATIONS / COMPRESSED AIR

Get Active About Monitoring Your

Compressed Air System Efficiency Can you answer the question, “How efficient is my system?” By Ron Marshall, C.E.T, Chief Auditor, Marshall Compressed Air Consulting

When it comes to compressed

air efficiency, there are usually more questions than answers. Compressed air systems consume a big chunk of the electrical energy in a typical industrial facility, yet often they receive very little attention, unless something goes wrong. Th is article discusses six questions you need to answer regularly to keep your compressed air system running efficiently and trouble-free. To answer these questions, you’ll need to use some type of measurement system to monitor your compressed air system. Best-in-class compressed air systems have permanently installed measurement systems (see Figure 1) that can help you know all there is to know about your compressed air system efficiency with a few clicks of your mouse.

air-compressor and sometimes airdryer power ratings in a format specified by the Compressed Air and Gas Institute (CAGI, www.cagi.org). This format helps buyers of compressed air components make better choices in the efficiency of the equipment they purchase. Calculating the specific power level of your system and comparing this with the equipment ratings can also help you make better choices on how to operate your system. Can you answer the question, “How efficient is my system?” Most system operators can’t, so have a look at your compressors to find out why not. The search for energy-related metering

devices usually ends in failure. Energy or flow metering is not typically something that comes with an air compressor or dryer; it has to be added by the system owner. As an example of the usefulness of measurement, a food products manufacturer recently had its system power and flow measured by an auditor who placed temporary metering equipment on the compressed air system. The power input to the air compressors was measured at 16.4 kW average, and the flow output was found to be 13 cfm. The rated specific power of the air compressor at its best efficiency point is 20 kW/cfm, but if we do some

HOW EFFICIENT IS YOUR SYSTEM?

Efficiency is a measure of how well a system is producing output as compared with the input. With compressed air, there’s an energy input to the compressors and dryers and a flow output at a specific pressure coming out the discharge pipe. A common way to measure compressed air energy efficiency is to measure the amount of power that goes into a compressed air system per given flow of compressed air out. This is called specific power and is usually expressed as kilowatts per 100 cubic feet. Equipment manufacturers publish 42

APRIL 2017 WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM

Figure 1. Full instrumentation of a compresed air system can be used to monitor the system in real time and provide trending and data archiving.

calculations we can see this the actual system specific power calculates 126 kW/100 cfm, more than 6 times the rating. Something was definitely wrong with this system, but the system owner was unaware until some measurements were done. At first the cause of this problem was thought to be the compressor, but it was not; the real cause of this problem is discussed at the end of the article. HOW STABLE IS YOUR PRESSURE?

If asked to choose between good system efficiency and stable pressure, most system operators would choose pressure. This is the compressed air production equipment’s job: to produce a constant uninterrupted supply of clean, dry compressed air at an adequate pressure. But how stable is your pressure? Do you know? Most system operators can’t answer this question and simply use a tried-and-true low pressure detection method – the phone. When their customers experience low pressure, the customers call and complain, and then the operator goes to the compressor room to jack up the pressure, and the system is left to run at this higher pressure permanently. This increase in pressure makes all the running compressors use 1% more power for every 2 psi increase in discharge pressure. It also increases the flow, because higher pressure makes any unregulated uses of compressed air consume more. This increases the compressor power consumption even more. In best-in-class systems, the operators don’t have to choose between good efficiency and stable pressure. Operators will know immediately if there are pressure issues, and will be able to detect when and why they have occurred. To do this, some pressure monitors must be installed at various important locations on the system. These monitors should be recorded or logged at intervals fast enough so that system problems can be detected and corrected, without jacking up the system pressure. In our previous example, the food processing company was experiencing transient pressure problems and had already turned up the compressor as high as they dared, yet the pressure problems were still occurring (see Figure 2). Placing pressure monitors at the compressor discharge, after the air dryer, and at the main compressor room outlet to the plant showed that this plant was indeed experiencing pressure problems, but it was not the fault of the compressor. Again, the operator was unaware of this issue, which was causing intermittent production issues that were being blamed on the production machines. ARE THE COMPRESSORS OPERATING CORRECTLY?

Every compressed air system has a control strategy to ensure the delivery of a constant supply of compressed air at the proper required pressure. With single compressor systems the strategy is usually very simple, but with systems of multiple compressors the strategy can be quite complex. The

Figure 2. The pressure/amp profile shows pressure problems, but not at the compressor – a flow control valve downstream was faulty.

goal of any strategy should also be to deliver this adequate pressure in the most efficient way possible; this usually means turning down compressor power in some way, by making sure the system compressors are running with minimal unloaded power consumption and are turned off and on at the required times. It is very difficult to assess whether a control system is doing its job without measuring the system. But if pressure, compressor power (or amps), and flow are captured over time, it is quite easy to detect the response of the control system to changes in flow and pressure. Using this data, long-term system operation can be tracked, with notations made for pressure problems, compressor operational problems, or even problems with peak system air demands causing low pressure. In another example, a grain processor purchased an expensive compressor control system from the company’s compressor supplier to help maintain good system efficiency. The plant engineer trusted that this system, designed and supplied by a large multinational compressor company, would keep his system operating at optimum efficiency, and therefore no efficiency measurements were taken after the installation. Years later, a compressed air auditor measured the system and found that the system was running two compressors during light system loading rather than one. Because of the choice of compressor sizes at this site, the supplied control system was not compatible and was malfunctioning. This caused poor system pressure regulation – more than two times the normal energy consumption, as well as extra maintenance and repair costs thanks to the extra compressor run time hours. WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM APRIL 2017 43

Source: AirLeader

OPERATIONS / COMPRESSED AIR

Figure 3. Reports like this can help track efficiency and costs.

The measurement also showed a problem with a desiccant air dryer that was consuming thousands of dollars in wasted compressed air loss. The site had called in the auditor to figure out what size of air compressor they needed to purchase because they thought they were running out of capacity. It turned out that no additional compressor was required, and they were able to turn one compressor off. WHAT’S CAUSING PROBLEMS?

If you’re carefully tracking your system, you’ll be tipped off to problems if there is a change in your specific power and/or a significant change in average flow. Often, system monitoring programs will have a dashboard of real-time energy performance indicators. In addition, the data may be calculated hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly for easy comparison. If any numbers change, it should trigger more investigation. Because data is being collected perhaps as frequently as every 10 seconds and sent to a database, it will be possible to go back when a problem emerges, review the system operation, and identify what went wrong. In some cases, you’ll even be able to identify a faulty piece of equipment. 44

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WHAT IS MY SYSTEM WASTE?

System monitoring not only measures the efficiency of compressed air production equipment, but also it can often be used to measure system waste. Consider a shift-oriented plant that has no production on weekends. If the compressors run during that time, most of the flow will usually be related to leakage. Monitoring systems can measure the flow and power during these low-load periods at a specific time – say, Saturday at midnight. Then this level can be tracked, with a significant increase over time triggering leakage-reduction efforts. Many monitoring systems can be programmed to do the calculations for you (see Figure 3) and to calculate the cost of compressed air based on the actual cost per kWh. System efficiency can be seen easily using graphical methods (see Figure 4). It is then possible to place on leakage flow a dollar value – something that plant managers understand much better than they do kilowatt hours. Of course, if you implement changes to your system, you’ll want to know how much money you have saved. A good monitoring system will have captured the baseline energy, flow, and cost before and after your

project, allowing you to make comparisons and show the actual savings. This goes a long way in persuading management to spend more dollars for additional system upgrades. It also makes power utilities happy when they can clearly see proof that the savings gained by a project justify the utility incentive dollars. Sometimes as facilities grow and more equipment is installed, there comes a time when the system reaches its capacity. If you are constantly monitoring your system, you will be able to track flow as it increases, giving you fair warning that action to increase capacity is required. Having a good flow monitoring system will let you determine the correct size of equipment to install; this in turn will allow you to avoid costly oversizing that might make your system run with poor efficiency for years. HOW CAN I MONITOR MY SYSTEM?

Years ago, the instruments required to monitor a compressed air system were expensive and hard to find. These days, a number of readily available, low-cost options can be installed on your equipment and connected to a plant monitoring system. Here are some instrumentation recommendations:

should not rely totally on the meters installed on air dryers for this task. • Temperature can also be logged in the compressor room, as can (in some cases) the temperature of the compressors’ compressed air discharge, to ensure things are not operating abnormally. CENTRAL CONTROL SYSTEM REPORTS

In many cases, a central compressor control system can not only orchestrate the efficient operation of your air compressors, but it also can monitor and track your system efficiency. Many of these controllers can provide a system performance dashboard on a web page, store system data, and generate reports to allow you to troubleshoot problems and monitor energy consumption. Most major compressor companies have a controller of this sort; there also are third-party companies offering systems that can control and monitor many different brands and types of compressors in the same system. It is important to realize that some of these monitors calculate the flow and power only from assumed values, based on what the controller thinks the compressor is consuming for power or is producing for flow. The best system monitors measure actual power and flow, or even better, provide both calculated and measured values. For example, at the beginning of this article, the food-processing plant system was consuming 126 kW per 100 cfm because of a faulty piece of equipment

Source: AirLeader

• Pressure transducers should monitor the compressor discharge, the dryer discharge, and the pressure output of the compressor room for each compressor room area. This will allow you to track pressure differentials across system components and ensure the equipment is regulating the pressure correctly. • Amp/power transducers (power is definitely preferred) should be installed on all significant energy uses inside the compressor room. Monitors should definitely be placed on each compressor, and optionally on each air dryer. Sometimes fans and pumps are consuming power in the compressor room, so it is up to you whether you monitor these. It is most convenient if the power transducers record both kW and kWh so that long-term cost calculations can be done with a minimum of calculations. • Flow meters should be installed at important points in a system – definitely at the output of each compressor room. Sometimes it’s also convenient to install the meters at the discharge of each compressor (this is wet air). In this way, the performance of the compressors can be tracked individually and then compared with the power input. The most common flow meters used in the industry are thermal-mass-style; these are good only for dry air. However, pitot-tube and other meter styles can be used to measure wet air. • Dew point meters should be installed to monitor air quality. You

Figure 4. Shows at a glance only 1.6% wasted unloaded power.

in the compressor room. The piece of equipment was an air dryer that was consuming excessive purge flow – about 70% of the compressed air produced due to a faulty control circuit. If the monitoring system has been simply calculating flow based on compressor status, then the specific power would have shown as normal, and the monitoring system would have been incorrectly reporting much higher flow into the plant. But if a flow meter were used to monitor flow as an input to the calculations, then the system would have detected low output flow to the plant but an abnormally high compressor-specific power. CONCLUSION

Compressed air system monitors provide answers to the important questions you should be asking about system efficiency and reliability. These systems can open your eyes to system problems and help you provide solutions quickly. If you wish to learn more about compressed air efficiency, consider attending a Compressed Air Challenge seminar in your area. Visit www.compressedairchallenge.org for more information. Ron Marshall is a certified engineering technologist in the province of Manitoba and has received certification as an energy manager, demand side management, and measurement and verification professional through the Association of Energy Engineers. He was the first Canadian participant to qualify as a DOE AIRMaster+ specialist and is involved as a committee member and instructor with the Compressed Air Challenge. Marshall has worked in the industrial compressed air field for 22 years, first as an industrial systems officer for Manitoba Hydro, and currently as owner of a compressed air consulting company. He is also an international consultant with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and a frequent contributor to Plant Services. Contact him at ronm@mts.net. WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM APRIL 2017 45

PRODUCT ROUNDUP

VIBRATION Reduce maintenance costs and equipment downtime by detecting equipment faults PORTABLE VIBRATION ANALYZER

The Falcon Ultimate is a fully functional portable vibration analyzer that comes with the only wireless triaxial sensor available, and it offers on-board automatic diagnoses using Accurex technology. (Accurex diagnostics relies on the ISO 10816-3 ISO standard.) The Falcon Ultimate gives the analyst a complete machinery condition report, right at the machine, within minutes, and delivers signal processing with simultaneous 4-channel acquisition at 40 kHz + tachometer; 2 channels at 80 kHz; real-time processing; long time waveform, up to 80 seconds at 51.2 kH (4 Mega samples); and 104,000 lines of resolution. The 2-plane balancing program allows the user to select the ISO balance quality grade desired with colorcoded notification and full instructional tutorial on board. Built-in features include stroboscope, spot pyrometer, voice annotation, digital camera, and notepad. VibrAlign www.vibralign.com AMS 6500 ATG MACHINERY PROTECTION SOLUTION

Emerson introduces the AMS 6500 ATG protection system, a standalone machinery protection solution that allows users to introduce prediction monitoring of critical assets from the same system. Predictive intelligence is a key component to increasing availability and improving the reliability of plant assets. AMS 6500 ATG multifunctional cards can be reconfigured for a range of measurements, including the impacting or peak-to-peak data used in Emerson’s unique PeakVue technology. In addition to monitoring the startup and coastdown of critical turbo machinery for safe opera46

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tion, users can use PeakVue technology to identify the earliest indications of developing faults in gearboxes and bearings. The AMS 6500 ATG can be networked over wired or wireless Ethernet to deliver asset health information to authorized users through a PC or phone application, making it no longer necessary to return to the control room or open cabinets in the field to view or analyze data. To facilitate easy system integration with third-party systems, AMS 6500 ATG is the first protection system to include a secure embedded OPC UA server. The AMS ATG system also complies with the traditional API 670 certification and is certified for installation in demanding environments where Class 1 Div2/ATEX Zone 2 approvals are required. Emerson www.emerson.com DT6 VERSION 6.0 VIBRATION AND PHASE ANALYZER

The DT6 is the first six-channel vibration analyzer that also presents phase synchronized data. Using only the compatible laser tachometer and current DT6 sensors, Update International has added field balancing to the list of the DT6’s capabilities. The company has also added compatibility for a laser tachometer and a high frequency transducer (>8000Hz). System alarm monitoring (SAM) mode turns the DT6 into a portable, temporary constant monitoring system. Simply set alarm levels, hook up the DT6 and walk away; any vibrations that trigger alerts will be saved in 30-second chunks for later analysis, and the tool also can be configured to send email alerts. Live data mode shows real-time frequency plot as well as FFT. It can be used for bump tests or by field technicians to check the quality and precision of their latest alignment/balancing attempt. Update International www.updateinternational.com SEEQ R17 APPLICATION INTRODUCES PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS

R17 is the 6th release of Seeq software in just the past 15 months, driven by input and use cases from customers expanding their use of Seeq. A key innovation in this new release is support for visual analytics on data in any time reference to provide improved correlation analysis of historical data sets, monitoring support of incoming data, and predictive analytics to anticipate future events and issues. New features include: • Batch analytics tools: To support new users in expanding

customer deployments, Seeq R17 now has interactive tools for batch analytics with reference lines, boundaries, and cleansing data. Also, Seeq output may now be displayed in bar charts and histograms for improved visualizations. • Expanded OSIsoft support: Seeq R17 introduces automatic installation and indexing of PI data, integrated Asset Framework support, PI Batch and Event Frames support, and the ability to export Seeq analytics to OSIsoft Vision (Coresight). • Expanded machine learning: Features such as Pattern Search leverage innovations in cognitive computing. Seeq R17 expands on this approach with new multivariate regression and reference signals for “golden batch” analytics. • Monitoring and predictive analytics: R17 adds continuous monitoring support for analytics on incoming data, and predictive analytics for calculations on future outcomes. Seeq www.seeq.com TABLET-BASED PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE PLATFORM

GTI Predictive Technology offers a multitool, tablet-based predictive maintenance platform. GTI is the first to offer a single device to offer vibration data capture/analysis, dynamic field balancing, dynamic shop balancing, thermography, laser shaft alignment, precision machine leveling, ultrasound, and DC power current signal analysis. The GTI

diversity. It can be installed on an office PC, embedded on a TRIO portable vibration data collector, or accessed remotely over the Internet via a cloud subscription with no software to manage. Features of ALERT 4.0 include: • Graphic navigation controls that enhance diagnostic speed and accuracy with more dynamic data views, including peak locator, unit/scaling switching, harmonic and sideband family locators, and test date progression. • Auto correlation displays of waveform data and circular waveform plots to empower analysts’ abilities to identify faults. • Comprehensive Bode data and Nyquist plots presented in both single and triaxial formats to deliver advanced analysis capabilities. • Improved trending of spectral and waveform parameters is available from waterfall graphs; this includes spectral peaks or bands or waveform peak, RMS, crest factor, or symmetry parameters. • Additional user preferences give analysts more options to display spectral graphs and plots, and the flexibility to express data in units consistent with current practices and programs, such as displaying waveforms as waterfalls, single or double triaxial, or as native, single, or double integrated values. • Improved orbit and circular plots displays for enhanced, high-resolution vibration analysis and clearer representations of machine vibration and fault signatures. Azima DLI www.azimadli.com TPI 9071 SMART VIBRATION METER

product family can combine vibration data collection and analysis with balancing, shaft alignment, thermography, and ultrasound into one affordable and completely scalable solution on one simple-to-use platform. Also, platform apps are customer-driven: Many of the new additions to GTI’s apps come directly from customers, and once new tools are added to existing apps they are available to all users. GTI Predictive Technology www.gtipredictive.com ALERT 4.0 AUTOMATED VIBRATION DIAGNOSTICS SOFTWARE

Designed to meet the best practices of world-class PdM programs, ALERT 4.0’s flexible design is easily scalable and integrates with reliability programs of all sizes and geographic

The TPI 9071 is a simple, low-cost vibration meter. Record, analyze, and display vibration signals at the push of a button. The TPI 9071 analyzes and interprets readings: ISO machine alarms and BDU readings indicate overall machine and bearing condition; deliver a clear picture of machine problems, detecting imbalance, misalignment, and looseness; and include 800-line spectrum with zoom and cursor to identify complex issues. Features include built-in ISO alarms, full color LED Display, standard cable-mounted accelerometer with magnet, 800-line FFT (spectrum), and a ruggedized IP-67 case. Readings are easily saved and recalled with all alarm levels and settings stored in nonvolatile flash memory. Test Products International, Inc. www.testproductsintl.com WWW.PLANTSERVICES.COM APRIL 2017 47

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BIG PICTURE INTERVIEW

BE CERTIFICATION-SAVVY Make sure that certification really means something for your company and your career Jeff Shiver is president and CEO of People and Processes Inc. (www.peopleandprocesses.com), a Yulee, FL-based consulting and education services firm that guides organizations to achieve maintenance and reliability best practices globally. He’s also member services director for the Society of Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP). In March, Shiver spoke with Plant Services at the University of Tennessee Reliability and Maintainability Center’s MARCON 2017 event in Knoxville about the value of professional certifications and how organizations can use them to advance their reliability efforts.

PS You’ve worn a lot of hats in your career. How does that inform your work now guiding people and organizations in their own reliability initiatives? JS I spent 20 years at Mars and first was in contract

engineering, and then after that was in basically every (role) from reliability technician and maintenance technician to controls technician, controls engineer. I built a plant in Columbia, SC. I worked in four different plants and held different corporate roles, too – continuous improvement manager, maintenance manager, operations manager. In 2006, we started People and Processes. I started with SMRP back when I was working as a continuous improvement manager for Mars. I became certified and got active in the organization. Then with People and Processes, we’ve always proctored the CMRP exam and some others as well. This past October I became member services director for the society, and that was a great honor to be able to do that, to have another way to serve. PS For employers, why would it be worthwhile from a reliability perspective to spend time and money to get your people certified, and whom should you target for certification? JS I’ll always remember attending an SMRP conference and having a presenter who happened to be for a global organization that is very strong in maintenance and reliability practices. And I asked the question: “When you did your presentation, you said you had a 70% pass rate. When I worked for Mars, we were running in the 90-someodd percent rate.” And he shared something with me that I thought made a tremendous world of sense. He said, “You know, Jeff, we put everybody through the certification – operators, operations managers, plant managers, other people. And what we’re doing with that is we’re actually encouraging people to learn. We use it as a tool to educate 50

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our people.” So the 70% pass rate for them was really good; they were transitioning the culture as part of that. PS That’s really interesting, the idea of using certification prep as an education tool, even if not everyone will pass the exam. Given the variety of certification options out there, how can you decide which is most worthwhile to pursue? And how is the certification landscape changing? JS We’ve had a kind of blossoming of certifications, if you will, in the last few years. Unfortunately, many of them are not necessarily value-added. We see a lot of certifications coming out – call them badges, call them certifications – and there’s really no investment. Maybe you attend a half-day workshop, and now you’re “certified.” It makes it very difficult to separate the ones that actually have value. (In evaluating them) I’d look at one, the tenure – how long it has been around? Another way is you can look at the job boards. For example, from a maintenance standpoint, a lot of (job posts) will say “CMRP preferred.” I look and say, OK, what’s the history and the longevity of this certification, and are employers requesting it? PS For younger manufacturing workers and those new to the industry, what would you say about the value of certification and how it might fit in their career path? JS The benefit of the certification from an employment perspective is that it quantifies your knowledge. Many newer people (would like) to start where they’re making close to $150,000 a year and they jump into an experienced maintenance position, but many companies don’t do that. They want to start you maybe at a smaller plant (where) there’s a lot of opportunity to implement, develop, and actually show success. You can do a tremendous amount of work in two years. The certification validates that. Certification clearly makes you more marketable, provided it’s the right certification.

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COMPRESSORS

Sweet Savings! A compressed air audit opens a world of savings opportunities PROBLEM:

One of the world’s leading candy and gum manufacturers had no idea how much their compressed air system was costing them. Four compressors (totaling 290 hp) supplied the air needed for pneumatic controls, packaging, and wax line extrusion applications. Excessive water in the compressed air lines, steep maintenance costs, and high noise levels had them looking for a new solution.

SOLUTION:

A comprehensive Air Demand Analysis (ADA) established a demand profile for the plant and showed how they were using compressed air throughout the week. It also identified areas of waste and inefficiency. By installing a 100 hp variable frequency drive compressor and two 75 hp fixed speed compressors, they would have all the air needed—with one of the fixed speeds acting as a back-up. This split system solution would bring energy—and noise levels—well under control. A Sigma Air Manager 4.0 master controller could provide on demand energy reports so they would always know how their system was performing and what it was costing.

RESULT:

In just over 9.5 months, the project has paid for itself. Annual energy costs

have been cut by more than 800,000 kWh. Part of these savings came from reducing the plant pressure from 125 psi to 100 psi. Additionally, the new energy efficient dryers installed have taken care of the moisture concerns. Needless to say, these savings couldn’t get any sweeter.

Specific Power of Previous System: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47.16 kW/100 cfm Specific Power of New System: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.77 kW/100 cfm Annual Energy Cost of Previous System: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $128,756 TOTAL ANNUAL ENERGY SAVINGS: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $80,235 Utility Incentive: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $80,200

Let us help you measure and manage your compressed air costs!

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