Engineering Maintenance Solutions - June 2012

June 2012 $6.80 £4.16 €5.00

Embedded Modelling Tools Enhance On-Site Weld Inspection Using Phased Array And Conventional UT. 26-27

5-11

Latest News

25-29

Non Destructive Testing

33-40

Maintenance Myths

5-11

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Latest News

Maintenance Best Practice

25-29

Non Destructive Testing

33-40

Maintenance Myths

56-59

How To Write An Effective Lubrication Procedure

72-74

Buyers Guide

Contacts Publisher Michael Dominguez

Editorial editors/contributing: Jon Barret, Christer Idhammar, Alan France Paul Sacker

Advertising Paul Clappison Paul Miles Brian Simpson

Production Tom Britten

Email Info@engineeringmaintenance.info

Website www.engineeringmaintenance.info

Phone tel: +44(0)1634 731646 Fax: +44(0)1634 731644

Address MSL Media LTD, Cobalt House, Centre Court, Sir Thomas Longley Road, Rochester, Kent, ME2 4BQ

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Latest News

LANCO Chooses SGS for Gas Power Plant in Iraq SGS has been entrusted by LANCO Group to provide independent inspection of equipment and material at vendor locations in Europe, the US, Asia and the Middle East as well as to manage on-site quality control for the construction of its new gas power plant in Al-Anbar Province, Iraq. have been manufactured compliant to The AKAZ power plant boasts a capacity of 2x125 MW and is estimated required and contractual specifications as well as mandatory prerequisites and to require three years to complete. quality criteria.

One of India’s most outstanding Natural Gas : The fuel of companies, LANCO has been driving growth in the fields of engineering, choice in state-of-the-art procurement and construction (EPC) power plants as well as power, solar and natural resources and infrastructure for over twenty-five years and is today uniquely The industry charged with producing positioned to take the lead in these electric power has historically been areas of its influence. one of the biggest culprits of pollution worldwide. Strict regulations have Starting on March 27, 2012, SGS will been put in place to force the industry provide quality assurance and quality to develop new methods aimed at control services throughout the threereducing harmful emissions in order to year agreement. diminish environmental harm.

SGS is the world’s leader in testing, inspection, certification and verification guaranteeing clients superior specialist examination to ensure compulsory compliance with current regional, national and international standards and regulations. Comprehensive testing and inspection provided by SGS reduces risk and increases quality control during all phases of construction. Unparalleled certification services and verification methods practiced by SGS assist in securing required credentials recognized the world over. SGS expertise in quality assurance and quality control ensures that materials, products, machinery, equipment and industrial facilities

SGS expert testing, inspection, certification and verification guarantees that these stringent directives are met.

Modern technologies permit natural gas, the cleanest of the fossil fuels, to be increasingly implemented in generating clean electricity. The use of natural gas has many environmental benefits including the emission of less greenhouse and smog related gasses, positively affecting overall air quality.

Due to its abundance, natural gas also offers a cost-efficient alternative to dirty, more expensive resources.

Power plants fuelled by natural gas are therefore becoming the popular choice of today’s environmentally responsible and business savvy operators.

The Added Value of SGS Services SGS meticulously inspects equipment and materials for mechanical defects or regulatory deficits at the manufacturer level as well as on site in order to prevent costly corrective actions during the construction phase or catastrophic shutdowns once the plant is in operation. Expertise in testing, inspection, certification and verification as only SGS can deliver is of paramount priority to maximize asset excellence and value. SGS is proud to have been chosen to assist LANCO in this prestigious endeavour.

For further information, please contact: SGS Hany Zakaria Sales & BD Executive 3 Toh Tuck Link, #01-02/03, Singapore 596228 t: +65 63790156 f: +65 67742645 E-mail: industrial.pr@sgs.com Website: www.sgs.com/oil-gas

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Latest News

New Hydra-CellR pumps on display at Achema Wanner International will unveil two new HydraCellR high performance diaphragm pumps for the first time at Achema 2012 Stand K96, Hall 8.

These new ‘T’ Series pumps are designed for high-pressure, high flow applications. The T8045 can pump up to 170 litres per minute at 207 bar while the T8030 can output 102 litres per minute at 310 bar.

In line with all Hydra-Cell pumps, they have a seal-less design that eliminates leaks, hazards and the expense associated with seals and packing. They can operate with a closed or blocked suction line and run dry indefinitely without damage, eliminating downtime and repair costs.

The unique multi-diaphragm design is claimed to handle more abrasives with less wear than gear, screw or plunger pumps. The design also enables maintenance of valves and diaphragms to be undertaken easily in the field without the need for heavy lifting capabilities and this facility will be demonstrated on the stand.

Visitors to the stand will see five other working displays that highlight the controllability, accuracy and durability of Hydra-Cell pumps for chemical metering, dosing and injection.

No More Costly Repairs Thanks To Speedy Costly engine and machine repair bills are set to be a thing of the past, following the launch of the Husqvarna K760 OilGuard System this week by Speedy, the largest equipment rental and services company in the UK. Specially designed to prevent engine damage, machine breakdowns and ultimately costly repairs, the K760 OilGuard uses an optical sensor system to detect when the incorrect oil/ fuel mixture is used or if there is insufficient oil in the engine, both of which contribute to expensive and often irreparable damage to pistons and cylinders.

To further protect from damage, the K760 OilGuard uses a 15 second flush-out time to detect oil quantity and quality and it immediately reduces engine speed to ‘idle’ to avoid additional damage from occurring. The machine will then not operate until the fuel tank is emptied, and refuelled with correct mix. This is the perfect solution for contractors who use a mix of two-stroke and four-stoke equipment.

The specially coloured K760 OilGuard oil - developed for dusty environments like construction sites - is suitable for use in all two stroke equipment found in the construction industry.

Purpose Designed Bop Handling System With Reduced Profile A purpose-designed BOP handling system comprising twin air-operated monorail hoists, with a joint lifting capacity of 200 tonnes has been supplied

by J D Neuhaus. These hoists are a special compact design which has been developed to suit on-site operational requirements and each hoist represents a 45% reduction in the horizontal profile length compared to the JDN standard EH-100 product.

These compact hoists run in parallel on two overhead beams in excess of 22 metres in length. Both hoists incorporate two trolleys, each with a 50 tonne load rating, providing a total 100 tonne lift capacity per hoist. Each hoist is also fitted with a copper-coated bottom block and clevis (providing increased spark protection), together with a galvanised chain box. The overhead support beams incorporate a rack and pinion drive for the trolleys, ensuring that even inclines up to 2.5° can be negotiated. The total traverse distance is in excess of 18 metres, while the lift height available is 15.25 metres.

located on the motor cover. Hoist operation and traverse movements are achieved with a pendant controller having an 8 metre attachment hose and incorporating an additional interface for an extra local control box. A central control box with 23 metres of control line ensures that both hoists can be controlled from one location. The hoists are operated from a 6 bar air supply, with 2 main air supply chain systems provided to accommodate both the 22 metre support beam travel lengths plus the 18 metre hoist movements.

Air service units comprising filter, regulator and oiler are hoist mounted, and the equipment has full JDN offshore kit and 4-coat epoxy paint finish, together with full testing and certification for Ex-classification: Ex II 2 GD IIB T4.

A single Neuhaus LN trolley with a 50 tonne load capacity has also been incorporated which is used to provide a BOP fixture device during maintenance works.

Further information is available on request to:

Both hoists incorporate overload protection, with limit switches also provided for the hoist and traverse operations. The hoist motors are also fitted with an additional ‘emergency’ manual brake release handle

Tel: 024 7665 2500 | Fax: 024 7665 2555

J D Neuhaus, 8 Herald Business Park, Golden Acres Lane, Coventry CV3 2SY info@jdneuhaus.co.uk | www.jdngroup.com

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Latest News

Armacell Insulation Protects WWT Plant The Scottish Highlands are no stranger to cold weather but the winters of 2010 and 2011 were severe even for this part of the world, with temperatures regularly reaching –15 ºC. The town of Fortrose located on the Moray

specified Armacell’s Class O Armaflex nitrile

Firth, about 10 km north east of Inverness,

rubber insulation material.

was certainly no exception as the small

Armaflex offered a number of benefits for

coastal burgh is exposed to all the elements

this application over the conventional glass

the cold North Sea has to throw at it.

fibre insulation material which had previously

So when Inverness based mechanical and

been used and failed on site. Glass fibre

electrical engineers Commissioning Solutions

or mineral wool insulation is reliant on an

Scotland were appointed to replace failed

easily punctured external foil vapour barrier

process pumps for the local waste water

to prevent moisture ingress. If this barrier is

treatment facility, careful consideration had

compromised, the result is wet insulation that

to be given to the insulation material used to

causes Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) and

protect the equipment and process flows from

loss of thermal performance, especially in

freezing.

tough conditions such as those encountered

For this challenging and exposed environment

at the Fortrose waste water treatment works.

David Hawthorn of Commissioning Solutions

As a closed cell foam material, Armaflex

Scotland, working in conjunction with thermal

provides an integral vapour barrier against

insulation contractors McDonald & Co,

water ingress and condensation, with no

Big Compressor Performance From Compact Range The Micro SE 308M from FPS Air Compressors is claimed to offer the biggest capacity of any compressor operating from a 230V single phase electrical supply.

additional water vapour barrier required. The material has a moisture resistance factor of >7,000 µ so even if the material becomes damaged in some places, it will still provide protection against condensation and water ingress as the closed cell structure is built-up throughout the material’s thickness.

Further information is available on request: Armacell UK Ltd, Mars Street, Oldham, Lancashire OL9 6LY Telephone: 0161 287 7040 Fax: 0161 633 2685 e-mail: info.uk@armacell.com www.armacell.com/uk

New Pig introduces exclusive PIG® Grippy® absorbent mat New Pig continues its commitment to innovation with the introduction of

The 2.2kW single phase version can deliver 11.5 cfm (325 L/min) FAD capacity @ 8 bar - much greater than any similar compressor operating from this type of power supply.

PIG® Grippy® absorbent

The compact machine enables users to operate large capacity tools and equipment, but the operating noise level at just 58dB(A) makes it virtually inaudible in most production environments. Using the latest rotary screw technology ensures bot durable performance and optimum energy efficiency. It is part of the Fini ‘Micro’ range which also includes models at 3kW and 4kW (three phase) and capacity up to 20.5 cfm (580 L/min).

tight and stays put no

Further Information: FPS Air Compressors Ltd Rycote lane, Thame, Oxon OX9 2JS Tel: 01844 212233 | Fax: 01844 212620 Email: enquiries@fps-compressors.co.uk Web: www.fps-compressors.co.uk

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mat. The specially formulated Grippy® adhesive backing holds matter what™, but peels up easily without leaving residue. NFSI certified to help reduce slips and falls by 90% when used as part of a floor safety programme.

For more information visit newpig.co.uk or call 0800 919 900

Vibration Monitoring

Computer Simulation to Support the Vibration Analysis

In order to predict torsional and lateral vibrations in drivelines in rotating machinery supported by computer simulation, ARLA offers engineering services, troubleshooting support, and powerful simulation software (ARMD) also including a fluid-film bearing analysis tool. Engineers experience more details in the annual international rotordynamics seminar (next date: 15-18 October 2012, Cologne, Germany). www.arla.de

New Hansford Sensor Offers Triaxial Functionality

Hansford Sensors has launched a new triaxial accelerometer, enabling three axes to be read simultaneously. The new HS-109 Series vibration sensor comes complete with the established and proven M12 connector and is designed to be used both offline and as a permanently mounted sensor on industrial machinery.

The HS-630 Series Vibration/Temperature Meter Kit The HS-630 Series Vibration/Temperature Meter Kit provides all of the key tools required for monitoring velocity and bearing condition and temperature measurement in a convenient, protective, portable case. The kit comes complete with a mains or in-car charger and rechargeable battery, while a sensor/cable fault indicator provides warning against error. The HS-630 Series can provide measurements in either imperial or metric and conforms to ISO 10816-3. The temperature measurement function of the HS-630 differentiates this unit from the HS-620 Series Vibration Meter Kit, which otherwise offers the same reliable performance and range of features as the HS-630.

For more information on the extensive range of Hansford Sensors products, please visit: www.hansfordsensors.com.

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Eriks Offers Gates Self-Assembly Crimpers For Just £1 ERIKS has launched a new offer that allows engineers to purchase an MC1001 or MCX20 Gates self-assembly crimper for just £1 from the ERIKS Fluid Power Core Competence Centre. The offer underlines ERIKS’ intention to provide cost-savings and unrivalled service to customers at its nationwide network of Service, Repair and Core Competence Centres.

The £1 crimper offer is open to any customer who spends £2,850 on hose and couplings via the starter kit for the MC1001 or alternatively spends £4,950 on hose and couplings via the starter kit for the MCX20.

The MC1001 Crimper can crimp up to 1” wire braid and comes with a range of dies, including ¼”, ½” and ¾”. The MCX20 Starter Kit can crimp up to 1” multi spiral hose and 1” & 2” wire hydraulic hose and includes dies ¼”, ½” , ¾” and 1”.

All starter kit customers will receive free on-site crimper training from Gates, plus certification. For a free crimper demonstration at your premises call your local ERIKS Service Centre on 0845 006 6000.

For further information, please contact: Robyn Bradley, Marketing Executive, ERIKS UK T: +44 (0)121 508 6219 | M: +44(0)7740 452743 robyn.bradley@eriks.co.uk

Vibration Monitoring

PCB Piezotronics Introduces New High Temperature Icp® Industrial Accelerometer

transient effects that occur in conventional compression mode accelerometers. This renders the HT602D01 accelerometer far less sensitive to unwanted electrical output and leads to more accurate measurement of the actual vibration event.

very competitively against charge mode equivalents and possesses a number of other features that assist in making vibration measurements easier.

These include a 360° swivel mount that allows for easy cable orientation and minimises the restrictions of cable bend radius; hermetically sealed stainless steel sensor housing with optional PTFE jacketed cables to eliminate the restrictions of lower cost polyurethane cables in the presence of acid fumes; and case isolated to prevent ground loops.

Featuring a 2-pin MIL connector, the sensor can be used as a drop-in replacement for many existing accelerometers but offers the higher temperature range compared with conventional industrial devices. It is priced

ll standard PCB sensors and A products are supplied with a twoyear warranty and the company also offers to all customers, at no charge, 24-hour emergency telephone support. This service makes product and application

PCB Piezotronics, a world leader in vibration, acoustic, pressure, force and torque sensors, has introduced a new high temperature ICP® (IEPE) industrial accelerometer that is capable of operation up to 163°C. The new HT602D01 is ideal for paper machines and similar applications where high humidity and dusty environments would cause problems for alternative charge mode sensors.

The sensing element of the HT602D01 provides nominal sensitivity of 100mV/g over a frequency range of 0.5 to 8000Hz (±3dB). Unlike many sensors on the market, PCB Piezotronics’ HT602D01 uses a shear sensing element to minimise the base bending and thermal

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support available to customers and end-users, day or night, seven days per week.

PCB Piezotronics Ltd, 7 Paynes Park, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 1EH. Tel: +44 (0) 1462 429710, Fax: +44 (0) 1462 429798.

Email: ukinfo@pcb.com Web site: http://www.pcbsensors. co.uk

Latest News

Dryers Provide -40ºC Dewpoint At Point-Of-Use For Maximum Economy The HPD range of ‘point of use dryers’ from Hi-line Industries are compact and cost effective and feature a ‘minimum downtime’ cartridge change. They are ideally suited for remote installations, or wherever there may be only limited access available.

They provide generalised protection for downstream airline production equipment, as well as many specialised application requirements including instrument air quality, printing and gas analysing devices etc. The HPD unit provides an ideal localised installation where high quality air is a critical requirement. They ensure a low dewpoint (-40°C) at point of use, or where an existing air supply has only been dried to a refrigerant air dryer quality of +3°C dewpoint.

The HPD dryer range utilises a disposable desiccant adsorption cartridge to

effectively remove moisture from a compressed air supply. The unique housing design allows the cartridge to be changed within only two minutes, without the need for any specialised tools.

A pressure dewpoint of -40°C can be achieved with no energy consumption, no power required and no expensive air loss from the use of purged air.

Three HPD dryers are available offering flow capacities of 59, 122 and 210m3.

The aluminium desiccant molecular sieve is easily replaceable and is incorporated in an aluminium housing, pressure rated

to 16 barg. The units are CE rated and operate independent of any separate power supply.

Further information is available from: Tel: 01283 533377 Fax: 01283 533367 e-mail: enquiries@hilineindustries.com www.hilineindustries.com

Oxford Instruments Measures Up with Infor Infor, a leading provider of business application software serving more than 70,000 customers, today announced that Oxford Instruments plc, has chosen a suite of applications from Infor to support global operations.

At the core of the suite is Infor10 ERP Business (SyteLine), a leading ERP solution specialized for the high tech industry, integrated through Infor10 ION technology with Infor10 PLM Discrete (PLM8) to help track, manage, monitor, and analyze products throughout the product lifecycle.

expected to help the company improve productivity and deliver on its strategy to achieve 14 percent compound annual revenue growth by 2014.

ERP Business will support a set of core processes throughout Oxford Instruments including customer facing processes such as order taking. By offering improved connectivity and integration with existing These applications will help Oxford Instruments continue to grow by delivering applications, ERP Business enables ‘straight-through processing’ where standardized business processes and the various components of customer improving productivity across operations requirements are automatically sent to in China, Germany, Japan, the United the relevant companies for fulfilment, States, and the United Kingdom. The without needing additional data entry. applications replace a portfolio of legacy ERP Business is designed to eliminate systems at Oxford Instruments, and are

disparate systems, enable consistent, company-wide training and accelerate the integration of any further acquisitions.

“We have not just bought a product, we have invested in a partner and have chosen Infor because the company’s expertise enables them to cover the majority of our requirements out-ofthe-box,” said Gary Wearing, Director of Oxford Instruments NanoScience division. “We have some demanding milestones for the time and cost of implementation, and we will be measuring productivity improvements to make sure that the application delivers. But we are confident that both the company and the technology we have chosen will help us to achieve our growth strategy.”

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Product Spotlight

The HS-630 Series Vibration/Temperature Meter Kit The HS-630 Series Vibration/Temperature Meter Kit provides all of the key tools required for monitoring velocity and bearing condition and temperature measurement in a convenient, protective, portable case.

The kit comes complete with a mains or in-car charger and rechargeable battery, while a sensor/ cable fault indicator provides warning against error.

The HS-630 Series can provide measurements in either imperial or metric and conforms to ISO 10816-3. The temperature measurement function of the HS-630 differentiates this unit from the HS-620 Series Vibration Meter Kit, which otherwise offers the same reliable performance and range of features as the HS-630.

K Controls Manufactures Switchboxes To Monitor The Position Of Dampers.

K Controls manufactures switchboxes to monitor

Atlas products are designed and manufactured to conform to international and industry standard test methods including ISO, BS, ASTM, DIN, JIS and numerous others.

With a comprehensive network of weathering testing instruments and services, our focus has remained the same: provide our customers with sophisticated technology and advanced testing solutions to determine how long their products will last. As a result, they can reach their ultimate goals: a quality product, a competitive edge, and a faster time to market.

Challenge PT Adds NPX® To Existing Range Of Flexible Couplings Introducing the new Challenge NPX® flexible

the position of dampers. They are directly mounted

coupling produced using high precision hydraulic

to damper shafts or to the top of pneumatic

moulding to achieve an industry-leading casting.

actuators. The 007HT version is used in tunnels and has passed a formal fire test at 300 degrees C for 1 hour.

For offshore use the enclosures are stainless steel and there are versions for use in hazardous areas. The products are field proven and have been tested successfully beyond 1 million operations.

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Atlas Is A Recognized Leader In Materials Testing, Offering A Complete Line Of Weathering Testing Instrumentation, Laboratory And Outdoor Testing Services.

EMS Magazine

Challenge NPX® hubs and inserts are 100% interchangeable with Flender N-Eupex® but also include a taper bore version, free wear indicators and individual packaging on all sizes. Our large UK stock is available for sizes 58 to 250 in parts 1, 2, 3 and 4.

NPX® augments Challenge’s broad range of flexible couplings that already includes the popular FFX tyre coupling, Jaw type, HRC and RPX couplings.

More information available online at www.challengept.com

Steam Traps

Italian Pharmaceutical Company Enjoys Fast Payback On Gem Steam Traps A leading global healthcare company has revealed that it has achieved a 12-month payback on Thermal Energy International’s GEM venturi orifice steam traps installed at its manufacturing facility in Italy.

A leading global healthcare company’s site in Italy is enjoying energy and maintenance savings with Thermal Energy International’s GEM steam traps.

Thermal Energy International has installed a total of 92 steam traps throughout the facility’s process plant, which has removed the problems of mechanical steam trap failure and high maintenance costs.

The company’s most important site in Italy for technology, innovation and development of pharmaceutical products, the management asked Thermal Energy International to conduct a survey of its mechanical traps, which were regularly failing open, partly open and closed, necessitating both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. To corroborate its findings, Thermal Energy International undertook a metered test on a process application and then carried out a positive bucket test.

The report from Thermal Energy International on the 51 steam traps

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surveyed found that 30% had failed, resulting in an estimated 757 tonne/y of steam being lost each year at a cost of about 31,000 euros. As a result of the project, the company would not only be saving costs in energy and a reduction in maintenance but would also reduce its start-up time and reduce its CO2 emissions by a substantial 131 tonnes.

Thermal Energy International demonstrated that by replacing the existing traps with the GEM venturi orifice design, blocked steam traps could be prevented from impacting on production and start-up times, and by efficiently returning condensate back to the boilers maximum energy savings would be achieved. All 92 mechanical traps installed on industrial steam and some clean steam applications including PSG, distillers, air conditioning units and heat exchangers

were replaced with appropriately sized GEM steam traps.

Such has been the success of Thermal Energy International’s GEM steam traps that the company plans to install further GEM traps as further improvements and investment is made at the manufacturing facility.

Instead of utilising a valve mechanism to close off steam for maximum energy and water conservation, the highly efficient GEM steam traps use the venturi orifice design to effectively drain condensate from the steam system.

As the GEM steam traps have no moving parts to wedge open or fail, they provide the ultimate in reliability necessitating only minimal maintenance and requiring no spares, testing or monitoring equipment.

Available in a wide range of sizes for a full cross section of applications, the hardwearing GEM steam traps are manufactured from corrosion resistant stainless steel and are guaranteed for 10 years, obviating the need for repair or replacement. The GEM steam traps provide a fast payback - on some processes within a matter of days - from reduced energy costs and increased equipment reliability due to a reduction in damaging condensate in steam systems. In addition they improve product processing by enhancing the quality of steam and also reduce equipment repairs, downtime and replacement costs.

Thermal Energy International Inc, 1 John Street, Bristol, BS1 2HR Tel: 0117 917 7010 Fax: 0117 917 7011 www.thermalenergy.com

Product Spotlight

Fragol Releases New Food Grade Lubricants Line Fragol

BVC Design And Manufacture A Wide Range Of Industrial Vacuum Cleaners •

•

•

•

• • •

Robustly built ‘industrial’ machines from inventors of the vacuum cleaner.

Specialist filtration including HEPA for toxic and hazardous dusts and substances.

ATEX variants for use in potentially explosive areas Suppliers to blue chip manufacturers and MoD, nuclear and power generation.

Portable units of all sizes plus Central Vacuum Cleaning System design and installation.

Special purpose machines and accessories designed and built in our UK facility Over 100 years of experience and knowledge

Gmbh+Co. Kg Has Introduced A Comprehensive Portfolio Of High Quality H1 Lubricants.

The products on offer range from compressor and vacuum pump lubricants through hydraulic fluids, gear oils, greases and on to a brand new state of the art chain oil for extreme temperatures.

FRAGOL uses a wide range of available XH1 registered base oils to create products with a performance meeting the highest user demands. All FRAGOL Food Grades are produced in an ISO 21469 facility, registered H1 and are Halal and Kosher certified.

FRAGOL intends to introduce

BVC also offer an outstanding range of robust Multistage vacuum pumps.

For further details please visit our website: www.bvc.co.uk

lubricants based on new technology base fluids within the year making it one of the most innovative and extensive product portfolios on the market.

Industrial Doors

The Compact Industrial Door.

The new Compact Door has been designed to incorporate the advantages of both Roller Shutter and Overhead Sectional Doors and to overcome their inherent disadvantages.

The Compact Door gives you more free space inside your building than a sectional overhead door and costs less to maintain or replace.

What makes the Compact door different from all other Industrial doors is it’s unique patented rail system. On opening the door panels fold upwards into a compact space above the door similar to a roller shutter. However, unlike a roller shutter the Compact Door panels are insulated and can also be fully glazed. A wicket door can be built into the door panels if required. The smooth and quiet movement of the panels uses little energy this guarantees a longer life cycle and lower maintenance costs.

The Compact door is self supported from it’s side rail system and does not have intrusive overhead rails and balancing springs required by sectional doors. The

main disadvantage of an overhead sectional door is it’s potential restriction to services, natural daylight and workspace as the door and accessories an image of your door panels take up space in the building on is developed on your screen. By return opening. you will receive a CAD/PDF drawing and specification.

Architects specifying the Compact Door

have the advantage of providing more free The Compact Door is both quick and easy space to install and hence is also an excellent above the door for mechanical and solution for the replacement of old Roller electrical services, lighting, sprinklers and Shutter an Sectional doors. Restricted overhead cranes. headroom can be accommodated.

Horizontal glazing can also be considered below the eaves. Unique safety features The Compact Door is designed in and an anti theft device are built into the accordance with European standards and side rails. is manufactured by

Rolflex Nederland BV to the highest Just click on to www.rolflex.com and standards in their automated production design your door in just five steps. One facility in the Netherlands. A worldwide of our approved dealers will provide you network of approved and trained dealers is with a quotation. As you choose from a available for installation and maintenance. wide range of alternative finishes, glazing

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Maintenance Best Practice

Are Most Maintenance Organizations Overstaffed?

Christer Idhammar is a world-renowned and multiple award winning Reliability and Maintenance Consultant and Guru. He is the Founder and CEO of IDCON, INC in Raleigh NC, USA; A reliability and maintenance training and consulting company to the Industry worldwide since 1972. www.idcon.com Yes, I think that most maintenance organizations are overstaffed, not necessary with own staff, but they use more total maintenance hours than necessary. Total maintenance hours include your own internal hours, overtime hours and contractor hours. As an example from pulp and paper industry: a newsprint mill or a linerboard mill making 600,000 tons recycled paper per year on two machines is very good at less than 0.3 total maintenance hours per ton while most operations we have been working with are using about 0.5 total maintenance hours per ton.

If you work in a highly reactive maintenance organization you will be trapped in a circle of despair and you are wasting too much time on doing the wrong things. A circle of despair is when you have to react to a problem on a short notice. You then have to correct the problem as fast as possible; the quality of the correction will then be less than perfect. This leads to that it soon has to be repaired again and this circle of despair will continue and absorb all time you could have used to do the right things.

The reasons why most maintenance organizations are using more total maintenance hours than necessary is that they waste too much time on doing the wrong things and this is because they work in a system that does not allow people to be as efficient as they can be. To correct the system is the responsibility of leadership. It is the most important thing a leader can do. I use the term leader because too many managers are just managing status quo.

Some examples on doing the wrong things include: Maintenance is driven by cost instead of actions that drives cost.

Maintenance managers become more focused on the budget constraints then on delivering reliability. Instead the focus must be to improve total reliability. It is well proven that a focus on improving reliability will produce faster quality production throughput and lower costs.

Reacting to Equipment breakdowns.

Our studies show that between 50% and 70% of all maintenance work is avoidable. The reason for this is that the basics of maintenance prevention, inspections and the right operating practices concurrently with planning, scheduling and execution are not done well.

Reacting on emotional priorities.

Still today most maintenance organizations are viewed as service providers and not providers of

equipment reliability in an equal partnership with operations.

Operations are still viewed as the customer ordering work from the maintenance organization. Among many other wrong behaviors this leads to a mindset to please the customer by responding to their requests instead of delivering what is best for the business.

Top Management oxymoron.

Also top management agrees to all of the above but often responds, “Reliability is top priority but we must cut costs first” I call this statement an oxymoron because the fact is that better reliability drives down costs while a focus on lower costs drives down reliability. It is a very difficult predicament to solve. The solution to achieve consistently and sustainable lower costs is long term, but as a manager you are working in a system that forces you to make short decisions.

The focus on cutting costs is in most organizations done by deferring maintenance work. A valid maintenance job can never be eliminated, it can only be postponed and you will then often pay much more later.

If cutting costs by elimination of people without any improvements in people productivity will result in increased maintenance hours. You might have fewer employees but more overtime and contractor hours. Short term savings and long term loss.

If the focus is to improve total reliability you will see short term cost and long term continuously improved production throughput and lower costs.

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Flow Meters

DYNASONICS Introduces DXN Portable Flow Meter DYNASONICS Introduces DXN Portable Flow Meter “The DXN represents a new generation in portable ultrasonic flow measurement,” said John Erskine, Director of Sales, “built on innovative hybrid metering technology that automatically switches between transit time and Doppler modes, as needed.

The DXN also includes unique one-of-a-kind features like a 7” full-color touch-screen, the ability to store site-specific settings using plain text, and an advanced software interface that adapts to the needs of our customers.”

DXN is currently available in a variety of kit configurations, from a basic kit that includes two sets of transit time transducers, cabling and a convenient compact carrying case, all the way up to a complete kit that includes transit time, Doppler, RTD and wall thickness gauge. www.dynasonics.com

Flow Meters

Additive Injection

EPS have been

EPS announced their

distributors for both

development of a new

Avery Hardoll and Satam

“Stand Alone” additive

Positive Displacement Flow Meters for over 20 years, which range from 2” @ 200 lpm to 8” @

injection system which derives the power to drive the pumps for the main product flow which can range from 1300 lpm - 5,500

5500 lpm there are mainly used in the petrochemical

lpm. the injection pumps are positive injection type

industry, but in particular on Aviation Fuelling,

and offer very high accuracy and repeatability over

although they can be used for other products.

the longterm. The systems come complete with

Additionally we can also supply meters that have been modified to work with water. We manufacture both Trolley and Road Going Master Meter Systems

each pump having a timing jar for tuning to injection amount into the system. The injection pumps stroke can be altered either when in motion or when static. The seals are compatable with most additive

. All the Flow Meters that we sell comply with EU

products. The amount of injection pumps can vary

Weights and Measures.

dependent on customers requirements.

EMS Magazine

19

Couplings

Unique Offset Shaft Coupling AMS Dewpoint Hygrometers The SCHMIDT® range of compact shaft couplings are available through Abssac limited, offers a torsionally stiff performance that compensates for unusually high variable parallel shaft offsets, up to a staggering 275 mm. The well-balanced design allows rotation of the shaft coupling, without side loads and is capable of transmitting torque from 35 Nm up to 6610 Nm from the compact designs . 2D and 3D CAD format drawings are available for all model types.

For further information why not look at our web

Moisture control between -1100C (-1660F) to +200C (+680F) dewpoint can easily be done using these small and lightweight Handheld Dewpoint Hygrometers from Alpha Moisture Systems, the Models SADPmini and SADPmini-Ex. Packed with useful features and functions, including Automatic Calibration, Calculates and adusts for pressure and Internal Logging as standard to name just some. Designed to be fully portable with the user in mind to allow only a few simple steps to achieve rapid, accurate and reliable measurements on the go.

site www.abssac.co.uk for further details.

Find out more and get a quote here at:

Tel : ABSSAC 01386 421005

www.dew-point.com or email: info@amsystems.co.uk or call: +44 (0) 1274 733 100.

Product Spotlight

The Company Barriquand is specialized in the design and the supply of Easy to Clean All Welded Plate Heat Exchangers called PLATULAR® and patented by our company since many years.

Tribology/TechLube (TTL) has originated, specified and produced the highest quality, synthetic and specialty, Food Grade (FG) rated lubricants for over 30 years Recently, TTL gained added respect in this strictly monitored field by passing a meticulous manufacturing audit by one of the largest and foremost pharmaceutical companies, worldwide. FG lubes, formulated for the pharmaceutical industry, range from popular multipurpose

The PLATULAR® is of a robust construction manufactured from either stainless steel or higher alloys. To enable it to be broadly used with all different types of media, an independant and generous spacing can be provided between the heat transfer plates, whilst removable access covers and optional wash systems simplify routine cleaning and maintenance.

More information are directly available on our website at the address: http://www.barriquand.com

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EMS Magazine

greases and oils to OEM approved temperature/pressure lubricants used in complex, high speed tablet presses. Food processing, beverage and many other essential companies utilize these proven, cost saving, FG products in all types of applications, on a daily basis; PTFE fortified bearing greases, long life gear and compressor oils, water resistant greases, and much, much more.

Please visit www.tribology.com for a comprehensive overview of TTL’s highly effective capabilities!

Explosion Protection

Detect Heat & Overheat Before There Is Fire Or Explosion Detect Heat and Overheat (and Fire) and report/alarm from 60 – 385°C in Engine-rooms, Wind generators, Power Plants, Ovens, Generators, Stand-Alone or intermitting Alarmpanel Dryers, Trains, Gas turbines, Heating HDL to secure life and your values by rooms, Factories, Inventories and many “in advance monitoring”. more. Reliable 2- or 4-wire N/O or Learn more by: N/C switches, FM approved, connect www.prevent-a-fire.eu or to your existing alarm system or take www.fenwal-direct.eu the comprehensive LICO HDL & LICO Electronics GmbH Klederinger Str. 31 A-2320 Kledering Austria Tel + 43 1 706 43 00 Fax + 43 1 706 41 31 email: office@lico.at

LICO Hungaria Kft Raba u. 4 H-2030 Erd, Hungary Tel + 36 23 520 113 Fax + 36 23 520 115 email: office@lico.hu

LICO Mecatronic S.R.L. Str.Bucinului Nr.2B / 19 RO-540526 Targu-Mures Romania Tel. +40 365 807 497 Fax: +40 365 434 999 Email: office@lico.ro

Condition Monitoring

DayCor® Corona Cameras Detect Partial & Full Electrical Discharges On Medium And High Voltage Constructions And Display Them.

Information obtained is used by maintenance teams to monitor and control the conditions of their assets.

DayCor® Corona cameras see and show where insulation is compromised; where corona rings are missing; which insulators are left unwashed; where are the punctured insulators; where are air gaps in a generator; what is wrong with a switchgear’s design; where are broken-strands on conductors, etc.

faulty components that need attention.

Existing complimenting technologies such as thermography and acoustics cannot pinpoint the emitting sources.

Thermography indicates hot spots which are not created by partial discharge such as corona and acoustic devices can indicate the existence of discharges without showing their exact When selecting technologies to monitor location. electrical assets’ conditions it is worth knowing that corona cameras provide Ofil offers a range of products for immediate pinpointed imaging of the various inspection modes. DayCor®

Superb is a very popular hand held corona camera used worldwide.

DayCor® ROM Ofil is a stabilized airborne system for most helicopters made and mounts. UVollé is a compact corona camera for daily use by maintenance engineers providing immediate information in real time.

For more information please visit: www.ofilsystems.com

EMS Magazine

21

Descaling

First Choice in Hard Water Treatments.

There are many hard water treatments available to engineering and design companies, but how can you choose the best one?

The unique system called AquaVantage Hard Water Treatment does exactly this, usually from the rising main, in any building or industrial process where all of the water will become softer as the surface tension is reduced. This enables the water to descale existing plumbing and appliances as well as reduce further accumulations.

By ensuring the correct information is available on various processes, case studies and costings, selecting the best descaling option for your building project is simple!

AquaVantage Hard Water Treatment has been developed over 20 years

by Vaughan Industries Limited. Their hard water treatment is the most powerful and effective treatment of its type available. Their unique process ensures that water stays treated for up to 7 days so that the last appliance and shower head receives treated water. This long treatment life allows

achieved with a process that has a long and effective “life� in water which will descale plumbing and appliances in a very short time and continue keeping them free of hard scale deposits.

the process to treat cold and hot water supplies effectively and also assists with Bio Film and Bacteria control in stored water, Cooling Towers, Jacuzzis and Swimming Pools.

AquaVantage Hard Water Treatment is built with a 20 year design life and requires no maintenance. It carries a warranty of 3 years and requires electrical power to operate. Fitting is quick and simple, no mess, no plumbing and no inconvenience.

The unique process is currently being used extensively throughout the UK, China, South Africa, USA and other countries. It is easily treating pipe diameters of 15mm to 5ft in diameter.

All hard water treatments are effective in varying degrees at controlling hard water effects in plumbing, plant, appliances and facilities. However, most processes developed by others do not possess the power and effect to descale all of the pipe line and appliances throughout any building from one point, in any water hardness levels, in spite of claims made.

Venturi Seperator 150mm pipes with and without treatment.

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Only a truly effective process can keep calorifiers cleaner, lengthen the operational life of Steam Generator Humidifiers, keep wall mounted hot water boilers in good order and maintain the whole plumbing arrangements in any building in a scale free condition. This can only be

A treated cooler on a 273mm pipe after 11 months. Before fitting it would normally have 23 tubes blocked solid in under 8 months.

For further information please contact:Main UK Sales Agent Mr Trevor Best, Aquair on 01908 233009 Trevor.best@aquavantage.net www.aquavantage.net

SPM Wins Prestigious Industry Award For SPM HD® SPM Instrument proudly announce our winning of the Scandinavian First Maintenance Service Award 2012.

The Swedish Centre for Maintenance Management, a trade association for reliability and maintenance suppliers in the Nordic countries, grants the award to highlight maintenance efforts resulting in profitability increases on behalf of the customer. SPM participated with SPM HD®, the new and patented measuring technique for shock pulse measurement on rotating machinery. SPM HD®, launched in 2011, has attracted much interest in industries everywhere, primarily for its capacity to deliver reliable condition information on low speed machinery.

The award winner was presented on the evening of March 15, in conjunction with an industry banquet at the tradeshow Underhåll 2012 in Gothenburg, Sweden. SPM earned the award with the following justification: ”SPM HD® is the result of long term development with a high level of innovation. The product efficiently improves reliability work in an important application area of industrial maintenance.”

SPM Instrument UK Limited Tel +44 1706 835331 | Fax +44 1706 260640 www.spminstrument.co.uk | info@spminstrument.co.uk

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Industrial Filters

VAF specializes in the Engineering & Manufacture of automatic self-cleaning individual, modular and skid mounted filtration systems that include integrated controls and valves for Cooling Towers, Pre-RO, Desalination, Water & Waste Water applications.

Unique “Bidirectional Hydrodynamic Drive” (BHD) patented design provides minimum discharge of water – less than 1% of total system flow – during cleaning while maximizing filter screen cleaning efficiency. The only automatic filter offering a “no leak” body design; 316 Stainless body and screen construction provides superior component longevity. Virtually limitless flow rates and various degrees of filtration are available from 1500 to 10-micron. Made in USA. VAF Filtration Systems ~ www.vafusa.com ~ +1 303 425 4242

The BE-Series automatic electric filters The BE-Series automatic electric filters combine the advantages of high quality filtration from different water sources with a self-cleaning feature that does not rely on hydraulic scanner nozzles. Flushing can occur at pressures as low as 15 psi / 1 bar.

When the pressure loss (DP) across the filter has reached 7 psi / 0.5 bar, cleaning is performed by motor driven, rotating, stainless steel brushes. The flushing valve opens and pressure in the flushing chamber exhausts the collected dirt. The cleaning process takes 8-10 seconds, with no interruption of flow.

The screen element is 316 stainless steel wedgewire, down to 200um.

VAF Filtration Systems ~ www.vafusa.com ~ +1 303 425 4242

New low-pressure-drop digital flow meter Swiss sensor manufacturer Sensirion is launching the new digital SFM3000 mass flow meter for high-volume applications in medical devices, process automation and burner control.

The flow channel is designed to achieve a very low pressure drop of less than 3mbar through the sensor element. The flow meter bi-directionally measures the flow of air and other non-aggressive gases at rates up to 200slm with high accuracy and very high speed. It outputs a 14-bit digital signal at a 2kHz update rate. The signal is internally linearized and temperature compensated. Furthermore, the new mass flow meter operates from a 5Vdc supply voltage and features a digital 2-wire interface, mak- ing it easy to connect directly to a microcontroller.

The outstanding performance of the SFM3000 gas flow sensor is based on Sensirion’s patented CMOSens® Technology, which combines the sensor element, signal processing and digital calibration on a tiny microchip. Gas flow is measured by a thermal sensor element to provide an extended dynamic range and enhanced long-term stability compared to other flow measuring technologies. Thanks to the proven CMOSens® technology, the flow meter is suited for high-quality mass produc- tion and is the ideal choice for demanding and cost-sensitive OEM applications in medical ventilation and anesthesia, as well as process automation and burner control.

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EMS Magazine

Non-destructive Testing

Embedded Modelling Tools Enhance On-Site Weld Inspection Using Phased Array And Conventional UT. The wider use of multi-technique ultrasonic instruments combining phased array, TOFD and conventional UT has increased the number of parameters to be controlled by the ultrasonic technician.

Visualization and modelling tools are generally of great help to ensure that all settings are in accordance with the inspection technique and code requirements. These tools are now available on portable phased array flaw detectors and can now be used in real time, on-site inspections.

The ASTM E2700, Standard Practice for Contact Ultrasonic Testing of Welds Using Phased Arrays, is used as an example of typical code requirements. This practice refers to the use of angle beam inspection with either sectorial scan (S-scan) or linear scan (L-scan), also called electronic scan (E-scan). The practice is based on its equivalent standard for conventional UT ASTM E164 (BS EN1714 Non destructive testing of welded joints, Ultrasonic testing of welded joints).

A typical setup for workflow for an inspector undertaking weld inspection includes the following steps, defined via the ScanPlan: define inspection parameters, select probe and wedge, define the “part” to be inspected, define focal laws, position probes on parts and set up the encoder. The final step would be Calibration. These are the most common steps that an inspector has to go through before going on-site.

The user interface of the phased array flaw detector discussed here was designed to match this intuitive workflow as closely as possible. One important aspect to notice is that most of these steps refer to examination procedure and scan plan requirements. Once the inspection technique has been established, which essentially include probes and scans, quantity selection, as well as the type of scan; the details of the scan plan can be defined. This approach is in accordance with the standard practice which states that the phased array scanning procedure for

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welds shall be established using a scan plan indicating the stand-off positions for the probes and the appropriate beam angles.

The embedded software of the phased array flaw detector includes the functionality to visualize, in one glance, the stand-off distance and beam coverage. The sectorial scan displayed shows-up as it will be seen on the screen of the device. In other words, beams are not reflected off the bottom part of the plate, but projected. Information such as the focal plan, near field length and individual focal laws position can also be displayed whenever it is appropriate.

Inspectors can see the Stand-Off positions and Beam Angles using the Scan Plan. The weld profile is defined by simply selecting existing geometries and adjusting the parameters. Source: Sonatest Ltd

Where possible, the standard practice states that, welds have to be inspected from both sides. Moreover, if any cross-cracking is suspected, it is recommended to add further transducers parallel to the weld centre-line. These additional requirements obviously increase the complexity of the whole set-up and at the same time increase the risk of mistakes. This is where the use of embedded modelling tools can provide the ideal balance between capability and simplicity. For example, consider a butt weld inspection combining the use of two sectorial scans covering the whole weld volume, with a second pair of transducers positioned at 15° from the weld centreline to detect any transverse indications. The whole set-up can be defined from scratch in less than 10 minutes, by an experienced user. When preparing such a configuration, each probe and wedge definition can be loaded from a database or entered manually. The weld profile is defined by selecting an existing weld geometry and adjusting the appropriate parameters.

Non-destructive Testing

Technician Tips: Common steps that an inspector should go through before on-site inspection:

Above is an example of the set-up of a Butt Weld Inspection, using two S-Scans perpendicular to the weld axis; and two S-Scan to detect transverse indications.

Source: Sonatest Ltd

• • • • • • •

Define Inspection parameters Choose probe & wedge Define part being inspected Define focal laws Position probes on part Set up Encoder Calibrate

The Scan tab allows the operator to set regular ultrasonic testing (UT) settings and all parameters used to calculate focal laws; while the Geometry tab is used to set the probe/ wedge positions. The result is a scan plan that can be visualized in either 2D or 3D providing a powerful tool to ensure appropriate beam coverage and probe positioning.

When thicker plates have to be inspected or when a unique stand-off position cannot be used, raster scanning with either semi-automated or automated motion can be an option. In the latter case, it becomes mandatory to define a “datum” position. The datum acts as the weld reference point from where encoded positions are recorded. This is an essential parameter that needs to be part of the examination report. By defining a two axis encoder, the embedded software will automatically create the raster scan pattern which can afterwards be adjusted with the proper index and scan axis offset. It is important to mention that indicated locations will be relative to the datum point, along the scan axis, while on the index axis measurements can either be relative to the wedge front or weld centreline.

Once again, a clear illustration of advanced set-ups can be accessed directly from the phased array flaw detector itself.

Once the actual inspection starts, field results can often differ from the theory, therefore requiring “on- the-hoof” adjustments. If the root location appears away from its expected position, the weld geometry needs to be adjusted. This change can be made directly on the unit without the need of a laptop computer or leaving the inspection site.

will provide an instant answer without the need of complex calculations.

This demonstrates some of the capabilities of the new software tools that are now made available directly on phased array flaw detectors for the inspecting operator to use on-site and in real-time. It has been shown how these tools can be used to meet requirements relative to scan plan development. Ultimately this provides advantages not only during the inspection preparation process but also while performing the inspection on-site; in the main being time-saving and enhancing of the accuracy of output and reporting.

For further information Contact Sonatest Ltd on +44 (0)1908 525904 or email corinna@sonatest.com.

As a final example, consider a TOFD scan with a -12 decibel (dB) beam divergence; which in this particular case shows a lack of coverage near the weld cap. Again, the 3D view

www.sonatest.com

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Non destructive Testing

Are your NDT personnel Qualified, Certified or Competent?

As ISO 3834 is being increasingly specified, it is essential that inspection bodies involved with welded products understand its competence requirements. ISO 3834, Quality requirements for fusion welding of metallic materials, recognises welding as a special process, and is the main reference for other standards, including EN 15085, Railway applications – Welding of railway vehicles and components, and EN 1090, Execution of steel structures and aluminium structures, a harmonised supporting standard for the Construction Products Regulation.

ISO 3834 requires NDT personnel to be qualified in accordance with ISO 9712. Third-party certification is well established, and there is a choice of certification bodies accredited to ISO/IEC 17024. However, even highly reputed third-party certification may not fully address competence requirements. ISO 9001 makes the organisation responsible for determining the competences necessary for personnel performing work affecting conformity to product requirements.

For inspection bodies, UKAS has expanded upon the ISO 9001 systems approach to competence management. Its RG0 guidelines on the application of ISO/IEC 17020, state that the organization should: A)Identify the range of inspection activities B) Identify the competence required for each activity C)Train and assess against the competence criteria D)Authorise persons for activities under appropriate supervision E)Monitor performance to re-assess competence

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Third-party personnel certification may offer full compliance with stages B), C) and E), but A) and D) remain the responsibility of the inspection body. Whilst an ISO 9712 Level 2 UT operator will be competent in defect detection for the samples and applications they have experience of, that may not be the case for materials and joint geometries relevant to a new role. The competence requirements should be made explicit, for example, ‘ISO 9712 Level 2 in UT plus critical defect sizing endorsement plus two years’ experience in UT inspection of welds in C-Steel of up to 50mm thickness plus familiarity with XYZ equipment in combination with ABC probes.’ Such detailed assessments of competence requirements help with recruitment advertisements and training plans.

An effective certification body should welcome involvement from industry to ensure that their schemes address requirements. Inspection bodies and operators have utilised the TWI Certification Ltd employer-specific scheme to develop ISO 9712 compliant CSWIP certification for the specific competence assurance

requirements of their NDT procedures.

Employer-specific certification is able to comply with stages A), B), C), and E) of the RG0 competence management process, and assures the full compliance of inspection and testing personnel with ISO 3834.

Additionally, with a Research and Technology Organisation, and UKASaccredited Test House, Validation Centre and Certification Body under one roof, TWI has also provided clients with technical justification and validation of inspection procedures, verified POD, and blind trials, leading to full procedure-specific performancebased competence assurance of NDT operators. Whilst this level of competence assurance may be rarely required outside of the most highly regulated and safety critical sectors of industry, such as nuclear power, the ability to support inspection bodies with third-party certification that addresses role-specific competences is becoming increasingly necessary to satisfy compliance requirements.

EUR ING Chris Eady CEng MRAeS FWeldI - Chief Executive - TWI Certification Ltd Tel: +44(0)1223 899614 E-mail: chris.eady@twi.co.uk Website: www.cswip.com

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Process Control Equipment

Boiswood Offers A Single Source For Process Control Equipment Independent equipment supplier Boiswood can offer a complete range of industrial process control equipment. and Hastelloy for high purity applications.

Recent distribution agreements mean that customers now have a single source for all

Buying from a single supplier also reduces

Sectors served include the pharmaceutical,

their equipment requirements.

administration time and has the benefit of a

petrochemical, cryogenics, water, food and

single point of contact.

drink, HVAC, power and semiconductor

“The advantage of our approach is that

industries.

we can source the best products from a

Products offered by Boiswood include

selected range of different manufacturers,

valves, regulators, flow monitors, sensors

Boiswood also provides a high level of

whereas if you use one manufacturer for

and switches, as well as general purpose

hands-on service and support, with its

everything you aren’t going to get the best

double ferrule valves and fittings. They are

engineers working closely with customers,

of each type of product, or the best price,”

available in materials such as stainless steel

including process system designers,

said Boiswood managing partner Tony

and nickel alloy for general industrial use, as

laboratory technicians, production

Kent.

well as specialty materials such as Monel

managers, chemists and other scientists.

Industrial Protective Coatings

Belzona, Helping To Conserve The Environment Belzona aims to protect the environment through both its internal controls and by the work it does to assist other organisations in meeting their environmental responsibilities.

Throughout Belzona’s history, the company has been at the forefront of addressing environmental issues through the conservation of plant and equipment and energy efficient measures in order to assist its customers with meeting their environmental goals.

Belzona can help organisations meet their environmental objectives by extending the service life of machinery and equipment, with considerable savings in energy costs when compared with refabrication.

From damaged pumps to corroded heat exchangers. By way of example, it is common for the efficiency of a worn pump to deteriorate in performance by over 10%. By rebuilding a pump with one of Belzona’s ceramic filled metal repair

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EMS Magazine

products and coating with Belzona 1341 (Supermetalglide), efficiency gains of up to 20% can be achieved.

repair solution, which will ensure the long term protection of buildings, structures, machinery and equipment.

The high solar reflectance and ability to emit any collected heat has qualified Belzona 3111 (Flexible Membrane), a multi-surface waterproofing roofing membrane, to meet requirements of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR program. In addition, as this product is water-based the product is very safe to use and produces minimal VOC’s.

Belzona solutions can also act as pollution control systems. Pipes and hoses, areas of corrosion under insulation (CUI) and chemical containment areas are prone to leaks which if left untreated can result in potential environmental damage. Belzona’s cold applied solutions offer a reliable leak

By choosing Belzona’s repair, protect and improve approach, the need to replace equipment also reduces waste in terms of scrap metal and rubber. For further information on how Belzona can help you meet your environmental responsibilities please visit www.belzona.com Belzona Polymerics Limited Claro Road, Harrogate, HG1 4DS England Telephone: +44 1423 567641 Facsimile: +44 1423 505967 belzona@belzona.co.uk

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Maintenance Myths

Maintenance Myths, Mindsets & Mistakes Part 1 – Establishing Maintenance Task Intervals There are four basic types of maintenance that can be

1. Abstract

applied to equipment. The task intervals for the different

2. Introduction

types of maintenance are dependent on different factors

3. Determining Maintenance Task Intervals

– these factors are often poorly understood. This lack of

4. Failure Rate Data

understanding is a common cause of poor operational

5. Protective Systems

reliability and availability.

6. Conclusion 7. Further Information

A common statement that maintainers make is “We need to check our critical equipment more often than our non-critical equipment”. This sounds like good ‘common sense’ but is,

1. Abstract

in fact, wrong for On-condition maintenance.

A common statement that maintainers make is “It doesn’t fail so often, therefore, I don’t need to check it so often”.

This paper sets out some of the most common myths, mindsets and mistakes that are made when establishing maintenance task intervals.

This sounds like good ‘common sense’ but is wrong for On-condition maintenance.

A common statement is “We monitor our equipment MTBFs

There are four basic types of maintenance that can be applied to equipment. The task intervals for the three ‘routine’ types of maintenance are dependent on different factors – these factors are often poorly understood.

This lack of understanding is a common cause of poor operational reliability and availability.

carefully so that we can determine how often we should overhaul/replace equipment”. In fact the task interval (ie the fixed interval at which the scheduled restoration or discard task is carried out) is determined by the “life” of the equipment. Crucially, “life” and MTBF are different.

Many maintainers think that there are just three types of

Successful reliability growth and performance improvement is all about ‘doing the right maintenance’ on the equipment.

Determining the ‘right maintenance’ takes time and resources.

maintenance: predictive, preventive and corrective – ie they mistakenly think that On-condition tasks (ie predictive maintenance) and Failure-finding tasks (ie detective maintenance) are one and the same; they are completely different.

Experience has shown that the only way to make real, lasting improvement in the maintenance arena is by: •

•

Changing the way in which people think (ie dispelling all the myths, mindsets and mistakes that have been ingrained in maintainers’ thinking over their working life)

The belief that collecting failure rate data leads to better maintenance is, in most instances, a myth. The data we need is rarely available and so key decisions about maintenance have to be made in the absence of hard data.

Organisations that rely heavily on protective systems Providing an approach (such as RCM [1] ) that encompasses a structure whereby the changed thinking frequently reduce the maintenance carried out on them in order to reduce overall spend; they assume that the can be brought to fruition. protective systems will operate when required. These

The most common myths, mindsets and mistakes that are made when establishing maintenance task intervals are summarised in the following paragraphs; a full explanation is given in the subsequent sections of this paper.

systems can and do fail; organisations may be vulnerable to serious consequences if the protected function subsequently fails. Maintenance spend must be directed to where it will do the most good.

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Maintenance Myths

2. Introduction The last 20-30 years have been characterised by massive technological change and most industries have responded by investing heavily in automation and technology to reduce headcount, improve product quality, reduce unit price and improve safety and environmental integrity etc. The net result is that organisations are increasingly reliant on their assets to perform when required.

In some organisations, equipment failure is becoming increasingly intolerable and the consequences of failure can seriously affect safety and the environment or be expensive in terms of lost production or customer service. Some failures are sufficient to threaten the financial stability of the organisation or even force it out of business.

In other organisations equipment failure is much less severe but can still adversely affect profitability or customer service.

Regardless of the industry sector, organisations are striving to increase cost effectiveness – in most organisations improving equipment reliability is the key to overall performance improvement and cost effectiveness.

Successful reliability growth and performance improvement is all about ‘doing the right maintenance’ on the equipment.

Many regard maintenance as ‘applied common sense [2]’ – in many respects this is true but only if the proponent of the ‘common sense’ actually understands what he or she is doing. This paper sets out some of the most common maintenance errors that many make when establishing maintenance task intervals.

The maintenance arena is littered with an assortment of myths, mindsets and mistakes which often mean that the resulting equipment maintenance does not achieve the desired outcome, is frequently flawed (sometimes fatally!) and is sometimes plain wrong.

Current management styles demand ‘instant results’ preferably via a ‘quick fix’. Frankly, it is a myth to think that quick-fixes work in the maintenance arena. Achieving reliability growth or performance improvement is neither quick nor easy; if it was, you would have done it by now!

Reliability-centred Maintenance [RCM] is an approach for determining the right maintenance for plant and equipment in its operating context. RCM is not a ‘quick fix’ but applied correctly, it can transform an organisation’s approach to maintenance and hence lead to substantial improvements in equipment reliability, overall performance and cost effectiveness.

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EMS Magazine

There are four basic types of maintenance that can be applied to equipment: RCM Task Type

Description

Common Synonyms

On-condition

Check to see if equipment is failing

‘Predictive Maintenance’, ‘Condition-based Maintenance’ or ‘Condition Monitoring’

Scheduled Restoration & Scheduled Discard

Overhaul or replace equipment before it fails

‘Preventive Maintenance’ or ‘Scheduled Overhauls/ Replacements’

Failure-finding

Check to see if equipment has failed

‘Functional Checks’ or ‘Detective Maintenance’

Corrective

Corrective action following discovery of failure or potential failure

‘No scheduled Maintenance’ or ‘Run-to-failure’.

Also includes work carried out following other types of maintenance

The task intervals for the three types of ‘routine’ maintenance are dependent on different factors; these factors are often poorly understood by maintenance technicians and engineers. This is an area rife with maintenance myths, mindsets and mistakes.

Experience has shown that the only way to make real, lasting improvement is by changing the way in which people think (ie dispelling all the myths, mindsets and mistakes that have been ingrained in maintainers thinking over their working life) and providing them with an approach (such as RCM) that encompasses a structure whereby their changed thinking can be brought to fruition.

Part of the RCM process is to confirm that each maintenance task is technically feasible before it can be selected – the technical feasibility criteria ensure that task intervals are selected appropriately and establish the ‘common sense’ that is frequently lacking when maintenance tasks are determined in the absence of RCM. Applying RCM correctly takes both time and resources.

However, for an organisation with high value assets, the investment required to get the maintenance right is often a drop in the ocean compared with cost of getting it wrong.

Sadly, few maintainers are praised for getting maintenance right – many, however, are lambasted for getting it wrong.

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Maintenance Myths

3. Determining Maintenance Task Intervals Mistakes in determining maintenance task intervals are common (usually because the factors that determine the task intervals for the different types of maintenance are poorly understood).

A common statement that maintainers make is “We need to check our critical equipment more often than our noncritical equipment”. This sounds like good ‘common sense’ but is, in fact, wrong for On-condition maintenance. An on-condition maintenance task entails checking equipment to see if it is in the process of failing and only carrying out a corrective maintenance action if it is found to be failing.

For example, a bearing may be checked to see if it is noisy (ie indicating that it is failing) and if it is found to be noisy, arranging for a new bearing to be fitted (ie the corrective action). The task interval is determined by the time taken from the bearing becoming noisy to the point when it, say, seizes; this period of time is referred to as the P-F interval (or the failure development period). So if the P-F interval for the bearing is two weeks, then the bearing must be checked for noise at intervals less than two weeks (this is because the task might be carried out, say, the day before the noise develops and so the equipment would be left in service – the task must be repeated within the P-F interval if the failing bearing is to be predicted). Crucially, the task interval is not determined by the criticality of failure.

Similarly, a common statement that maintainers make is “It doesn’t fail so often, therefore, I don’t need to check it so often”. Again, this sounds like good ‘common sense’ but is, once again, wrong for On-condition maintenance.

Continuing the example of the noisy bearing, there is a temptation after, say, 18 months of weekly checks without any sign of imminent bearing failure to decide (incorrectly)

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that the task interval can be safely extended to, say, two weeks. After, say, a further 18 months of two-weekly checks without any indication of imminent bearing failure the decision is taken to increase the task interval again to, say, one month. By extending the task interval the cost of the on-condition maintenance has been significantly reduced but the likelihood of the task predicting the failure is also significantly reduced. When (after, say, a further year) the bearing eventually fails and the consequences are suffered (because the task failed to predict the failure), the credibility of on-condition maintenance is questioned and even considered to be a waste of time. The task must be carried out within the P-F interval if the failing bearing is to be predicted). Crucially, the task interval is not determined by how often the bearing fails.

Another statement that is common is “We monitor our equipment MTBFs carefully so that we can determine how often we should overhaul/replace equipment”. In fact the task interval (ie the fixed interval at which the scheduled restoration or discard task is carried out) is determined by the “life” of the equipment.

In essence, scheduled restoration and scheduled discard tasks prevent failures occurring by either restoration or replacement before an age-related failure occurs. Failure patterns A & B suggest that (if the initial period in A is ignored) the equipment is more likely to fail after it has reached a certain ‘age’ (ie the point at which the conditional probability of failure starts to rise rapidly). In RCM this ‘age’ is referred to as the “life” of the equipment (or sometimes the ‘useful life’).

For failure pattern B, the frequency of failure typically peaks

at some point after the end of the “life”; the point at which the frequency of failure peaks is sometimes referred to as the ‘average life’ or the MTBF. Crucially, “life” and MTBF are different figures and if they are confused and the MTBF is inadvertently used to determine

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Maintenance Myths the task interval for a scheduled restoration or discard task, then many failures (on approximately half the asset population) will occur before the task is carried out.

4. Failure Rate Data

For example, on a petrol engine car it is normal to replace the spark plugs every, say, 12,000 miles as experience shows that starting, performance and emissions may be adversely affected if the plugs are not replaced. The actual MTBF (ie the ‘average life’) may be significantly longer than 12,000 miles.

Many organisations have a (sometimes obsessive) desire to collect data so that they can calculate equipment failure rates in order to iterate to an even better maintenance schedule in the future. This myth is promoted by many in the maintenance arena (often because they have a vested in interest in encouraging organisations to collect historical data) but the usefulness of the information gathered is dubious: •

It takes a substantial investment in time and resources to make sure that the data quality (adequacy, accuracy, relevance etc) is good; for most organisations, this investment is not normally justifiable (except where the consequences of failure are very severe)

•

In terms of equipment maintenance there is the problem of what has become referred to as Resnikoff’s [3] Conundrum. Simply put, the problem is that in order to collect failure data, there must be equipment failures.

In order for there to be equipment failures, then there must be either no maintenance program in place to prevent these failures (which is quite likely for trivial failures), or the maintenance programme that is in place is inadequate. Hence for most organisations with a halfdecent maintenance programme, monitoring equipment failures is unlikely to secure statistically significant data about failures that matter (which is the information we need) whereas we might well be able to secure statistically significant information about failures that do not matter - ie those failures we allow to occur - which is unlikely to be of much use

•

Large populations of equipment with the same functions and (sufficiently) similar operating contexts are rare (except for some operators of large vehicle fleets, large utility companies or specialised OEMs that are closely involved with the operation and maintenance of their products). Most industrial organisations do not have many multiples of identical equipment operating to the same system requirements and under the same operating context. The net effect is that data gathered about failures is rarely sufficient to be statistically significant (even if it is collected over a protracted period of time).

Many maintainers think that there are just three types of maintenance: predictive, preventive and corrective. In doing so they have made the common mistake of confusing On-condition tasks (ie predictive maintenance) and Failurefinding tasks (ie detective maintenance) and thinking that they are one and the same; they are completely different.

On-condition tasks involve checking to see if the equipment is ‘failing’ so that an imminent failure can be predicted; as described above, the task interval is determined by the P-F interval. A Failure-finding task, however, is checking to see if the equipment has already ‘failed’; in this instance the task interval is calculated formulaically and does depend on the criticality of failure and the failure rates of the equipment concerned. The aim of a Failure-finding task is to improve the availability of the equipment (so that its probability of being in a failed state when required is tolerably low).

With the exception of failure-finding tasks, the failure rate of equipment is not used to determine maintenance task intervals. The failure rate is, however, used to determine

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Maintenance Myths whether or not maintenance is worth doing and in

the installed technology and automation.

determining spare parts stocking policy.

In addition to reducing product unit costs, the wide-scale application of technology and automation has done much to

In summary, therefore, the belief that collecting failure rate

improve safety and environmental integrity. Many high-risk

data leads to better maintenance is, in most instances,

industries are very reliant on automation to ensure safety

a myth. In practice serious decisions about maintenance

and environmental integrity - the risk of major incidents

have to be made with inadequate hard data simply because the data that we need is rarely available. RCM provides a framework to highlight what information is needed and a structure to enable RCM Analysis groups to make the necessary decisions about maintenance task intervals (in particular) in the absence of hard data.

occurring has been reduced substantially by the introduction of protective systems (which are often configured in ‘layers’ so that failure of any one protective system is protected by another protective system etc).

The large population of protective systems installed and the level of protection provided does come with a risk complacency on behalf of the maintainers (which is further compounded when organisation are under financial pressure to reduce spend). Automation in general and protective systems in particular can and do fail; some modern control systems are designed to identify and sound an alarm if there is a failure in the protection system but many do not. In practice, organisations may well be unaware that protective systems are in a failed state which, in turn, makes them very vulnerable to serious consequences if the protected function subsequently fails.

There have been some significant headline industrial

5. Protective Systems

accidents that have occurred because protective systems have been in a failed state when called upon to operate; several of these incidents have been as a direct result of complacency with regard to protective systems and some

In modern, high risk process plant it is not uncommon for

have been attributable to maintenance cost-cutting.

the maintenance of the protective systems to account for more than 30% of the maintenance labour spend on site;

RCM allows organisations to determine the maintenance

the reason for this is simply the number of these systems

requirements of the protective systems so that the

that have been installed (and need on-going maintenance).

combined probability of the system being in a failed state when the protected function subsequently fails is reduced

Organisations that rely heavily on protective systems

to a tolerable level. This ensures that maintenance spend is

frequently make the mistake of assuming that their

directed to where it will do the most good.

protective systems will act when required (ie if the protected function fails) and reduce the maintenance carried out on the protective systems to save money. However, protective systems can and do fail.

Over the years, the introduction of technology solutions and automation into many organisations was primarily focused on reducing product unit cost (largely by increasing throughput and reducing headcount - particularly production personnel). This transition has been successful in many industries and most organisations now rely very heavily on EMS Magazine

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Maintenance Myths

6. Conclusion; The drive to improve cost effectiveness has led organisations to focus on increasing equipment reliability so as to improve overall performance (and hence cost effectiveness). Successful reliability growth and performance improvement is all about ‘doing the right maintenance on the equipment’. There is a great temptation to improve cost effectiveness by reducing

7. Further Information; This paper was written by Simon Deakin and Steve Bailey of Mutual Consultants Ltd. See also Maintenance Myths, Mindsets and Mistakes Parts 2 & 3, Improving Operational Reliability & Availability and The Maintenance Arena respectively.

term but not in the medium and longer terms.

Please do not hesitate to contact either of us for more information on how RCM can transform equipment performance and achieve desired operational reliability and availability:

The maintenance arena is littered with an assortment

info@mutualconsultants.co.uk

of myths, mindsets and mistakes which often mean

[1] RCM – Reliability-centred Maintenance. Shortform definition: “A process used to determine the maintenance requirements of plant and equipment in its operating context”

maintenance budgets – this works in the very short

that the resulting equipment maintenance does not achieve the desired outcome, is frequently flawed and is sometimes plain wrong. In particular, it is a myth to think that quick-fixes work in the maintenance arena. Achieving reliability growth or performance improvement is neither quick nor easy; if it was, you would have done it by now!

Reliability-centred Maintenance [RCM] is a proven approach for determining the right maintenance for plant and equipment in its operating context. With its

[2] A dictionary definition of ‘common sense’ is: sound practical judgment that is independent of specialised knowledge, training, or the like; normal native intelligence.

[3] HL Resnikoff, Mathematical Aspects of Reliability-centered Maintenance, 1978 Steve Bailey is a Senior Consultant and a mechanical engineer.

beginnings in the demanding civil aviation industry, RCM is not a ‘quick fix’ but applied correctly, it can transform an organisation’s approach to maintenance and hence lead to substantial improvements in equipment reliability, overall performance and cost effectiveness. RCM optimises the maintenance for the on-site equipment and in so doing ensures that money spent on maintenance is spent where it will do the most good.

Applying RCM correctly takes both time and

He has over 14 years of practical experience and training skills in RCM preceded by seventeen years of railway experience at a number of maintenance depots both in a technical and managerial capacity. Steve is an experienced RCM practitioner fully trained by Aladon LLC. Steve is also trained in Commercial Systems Analysis, Software Engineering and Simulation Modelling and has developed many bespoke software applications.

Simon Deakin is the Managing Director of Mutual Consultants Limited and a mechanical engineer.

resources. However, for an organisation with high value assets, the investment required to get the maintenance right is often a drop in the ocean compared with cost of getting it wrong. In brief, the return on investment for RCM is substantial provided that the assorted maintenance myths, mindsets and mistakes are dispelled and the right maintenance is implemented.

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He has extensive practical experience and training skills in RCM which have been developed over a period of more than twenty years working with both large and small clients in diverse industries. Simon is an experienced RCM practitioner fully trained by Aladon LLC. Prior to working in consulting he worked in the design, installation and commissioning of major capital equipment to the process and manufacturing industries.

Machine Alignment

Alignment Of Machines Has Been Performed For Over 200 Years The reasons have not always been obvious, but in the modern world the necessity of alignment is common knowledge.

With today’s optimized machinery, alignment is a vital part in the daily Maintenance work. Machines need to be online continuously with a minimum of interruptions. A machine breakdown causes devastating loss of production.

“Nearly 50% of all machine breakdowns are caused by misalignment”

Monition Ltd has created a dedicated website to promote awareness and knowledge for all alignment applications. This includes the supply of Fixturlaser products to help compete to explore what www.shaftalignment. co.uk can do for your business! in today’s marketplace. The products are designed to help outperform your competitors regarding price, For additional information quality and reliability. Keeping your telephone Monition on: machines in line and online are all 01909 722000 crucial factors in order to stay ahead of the competition. We welcome you Alternatively you can email us

Laser Alignment for Everyone www.shaftalignment.co.uk

at: sales@monition.com.

Vibration Analysis

Vibration Analysis Tools For Maintenance Engineers.

C-Cubed manufactures and supplies a complete range of low cost, high performance, easy to use vibration analysis tools for maintenance engineers.

From the simple one-button-to-press, VibMeter 320 to top-of-the-range units for condition based and predictive maintenance, machine balancing and alignment, C-Cubed’s products are all incredibly easy to use.

C-Cubed’s new Vib Meter 320is a simple to use,incredibly low cost vibration meter that records, analyses and displays vibration signals at the push of a button.

The unit includes colour coded alarmlevels for ISO values and bearing condition,zoomablevibration spectrum (FFT) with cursor anddiagnosesout of balance, misalignment and looseness.

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EMS Magazine

The Vib Meter 320 represents the very latest in technology with an 800 lines resolution FFT, fully zoomable, vibration spectrum display. The fully dymanic cursor displays frequency and amplitude values and readings can be saved and recalled at will. Colour coded frequency band alarms based on run speed can be displayed to diagnose machine faults with all alarm levels and settings stored in nonvolatile flash memory.

The Vib Meter 320 is the latest in a line ofeasy to use high specification maintenance products and perfectly complements C-Cubed’s family of condition based monitoring and

inspection systems, offering high level functionality and capability at extremely low cost. The Vib Meter 320 can be fully customised for private label versions and is available with quantity discounts for OEM applications.

C-Cubed +44 (0) 1256 895050 www.pocketvibra.com info@c-cubed.co.uk

Editors Choice

Search And Rescue – Retrieval Of Foreign Objects And Debris Is Easier With The Right Tools.

I was talking with a colleague the other day and he was describing a problem he had just solved for his customer – they had received a large pre-assembled turbine for installation in their plant and as part of the installation process an internal inspection was required.

In order to maintain the integrity of the assembly, the inspection was carried out using a video endoscope (the VUMAN RAY from viZaar Industrial Imaging) and this highlighted some significant problems – nearly all of them to do with foreign objects left behind during the assembly process.

The client faced two choices – to strip the assembled unit back down to remove the debris, or to retrieve them using a variety of retrieval tools, guided by the video endoscope and experienced operators. The customer chose the latter. A variety of techniques were used, depending on the nature of the debris and its distance from the access point. Smaller items, such as small swarf, bits of cloth etc were extracted using a vacuum technique, which works fine for smaller, lighter objects and is exactly the same concept as a domestic vacuum cleaner. Screws, bolts and small pieces were captured using a snare – where a push rod delivered a small loop of wire that could be tightened remotely round the item and this was then withdrawn, pulling the item with it.

Washers were extracted with a hook – just like a fishing hook, again delivered with a pushrod, and those pieces with some iron in were pulled using magnets – either standard permanent magnets or electromagnets, and some pieces were pulled out using the INVIZ GR-16 - small grippers – electro-motor driven jaws that can be slipped through

a small opening and then the jaws opened and closed around the item to grab hold and pull the units out.

These retrievals were successfully achieved and the unit cleared for installation without having to strip it down and rebuild it.

This conversation lead on to discussing those tricky retrievals and the specialist tools that have been developed. Two specific examples were mentioned – the GR-12 pneumatically articulated gripper system specifically developed by viZaar for a specific job where the tool needed to be moved through a certain angle once it had reached the target area, allowing the operator to seek out a specific item. Using the same pneumatic articulation system that is a feature of the VUMAN range of articulating endoscopes, the grippers were deployed 18m before starting the retrieval task – in this case navigation and retrieval were guided using the VUMAN system. The second tool was an articulating guide tube, (actually two different diameters are available) which means the operator can choose the tools they want to deploy and fit them into the working channel of the guide tube. The particular benefit in the case under discussion was being able to deploy a camera system with two different articulation points – one at a distance of almost 6m, and then the long range video endoscope was delivered into a remote opening and deployed a further 4 meters before

using its own articulation to complete the inspection. The ability to use two independent points of articulation ensured the inspection could be completed without a very costly invasive inspection process.

The retrievals above were carried out through smaller diameter pipe and tube access points. For larger diameter systems you can introduce a whole host of additional tools, including remotely controlled crawlers with multiple tool capability, a variety of camera and lighting options and a whole host of different types of driving wheel and tracks, dependent on the diameter, the inspection space material and the presence of any fluids / contaminant – these remotely operated vehicles (RoV’s) are typically controlled through an umbilical, enabling an operator to control all the necessary functions - and if the unit breaks down, it can be retrieved itself by using the umbilical, or an embedded cable within it – saving the embarrassment of retrieving the retrieval tool!

These retrieval tools and long range video endoscopes, as well as other remote visual inspection equipment are available through Crimson Industrial Vision Ltd, the UK distributor for both viZaar Industrial Imaging of Germany and its subsidiary FORT Imaging Systems of France.

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HEMS AWARDED HITATCHI ORDER

HEMS (Heavy Equipment Maintenance Solutions Ltd) Are Pleased To Announce That It Has Been Chosen As The Preferred Supplier To Hitachi Machinery Company Europe (NV)HCME for a Special Hydraulic Cylinder Repair Stand to be installed at their New Remanufacturing Facility in the Netherlands.

The new Stand has been designed in cooperation with HEMS/TUXCO and HCME I to work their range of all Hydraulic Cylinders In a very easy and efficient manner.

construction and mining industry.

HEMS is also the authorised dealer for Maruma Technica Japan and in cooperation with them are able to offer a unique package to customers from complete workshop design, through HEMS are the sole authorised overseas layout, specification of equipment, dealer for TUXCO Corporations USA. supply of equipment, installation, Tuxco has manufactured cylinder commissioning and, most importantly, repair benches for many years and operator training. they are the main supplier to Caterpillar they are considered the leader in HEMS Ltd are also the preferred Hydraulic Cylinder Repair Technology. supplier to CNH (CASE New Holland) Together, HEMS and Tuxco can offer group globally for supplying Cylinder a complete range of hydraulic cylinder Repair Benches as well as their new repair stands to cover a wide range Master Pin Pusher package for safely of cylinders currently used in the removing Tracks from all machines,

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there are also recommended to their global dealer network for their range of services and support.

HEMS see its market strength in being a totally independent company and not tied to any OEM manufacturer, they offer an exceptional support to all our customers from day one with their valuable experiences in the Heavy Equipment industry, and are able to offer unbiased and professional assistance to many construction, mining and large fleet companies that need to have the latest maintenance, service and rebuild tooling.

HEMS GLOBAL SERVICE SOLUTIONS www.hemsltd.com

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CMMS

Automating Maintenance Operations promotes Green Facilities Atnorth Charleston Coliseum Complex.

By Paul Lachance From the parking lot to the rooftop, and everywhere in between, the North Charleston Coliseum& Performing Arts Center (NCC)tracks maintenance for every piece of equipment with Bigfoot CMMS, a web-based solution that automates asset maintenance operations.

Since it takes the same amount of electricity to power critical systems, whether they’re running at peak efficiency or not, the NCC maintenance operations team contributes to energy efficiency by proactively replacing parts before they start to malfunction. The team uses Bigfoot to set up preventive maintenance schedules and track repairs over time.

“There are so many pieces and parts in the day to day operations of our buildings,” Robb said. “We service every department in the complex and use Bigfoot to schedule and keep track of maintenance for nearly 300 items, whether we’re replacing a diaphragmin a toilet, LED lights in the parking lot or batteries in the fire alarms. Bigfoot helps us maintain equipment at its most efficient purpose.”

“Any building that needs to be proactive with maintenance and energy efficiency needs a CMMS (computerized maintenance management software) system,” said Amy Robb, NCC’s Bigfoot guru and former Operations Coordinator who recently transitioned to Events Coordinator.

As the largest entertainment venue in Lowcountry, one of South Carolina’s top tourist destinations, NCC has entertained more than 7 million visitors in the last two decades, presenting concerts, sporting events, family shows and conventions in its three facilities, including a concert hall, sports arena, exhibit halls, meeting rooms and a forthcoming private event hall.

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In addition, all departments including custodial, front of house, guest services, venue change over, NCC’s energy efficiency policies and administration, etc.use Bigfoot to technologies are propelled by North submit up to 50 work orders a week.

Charleston Mayor Keith Summey’s Bigfoot tracks repair history for each declaration that “sustainability is not a piece of equipment allowing the trend, but a way of life that we embrace maintenance team to set up preventive to help preserve our future.” In addition maintenance schedules and capture to being a paperless complex NCC repair data to determine whether to has replaced all lighting systems with replace or repair parts.

LED lights, lower wattage fluorescent lighting, T8 fluorescent bulbs and “Bigfoot gives us knowledge,” tubes, light sensors and low e grade Robb said. glass for natural lighting.

Variable-frequency drives control every motor in the complex; chillers with self-adjusting speeds during low occupancy run air conditioners. NCC also uses electric and/or compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles and cleaning equipment.

NCC’s newest facility for private receptions and events, Montague Terrace,which opened in October 2011 was being constructed for LEED Silver Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, making it one of the largest LEED certified special event venues in the Charleston area.

CMMS “Bigfoot will definitely help us get LEED certified by tracking equipment and building a maintenance forecasting systemfor the new facility,” Robb said.

“We are already setting up future PM schedules with three-week lead times for maintenance checks. So Bigfoot alerts us if we need to replace an air filter or a lobby door, or plan for more maintenance resources.”

CMMS for Sustainability, Energy and Utility Optimization A well-developed CMMS software package designed by software developers who take the time to understand the needs of facilities maintenance and operations professionals, can be a fundamental contributor to energy efficiency and support of green practices.

ensuring they are completed at optimal times. This results in a more efficient use of staff, reduced downtime and lower maintenance costs.

Tracking and monitoring an asset’s utility consumption can also help trigger appropriate corrective and preventive action. For example, if an asset is “running hot,” based on thermal readings or spikes in utility consumption, this might indicate a Energy costs are one of the biggest potential maintenance issue. CMMS line items in an organization’s budget. can capture warnings, chart a trend Given the financial impact this can have and trigger a PM. The result is optimal it is little wonder that many facilities equipment operation without relying managers and energy engineers are on manual monitoring, and reduced on a mission to trim costs wherever energy consumption, which translates possible. Installing alternative energy to increased profitability. systems doesn’t necessarily equal energy efficiency unless the equipment is being monitored and necessary action taken when it is found to be Interfacing CMMS with building operating at less than peak efficiency. automation systems allows operators

Improved Efficiency

CMMS monitors a variety of meter readings, including pressure, temperature, voltage and hours run, and also helps operators identify energy peaks and spikes. Thorough preventive maintenance (PM) planning can dramatically improve the energy efficiency of facility assets.

CMMS should interface with commercially available technologies to correlate energy consumption with specific asset performance levels to identify “energy hogs.” Then PMs can be set up based on hourly run times instead of extended calendar periods,

to capture alarm data, display trends and automatically trigger work orders.

For example, an overheated air handler generates an alarm ticket, which creates a work order. The cause is diagnosed as an electrical issue. With the help of CMMS, the maintenance team is able to correct the issue and now the unit requires less energy to operate. Over time, operators can observe energy spikes on a particular air handler unit and become proactive about scheduling work orders for those peak periods.

For facility maintenance, strong asset utilization can equate to less asset

usage and less energy consumption.

For example, if an HVAC system is operating efficiently because of comprehensive PM work managed by CMMS, facilities managers use less heating from boiler X, when boiler Y and Z are running efficiently.

CMMS can also track equipment history and grade performance over time. Instead of automatically projecting capital expenses to replace old equipment, CMMS identifies which assets are poor performers by ranking every component. Surprisingly, a newer asset could be consuming more energy by failing frequently and costing more to repair over time. An asset would be retired or replaced based on several factors besides its age: frequency of failure, energy consumption, frequency of work orders, cost trends, etc. Using CMMS a facilities manager can be proactive about his maintenance plan and reduce capital expenditures.

For a manufacturer, finely tuned operation of production equipment creates more output with less waste, and less waste equals fewer raw materials used.

Improved utilization and reduced downtime equals less energy consumption, lower costs and sustainable operations. CMMS automates the preventative maintenance plan for all plant floor equipment.

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Equipment Inspection

Integrating Inspection-Based And Reliability -Based On Information There are many sources of machinery health and production availability information available to an organization’s maintenance and operations staff. Two of the most commonly used sources of information are scheduled inspection of machinery and condition monitoring. In most cases, scheduled inspection of machinery has been managed through a plant This paper will talk about the use of some new technologies to capture and retain inspection data, and methods that can be used to integrate inspection results and condition-based data. There will be several examples from organizations currently using these technologies, relating the challenges they have faced and the successes they have achieved.

Introduction

onto the plant floor, the garage or the engine room and check belts, fittings,

•

Replacement of parts

•

Repairs

•

Precision checks

•

Early detection of abnormal conditions

As with most of the Lean Manufacturing

In this paper, we will describe the methods

seals, fluid levels etc. in an informal

and techniques that are covered by the

manner has been carried out since the

term “equipment inspection”. The basic

Industrial Revolution. The more structured

inspection process will be looked at, and

approach of scheduled, defined and

we will discuss some of the drawbacks that

documented inspection rounds was one

limit the usefulness of manual inspection

of the fundamental concepts that came

processes.We will then look at some tools

to be known as “Planned Maintenance”.

that can be used to automate inspections,

Developed during the years of the Second

and how these tools can be used to

World War, planned maintenance methods

ameliorate some of the issues of manual

were applied as a means of assuring high

inspection.

levels of machinery availability. Over the

We will then look at what is needed to

next quarter century, planned maintenance

bring the data collected by an automated

and its numerous offshoots have been

inspection system into a general database

applied in all industry types in Europe

system that can manage all types of

and North America. At the same time,

machinery health monitoring data.

Japanese industry, faced with considerable

Finally, we will get feedback from some

challenges, developed a variant of

users who have actually applied these

planned maintenance now known as Total

techniques, asking them why they felt this

Productive Maintenance (TPM). As with

process is important, how they are doing

planned maintenance, frequent inspections

and where they want to take this process in

An inspection program can be implemented

are a fundamental tenet of the TPM

the future.

as a separate program in and of itself, or

process.

as part of several broader programs. Given

“A very important aspect of TPM is the

The Inspection Process

the different implementation methods,

establishment of autonomous maintenance.

inspection rounds follow similar patterns,

The purpose of autonomous maintenance

even across different types of industries.

Inspections – A Valuable Tool

is to teach operators how to maintain their

If the inspection rounds are formally

Inspection rounds have always been a

equipment by performing:

scheduled at all, the scheduling is handled

part of the maintenance process. Having

•

Daily checks

by the planned maintenance system. In

operations and/or maintenance staff go

•

Lubrication

many cases, since inspections are carried

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techniques and tools, autonomous maintenance is based on education and training. It is about raising awareness of the operators on the knowledge and understanding the operation principles of their machines.” Kunio Shirose, TPM Consultant Inspection processes can therefore be operations-driven or maintenance-driven; often they are a combination of both. The management of an inspection program is just as likely to be under the control of operations / production as maintenance.

Implementation of Inspection Procedures

Equipment Inspection out on a daily or per shift basis, they are not

identical equipment in operation.

uploaded into a workstation (once again,

scheduled as work orders; they are treated

The inspection check sheet offers little

just like uploading a vibration route).

as part of the daily routine. Sometimes

additional support to the inspector when

The operator is able to produce reports,

inspection results are entered back into the

he/she discovers what may be a problem

generate alarms etc. At least one system

maintenance system (CMMS), but this is

– there isn’t any way to review previous

exists that allow the automatic generation

unusual – in most cases they are not.

inspections or query the check sheet for

of corrective work orders based on the data

Traditional inspection data collection

further help.

collected in the inspection rounds.

tools are clipboards and check sheets. A

Finally, the inspection check sheets need to

series of check sheets are created for the

be reviewed by someone capable of taking

inspector to follow. They can range from

the next step – either ordering work to be

very informal (“if you see a problem, make a

done or more tests.

note on this form”) to very specific (“Check Sheet PMP-1A is specifically tailored for

Automated Inspection Methods

motor driven pumps in the finishing room.

Even with the substantial challenges

Please complete all sections. Use an X

presented by manual inspection methods,

in the check boxes, not a tick mark.”)

the results are highly beneficial. Plants that

Typically, the only review mechanism

have implemented these programs report

available to determine if the work is being

substantial returns on investment and

done is to read/review the check sheets.

increased asset availability. The benefits of a properly managed inspection program have

In some programs, results are keyed into

led to the adoption of new technology to

programs like Excel / Access etc. This

reduce or eliminate some of the difficulties

requires either 1) clerical staff support, or

of paper-based inspections.

2) the use of maintenance / operations personnel to enter the data. These efforts are often subject to interruption or even abandonment if clerical support becomes unavailable or if the inspection sheet data entry becomes too heavily backlogged.

Challenges to Inspection Procedures

What is automated inspection?

Automation Hardware Until recently, clipboards and forms were the only really effective tool that could be applied to basic machinery inspection.

Commercial–grade laptop computers are too fragile to be taken out onto the shop floor. Devices designed for other types of data collection, such as vibration analysis, are rugged enough to be taken into the plant, but they are too expensive to be broadly deployed to operators, and they are not flexible enough to collect the data sets needed for effective inspection. In the last three years, a new type of device, the industrial handheld computer, has been applied to the inspection process. These units combine the ease of use of consumer grade PDA’s such as the Palm and the Pocket PC with the ruggedness of industrial

Automated inspection involves the use of

instrumentation. They are generally

portable instrumentation to electronically

equipped with touch screens and pens, like

capture the inspection results at the

the consumer PDA’s. Some units also come

machine itself.

equipped with keyboards.

Inspection rounds, instead of being printed out as check sheets or work orders are

The industrial handheld marketplace is

There are a number of challenges to the

downloaded to handheld computers, just

relatively new, and highly competitive. As

manual inspection process. Inspection

like routes are downloaded to a vibration

such, handheld computer hardware has

programs using check sheets are difficult to

data collector. Instead of carrying a

been the focus of considerable research

monitor – many inspection rounds never get clipboard from machine to machine, the

and development, with the happy benefit

carried out, and it’s difficult to determine if

operator carries the handheld computer,

(for the users of this technology) that the

they haven’t been carried out.

entering observational and meter data into

price / performance ratio of these units

The data collected on inspection check

the computer.

has dropped considerably since their

sheets is highly prone to error – entries

The operator can either follow the machine

introduction.

are illegible, different inspectors use their

order set in the handheld computer (walk

own terms to describe problem conditions,

the round) or the operator can choose to

meter values are transcribed incorrectly.

follow his own route, and use a bar code,

This is difficult for the person reviewing the

touch button or RFID (radio frequency

inspection results, and even more difficult if

identification) scanner to identify the

those results are required to be entered into

machine that is being inspected.

a database or a spreadsheet.

If the operator wants to make a note, he/

All data is captured at source, minimizing

Another source of error is simply that there

she is able to use the pen and/or the

the possibility of error and eliminating the

is often confusion about which machine

keyboard to enter a note directly into the

need for keypunching.

train is being inspected – especially in

handheld computer.

Using pre-defined pick lists (Figure 3) and

process industries where there is lots of

Once the round is completed, the data is

comments ensures consistency of data

Advantages of automation Direct Data Capture

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49

Equipment Inspection throughout the plant, improving the ability to powerful tools available for moving plants

concerned with environmental, quality

use inspection data as a decision support

away from breakdown maintenance into a

and performance issues. In a single

tool.

planned/preventive maintenance regime.

inspection round, data may be collected on

Predictive maintenance programs are being

bearing surface temperature (a condition

Proper Machine Identification

carried out with considerable success in

monitoring process), the amount of fluids

Industrial handheld devices can use

every type of industry around the world,

being consumed by a particular machine

integrated bar coding or other identification

and are seen as logical extensions of the

(an environmental process), the amount of

tags (RFID, touch button, etc.) to ensure

inspection-driven preventive maintenance

power consumed versus product produced

that the operator is collecting data about

program.

(performance) and the amount and reasons

the right machine.

The methodology of PM-based inspections

for scrapped product (production quality).

and predictive maintenance programs are

Anyone attempting to integrate inspection

Improves Field-Level Decision Making

fundamentally the same – create a list of

data with condition monitoring data

The operator can have alarms, historical

items to check, and then go out into the

(especially if they are trying to bring

trends, on-alert instructions and machine

plant and check them on a routine basis.

inspection data into a condition monitoring

schematics downloaded into the handheld

The underlying purpose of PM-based

software) needs to recognize the broader

device or available through a wireless link.

inspections and predictive maintenance

scope of inspection surveys.

This allows the operator to receive further

programs are also fundamentally the

instructions in the event of an alarm while

same – look for situations that are out of

2) Numeric Versus Non-Numeric Data

he is at the machine.

the norm, and then arrange for some action

Condition monitoring data is primarily

to be taken to bring them back into line.

numeric in nature (thermography data and

Automatic Escalation of Detected Problems

Information collected by the inspection

analytical ferrography images are notable

Manual inspection methods require

process can be very helpful to reliability

exceptions). Most condition monitoring

someone (either the person doing the

personnel who are looking for machines

systems reflect this fact – they are designed

inspection or the person reviewing the

that are operating abnormally. Conversely,

to import, store and alarm on numbers. For

inspection check sheets) to notify the

the operations and maintenance can find

the most part, text-type data handling is an

maintenance planner of the existence of a

reliability evaluations very valuable when

afterthought.

problem. Electronically recorded inspections developing maintenance and production

Inspection data sets can have numeric

can automatically notify the CMMS to

schedules. It stands to reason that there

values (meter readings, counts, etc.) but

schedule follow-up work to confirm or fix

would be considerable benefit in bringing all

a substantial portion of inspection data is

the problem.

machinery health data (including inspection

non-numeric. Notes, single selection pick

results) together into a single “common

lists, multi-selection checklists, etc. are

If the inspector detects a problem and

area”. All interested parties within the

all fundamental elements of an inspection

remedies it (adds lubricant, cleans up a spill

organization (operations and maintenance,

check sheet. In addition, it is necessary to

etc.) he now has to record that this work

specifically) could have easy access to that

be able to specify alarm conditions based

was carried out in the CMMS. Handheld

data.

on these lists – for example, being able to

devices can allow the inspector to record.

Although there are many similarities in the

raise an alarm if the inspector identifies a

data sets gathered by inspection processes

fault in a pick list.

Any work done while performing the

and condition monitoring processes, there

inspection round – even on machines that

are several key differences that need to be

are not in the inspection round. “What Gets

addressed before an effective integration

Measured, Gets Done” The recording of

can take place.

data collected during inspections ensures that the inspections and basic care routes are carried out, and that missed or skipped inspections are apparent immediately.

Integrating Inspections With Condition Monitoring Inspection programs are one of the most

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EMS Magazine

Record of Compliance Another area of difference between condition monitoring data collection

Broader Scope Of Data

processes and operations-based inspection

The technologies used in condition

compliance. Most condition monitoring

monitoring are, for the most part,

programs do not have a heavy emphasis

equipment-centric. Tools such as vibration

on compliance record keeping – because

analysis, lubricant analysis, ultrasonic

it’s not really necessary. When data is being

testing etc. are primarily concerned with the

collected once a month or even once a

health of the equipment being tested.

week, a simple overdue measurement

Inspections also focus on the health of

points report will suffice to let you know

the machine, but they can be equally

if any points are being missed. The same

is the emphasis placed on record of

Equipment Inspection level of tracking is usually enough for oil

database system can handle both numeric

samples, thermography readings etc.

and non-numeric data will not amount to

Record of repairs carried out

In the operations inspection world,

much benefit if you can’t analyze or report

Improved ability to ensure

readings/observations are often recorded

on condition monitoring and inspection

once a shift, sometimes even more

data in a unified fashion. All of your data

frequently. A missed point is quickly

management systems should at least have

masked by the inspection done by the next

the ability to expose their data in a readily

shift. If these readings are being used to

accessible fashion so that common reports

calculate metrics such as OEE or average

can be generated. This can range from

productivity by shift, missed readings can

the ability to export data to something

skew the values of these metrics. Therefore, like Crystal Reports™ or Microsoft™ inspection systems require the ability to

Excel™, or it could be a more advanced

track and trend, not just the inspection

capability such as XML that allows data to

data itself, but the record of compliance in

be accessed by a wide variety of reporting

collecting the inspection data. A high level

tools.

of compliance is needed before metrics

inspections are carried out.

It is perceived that there is considerable benefit in bringing condition monitoring data together with inspection results into a single “common area. Although there are many similarities in the data sets gathered by inspection processes

Conclusion

and condition monitoring processes,

Inspection rounds have always been

need to be addressed before an

a part of the maintenance process,

effective integration can take place.

and, thanks in part to TPM, they

Inspection data sets have a broader

are also now seen as an operations

scope than machine condition

tool as well. There are a number

monitoring data sets.

common data infrastructure. Put simply,

of challenges to programs based

Inspection data sets have a

it means that every system that is used to

on the traditional inspection check

substantial amount of non-numeric

sheet. Some of these challenges are

data – condition monitoring data is

include error-prone data, confusion

primarily numeric in nature.

about machine train identification,

The system should offer some form

bar code value (if bar coding technology

no access to previously collected

of record of compliance with the

is used). If multiple technologies are used

data and often-ignored data review

data collection schedule – an area of

requirements.

significant importance for operations-

to identify bearing location (drive end / non

Automated inspection involves the

based inspections.

drive end, inboard / outboard, A-B-C-D

use of portable instrumentation to

Some form of common data

electronically capture the inspection

infrastructure is needed to make

not focus specifically on equipment (for

results at the machine itself. Some of

sure that inspection findings can be

example, environmental surveys) that

the advantages of using inspection

matched up to condition monitoring

instrumentation are:

findings

facilities, processes, and a number of other

Direct data capture

Some form of reporting or analysis

entities beyond the equipment.

Proper machine identification

tool that can access and combine

Common Result Delivery Method

Improved field-level decision making

the inspection and condition

Automatic escalation of detected

monitoring datasets into a unified

problems.

report.

generated from the inspection data can be used with confidence.

Common Data Infrastructure Bringing information from inspection programs and condition monitoring programs together effectively requires a

collect data on a building, a machine train within the building, and/or a component within the machine train must use the same identifiers. These identifiers include location id, machine id, component id, and

to gather data on individual bearings (like vibration and temperature) the method used

etc.)

Given that some inspection data does

common data infrastructure must allow data collection points to be applied to

Setting up a common data infrastructure

there are several key differences that

and making sure that your inspection

EMS Magazine

51

Seal Maintenance

Ultrananocrystalline Diamond Can Improve Seal Performance Through extensive R&D and the advent of improved

finish required for such a demanding tribological application. Following

equipment and processes, the seal faces are in sliding

extensive research and development

contact and prevent the liquid in the pump from

and improvements in equipment and

reaching atmosphere. This contact also generates frictional heat that must be removed from the seal faces. Failure to remove this unwanted heat often results in the boiling of the lubricating liquid film at the seal faces, usually leaving a deleterious residue and

processes, those problems appear to have been solved.

Today, a new form of diamond with ultrananocrystalline grains has entered the industrial arena. Invented at Argonne National Laboratory and commercialized for seals by John

causing premature failure of elastomeric components

Crane, Inc. and Advanced Diamond

in the seals (static-secondary seals). Both of these

Technologies, Inc., UNCDÂŽ, as it is

undesirable effects of elevated temperatures lead to premature seal failure.

commercially known, provides the surface roughness typical of normal, unprocessed seal. UNCD has been dynamically tested and shown to

The ability to maintain coolant on

is included in the design of the seal.

the seal face is even more critical

During operation the seal faces do

when compounded by the demands

not make contact except at startup

associated with the pumping of

and shutdown. The intense frictional

abrasive media or a pump’s ability to

heat occurring at this time must be

withstand intermittent and unscheduled controlled or face damage can occur.

signifi- cantly reduce the frictional heat and increase the life of the seal faces in accelerated wear. The work highlighted in this article was completed, in part, by funding from the National Science Foundation.

coolant loss. The ability to run two

Based on the benefits nature’s hardest

hard-faced seal materials such as SiC

substance would appear to offer for

against each other often is desirable

this application, the idea of using the

but not practical due to the premature

diamond as a wear resistant face

failures that result from elevated

material in seals is not new. Diamond

temperatures caused by friction at the

also possesses many other attractive

One of the major obstacles in

seal interface.

properties, including extremely high

providing a diamond-treated surface

thermal conductivity and chemical

for a mechanical seal is maintaining

In the case of a centrifugal gas

resistance. Unfortunately, previous

the surface flatness and roughness

compressor, a noncontacting

attempts at integrating diamond into

necessary to achieve sealing. Early

mechanical seal is used to contain

seal faces failed due to difficulties

work in diamond surfacing placed

the gas within the machine. A lift

in ensuring that the diamond face

extreme demands on finishing and

mechanism, such as spiral grooves,

presented the necessary surface

polishing the diamond to meet the

Manufacturing Hurdles

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53

Seal Maintenance required metrology and geometric

confirmed that the production parts

specifications of a seal face. Surfaces

met the early results for friction and

were rough and had a high degree of

wear testing of parts manufactured on

waviness. Additional lapping of the

the smaller scale equipment.

diamond surface to achieve sealing could not be done cost-effectively due to the hardness of diamond.

Summary

Friction Testing

Consequently, many researchers abandoned the idea of using diamond

Friction plays an important part in the

as a surface for seals.

success or failure of a set of seal faces.

Not all materials make good seal faces.

The development of ultrananocrystalline Some materials have properties that

The development of ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) and the improvements

diamond (UNCD), though, generated

hold heat in the seal face, while others

in equipment and processes

renewed interest in diamondtreated

wear too much. Applying diamond

have resulted in an excellent

seal faces. The process demonstrated

to a seal face reduces both friction

that the base material could be treated

and wear. One of the best substrate

with diamond without changing its

materials for diamond is silicon carbide.

original flatness. This was a major

Silicon carbide and diamond have very

breakthrough in the manufacturing

similar material properties.

technology for diamond-structured surfaces. At last, diamond could be applied to a seal face without any further work to achieve the desired flatness for sealing fluids. Moreover,

material for seal faces. When applied to a base material such as silicon carbide that has been lapped flat, no further processing is required

Results of friction testing for UNCD on a SiC face are as follows:

to achieve a working seal face. Results in friction testing also have been excellent.

Carbon running against UNCD on silicon carbide Âľ = 0.07

UNCD shows promise when

as-deposited UNCD to have sufficient

Silicon carbide running against

carbide. Tests in hot water

smoothness so that it doesn’t degrade

UNCD on silicon carbide Âľ = 0.04

demonstrate no visible wear

UNCD, unlike other diamond films, has nanometer-scale roughness that allows

a soft counterface. In other words, UNCD works in both hard on hard and

The results for carbon versus UNCD on

hard on soft sealing applications.

silicon carbide were expected. This is a

run against carbon or silicon

occurring during the 100-hour tests. Untreated silicon carbide

Still, there was an additional obstacle to normal value for friction in seal design

failed to pass the hot-water

overcome. Work to this point was done work. The results for silicon carbide

test. Tests have shown that

to transfer this laboratory-scale process versus UNCD on silicon carbide were

diamondtreated seal faces will

to meet the demand of seal production. very good. When silicon carbide runs

improve seal performance.

New equipment and processes had

against itself without any diamond

to be designed to handle a larger

treatment, the coefficient of friction is

volume of seals at one time. Once this

greater than 0.1. For those applications

was done, the new equipment and

requiring hard-on-hard seal faces, the

processes had to be validated. Tests

application of a diamond-treated seal

were run on production parts and

face is a major improvement. Several

compared to those run on the smaller

groups of seal faces have been tested,

scale equipment. Continuous testing

resulting in the same friction values.

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EMS Magazine

EMS Magazine

55

The ‘Maintenance Crisis’ & Innovations That Are Changing It

By Ashley Halligan, an market analyst at a Web-based software comparison company.

Regularly reporting in the maintenance and facility management markets, I’ve built a few relationships with industry professionals and thought leaders. It was through a series of conversations with Joel Leonard, President of SkillTV, that I really started to ponder what he’s labeled the “Maintenance Crisis.”

This isn’t a new idea, per se, but essentially applies to the depletion of the skilled work force as baby boomers retire--but the significant challenge lies in attracting today’s youth to skilled labor positions because of the stigmas surrounding them.

The day we first talked at length about the ‘crisis,’ Leonard had just left Harley Davidson--and he said, “They have 4,500 manufacturing jobs personnel-and the average age is 55--and it’s one of the most legendary entities in the United States. If that’s not scary, I don’t know what is.”

A recent Minneapolis Star Tribune article reported that 72 percent of HR professionals labeled the pending baby boomer retirements as a problem their organizations must face.

Furthermore, a 2010 Pew Research study showed that every day for the next 19 years, 10,000 baby boomers will reach the 65-year mark. The Congressional Research Service shows that nearly 60-percent of maintenance roles are held by baby boomers.

With all of these figures, it makes perfect sense why Leonard refers to

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EMS Magazine

this as the “Maintenance Crisis.”

Turns out, though, many folks are creating some very innovative strategies to address--and hopefully overcome the crisis.

Some of these strategies include:

Leonard also addressed the misconception of females in the Starting Young workforce, “The current workforce Camps like Nuts, Bolts, & Thingamajigs is 5-percent female–why exclude an entire gender out of tradition? Women strive to achieve an interest in skilled can do many of these things better trades and “tinkering” in the nation’s youth. By doing this, it teaches hands- than some men.” on productivity and also raises interest Lastly, many maintenance companies that could lead to a prolonged interest are focusing on gamification and in creation. innovative training. Amy Earl, VP of Antech systems, said, “By Stirring Interest & Addressing simulating your equipment and Stigmas creating real-life scenarios in a game-based environment, you can Generally, people think two things: 1) reduce costly repairs or misuse of Maintenance jobs are dirty & 2) These machinery by 50%–like we did with are male-dominated roles. the fire extinguishing system on fighter jets. You can let your people “People have a perform incorrectly without costly or misconception that these dangerous consequences, and provide roles are dull, dumb, and remediation that shows them what they dreadful–involving mops, should have done. This helps them understand the repercussions of their buckets, and posterior actions.”

cleavage,” Leonard says.

“People don’t realize the technicalities, compensation opportunities, the innovativeness CMMS, and the job security that comes with these roles.”

Maintenance professionals like Nuts, Bolts, & Thingamajigs’ leaders, Leonard, and Antech are hoping these collective efforts will subdue the stigmas associated with skilled labored jobs, and create more interest in these maintenance positions.

OEE

Oee ‘Waterfall’ Reports Making Production ‘Added Value’ Visible Ask production staff how well the morning run has gone and the conversation could go one of several ways. “It was OK, we managed to get the order out” or “It was terrible, everything that could go wrong went wrong” Neither are particularly helpful to a maintenance or continuous improvement team trying to get to the facts to assess what really needs to be done.

The seemingly positive”OK” response could easily be hiding a multitude of problems, the production team may have managed to meet the order demand, but at what cost? I remember talking to one first line manager who felt the first six hours of the shift has been OK but had not realised 90 minutes had been lost through a variety of speed losses and stoppages. 90 minutes lost in six hours is probably not ‘OK’ by most measures.

The “everything went wrong” comment is probably worse, “it’s making a funny noise” doesn’t really help the maintenance team when they arrive, especially when the noise has already stopped, but I suppose it’s a start.

Step forward a new reporting technique that’s been around for years in various guises, the ‘Waterfall’. When the technique is applied to OEE it becomes a consistent and user friendly way of showing the real impact of production performance. A waterfall might appear to be an unusual model on which to base an OEE production report but when the object of the exercise is to

reduce wasted time in the production process it’s a good way to visualise how well (or how badly) things are working.

The Waterfall Graph below illustrates the process (page 58): Total Time - the reporting period in this case 168 hours, a single week

Alan France, Operations Director of Idhammar Systems, has extensive experience in lean manufacturing with a background that includes several years as Engineering Systems Manager

No Work Scheduled - the time the plant does not operate, i.e. during the weekend, so we schedule ‘off’ 64 hours

for the largest food company in Europe. A systems specialist, he now consults on the importance of underpinning lean initiatives

Scheduled Time - our production aspiration, the time we intend to run the plant to fulfil the order demand, in this case 104 hours

with realistic targets and sound metrics.

Contact him by e-mail, alan. france@idhammarsystems.com ,

OEE Loss - now the problems start, the value in red represents total losses as defined by the OEE measurement standard, in this case 72 hours

or visit www.idhammarsystems. com for more on CMMS and OEE software.

For more information on CMMS

‘A’ or Availability Losses - are the next element as the waterfall report cascades downwards, that loss comprises two parts, 33 hours due to

and OEE Systems visit: www.idhammarsystems.com

EMS Magazine

57

OEE

•

Record progress and meet weekly to monitor resolution

•

React to a lack of progress and provide additional support to the person accountable as required

•

Don’t change direction when things get tough, or change the system

• Availability losses such as breakdowns, no staff or no materials and 5 hours (in yellow) due to changeovers.

Changeovers are often the largest production loss so have a colour and element to themselves.

‘P’ or Performance Losses - come next at 33 hours, performance losses would be due to ramp up, minor stops, ramp down and other speed losses.

‘Q’ or Quality Losses - in this case 2 hours Losses could be due to rejects or in fact anything that is not fit for sale or right first time.

‘Value Added Time’ the true point of the exercise, our production aspiration was 104 hours but we managed to add value to the business for just 32 hours

review it in each shift or each two hour period.

Only be satisfied with a 100 year fix, make sure the problem goes away for good

A useful technique I have seen used to very good effect in many campaign rooms is to adopt this pattern for each improvement task: •

Agree a blame amnesty; it’s not about fault it’s about resolution

•

Create a top 5 or top 10 loss wall in the CI campaign room

•

Take a series of

Just keep in mind the effect of a low ‘added value’ score. In the illustration above the factory has funded the assets, labour, materials and energy costs to the tune of 104 hours but has only gained 32 hours of effective production output (fit for sale) in return.

It’s sobering to consider that virtually every improvement that increases that value of 32 hours either reduces the loss or goes straight to the bottom line as profit.

photographs of the loss to be improved •

Take a photograph of the person accountable for that improvement

Once that base line of ‘value added time’ is generating by the capture of accurate information a culture of improvement can be created. Each element that makes up availability, performance and quality can be allocated to groups or individuals as targets for improve. Those elements and the value added time total can be reviewed frequently, at least weekly, but to make real progress, you should

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EMS Magazine

•

Show the position of that loss by generating a graph of top 5 or top 10 losses

•

Generate a graph for the specific loss over time, usually thirteen weeks

•

Document an improvement plan of action to resolve the issue

Alan France, Operations Director of Idhammar Systems

EMS Magazine

59

Energy Management

Latest Analytical Technology Ensures Biogas Efficiency Anaerobic Digestion (AD) relies on the ability of

Introduction

specific micro-organisms to convert organic material

In 2009, renewable energy accounted

into a gas that can be used to generate electricity.

However, the UK Government has

However, these bacteria require specific conditions if

15% by 2020 as part of its strategy to

they are to function effectively and instrumentation

for just 3% of the UK’s energy supply. a target to raise this contribution to fight climate change. Along with wind, solar and various other sources of

specialist company HACH LANGE has developed a

renewable energy, AD has an important

range of online, portable and laboratory instruments

the renewable energy target whilst

that have enabled a large number of AD plants to

organic waste.

maximise efficiency and prevent the risk of failure.

role to perform in helping to achieve also helping with the management of

Biogas is generated in large anaerobic digesters; air tight tanks in which bacterial digestion takes place in the absence of oxygen. Biogas is a combination of Methane, Carbon Dioxide and many other gases in trace amounts, which can be burnt to produce electricity, and then transported to the National Grid.

Alternatively it can be further processed and refined to around 100% methane and injected into the national gas grid.

The remnant digestate can be used for a variety of purposes such as a nutritional additive to crops on arable land, much in the way manure is used, or as a landfill restoration material.

There are two types of biogas plants, determined by the substrate they use; co-fermentation plants and renewable raw material fermentation plants. In co-fermentation plants, substrates of non-renewable raw materials EMS Magazine

61

Energy Management are used, such as residues from fat separators, food residues, flotation oil, industrial waste products (glycerol or oil sludge) and domestic organic waste.

Renewable raw material fermentation plants utilise materials such as maize, grass, complete cereal plants and grains, sometimes together with manure slurry.

Process monitoring instruments used across the fermentation cycle allow operators to constantly supervise the anaerobic digestion rate and biogas production. ranges of around 35 to 40 DegC and

and the values generated enable the

between 54 to approximately 57 DegC. system supervisor to identify potential

The Need For Testing And Monitoring

The specific nature of the microbial

process problems such as the

environment inside the digesters must

imminent inversion of digester biology,

be maintained throughout fermentation

so that countermeasures can be

to increase production and avoid

initiated. The FOS stands for Fl체chtige

Efficiency is vital to the success of

inactivation of the highly responsive

Organische S채uren, i.e. volatile organic

a biogas production plant; bacteria

bacteria.

acids while TAC stands for Totales

require optimum conditions to

Monitoring Equipment

Anorganisches Carbonat, i.e. total

effectively produce biogas from the digestion of organic matter. Plant

inorganic carbonate (alkaline buffer capacity).

operators therefore have a strong

HACH LANGE provides portable,

interest in the efficiency of their biogas

laboratory and online monitoring

To measure the FOS/TAC ratio with

plant and the activity of the bacteria.

systems that facilitate examination

the TIM 840 titrator, 5ml of sample is

Consequently these production

at key points within the fermentation

added to a titration beaker containing

plants require reliable, on-site analysis

process, including eluate analysis,

a follower bar. 50ml of distilled water

in combination with continuously

where the substrate is fed into the

is then added and the measurement

operating process instruments.

digester, but also within the digester

is started. The addition of reagents is

Loading excessive levels of biomass

itself. Online process analysis

then conducted automatically by the

into a digester may have severe

instrumentation can be employed

titrator which saves operator time and

economic consequences and could

to continuously maintain optimum

reduces the potential for human error.

potentially lead to biomass inactivation

conditions within the biogas plant and/

After about 5 minutes the TAC and

and necessitate a cost-intensive

or samples can be collected regularly

FOS values are calculated automatically

restart. Conversely, under-loading

for analysis.

using a pre-programmed formula.

a biomass digester could also have

All measured values can be stored in

financial implications, because less

Different analytical instruments

the autotitrator and/or sent to a printer

electricity is produced and potential

are required for different stages of

or PC.

revenue is lost. Substrate amounts

the fermentation process: at the

must be tailored to achieve the

substrate entry point; within the main

The FOS/TAC ratio provides an

optimum rate of bacterial digestion.

digester; in post-fermentation tanks

indication of the acidification of the

and to continuously monitor biogas

fermenter, which is an important

production.

measurement because a low acid

The degradation process which occurs within the biogas plant digesters

content demonstrates that the rate of

does so in a highly sensitive microbial

One of the most important

bacterial digestion is not high enough.

environment. The digesting, methane-

measurements for assessing

Conversely, too high an acid content

producing bacteria, for example,

fermentation progress is known as the

means bacterial digestion is exceeding

are highly temperature sensitive and

FOS/TAC ratio. This is determined by

required levels, due to an overloading

most active within the temperature

the HACH LANGE TIM 840 Titrator,

of substrate.

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EMS Magazine

Energy Management

The Reliance Street plant utilises biogas to generate electricity and the residue from the AD process can be defined as a product rather than a waste because it complies with the BSI PAS110 Quality Protocol for Anaerobic Digestate (partly as a result of the monitoring that is undertaken). This product is termed ‘compost-like output’ (CLO) and can be landfilled, used as a landfill cover, or spread on previously developed land to improve that land. However, CLO cannot currently be applied to Case Study: Viridor’s Resource Recovery Facilities

agricultural land used for growing food or fodder crops.

in Reliance Street, Newton Heath, Manchester and Bredbury, Stockport.

At the Resource Recovery facilities which incorporate

Summary

AD plants the feedstock is derived from domestic waste collections – the ‘black bag’ portion that would

The HACH LANGE test and monitoring

otherwise be destined for landfill. Pre-sorting removes

equipment enables the operators of

plastics, metals and glass, after which the waste is pulverised to produce a slurry that is passed to the AD

AD plants to ensure that the bacteria

plant. This slurry contains the organic fraction that is

are provided with optimum conditions

processed to produce biogas.

so that biogas production is as

Steve Ivanec is responsible for ensuring that the pant operates to optimal efficiency. He says “Monitoring

efficient as possible. As a result, less

is extremely important at this plant because of the

waste is sent for landfill and renewable

variability of the feedstock - the organic content can

energy is generated efficiently. This

fluctuate from one day to another, so we have to be able to respond very quickly.”

ensures the best possible return on investment and by reducing the use of

Steve’s team uses HACH LANGE instruments to closely monitor the entire process and to ensure that the plant’s bacteria are provided with optimal conditions.

fossil fuels for power generation, helps in the fight against climate change.

These tests include chloride, pH, alkalinity and volatile fatty acids; the ratio of the latter two being the same as the FOS/TAC ratio, which is determined by a HACH LANGE TIM Biogas titrator. In addition, samples are

HACH LANGE LTD

taken from the feed, the digesters and the effluent

Pacific Way, Salford, Manchester. M50 1DL

to monitor ammonia and COD with a HACH LANGE

Tel +44(0)161 872 1487,

spectrophotometer. This data is essential to ensure compliance with the plant’s discharge consent.

Fax +44(0)161 848 7324 info@hach-lange.co.uk www.hach-lange.co.uk

EMS Magazine

63

Alarm Management

Processvue Improves Alarm Management And Mean-Time-To-Repair At Drax Power Station quickly identify the sequence of events

By implementing M.A.C Solutions’ ProcessVue alarm management and printer replacement software at Drax Power Station, Selby, North Yorkshire, engineers at Drax Power Limited (“Drax”) now have the ability to identify alarm trends more easily and quickly and to analyse the causes of plant upsets, should any occur, including the sequence of events (SOEs) leading up to a loss of production.

that lead up to a plant upset or loss of production. By adapting ProcessVue to our requirements, M.A.C Solutions has also helped to de-skill our alarm management processes so that our front-end users can access the information they require quickly and easily. ProcessVue has become indispensable to our operations.”

ProcessVueTM is a suite of software from M.A.C Solutions that provides clear, relevant and prioritised information to plant operators, supervisors and managers, enabling them to make better-informed decisions about their processes and plant safety. The software combines the latest communication, data logging and reporting technologies with more than 20 years’ experience in design and implementation of Alarm Management and Printer Replacement software. ProcessVue can be used as a standalone application or to bring together multiple disparate systems

George Eccleston, Lead Control and

systems provide plant operators with

Instrumentation Engineer at Drax

real time alarm handling capability.

states: “Introducing ProcessVue to

M.A.C Solutions has supported us

Like all products from M.A.C Solutions,

the power station has been a gradual

every step of the way, adapting and

ProcessVueTM is based on open

process over the last year or so. We

tuning ProcessVue to exactly meet our

technologies. The software uses the

have 11 SCADA systems across site.

bespoke requirements.”

latest .net technology from Microsoft,

Six of these SCADA systems look after

onto one common platform.

ensuring compatibility with customers’

the six steam turbine generators, two

George Eccleston works in the

existing and future operating systems.

are associated with water treatment

Production Department at Drax, which

ProcessVueTM uses the industry

and common site services, and the

includes 12 control and instrumentation standard SQL database, TCP/IP

remaining three are within our materials

engineers. He adds: “ProcessVue has

system architecture and the latest Ajax

handling processes. All of the SCADA

been absolutely critical in helping us to

‘Zero Footprint’ web-based clients.

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Alarm Management

ProcessVue’s architecture is designed to enable interfacing with almost any control system, bringing all data into

“Introducing ProcessVue to the power station has been a gradual process over the last year or so. We have

a standard configurable format. This

11 SCADA systems across site. Six of these SCADA

allows simple Operator Sequence of

systems look after the six steam turbine generators,

Event [SOE] display and high level

two are associated with water treatment and common

KPI reporting and analysis. These

site services, and the remaining three are within our

disparate systems might include SCADA systems, Distributed Control Systems, emergency shutdown, fire

materials handling processes. All of the SCADA systems provide plant operators with real time alarm handling

control, buildings management or

capability. M.A.C Solutions has supported us every step

any system that can output data in

of the way, adapting and tuning ProcessVue to exactly

an ASCII format. With ProcessVue, all

meet our bespoke requirements.”

alarm sources are put into a standard, open format so that operators can view the KPIs without anyone having to write that need to be recorded, as well as

complete transparency of information

safety-critical processes that need

and the fact that our dependency on

monitoring and managing in terms of

ProcessVue at Drax Power

paper-based systems and reporting

process alarms.

has disappeared.”

Drax Power Station runs on various

“ProcessVue is one of the key tools

“If the plant has a trip on a safety-

complex code.

DCS system (five different technologies) enabling root cause analysis of events

critical system such as the level

linked to eight separate SCADA

at the power station, thereby helping

monitoring of boiler water, this needs

systems, which handle all process

us to investigate and report on these

to be recorded for audit and reporting

data and more than 70,000 separate

events to senior management and

purposes. All safety-critical processes

alarms. As George Eccleston states:

other parts of our organisation.”

at Selby are monitored and recorded

“Prior to implementing ProcessVue,

using ProcessVue.

the alarms coming from our SCADA

He continues: “Drax prides itself

system were very detailed and did not

on maintaining high availability and

“ProcessVue can be interrogated to

offer a concise message to our Process reliability of the power station. Loss of

give all alarm occurrences between,

Engineers. We therefore wanted

production time could be costly and

say, 01.00 and 02.00 on that day and

software that would better manage

we have set ourselves a long term

then analyse the results. Back in the

the structure of the alarm message by

target for managing any reduction in

1990s, we had around 20 line printers,

parsing it and then sending the new,

plant availability, excluding planned

which ran continuously, churning out

reconstructed message out to our SOE outages. Knowing that our engineers

alarm reports, which were only ever

web clients [which were installed by

can rectify any issues that arise as

read if there was a problem. Obviously,

M.A.C Solutions in January 2010].

quickly as possible is essential, and

reading these types of reports was very

since implementing ProcessVue

time consuming and it was difficult to

“It is critical that our IT systems

we have significantly improved our

spot trends or key events in the data,

enable us to access process data and

mean-time-to-repair critical items

the technology could also make the

alarms quickly and easily. We have

of plant and equipment. In addition,

whole system unreliable.

literally thousands of events each day

we are also benefiting from having

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65

Alarm Management including event reporting, frequency

George Eccleston continues:

Features within

analysis, standing and chattering

“ProcessVue helps us to identify

ProcessVueTM

alarm reporting, operator response

any nuisance alarms, for example,

times, and customised reporting.

chattering events, which can then be

include advanced KPI

The Analyser Web Client enables the

targeted for rectification or repair, as

reporting based on

presentation of EEMUA alarm-based

these can often hide genuine alarms.

EEMUA 191 guidelines;

KPIs through dashboards.

If the software didn’t help to do this,

alarm rationalisation (locating ‘bad actors’ and ‘nuisance alarms’);

Software to EEMUA 191 Guidelines

the risk is that key events could be hidden within a nuisance alarm flood or shower. Since October 2011 when Analyser was officially released here,

A properly managed alarm system

the software has enabled us to identify

is now a critical, integral part of any

these nuisance alarms, which in turn

production or process manufacturing

has reduced alarm load significantly

facility. Since its establishment in 1991,

and to shelve those alarms in a

benchmarking; alarm and

EEMUA 191 has become the globally

practical logical way.”

event analysis; and alarm

accepted standard for good practice

Sequence of Event and real time display in web browser; alarm system

and event archiving.

alarm management. ProcessVueTM

ProcessVueTM is also being used by

reporting is based on EEMUA 191

other major UK-based nuclear and

guidelines.

energy utility companies. As Jason Cook, ProcessVue Sales Engineer at

“Phase One implementation of Alarm Management at Drax was all about

To establish an alarm management

M.A.C Solutions states: “Companies

moving towards a paperless system

system based on these guidelines

such as Drax are very keen to improve

by installing printer replacement

or to ascertain if a current system

their alarm management with a view to

software, which we did with M.A.C

is operating effectively and within

making more informed decisions about

Solutions’ help. Phase Two focused

the guidelines, alarm data must be

their plant and processes in terms of

on retrieving the data, receiving the alarms and recording this information

collected and analysed on a continuous KPIs and employee health & safety.

How a power station manages and basis. Just collecting this data can be

on a PC-based system. Phase Three

a challenge in itself. Bringing this data

reacts to critical process alarms could

is where we are now, with the ability

into a usable format for control room

save plant and even lives and this is

to recognise different types of alarm

operators and reporting on this data

where ProcessVue really comes into its

messages and to sort these into a

to Alarm Managers are two critical

own.”

database using standard Microsoft

functions.

SQL tools. What comes next is moving towards automating these reports and

Features within ProcessVueTM

analysing the data.”

include advanced KPI reporting based on EEMUA 191 guidelines; alarm

For more information on ProcessVue, visit the website

In May 2011, M.A.C Solutions began

rationalisation (locating ‘bad actors’

at www.ProcessVue.com or

implementing the ProcessVue Analyser

and ‘nuisance alarms’); Sequence of

telephone 01527 592999, or

software module at Drax. ProcessVue

Event and real time display in web

Analyser is a business intelligence

browser; alarm system benchmarking;

software module, which offers a wide

alarm and event analysis; and alarm

range of high level reporting features,

and event archiving.

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email sales@mac-solutions.co.uk

Thermal Imaging

Laser Safety Assured With Flir Compact Camera The safe use of lasers is generally assured by OEM design and health & safety protocols. But lasers in a research and development environment can present a greater danger both from a personal safety point of view and also as a fire risk.

For this reason, the University of Glasgow has invested in a FLIR i7 thermal imaging camera to protect researchers in its terahertz infrared laser laboratory.

The terahertz region of the electromagnetic spectrum is one of the least explored but shows great potential for application in fields of science, security and medicine. The aim of this research project is therefore to develop a terahertz imaging system that can be used effectively across all these disciplines.

In line with the Class IV classification of the laser, University personnel wear safety goggles to protect their eyes. But eye safety isn’t the only consideration. If the infrared beam were to hit clothing or skin, it could cause serious damage despite its non-ionizing characteristic.

“So I always scan the entire area with

affordability and performance. And although its microbolometer detector is not especially designed to detect infrared radiation in the terahertz wavelength, it is ideal for detecting any increase in temperature that results from the beam hitting an object or surface.”

Aligning optical equipment In order to set the terahertz infrared laser beam on-target, Yong Ma uses a variety of infrared lenses and mirrors but the process can be challenging.

Historically the laboratory used thermal paper to detect beam projection. This discolours when it becomes warm but it is a method that is far from being efficient.

our FLIR i7 thermal imaging camera to detect any beams that are projected in the wrong direction,” explained Yong Ma, Research Assistant at the Microsystem Technology Group, in the School of Engineering at Glasgow University.

Detecting infrared beams is not, however, the only application for this compact camera. It is also used to ensure wider safety in the laboratory by monitoring electrical equipment to detect any fault that may lead to overheating and fire. Gas valves, tubes and tanks are also subject to regular thermal inspection.

Yong Ma continues: “We use the FLIR i7 because it has a good balance of

Yong Ma concludes: “With the FLIR i7 the process is greatly improved.

The camera allows me to detect the infrared beams efficiently, so set-up is now more reliable and accomplished much quicker.”

The FLIR i7 is a top-of-the-range model in the FLIR entry-level series of thermal imaging cameras providing the user with relatively advanced features and performance. The latest generation of the product features a 140 x 140 pixel array - providing an increased image quality of 36% against its forerunner - and also a wider field of view. It is also much more robust and able to withstand a 2m drop test onto a hard surface without any detrimental effect.

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Oil Analysis

Oil Analysis Services Monition’s Oil Analysis Service and Lab facility offers our customers both professional and highly technical service with the support of the companies Reliability and performance improvement arm.

This combination ensures our customers are provided with support from our chemists and leading engineers in reliability improvement.

Providing easy to understand reports with direct comment on the state of machinery and action required along with the state of the remaining oil. This leads to quick and decisive decision making and gives the confidence to our customers to act.

The service is also backed up with direct access to the lab staff and engineers to discuss oil reports or proposed action once received back

at site; in short we work in partnership and become your “technical” centre for lubrication and performance improvement.

Standard Laboratory Testing Process includes: • ICP AES (Inductively Coupled Plasma, Atomic Emission Spectroscopy) Elemental Analysis • Viscosity (Kinematic viscosity at 40°C and/or 100°C) • FW (Ferrous Wear Index) • Water Content • TIM (Total Insoluble Matter) (A measure of Soot and oxidation

• • • • • •

products) Soot Dielectric analysis of Chemical Index and Contamination TAN (Total Acid Number) TBN (Total Base Number) Infra-red Plus, Advanced and performance testing Included For additional information telephone Monition on 01909 722000 Alternatively you can email us at sales@monition.com

Detection Instruments

The First Step Towards Protection 3M to host free webinar guide to detection instruments in the workplace Diversified technology company 3M is to host a free interactive webinar on detection instruments in the workplace.

Taking place on Wednesday 20 June at 12.00pm, it is the latest in the ‘safety spotlight’ series of free webinars that 3M is hosting throughout 2012.

Technical engineer Sarah Broadbent of the 3M Safety Solutions Division will lead the webinar, giving a brief overview of when to conduct personal and environmental monitoring tests and explaining the various types and relevancy of detection equipment available. She will also provide a practical guide to using detection equipment, interpreting results and how to use the results to implement appropriate safety controls.

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EMS Magazine

Sarah explains: “Detecting potential hazards in the workplace is an essential part of a health and safety strategy – only by understanding the nature and level of the hazard can you adequately put control measures, like Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), in place to ensure workers are protected.

“There is a wide range of detection instruments on the market and therefore education on which tool is correct for the environment and application is crucial. This webinar will provide a step-by-step guide to the role of detection and its importance, what equipment is available and how to use it.”

To register for the webinar, go to www.3M.co.uk/ohes/speakerseries.

All you need to join is a telephone and internet access.

For more details on the full range of Safety Solutions available from 3M, visit www.3M.co.uk/ohes or call 0870 60 800 60 in the UK or 1 800 320 500 (Ireland).

New Atlas Copco Gx 7Ep Compressor Provides Competitive Reliable Oil-Injected Screw Technology Atlas Copco has expanded its GX 2-5EP (2.25.5kW) oil-injected screw compressor range with the introduction of the new GX 7EP compressor.

The new 7.5 kW/10 hp compressor

reliability of Atlas Copco’s oil-injected

combines reliability with high efficiency,

screw element, in addition to low

and is capable of providing capacities

energy consumption and a reduced

of 14 L/Sec at a 10 bar working

carbon footprint. The compressor also

pressure. Ideal for small industries and

offers higher efficiency when compared

automotive users, the GX 7EP is simple to a piston compressor, as well as in control and operation, representing

much lower noise emissions. Moreover,

an economical solution for companies

load/unload regulation, provides

seeking to invest in reliable oil-injected

efficient regulation of the compressor

screw technology.

output.

Proven screw technology for any workshop

The compact design allows for easy installation into the workplace.

With the new GX 7EP compressor, users with a low compressed air demand are able to benefit from the

GX family has a dual offer for 7.5 kW, catering for different applications.

The existing GX 7-11 range offers higher flows (16 to 27 l/s), different pressure variants (7.5, 10 and 13 bar) and the Elektronikon® control system. This makes the larger range of oil-injected screw compressors ideal

GX compressors discharge their

for applications demanding larger flows

cooling air from the top, which allows

and longer duty cycles.

for installation against a wall or in a corner. The GX 7EP is available in tank and floor mounted variants and also as

Economical, reliable and compact oil-injected screw technology

a space-saving Full

The new model adds a 14 l/s variant

Feature variant, with an

to the range. With the benefits of a

integrated refrigerant

compact design, load/unload regulation

dryer that will benefit

and Atlas Copco’s proven oil-injected

small workshops by

screw element, the new GX 7EP

saving installation

compressor brings economical, reliable

work and costs while

compressed air to small industries and

delivering cool clean dry

workshops.

compressed air Dual offer at 7 kW With the new GX 7EP in the newly expanded GX 2-7EP range, the

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EMS Magazine

Telephone: 0800 181085 E-mail: gba.info@uk.atlascopco.com Website: www.atlascopco.co.uk

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