February 02, 2006 Vibration Analysis Tip
To help justify your vibration analysis program, try providing your machinery’ health in a report.
Print out a statistical report showing how many pieces of equipment are within acceptable limits versus how many are outside acceptable limits. Often, you think management only wants to see the bad equipment, but one of the major benefits is showing a problem in its infancy, before the failure.
Tip provided by LUDECA, INC.
ALIGNMENT * VIBRATION * BALANCING
http://www.ludeca.com
Tel: 305-591-8935
Request Condition Monitoring Return On Investment Study for your facility
February 02, 2006 Motor Testing Testing
Is it the motor, or is it the load that is causing the problem?
Sometimes, when everything is said and done, more is said than done. This happens, if the motor-load application shows behavior that “is not right”, but the mechanical and electrical team are scratching their heads on the true root cause.
How to stop the finger pointing from the mechanical team pointing at the motor team and the electrical team pointing at the load?
The motor’s job is to deliver whatever torque the load is requesting. The job of every motor is very simple. Either it manages to spin at close to synchronous speed, or it dies trying. The motor has to deliver whatever is requested by the load. The load defines how much torque, and what type of torque is used by the mechanical system (steady State, oscillating, showing cavitations, etc).
So, how do you separate motor problems from load problems? Just check the signature of the torque. If it looks ok (example: smooth for pumps and fans), then the load is ok, and the culprit has to be the motor. If it shows some unexplained behavior – too high or a strange signature – then the problems must be on the load side.
Tip provided by Baker Instrument
Tel: (800) 752-8272
http://www.bakerinst.com
February 02, 2006 Save Dirt and Water For Playtime
Keep your equipment clean and dry with Des-Case fluid handling systems.
Des-Case’s FlowGuard™ hand cart makes fluid handling a simple task, requiring less equipment and labor while reducing system contamination.
Our filtration products, with the use of our quick
connect adaptors, make your job safer, easier,
and cleaner. By prohibiting entry of dirt and moisture,
your equipment and lubricants can run longer and harder.
email:
Tel: 615.672.8800
February 02, 2006 Oil Analysis Tip
EAM-2006/RCM-2006 Maintenance-Tip Challenge 3rd Place Winner
EGR Engines, is there a solution?
For those of you that don’t quite understand what an EGR diesel engine is.
EGR stands for Exhaust Gas Recirculation.
These engines are now being used in many late models, over the road applications including. Caterpillar, Cummins and Detroit.
Their primary function is to reduce emissions by recirculating exhaust gases one more pass through the combustion cycle.
However, this also has a major impact on soot levels.
Higher than normal soot readings are now becoming a factor, as many oil analysis labs are recommending to drain crankcase oils at much shorter intervals. LubeTrak is all about solutions for lubrication, and this particular problem is no exception. Because this is a growing epidemic for larger fleets, and in the end, may cost all of us more to get our goods delivered, we have compiled some recommendations to reduce expensive oil changes and help the environment at the same time. These suggestions also apply to construction fleet managers as well.
First, we recommend the use of HIGH quality motor oil. Not just oil that you ‘get a good deal’ on. Using oils not designed for increased soot loads will cost you more in the long run than an oil with a higher TBN that meets or exceeds (API) CD CDII, CE, CF4, CG4, SD, SE, MIL-L-2104B, CID AA 52039.
There are many quality oils to choose from. Be sure to choose one that fits your needs and application. Buyer beware, many diesel oils DO NOT meet ALL the (API) codes listed above.
Second, Your oil must have a superior viscosity index. One that will handle the higher temperatures. When we tested (ASTM D-446) viscosity @ 210 degrees F, some oils come in at 80.0. This was very acceptable for larger diesel applications, however some of the oils tested were much higher because of the soot buildup from the new style EGR engine. We noticed this oil DID NOT have the CID-AA or CE rating. Your viscosity rating @ 100 degrees C, cSt, typically should run between 14.4 and 15.6 on oils for this application.
Third, Quality diesel fuel is a BIG factor when running a diesel engine. It approximately takes 18,200 Btu’s (British Thermal Units) to burn a pound of diesel. Anything less. and your engine does not get a complete burn through its compression stroke. This leaves behind carbon that affects the engine components and the engine oil creating an increasing buildup of soot. Our tests concluded, that running a combustion catalyst in the fuel, increased the Btu’s to between 18,200 and 19,400 per pound. This has a major impact on reducing soot levels by getting a more complete burn. Also, water is your worse enemy when it comes to diesel fuel. Water will make a sulfuric acid when mixed with diesel fuel causing catastrophic failure to any diesel engine.
Last of all, purchasing quality filters of at least 20 micron or lower will cause the, now larger soot particulates, to adhere to the filtering media.
When getting into the lower number micron filters, it may be possible to run an off-line filtration system to reduce fuel soot build up and keep the contaminates to a minimum. This will allow oil to be ‘double filtered’ and strip out any of the smaller contaminates.
So in conclusion, this will also allow you to reach the longer oil drain intervals that you were once used to with the older style engines. The added benefit is longer engine and equipment life. These 4 steps above have been proven to help enterprises running EGR engines reach their maintenance goals.
Winning tip provided by Brett Winberg
LubeTrak
Tel: 866-582-3872
February 02, 2006 Ultrasonic Tip
SCAN 360° WHEN SCANNING OVERHEAD ELECTRICAL LINES FOR ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE
Do a 360° walk around the tower or power pole, when scanning overhead lines for electrical discharge.
Wind direction can play a role as to whether or not electrical discharge can be heard. Standing downwind and pointing the parabolic dish or long range cone upwind towards the apparatus, transformer or switch typically yields higher dB’s or sound by which to diagnose a problem.
Tip provided by Jim Hall
Ultra-Sound Technologies
Tel: (770) 517-8747
February 02, 2006 National Plant Engineering & Maintenance Show and Conference
Reliabilityweb.com is pleased to again sponsor the Reliability Pavilion March 21-23 at the Rosemont Convention Center in Chicago as part of the National Plant Engineering & Maintenance Show.
The 58th National Plant Engineering & Maintenance Show and Conference is the only event for MRO professionals and operations executives from across the country responsible for the maintenance, reliability and compliance of industrial and institutional facilities through new ideas and products for HVAC, material handling, software & computers, safety & security, tools, paints/coatings, lighting, flooring, cleaning technologies, environmental technologies and maintenance. Thousands from the US manufacturing community, especially small to mid-size manufacturers, come together for in-depth education and exhibits which provide the knowledge and insight necessary to innovate, grow and compete in the global marketplace.
Connects with the leading suppliers, focused product pavilions, and a leading application oriented conference with more than 250 all new sessions and workshops – all engineered to help you innovate, work smarter and excel.
February 02, 2006 Alignment Tip
EAM-2006/RCM-2006 Maintenance-Tips Challenge 3rd Place Winner
After having gone through the proper prealignment checks, recurring alignment problems can usually be traced to the concrete plinth or base. This is one of the most ignored sources of shaft alignment problems and, is very seldom considered when troubleshooting. If a new concrete base is to be poured, the wooden shutters must be strongly made and a jig made to locate the hold-down J-bolts accurately to avoid bolt binding later on when the baseplate is set. During the pouring of the concrete, the mixture must be vibrated to avoid water and air pockets forming. Because of the exothermic reaction during the curing period, the heat generated must be dissipated by placing wet gunny sacks over the concrete surface until the concrete cures.
The same precautions must be observed when pouring grout into the base plate. The generated heat can, and will distort the level of the base plate and it will become a constant problem. When the concrete foundation has set, check its natural frequency with a vibration analyzer and log the frequency reading. This can be a hidden source of resonance if the rotating component is operating at the same frequency. This is a more common problem than is generally realized.
Tip provided by John C. Robertson
AMSCO Inc.
Simpsonville South Carolina
February 02, 2006 CMMS Tip
EAM-2006/RCM-2006 Maintenance-Tips Challenge 3rd Place Winner
GETTING TIME AND HISTORY INTO THE CMMS
If you are struggling with getting technicians to enter their time and history into the CMMS create a weekly metric.
The CMMS will allow you to extract time data for the week. Show by Crew the amount of time entered for the work week compared to how much time should have been entered and supplement the metric with a detailed report of who entered time and how much time he/she entered.
Next, generate a weekly report identifying work orders that were closed without history comments. The CMMS reports will look for closed work orders where the history field is null. A detailed report showing the work order number is needed so they can go back and enter history.
Distribute the reports and metrics to the right people, at a minimum – the CMMS champion (this is the person(s) who work hardest to get the CMMS in place and probably has a great deal of influence and concern of the program’s success), the technicians’ supervisor, perhaps general manager or person who oversees supervision and most importantly to all the technicians. Distribution via email is fine but posting on a metrics board will work also. The supervisor must be given a hard copy. Be sure to include the distribution list with all reports/metrics.
Tip provided by David A Martin CMRP, Maintenance Coordinator, LOOP LLC
Cut Off, LA
