- Effective service factor is defined as %Load divided by %NEMA derating

- % Nema derating is the total derating caused by poor Power Condition

Effective service factor is one of two tests performed in the Motor Performance domain of Baker Instrument Companies Explorer 3000. Motors are designed to operate with a maximal thermal stress. Operating at temperatures higher than that reduces the life of the motor very abruptly. Insulation failure is imminent if the motor is operated under temperatures that are too high.

The most frequently encountered scenario for thermal overloading are due to either Load, or a combination of Load with Power Condition. The question to be asked in this case is whether the load to the motor is sufficiently low so that the poor power condition does not affect the healthy operation of the motor. For such cases, NEMA has published derating curves for unbalance and for harmonic content cases.

Key issues to Effective service factor:

Effective service factor problems are frequently a combination of up-stream and down-stream issues.

Power Condition, Load, and/or Motor Condition components can play a role.

Effective service factor problems rarely affect the whole voltage bus.

Solving Effective service factor problems: (Here it is important to understand where the root cause of the problem is located) If the condition is created mainly due to over load, then the operation of the motor has to be changed. If the condition is caused by the Power Condition, then the power quality of the supply has to be enhanced.

Mitigation of Effective service factor problems is possible, by managing the thermal issues identified. Additional chilling, or force cooling of the motor are measures that can bring the motor’s operating temperature back into the design limits, without requiring to change the load or power conditions.

These types of measures will raise the life expectancy of the motor back into acceptable levels.

Tip provided by Baker Instrument Company,
an SKF Group Company
Tel: +1 (970) 282-1200
http://www.bakerinst.com

Join the Motor Testing Special Interest Group at Maintenance.org

Understand the Constraints of Your Problem

The role of management to change the way a business is managed, not to manage it day-to-day. That means improving systems, processes and skills on an ongoing basis.

This activity, of course, involves optimization. Optimization is what managers do; optimization is about solving problems by trading off choices to achieve the best outcome. It is a key means for companies to improve their operations.

In mathematics and operations research there is both constrained and unconstrained optimization. However, in management, from a practical perspective, all problems are constrained, as there is only so much resource, money and time to apply to the solution.

Just where you draw the line in terms of the constraints to your optimization has a significant impact on the suitability and longevity of the solution you achieve.

Tip provided by Phillip Slater
Initiate Action
Australia phone: +61 3 9331 3181
USA and Canada call: (800) 581 7678
http://www.InitiateAction.com

iPresentation invitation: The Optimization Trap

May 6-8, 2008
Knoxville Marriott
Knoxville, Tennessee

Conference Presentations Include:

• ArcelorMittal Tubular Products’ Journey to Operational Excellence: How Two Plants with Different Business Challenges Adopt Optimized Asset Performance as a Common Strategy – Scotty McLean, ArcelorMittal Tubular Products / Al Weber, Ivara Corporation

• Maintenance and Reliability Indicators in Parenteral Manufacturing Plant – Carlos Velez, Wyeth Pharmaceutical, Carolina P.R.

• Improved Reliability at DCP Midstream – Kent Christopherson, DCP Midstream

• The Statistical Outliers are in Control of Asset Management – Tom Carroll, NetJets, Inc.

• Turning Corporate Asset Management into Real Earnings Per Share Growth – Robert DiStefano, MRG

• Is Your Control Room Data What You Think It Is? – Ray Beebe, Monash University

• Maximizing Maintenance Engineering Return on Investment – Bob Walker, Arnold AFB

• Turning a Dreaded CMMS Upgrade into a Maintenance Process Improvement – Edward Williams, Sandia National Laboratories

• DuPont’s Implementation of Netfacilities CMMS for Smaller Plants – Tim Holmes, DuPont

• Handhelds as the Primary Condition Monitoring Tool in Eastman’s RBOM Effort – Mark Mitchell & Steve Powers, Eastman Chemical Company

• Many more…

Find out more or register for MARCON-2008 today

Identifying the Key Elements of an Asset Efficiency Optimization Process for a Maintenance Organization

First, the main concept encompasses in four key elements, such as: strategy, identification, control and execution. Within each of these elements, the coordination and participation of three essential factors within the organization - process, culture, and technology - is paramount to the overall success of the asset efficiency optimization process concept.

1. Maintenance strategy involves the evaluation of work activities in relationship to a facility’s business objectives, a procedure that creates the documented basis for the maintenance program.

2. Work identification is where “work” is identified from the evaluation of a comprehensive flow of data in conjunction with an integrated decision-making process. Key to the success of identification is a comprehensive CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System).

3. Work control involves establishing procedures for planning and scheduling the work identified by the CMMS. Tasks are organized based on several parameters, including time and condition; job plans or procedures; man-hours required; data feedback; special requirements and many other factors.

4. Work execution is where identified, planned and scheduled work is performed. Once work is completed, feedback from the field plays a key role in measuring the overall effectiveness of the asset efficiency optimization process concept and making refinements for even greater efficiency in the future.

One facet on its own cannot achieve success. For example, in the identification element, a facility can have state-of-the-art data collection technology; however, if the people and organization are not aligned to make maximum use of the data and information, or if they do not follow a formal process (procedure), the chances of failure greatly increase. Thus, when discussing each element of the asset efficiency optimization process, it is crucial for one to always consider and include the three facets of people, process and technology for success.

Also, one element on its own cannot create success in work management. All elements are needed for success. A facility that is mostly reactive has a work management process that is essentially very good in repairing failed equipment.

Reader tip provided by Euclides Prieto, B.Sc, M.Eng.
Senior Maintenance Supervisor
PDVSA Amuay Refinery
Judibana, Venezuela

Thank you Euclides - your Maintenance-Tip is on the way!

Meet other Asset Management Professionals at the Association for Maintenance Professionals

Repairing a crack in a pipe

In the 20 years I spent in a paper mill I was continually amazed by the resourcefulness of the shift maintenance crew. One of the most creative was the repair of a 24” diameter stock line using a chain hoist and a length of red rubber hose. The line could not be isolated to make weld repairs so the mechanic had to improvise. To make this repair the mechanic cut a length of hose twice the size of the crack in the pipe. The hose was then split and positioned over the chain of the hoist half way between the hook and the ratchet mechanism of the hoist. The rubber covered chain was placed over the cracked area with the split facing outward. The chain hoist was then ratcheted tight. As the chained tightened the rubber extruded into the crack and sealed the leak. They did not teach stuff like that in my mechanical engineering classes. And I am thankful for the education.

Tip provided by Jim Hudson
Trico Corp.
Tel: 262.691.9336 or 800.558.7008

Find our more about Trico’s Lubrication Library

FREE Member workshop

May 7
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Knoxville Marriott

Workshop outline:

The Fundamentals of Lubrication and Wear – Introducing the fundamentals of lubrication and wear to better understand how the lubricant selection and condition affects equipment reliability and performance.

- Lubricant Functions

- Lubricant Types

- Modes of Lubrication

- Wear Mechanisms

Oil Analysis Basics – An overview of Oil Analysis tests and methods for monitoring lubricant and equipment condition.

- Test methods and instrumentation

- Data Interpretation

- Setting alarm limits

- Test packages

Wear Particle Analysis – Examination of Wear Particle Analysis as a tool to assess equipment condition and wear rate.

- Methodology of Ferrography

- Particle Identification

- Analysis of Wear Debris

Managing an Oil Analysis Program – Discussion of the key points in managing an effective Oil Analysis Program.

- Setting Goals

- Equipment Selection

- Proper Sampling

- Report Interpretation

- Internet reporting

Space is limited and pre-registration is required

Revisiting the Task Selection Decisions of Your RCM-Based Program

Periodically – every 5 to 10 years – you should review the task selection step of your Reliability Centered Maintenance-based (RCM-based) analysis efforts to determine if the decisions made earlier still make sense or if unneeded tasks have been added – or remain in effect for no justifiable reason.

The time frame between reviews depends on the turnover you’ve experienced in your workforce and the degree of their involvement in the task selection process. The less turnover you’ve had in RCM-experienced personnel the longer the time you can allow between reviews. If, in addition, you’ve started and/or added substantially to the Predictive Maintenance (PdM) capability at your site since completing your conversion to an RCM-based program, there are even more reasons to revisit the decisions of the past.

The Reliability Centered Maintenance methodology remains, 30 years after it was described in the seminal 1978 Department of Defense report on it and over 40 years since its first application to commercial aircraft, the most effective way to determine exactly what maintenance to perform on any physical asset.

Members of your staff who were engaged in initial RCM analysis and implementation efforts probably have the basics still embedded in their approach to maintenance. However, many with such knowledge and experience may have retired or moved on to other organizations. Those personnel who replaced them and contemporaries not involved in RCM and PdM implementation are left to their own intuition to determine what maintenance to perform, especially for new assets. The intuitive (and more costly) way to view machinery revolves around the following principles, shaped largely by our experience with personal motor vehicles:
• Machinery ages and wears out over time
• Some routine maintenance actions such as lubrication, filter and obvious wear item replacement (such as belts or tires and windshield wipers for vehicles) extend useful life.
• The ability to repair machinery quickly is the most desirable trait in maintenance organizations.
• Added life and reliability can be achieved by periodic restoration – rebuilding or overhauling machinery.
• Periodic internal inspection and/or parts replacement are the keys to reliability.

Once an RCM culture combined with PdM knowledge and capability is added to the skill sets of maintenance personnel, the group attitude towards maintenance changes to reflect the following, less costly yet more effective approach to maintenance:
• By understanding machinery functions, failures and causes we can properly define exactly what maintenance to perform to assure reliability, availability and longest life.
• Machinery reliability, availability and longest life are enhanced by maximizing non-intrusive maintenance, application of predictive condition monitoring, hidden failure detection and repairs that correct functional deficiencies that are found early in their development.
• The ability to properly define and avoid machinery functional failures and plan and schedule needed repairs at optimum times is the most valuable feature of a successful maintenance organization.
• In some cases the optimum strategy is to allow selected machines to run to failure (that is to the total inability to perform their functions) and then repair them.

One of the findings during audits of some RCM-based maintenance programs is that many of the decisions on what tasks to perform were made before initiation of a predictive maintenance program of any consequence. In some cases knowledge of PdM capabilities wasn’t available to or within the team conducting the selection of tasks during the last step of RCM analysis. As a result, many time-directed, intrusive maintenance tasks were instituted simply because there was inadequate PdM capability or knowledge present at the time the RCM task selection was made. Thus, preferential implementation of condition monitoring and condition directed repair tasks was not done initially.

Subsequently, when the PdM program was initiated or expanded, there was no evaluation made to determine if Condition Monitoring and related repair tasks were seeking to find and mitigate the same failure modes or causes as intrusive, time directed maintenance tasks they should have replaced. The result often is that a less costly set of condition monitoring and condition directed repair tasks were superimposed on top of a more costly and time consuming set of intrusive, time directed tasks. Many of the tasks are in fact redundant. The overall cost of maintenance is more than twice as costly as the preferred approach in such instances.

Tip provided by by Jack R. Nicholas, Jr., P.E., CMRP

Find out how to focus your organization on the principles of RCM and PdM

Get Results Or Maintain Relationships. Can You Achieve Both?

When facing employee performance problems, leaders often feel caught in “either/or” situations – having to choose between two equally important end states:

Get Results or Maintain Relationships.

But you don’t have to sacrifice one for the other. Performance results and positive relationships are not mutually exclusive … you can achieve both! How? By conducting effective problem-solving discussions with employees – conversations that not only engage people in meeting their job responsibilities, but also pass the test of fair and consistent treatment.

Here’s one you can take to the bank: While punishment should be avoided, discipline doesn’t need to be! Discipline should be about helping employees understand what’s expected of them … about solving problems, achieving desired levels of performance, and getting results.

You see, discipline isn’t an action that you – the person with authority – must take against employees for misbehavior. Instead, it’s a process to help people make good choices about working together safely, ethically, and productively. By focusing on problem solving and treating employees as “adults,” you can avoid much of the pain and negativity that typically exists. It’s a better and less stressful approach – for your employees and for YOU!

Tip excerpted from Positive Discipline
by Paul Sims & Eric Harvey

Find out more about Positive Discipline