MRO November 2019

Vol. 35, No. 4

November 2019

Future of Maintenance

WHAT’S NEW NEW PUMPS BELTS PUMPS AIRBEARINGS CLEANERS TOOLS THERMOMETERS WHAT’S VALVESSCALES MOTORS MODULES

E D I T O R ’ S

N O T E B O O K

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Vol. 35, No. 4 Established 1985 www.mromagazine.com Twitter: @mro_maintenance Instagram: @mromagazine Mario Cywinski, Editor 226-931-4194 mcywinski@annexbusinessmedia.com Contributors Isidor Buchmann, Jim Galloway, L. Tex Leugner, Douglas Martin, Peter Phillips, Elmir Rahimpour, and Brooke Smith Michael King, Publisher 416-510-5107 mking@annexbusinessmedia.com Mark Ryan, Media Designer Barb Vowles, Account Co-ordinator 416-510-5103 bvowles@annexbusinessmedia.com Beata Olechnowicz, Circulation Manager 416-442-5600 x3543 bolechnowicz@annexbusinessmedia.com Tim Dimopoulos, Vice-President tdimopoulos@annexbusinessmedia.com Scott Jamieson, COO sjamieson@annexbusinessmedia.com Mike Fredericks, President & CEO Machinery and Equipment MRO is published by Annex Business Media, 111 Gordon Baker Rd., Suite 400, Toronto ON M2H 3R1; Tel. 416-442-5600, Fax 416-510-5140. Toll-free: 1-800-268-7742 in Canada, 1-800-387-0273 in the USA. Printed in Canada ISSN 0831-8603 (print); ISSN 1923-3698 (digital) PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT #40065710 CIRCULATION E-mail: BLao@annexbusinessmedia.com Tel: 416-442-5600 X3552 Fax: 416-510-6875 or 416-442-2191 Mail: 111 Gordon Baker Rd., Suite 400, Toronto ON M2H 3R1 Subscription rates.

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Synthesizing the Old With the New

M

RO recently attended PEMAC MainTrain 2019 in Edmonton. This year’s theme was Connect, Learn, and Contribute. For many years, the conference has been a leading event for maintenance and reliability professionals who want to upgrade their knowledge of the industry’s best practices. Educational workshops and seminars allowed delegates to come together in search of new opportunities that will help them not only improve uptime, but also keep up with disruptive, game-changing technology. The conference also has an exhibitor showcase, with vendors sharing knowledge of their products and services.

Many conferences are focused on the future; however, it’s imperative they still cover the basics. MainTrain was able to do just that, straddling the line between present and future. For example, the Retrofit of Condition Based Monitoring Technology Into an Aging Facility seminar focused on how a company can implement technology into a mature facility.

Many companies have mature facilities with inefficient legacy machinery, and therefore do need to introduce new technologies. However, companies also need their aging workforce of maintenance professionals to pass down their experience with older machines to the more digitally inclined professionals.

Digitalization is changing the skills requirements for maintenance, and many of the skills needed in the past are now being used to help make processes more efficient. Maintenance professionals are ever-evolving, and by adapting to new practices, digitalization through sensors and wireless technology, and new products and technologies all help to improve on older models.

However, even as machines become more digital, when they eventually do break down, there’ll be a need for someone with the knowledge and skill set to fix them.

Successful companies will be able to integrate the old with the new, and balance the experience of technology-focused maintenance professionals with that of mechanically focused ones.

During MainTrain, we also held our annual roundtable, during which four industry experts shared their knowledge: mobile CMMS (Martha Myers), asset information management (Richard Beer), maintenance business cases and what works and what doesn’t (James Reyes-Picknell), and hacking a traditional asset management plan by using alignment and business tracking to drive greater value for an organization (Ross Homeniuk). The interactive discussions were lively and engaging, and attendees left with newfound knowledge.

Look for our feature article on the roundtable, which will dive deep into what was discussed at each table in the December issue of MRO. MRO Good Day,

Annex Privacy Officer privacy@annexbusinessmedia.com, 800-668-2374 No part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission © 2019 Annex Publishing & Printing Inc. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions.

Mario Cywinski Editor

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Departments Editor’s Notebook / 3 Industry Newswatch / 12 REM Briefs / 15 Mr. O / 38 Spare Parts / 38

Events

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The Future of Maintenance The Industrial Maintenance 2019 Study offers insights into the past, present, and future of maintenance and operations.

Cost Saving With a VFD and its Built-in PLC (SoftPLC) / 18 One of the major usages of variable-frequency drives is cost saving through energy saving.

Edmonton Hosted 16th Annual MainTrain Conference / 6

MRO Quiz / 20 Data Collection Necessary for Effective Failure Analysis

CMTS Focuses on Technology / 8 EMC Looks to the Future of Manufacturing / 9 CanWEA Conference Ends With Rebranding / 10

What’s Up Doug / 22 Traditional and Condition Based Greasing

Reducing Electrical Hazards in Maintenance Welding / 24 Welding in any workplace introduces many hazards that must be controlled to prevent accidents, injuries, and property damage.

Product News What’s New in Products / 34

Reliability-centred Maintenance in Batteries / 30 Maintenance 101 / 28 Equipment restoration and lubrication standards.

Reliability-centred maintenance is a service strategy that provides improved system reliability with a reduced level of required maintenance.

Cover Getty Images

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November 2019

Edmonton Hosted 16th Annual MainTrain Conference

BY MARIO CYWINSKI

O

ver 200 industry professionals recently descended on Edmonton for the PEMAC MainTrain 2019 conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.

“MainTrain conference attendees represent organizations that perform a variety of vital activities including (but not limited to) Astronomical Research; Facilities Management; Food and Beverage Processing; Forest Products Manufacturing; Municipal Infrastructure Management; Ore Production, Refining and Distribution; Petroleum Products Production, Refining and Distribution; Power Generation and Distribution; and Steel Manufacturing. The operations of

these organizations tend to be either capital intensive, mechanically intensive or have high consequence of failure – often all three,” said Cindy Snedden, Executive Director, PEMAC. This year’s theme was “Connect, Learn & Contribute,” and the conference allowed attendees to participate in workshops, sessions, panel discussions, keynote speeches, and an exhibition showcase.

Workshops and sessions were presented by industry experts, and allowed for attendees to learn from those who live and breathe the topics they are discussing. Workshops included Practical Solutions to Improve Maintenance Performance, Asset Information Management

Workshop, Building Your Maintenance Business Case – Getting a Yes, and many more. Sessions included Why We Need to Talk About Risk, Asset Decision Framework for Optimal Value, Making Your Asset Management Plan Take Flight, to name a few.

Each morning, attendees began the day with a breakfast keynote. Keynote speakers included Susan Lubell, President, PEMAC; Bradley Leeman, City of Edmonton; Steve Maybee, Vice-President, Operations and Infrastructure, Edmonton Airports; and Muhammad Ehtisham, Technical Director, Suncor Energy Inc. “There has never been a more critical time for our Canadian maintenance, reliability, and asset management professionals to balance cost, risk, and performance; to attain value for all of our stakeholders; and to build on our proud history of resource economies, respond to the complexities of today and prepare for the uncertainties of tomorrow,” said Justyna Krzysiak, Conference Chair.

For those wishing to experience firsthand how organizations manage their maintenance and assets, two tours were offered. One tour was to Rogers Place, the home of the Edmonton Oilers, while the other was at Aurora Cannabis.

Both tours were very well attended.

A big part of the conference was the exhibitor showcase, which allowed those in attendance to network with those in the industry as well as find out about the latest and greatest products that are available.

Last but not least, MRO once again hosted its Roundtable discussion at the conference, and will provide a recap of all the relevant topics in the December issue of MRO. MainTrain will go east next year as the 2020 MainTrain conference will take place in Saint John, N.B. MRO

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November 2019

PEMAC Award Winners

BY MARIO CYWINSKI

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EMAC recently held its 2019 Awards Banquet as part of the Maintrain Conference in Edmonton. A capacity crowd was on hand as awards were handed out for Best MMP Capstone Project in technical and business process categories; Best AMP Capstone Project; Maintenance Team of the Year; and the Sergio Guy Award.

Capstone Awards The 2019 Best MMP Capstone Project: Technical Focus was awarded to Mimi Ginger Wilde, System Engineer, Chalk River Powerhouse of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories.

“Mimi’s MMP Capstone was an excellent technical improvement project that not only incorporated all of the appropriate concepts from the program, but also provided Canadian Nuclear Laboratories with a viable solution to improve system health across the Chalk River Powerhouse site and beyond,” said Al Johnson, retired Maintenance Management Consultant.

The 2019 Best MMP Capstone Project: Business Focus award was given to a team project submitted by Jeff Dumont, Plant Maintenance Supervisor and Michael Stewart, Technical Assistant, City of Calgary Transit.

“This final Capstone project addresses a real opportunity for Calgary Transit by aligning directly to the organization’s

objectives for safe, reliable, cost-effective and accessible transportation. The specific project to improve availability of escalators at Calgary Transit LRT stations and facilities demonstrates the learnings over the entire MMP certification program, and when implemented will have a return on investment well within the next budget cycle,” said Susan Lubell, President, PEMAC’s Board of Directors.

The 2019 Best AMP Capstone Project was presented to Mark Boomer, Planning Supervisor, Fort Nelson, and McMahon Gas Plant with Enbridge.

“Mark’s project took a holistic view of asset management, encompassing all of the areas that impact and influence an organization’s asset management program. Focusing on strategic asset management at Spectra Energy, this project is a perfect example of complete alignment across the organization in driving value,” said Cliff Williams, Maintenance Manager at ERCO Worldwide.

Sergio Guy Award The Sergio Guy Award was presented to Edith Mackenzie, Senior Liaison, Continuing Education & Corporate Training Group, Northern Lakes College.

“We are pleased to honour Edith Mackenzie this year and applaud her contributions toward the improvement of the profession. Edith possesses many of the same principles of Sergio, includ-

ing a hard-working commitment and contributions to the profession by working with companies to address the specific needs within their organizations.

Edith has been integral in the process of co-ordinating continuing education and corporate training with both online and on-site offerings of MMP and AMP. In her role, she supports the public by connecting them to the education needed to meet the demands of the current workforce across Canada,” said Lubell.

Maintenance Team of the Year The Maintenance Team of the Year award was given to Edmonton Airports, and its maintenance team of over 150 professionals.

“We have an integrated maintenance management system with a clear line of sight to the performance, cost, and resourcing requirements for all of Edmonton Airports infrastructure assets. Our people are engaged and have the information at hand to make informed decisions,” said Nick Jensen, Director, Asset Management, at Edmonton Airports. MRO

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November 2019

CMTS Focuses on Technology

BY MARIO CYWINSKI

T

he Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show (CMTS) recently brought together those in the manufacturing industry to showcase new products, processes, and technologies. CMTS offered those in attendance a massive trade show floor, keynote addresses, panel discussions, and workshops.

“CMTS continues to evolve with the Canadian manufacturing landscape, delivering a program lineup that presents the latest technologies from global OEMs while also addressing the manufacturing revolution that is upon us,” said Julie Pike, Director, Canadian events, SME. “Ontario is where 700plus parts suppliers and 500-plus tool, die, and mould-makers converge along a 400-kilometre automotive corridor, forming one of the most robust supply chains in the world.”

One of the keynote addresses was by Jim Balsillie, Co-founder and Chair of

the Council of Canadian Innovators, who spoke about the importance of building strategic intellectual property capacity.

“To grow and remain profitable in the era of automated manufacturing, Canadian companies need sophisticated strategies to generate, commercialize, and protect their IP in all stages of the manufacturing process,” said Balsillie. “It’s a pre-condition for sustained commercial success in today’s knowledge-based economy.”

Another address was by The Honourable Jean Charest, former Quebec Premier and Partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP. “The rest of the world is going in the wrong direction. They’re re-trenching behind their borders whereas Canada is opening up, continuing to focus on immigration and workplace strategies aimed at recruiting the talent we need, from researchers and profes-

sionals to tradespeople and labourers,” said Charest.

Other keynotes included Ric Fulop, CEO and Co-Founder of Desktop Metal (Additive Manufacturing as an Enabler of Industry 4.0); Andrew Witherspoon, Vice-President of Industry Solutions at Salesforce (Accelerating Customer-centric Digital Transformation); Colin Singh Dhillon, Chief Technical Officer for the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association (Vehicle 2 Everything (V2X) Technology); and David Nedohin, Co-Founder and President of Scope AR (Show Me the ROI: How Augmented Reality is Modernizing Manufacturing).

The biggest part of the show was the trade show floor, which included over 400 exhibits, where over 9,000 attendees could see everything that is new in the manufacturing world. Many machines were on the floor and demonstrations were provided upon request. MRO

E V E N T S Machinery and Equipment MRO

EMC Looks to the Future of Manufacturing

BY MARIO CYWINSKI

E

xcellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC) held its Advantage Through Excellence conference at the Vaughan Event Space recently, where Maurizio Bevilacqua, Mayor of Vaughan, welcomed everyone to the event.

The event brought together manufacturing industry professionals to dive into the Future of Manufacturing. It offered four unique streams that included seminars, panel discussions, and presentations.

Stream one theme was Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation, which included seminars on Mass Customization Manufacturing; Value of Digitizing Food and Beverage Processes; and Energy Impacts on Advanced Manufacturing.

Stream two focused on Export Development and Growth, and spoke about: Future DNA of the Canadian Labour Market; Export Development for Manufacturing; and the Path to Growth.

Steam three took a look at Operational Excellence, and discussed: Canadian Labour Market; Health and Safety; and Driving Performance Through Inclusion.

The final stream focused on the Future State of Manufacturing and offered some insights into what the future holds. Topics included: Future of Technology in Manufacturing; Factory of the Future; and the Future of Food Manufacturing.

In addition to the streams, four plant tours were available to attendees. The choices included Siemens Canada located in Vaughan, Transcontinental Printing in Vaughan, Molson Coors in Toronto, and Tayco in Toronto.

Ron Kelusky, Chief Prevention Officer (CPO), for the Government of Ontario presented the opening keynote, while Douglas Porter, BMO, Dr. Michelle Chretien, Sheridan College, and Dr. Jayson Myers, NGen also presented keynotes during the conference.

Also, part of the conference was exhibitor showcase, networking reception, and EMC Awards of Excellence Dinner. MRO

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CanWEA Conference Ends With Rebranding

BY MARIO CYWINSKI

sion, enthusiasm, and collective commitment to sustainability within the wind energy industry. Discussing new and innovative ways of deploying renewable energy across Canada with peers and industry experts really gives me hope that we are leading the market toward a bright and sustainable future,” said Adam Sirignano, Senior Commercial Manager, ENERCON Canada Inc. Next year, the conference will be rebranded as Electricity Transformation Canada. It will move to cover the increasing importance of renewable energy solutions that leverage multiple technologies. It will take place November 10 to 12, 2020, in Toronto.

“This year’s event bookends 35 years of successful, stand-alone wind energy conferences hosted by CanWEA. That’s a great foundation as we look toward next year’s launch of the Electricity Transformation Canada event. I look forward to an even broader range of participants at that event, and to our ongoing consideration of opportunities for closer collabo-

ration among renewable energy interests to meet the evolving needs of electricity grids and customers,” said Robert Hornung, President, CanWEA. MRO

Photo credit: CanWEA

T

he Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) held its 35th Annual Conference and Exhibition at the BMO Centre in Calgary recently.

Over 1,000 delegates were on hand at the conference, which offered keynotes, plenary sessions, educational sessions, networking opportunities, and presentations.

One of the luncheon keynote addresses was from the Honourable Dustin Duncan, Saskatchewan Minister of Environment and Minister Responsible for SaskPower.

“Saskatchewan’s Prairie Resilience plan requires that SaskPower cut emissions in the electricity sector by 40 per cent by 2030. Our excellent wind energy resource will be essential to achieving that, and industry engagement in our recent wind procurement was very strong. We look forward to continued growth in our wind energy capacity through a new wind energy procurement that will be launched later this fall,” said Duncan.

Topics at the show included The Future of the Electricity Grid; Navigating the Changing Dynamics in Alberta’s Wind Energy Industry; Keeping the Lights on With Wind Energy – It’s Easier Than You Think!; Best Practices for Wind Resource Assessment; A Holistic Exploration of Environmental Management; and many others.

“Integrated, complementary and multi-technology approaches will drive the successful delivery of clean and reliable energy solutions going forward.

CanWEA is determined to be at the forefront of this holistic approach, and to maximize the opportunities for the renewable energy sector as a whole,” said Rochelle Pancoast, General Manager, Utilities Business Development and Support, City of Medicine Hat, and Board Chair, CanWEA. Over 100 exhibitors were in attendance at the exhibitor showcase this year. Those in attendance were able to network, see what new products are available, and make connections with those in the industry.

“The CanWEA conference is an excellent opportunity to meet with established business partners and make new connections from across all markets in Canada. I am always amazed by the pas-

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ExxonMobil Expands Mobil Serv

E

xxonMobil is expanding its Mobil Serv integrated lubrication services (ILS) program, which will provide a holistic maintenance solution for industrial operators in North America.

With Reliable Industrial Group (RIG), the Mobil Serv ILS program will be an industrial end-to-end solution for all plant commissioning, reliability, and integrated service needs.

The Mobil Serv | RIG team will provide operators with endto-end support for a range of services across a plant’s entire lifecycle, including vibration analysis and various flushing, oil-related preventative maintenance, and pre-commissioning services.

“In today’s increasingly complex operating environment, companies want partners that can be available ondemand and can serve all their needs,” said Matt Dinslage, Brand and Strategy Advisor, Mobil Serv in North America, ExxonMobil.

“Our new relationship with RIG enhances our already strong field presence and ensures we can help customers build and

EMC Names New President at Conference

J

ean Pierre Giroux has been named President at EMC, taking over from Shawn Casemore, who held the role for the past two years.

Giroux has been National Director of Skills and Development with EMC for the past six years. He has held positions of increasing responsibility with economic development, NGO, management consulting, and manufacturing organizations throughout Canada.

He started as an economic development officer in Canada’s National Capital Region, and has over 20 years' experience developing innovative workplace performance-based solutions for the Canadian manufacturing sector.

Giroux holds a BBA and a M.Sc., specializing in Human Resources and Industrial Relations.

Casemore will continue to be an active member of the EMC team and network, and will provide support with various programs and projects. MRO

execute maintenance solutions that help them achieve their productivity and sustainability ambitions.”

For larger operators, Mobil Serv | RIG will be able to embed certified and well-trained technicians on-site at the customer’s location to help with daily program management and execution. The Mobil Serv ILS program also includes training and consultative services.

“Cutting-edge manufacturing technologies – as exciting as they are – can’t help a business if its maintenance team doesn’t fully unlock its capabilities,” said Jason Bandy, President, RIG. “One of the most exciting outcomes of our relationship with the Mobil Serv team is that we will deliver insights and services to customers across the region while also working hand in hand with customers to train their teams to make some of these decisions themselves – helping improve the long-term success of their businesses.”

The enhanced Mobil Serv ILS program is available to industrial operators across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. MRO

Modernizing British Columbia's gas system

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ortisBC is starting community engagement on a proposal to upgrade its gas meters to new advanced meters. The Advanced Gas Meters project would upgrade meters of over a million natural gas customers between 2022 and 2026.

"This project would help us build a stronger, more reliable system to deliver natural gas to homes and businesses across British Columbia," said Douglas Stout, Vice-President of Market Development and External Relations, FortisBC. "Upgrading to advanced meters would modernize our gas infrastructure. The new meters would allow us to better monitor and manage our system – for example, FortisBC could remotely detect and respond to gas leaks."

The gas meter technology currently used in B.C. has not fundamentally changed in over 100 years. The new meters are smaller, have no moving parts, and are expected to last longer than existing meters. They use sound waves to measure gas use and send the information to FortisBC through a wireless network. This means that FortisBC no longer needs to read individual meters manually.

Benefits of the new meters for customers include access to daily updates on gas use and not having gas service shut off during future meter exchanges.

FortisBC will be holding information sessions across B.C. in October and November. For more information go to FortisBC.com/advancedgasmeters. MRO

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Get them now at AcklandsGrainger.com

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Business Briefs News and views about companies, people, product lines and more.

• Franck Bagouet, who was most recently President of Total Canada, has been named as Senior Vice-President – Lubricants, Total Specialties USA. Bagouet will take over for Christophe Doussoux, who assumes a leadership role in France for Total. Bagouet will report to Ernst Wanten, President and CEO, Total Specialties USA, Inc. Bagouet has been with Total for 30 years, the last five with Total Canada.

• Ensol Systems has partnered with Sunfire, which will help Sunfire leverage Ensol’s expertise in integrating power systems built for harsh Canadian winters.

Sunfire develops and manufactures solid oxide fuel cells, which convert propane/natural gas into electricity with by-products of heat, water, and a small amount of C02 – over 90 per cent less than a generator.

• Mansfield Pollard have enteried in to a two-year partnership with Collett Transport to deliver over 300 specialist air handling systems.

Mansfield Pollard will be designing, manufacturing and installing critical air management solutions for data centres over the next two years and beyond.

Utilising their general haulage and crane vehicle fleet, the Collett Team will undertake the transport and delivery of these specialist units. Collett will also provide secure indoor storage facilities, both at their Halifax Head Office Depot and at their Goole Heavy Lift Terminal.

Throughout the entirety of this proj-

ect, the storage of these units will allow Mansfield Pollard to continue with its critical production schedule, with Collett working to and reacting to Mansfield Pollard’s transport requirements to ensure the delivery programme is executed in a professional and timely manner.

• Scott West has been named President of Turtle & Hughes Integrated Supply (THIS).

He was most recently Vice-President and member of the Turtle & Hughes Executive Committee. THIS is a division of Turtle & Hughes.

West joined THIS in September 2018 as Vice-President, Business Development.

He has nearly 25 years of experience in manufacturing, integrated supply, and consulting. Before THIS, West was Senior Vice-President of Synovos. West has a bachelor’s degree and an Executive MBA from Youngstown State University. He has an IASSC Certified Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt.

• The Timken Company reached an agreement to acquire BEKA Lubrication for approximately $165 million. The company serves a range of industrial sectors including wind, food and beverage, rail, and on- and off-highway.

BEKA is headquartered in Pegnitz, Germany, and employs approximately 900 people, with manufacturing and research and development based in Germany, and assembly facilities and sales offices around the world.

The transaction is subject to regulatory review approval in Germany and is expected to close fourth quarter this year. Timken expects the transaction to be accretive to earnings in 2020.

• Shell Canada and Aamjiwnaang First Nation announced the transfer of approximately 70 acres of land.

The land being gifted to Aamjiwnaang which is adjacent to Shell's Sarnia Manufacturing Centre in Corunna, Ont. Shell has been at the refinery site in Corunna since the early 1960s and has worked in partnership with the Aamjiwnaang First Nation for decades.

• As of October 2019, 13 of Schneider Electric's buildings, located in China, Europe, and North America, are net zero carbon. These buildings leverage digital energy management with EcoStruxure Power and Building to deliver year-onyear energy savings.

Schneider Electric has delivered over 30 per cent energy savings globally over the past 10 years since the start of its Schneider Energy Action energy efficiency program. In addition, as of October 2019, 45 per cent of Schneider Electric's operations are powered with renewable electricity.

To deliver this transformation, Schneider Electric leverages the expertise of its Energy Sustainability Services (ESS) consulting teams as a strategic partner to deliver its renewable and energy efficiency ambitions.

Schneider Electric adopted the WorldGBC's definition of "net zero carbon buildings,” which states that a net zero carbon building is a building that is highly energy efficient and fully powered from on-site and/or off-site renewable energy sources, to achieve net zero carbon emissions annually in operation.

• Ariel Rubinstein has been named President and General Manager at Atlas Copco Compressors Canada.

Rubinstein has been with Atlas Copco Argentina S.A.C.I since 2004, where he began as a Service Engineer. He has held a variety of roles since, including Aftermarket Manager, Compressor Technique Service Business Line Manager, and Service and Engineering Manager for Toyota Material Handling Mercosur.

In 2013, he became General Manager of Atlas Copco Argentina S.A.C.I., which is his current position.

Rubinstein is an industrial engineer from the Merchant Navy University in Argentina.

• ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada has acquired the assets of Legault Métal Inc., a metals recycling company with facilities in Quebec. These sites, which will now operate under the name Legault Métal, a division of ArcelorMittal, will continue to deliver its services to scrap dealers and individuals.

• Gerry Legault, outgoing owner of Legault Métal Inc., will support the ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada team to ensure a smooth transition of operations over the coming months. The approximately 100 people who are currently working for Legault Métal remain employed by the company as of the transaction date.

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REM BRIEFS

Machinery and Equipment MRO

Resource W W W . R &E M - M A G . C O M Engineering • Enbridge Inc. has closed the previMaintenance ously announced transaction to sell • Encana Corp. announced changes to its Enbridge Gas New Brunswick Limited Partnership along with its general partner, Enbridge Gas New Brunswick Inc., to Liberty Utilities (Canada) LP, a wholly owned subsidiary of Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp., for a cash purchase price of C$331 million, subject to certain customary adjustments.

This asset sale demonstrates the continued execution of Enbridge's business strategy to focus on core pipeline and utility assets. New Brunswick Gas is a regulated utility that provides natural gas to approximately 12,000 customers in 12 communities across New Brunswick, and operates approximately 1,200 kilometres of natural gas distribution pipeline.

executive leadership team, with Michael

McAllister now President, Brendan McCracken is now Executive Vice-President – Corporate Development and External Relations, and Greg Givens is now COO. McAllister who has over 30 years of industry experience, joined Encana nearly 20 years ago, and has served as Encana's Executive Vice-President and COO. McCracken most recently served as Vice-President and General Manager of Canadian operations. He has been with Encana for 21 years. Givens joined Encana in 2018 and previously served as Vice-President and General Manager of Texas Operations. MRO

THE

SPLIT MAKES THE

DIFFERENCE Announcement Global Bear Inc. is pleased to announce the opening of a branch in Langley, BC. The 3000sq. ft. facility will be stocked with a broad range of all the products distributed by Global.

“The plan has always been to have coverage across Canada”. “That dream has now become a reality”, stated Harold Benz, founder and President of Global.

We look forward to servicing our Western Canadian customers from the new facility and welcome all inquiries for bearings, belts and power transmission products.

Our stock, featuring CRAFT and NKE bearings in Langley, will help distributors service the “end-user” markets in Alberta and British Columbia.

• Delphine Persouyre has been named President and Managing Director at Total Canada, taking over for Franck Bagouet, who moves over to Total Group.

Persouyre has been with Total Group for over 17 years, having worked in in various affiliates, most recently as Managing Director of Total Luxembourg.

• Spark Power Group Inc., parent company to Spark Power Corp., celebrated the grand opening of its 37th location and regional office in London, Ont. The established regional office in London will be home to a new operating branch delivering low-high voltage technical services, equipment sales and rentals, construction, operations and maintenance, and power advisory and sustainability services.

November 2019

Please visit our web site(www.globalbear.ca) for all the products we offer and/or call us with your inquiries.

Tel: 604-256-3553 • Toll free: 1-888-567-1399 • Fax: 604-371-0056 Email: rolandv@globalbear.ca or davida@globalbear.ca Global Bear Inc. striving to service the market through distribution.

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Q & A

Machinery and Equipment MRO

November 2019

The Future of Maintenance The Industrial Maintenance 2019 Study, which was sponsored by Advanced Technology Services (ATS) and developed by Plant Engineering (CFE Media LLC), offers insights into the past, present, and future of maintenance and operations.

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ndustrial Maintenance 2019 surveyed around 200 manufacturing companies, with 13 per cent coming from the food, beverage, and tobacco industry, seven per cent from government and military, six per cent from utilities, four per cent from oil and gas, three per cent from machinery, and two per cent from automotive and other transportation, to name a few.

Downtime is what the majority of maintenance professionals want to reduce (and ideally eliminate) as much as possible. The survey found that the leading cause of unscheduled downtime was aging equipment (40 per cent), followed by mechanical failure (24 per cent), operator error (12 per cent), and lack of time to perform maintenance (eight per cent).

In turn, the No. 1 way respondents

OVERVIEW : SCHEDULED AND UNSCHEDULED MAINTENANCE

plan to decrease downtime is by upgrading equipment (43 per cent), followed by improving training/increasing frequency (38 per cent), introducing preventive maintenance strategy (33 per cent), expanding monitoring capabilities (31 per cent), and changing maintenance strategy (30 per cent).

Many of the above problems and solutions are not new, but the future of maintenance is going to include the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). The survey asked respondents what they believe the impact IIoT will be. While the No. 1 answer was “Will help to better understand machine health” (28 per cent), an equal number of respondents said they didn’t know, and 22 per cent said it will have no impact. A further 27 per cent said it will help to better predict and prevent plant shutdowns, and 25 per cent said it will change how plant maintenance personnel work and interact with all levels of operation.

Jeremy Wright, Director, Product Management, ATS, presented the survey findings at the recent Reliable Plant conference. MRO spoke to Wright to get his insight on results from the survey as

Chart credit: CFE Media LLC. Photo credit: Getty Images

BY MARIO CYWINSKI

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well as where he sees maintenance going in the future.

November 2019

TECHNOLOGY: MAINTENANCE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY AND BEYOND

MRO: Can you briefly summarize your presentation at Reliable Plant?

WRIGHT: I presented data from the Industrial Maintenance 2019 Study. The respondents were asked over 40 questions about the past, present, and future of maintenance and operations at their facilities. After a brief history of maintenance, the key study results were highlighted and how they would best relate to the interests of the conference attendees.

MRO: What are some factors that will affect maintenance in the future?

WRIGHT: I feel that automation, staffing, AI, big data, budgets, and culture shifts will be the key drivers in the evolution of maintenance.

MRO: What impact will automation and AI have on maintenance?

WRIGHT: The real impact from these two will be on the technical skill level and culture at the sites: smaller teams on-site with greater skill level, and perhaps a central dispatch with specialty skills that travel site to site. Maintenance may even adopt an Uber-like culture where the technicians are all self-employed contractors.

MRO: How will big data affect maintenance?

WRIGHT: The ultimate goal of big data is to aid in making better decisions. It is already being done today and will continue to be refined and improved. The biggest gap currently is many manufacturers collect the data but don't have established

processes to analyze it and then implement real-time and longer-term improvements on the plant floor.

MRO: Sensor technology is of upmost importance to maintenance. How is this area changing, and what should we look for?

WRIGHT: Cheaper prices, more vendors and manufacturers, wireless, and non-contact. Sensors are heading toward being the least intrusive while increasing accuracy. Recently, I heard of machine vibration readings using only a Wi-Fi signal.

MRO: What are some of the strategies that companies can implement to make sure they're not falling behind the curve?

WRIGHT: Fortunately for them, the curve has always been very slow, but this may not be the case in the future.

It has been quite a while since there was

a major disruptor in the maintenance realm and we are due for that to happen.

MRO: What will be the biggest disruptor for maintenance in the future?

WRIGHT: I believe staffing/skills will make some major changes in the near future. The traditional model of hiring skilled labour on a payroll may not fully go away, but I can easily see a future where the role of a maintenance manager becomes one that manages individual contractors with specialty skill sets. MRO Mario Cywinski is the editor of Machinery and Equipment MRO magazine, a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, and a judge for Canadian Truck King Challenge. He has over 10 years of editorial experience and over 15 years of automobile industry experience, as well as small business industry experience.

FORECASTING SOLUTIONS: ATTITUDES, TRAINING AND OUTSOURCING

Chart credit: CFE Media LLC. Photo credit: Getty Images

CHALLENGES TO IMPROVING MAINTENANCE

REASONS FOR OUTSOURCING

V A R I A B L E

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Machinery and Equipment MRO

November 2019

COST SAVING WITH A VFD AND ITS BUILT-IN PLC (SOFTPLC)

BY ELMIR RAHIMPOUR

I

n conventional applications, pumps or fans should be run at full speed, and pressure or flow should be controlled with control valves. In turn, some energy will be wasted when throttling control valves. One of the major uses of variable-frequency drives (VFDs) is cost saving through energy saving.

Looking from a different angle of cost saving is capital saving through removing some instrumentation and control valves and using VFD with a built-in programmable logic controller (PLC).

If you can replace one VFD with a built-in PLC, you can remove a control valve, independent PLC for throttling, additional sensors/transmitters for motor speed, torque, flow element/transmitters, cabling, junction boxes (JBs), installation stands for the transmitters, and sensors. In addition, some other parameters, such as motor speed, motor torque, and motor current, are freely available when the SoftPLC code is used.

There is an SIL2 IEC 61508 STO relay that can stop a VFD in case of requirement for shutdown command, from safety sensors such as a vibration protection system.

Below are a few applications that can use built-in SoftPLC with a VFD solution:

Application 1: Header pressure control with multipump control Using a traditional method, the N+1 pump will be connected to the same header, and the header pressure will be controlled with the control valve downstream of the header or flow control valve on each individual pump discharge. In addition, the zero or no-flow sensor (transmitter or switch) at downstream of each pump is required. Additionally, pressure monitoring of upstream and downstream of each pump is required. Flow or pressure will protect the pump by tripping the pump on PAHH, FALL, or PALL. It can be done with one or more VFD. For zero flow control, you just need to set a protection in the SoftPLC code, stating that if the torque percentage is less than a value (e.g., 20 per cent) and the motor is at a certain speed.

All of the auxiliary pumps such as the lube oil pump can be programmed in VFC SoftPLC. Hence, costly control valves or flow transmitters can be removed and the same can be done for additional hook-up, cables, JBs, and trays.

Application 2: Control of air flow/pressure with fan Traditionally, a damper can be used for air flow or pressure control. For fan protection, you should be using the vibra-

Photo credit: AST Group of Companies

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tion sensor and run the fan on full speed. If a built-in SoftPLC with VFD is used, you can connect the pressure or flow sensor to the VFD and set an internal PID controller to control the fan speed with respect to the set pressure or flow rate.

As VFD has DI and AI, you can have lots of interlocks for safety, and, similar to pump application, you can detect the fault with the internal parameters of a VFD, which could be more effective in comparison to some vibration protection sensors.

Differential pressure of filters can be connected to a VFD with SoftPLC and get a respective alarm or fault trip as required. MRO Elmir Rahimpour is an automation and integration specialist for WEG Canada / VJ Pamensky. He holds a master’s degree in automation and control engineering and psychology.

He is a chartered engineer from the Engineering Council of the UK and a certified functional safety engineer.

Over the last 20 years, he has worked in FPSO, oil and gas, water and wastewater, and biotechnology. He has worked as a lead engineer in mega projects in different countries.

November 2019

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Q U I Z November 2019

Data Collection Necessary for Effective Failure Analysis

BY L. (TEX) LEUGNER

1. In your plant, do you believe that failure is related to the age of the machine?

L ogic: This is a mistaken assumption. Research related to the relationship between equipment failure and age has shown some surprising results, including the following: a) Failure isn't related directly to age, but to the operating conditions to which the equipment is subjected. Failures resulting from age might only be attributed to the fatigue life of the machine or any of its components. b) Failure cannot be predicted unless effective condition monitoring is regularly scheduled and consistently applied, so restorative maintenance or replacement, based on time or the manufacturer’s recommendations, won't reduce the failure odds. c) Major overhauls or component replacements based on age can be ineffective because the result may be a higher lifecycle cost that many people erroneously begin to believe is “normal.” d) Major repairs or component replacements can actually cause an increase in premature equipment failure due to careless workmanship; rushing because of time constraints;

or the use of improper methods, assembly procedures, or incorrect specifications.

2. Are your plant’s machine reliability problems (and premature failures) associated with any of these conditions?

Logic: All these potential causes with examples should raise questions during the investigation of every failure. a) D esign considerations: operators complain that hydraulic systems operate at higher-than-normal temperatures often caused by hydraulic reservoirs of inadequate capacity to dissipate heat. b) Installation and commissioning considerations: machine installations and their commissioning are often done carelessly. No amount of maintenance can correct poor machine design or improperly commissioned installations. c) Poorly engineered modifications: increased production demands can cause excessive loads or speeds on machine components. For example, if a bearing load is doubled, the bearing life may be reduced by as much as 90 per cent.

If the speed on a rolling element bearing is doubled, the bearing life may be reduced by as much as 50 per cent. d) M achine vibrations: 70 per cent of vibrations are caused by conditions such as mechanical looseness, misalignment, or unbalanced conditions. e) Overheating components or systems: extreme or erratic operating temperatures may cause premature component failures. For example, a rolling element bearing lubricated by standard mineral oil operating at temperatures that exceed 70o C (160o F) can fail prematurely due to oil oxidation. f) Excessive contamination conditions: inadequate filter quality, or careless or infrequent application of oil analysis programs can result in premature failures in lubrication systems. For example, 70 to 80 per cent of hydraulic system failures can be attributed to contaminated oil.

Photo credit: Getty Images

E

quipment reliability is the ability of a component or system within the machine or the machine itself to perform its function under a specific set of conditions for a specific period of time. It is usually expressed as the mean time between failures during a machine’s lifecycle.

Reliability ends (or is reduced) when a failure occurs. A failure is any incident or condition that causes a machine to become unable to perform its intended function or purpose safely, reliably, and cost-effectively. In order to eliminate failures that reduce reliability, it is essential to thoroughly understand how and why failures occur, so that reoccurrence can be avoided.

The first step necessary is a complete review of any recent change(s) to the machine’s operational and maintenance history.

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g) Poor operating practices and poorly designed or inadequately applied maintenance programs: can cause potential and unexpected component or machine failures. h) Incompatible component selection: leaking seals at gear reducers and weeping hoses in hydraulics are often the result of seal or hose selection that may be incompatible with the lubricant used. For example, nitrile seals have poor compatibility with some EP additives used in gear oils and phosphate ester fluids used in hydraulic systems.

Developing Failure Codes for Root Cause Analysis When designing work orders or other documents that are intended to gather information about failures or failure causes, it is highly recommended that a section of the work order be devoted to the collection of failure information. This can be as

simple as providing a checklist of potential reasons for failure.

These failure codes include, but are not limited to, the following list, with a corresponding reporting format that can be designed in any form and included on the work order as part of the tradesperson's report.

When investigating failures design a potential cause(s) report similar to the example is below MRO

L. (Tex) Leugner, the author of Practical Handbook of Machinery Lubrication, is a 15-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Electrical Mechanical Engineers, where he served as a technical specialist. He was the founder and operations manager of Maintenance Technology International Inc. for 30 years. Tex holds an STLE lubricant specialist certification and is a millwright and heavy-duty mechanic. He can be reached at texleug@shaw.ca.

1. Defective parts .....................................

12. Improper repair ....................................

23. Expansion/contraction .........................

2. Fire .......................................................

13. Overheating .........................................

24. Restricted flow ....................................

3. Overload ..............................................

14. Process fluid leakage ...........................

25. Low/no pressure ..................................

4. Operational error .................................

15. Turbulence ...........................................

26. Improperly adjusted mechanical seals ....

5. Misalign/unbalance ..............................

16. Aeration ...............................................

27. Poor breather systems .........................

6. Dirt/dust ...............................................

17. Oil leakage ..........................................

28. Oxidation of oil ....................................

7. Fatigue .................................................

18. Improper component ...........................

29. Incorrect pressure settings ...................

8. Improper lubrication ............................

19. Wrong seal/O-ring material .................

30. Poor quality/incorrect filters .................

9. Misuse .................................................

20. Cavitation ............................................

31. Component varnishing/carbon .............

10. Excessive speed .................................

21. Incorrect design ...................................

32. Other â&#x20AC;&#x201C; specify suspected cause:

11. Corrosion ...........................................

22. Excessive electrical resistance .............

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Traditional and Condition Based Greasing

BY DOUGLAS MARTIN

M

ost bearings are lubricated with grease and most users practise either a preventative maintenance (PM) strategy for bearing relubrication or their bearings are “lubricated for life” (LFL).

Both methods use a basic premise in which the L1 grease life is calculated. L1 means that we have calculated a life in which our confidence that 99 per cent of the grease in the bearing is still functional.

Using the LFL strategy, the L1 life is adjusted by a multiplier of 2.7 to reflect an L10 life for the “sealed bearing.” It should be noted that this “sealed life” may be less or more than the L10 “fatigue life” of the bearing. The LFL strategy is generally used for machinery in which the L10 “sealed life” exceeds the expected life of the machine itself or some component of the machine.

When using the PM Strategy and the L1 life is reached, this is the basic lubrication interval (tf). The intent is that the grease is fully replaced with fresh grease. Therefore, the amount of grease

inserted into the bearing is based on the bearing dimensions (outer diameter and width), and this is the amount that is always inserted regardless of frequency of relubrication.

The next step in the strategy is to apply adjustment factors that take into consideration the conditions that the bearing experiences. Some of those conditions include the design conditions, such as a vertical or horizontal shaft, duty cycle, load, and the bearing speed. These conditions generally do not change. Other conditions are environmental: temperature, degree of contamination, and vibration (shock load).

A multiplier is assigned to each of these conditions and an adjusted (shorter) lubrication interval is generated.

This adjusted lubrication interval is called the “corrected interval” (tfc). With this shortened interval, the amount of grease that is inserted remains the same. The idea is that the grease life has shortened and therefore it must be replaced sooner.

In almost all cases, the relubrication

interval of a machine is determined based on the design conditions and assumed environmental conditions and is set at machine installation. From there on in, it is rarely ever adjusted or reconsidered.

Certainly, there are many cases in which machines do not operate as originally designed. They may find themselves in dirtier applications, their associated equipment may go out of balance, the cleaning/washdown procedure may have changed, and other possible changes due to processes and procedures. This certainly suggests a weakness in the traditional PM strategy for bearing lubrication.

There is room for another strategy which does take into consideration of changes in the bearings. That strategy would be condition based greasing. The general technique is either to measure vibration and look at the enveloped acceleration levels or to measure the ultrasound emitted in decibels using an ultrasonic device.

In either case, a measurement is taken on the machine and then if the levels are

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elevated, then grease is added until the tamination away from the bearing will facilities condition monitoring/reliabilimeasured value decreases. The amount always have enough fresh grease in the ty program. of grease added is either the appropri- bearing. If we use a CB greasing strategy, However, like all strategies, it must be ate volume, based on the bearing size, or there is the possibility of not achieving used in the right place. In applications enough grease to reduce the amplitude appropriate sealing and preventing the where lubrication is not the primary of the vibration/sound reading. purpose of re-greasing, it may hamper ingress of contamination.

Certainly, the benefit of CB greasing There is a place in the lubrication the bearing sealing system from peris that it does address the understanding world for CB greasing. It promises forming as designed. MRO that the bearing conditions do change both the opportunity to address flucand that if the conditions have changed, tuating conditions that the bearing Douglas Martin is a heavy-duty machinery and the grease is no longer able to do its may see, and the opportunity to per- engineer based in Vancouver. He specializes in job, then it is replenished at a shortened haps reduce lubricant consumption. the design of rotating equipment, failure analand needed interval.

Depending on the selected instru- ysis, and lubrication. Reach him by e-mail at On the other hand, there are a few ments, it can also be integrated into a mro.whats.up.doug@gmail.com. concerns. One concern relates to the three stages of grease lubrication: Churning – is the first 24 hours of grease lubrication and when the separating film is a combination of the soap plus the oil film.

Bleeding phase – is the stage that lasts the longest and occurs when the grease is piled on the cage and beside the rolling element tracks and feeds oil into the lubrication gap as needed. It should be noted that the amount of oil is “barely enough” for lubrication and is much different than using an oil bath or circulating oil in terms of generating full film separation.

The last stage is the death of the grease in which it is no longer able to prevent metal-to-metal contact.

Severe film breakdown – occurs when the grease is spent.

The question at hand: what are the instruments picking up?

Stage 2 or Stage 3? Since Stage 2 is “starvation,” is this perhaps just a normal stage of grease lubrication and relubrication is not necessary?

Another question is based on the second job of grease: sealing, since one of the two main jobs of grease is to seal and carry away contamination. If measuring ultrasonic noise or acceleration is focused on what is going on inside the bearing, are we not addressing the grease flow needed to carry away contamination?

In other words, bearings in severely contaminated environments whose PM grease Guy Lévesque • 78, 8e avenue Ouest • La Sarre Qc • J9Z 1N3 • 819 333-4205 • petrolescarufel.com interval is based on the need for grease to purge the con-

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REDUCING ELECTRICAL HAZARDS IN

MAINTENANCE

WELDING Welding in any workplace introduces many hazards that must be controlled to prevent accidents, injuries, and property damage. Welding in a plant or on-site maintenance environment adds many additional challenges.

A

weld that could be readily performed in a controlled space such as a maintenance shop becomes more complex when the location is remote or outside. One of the significant differences in field (or in-situ) welding is the increased likelihood of electrocution or inadvertent damaging of the facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s electrical system.

A disturbing cluster of preventable electrocution and electrical shock incidents involving maintenance workers using arc welding has occurred in Canada in recent years. Earlier this year,

the seventh edition of the national standard CSA W117.2:19, Safety in welding, cutting, and allied processes was published. This edition has many progressive updates, of which many are in direct response to the most recent reviews of injuries and fatalities, including electrical incidents.

A Review of the Basics Arc welding involves the use of an electrical power source (welding machine) that is isolated from the electrical network through insulation or by remote

generation/battery power. Standard power sources are generally limited to a secondary no-load voltage (open-circuit voltage or OCV) of 113 VDC peak or 113 VAC peak (80 V r.m.s.). This is the maximum voltage across the main output terminals that a person can be exposed to if they contact the electrode while in contact with the work.

If the welding machine is electrically powered, it can have a primary input (or main) voltage of up to 600 VAC. A key function of the power source is to lower and regulate this voltage for the second-

Photo credit: Getty Images

BY JIM GALLOWAY

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Ohms. Applying Ohm’s Law, it is clear then that an arc welding machine produces more than sufficient voltage to electrocute a person, and, unfortunately, this has been verified by an analysis of accident investigations resulting in welder electrocutions and reported shock incidents.

While, in many ways, the electrical hazards from the primary (or main) connection of a welding machine is not much different than any other electrically powered industrial equipment, there are additional hazards that can be caused when these machines are used. These hazards can be grouped into two categories: 1. Secondary voltage hazards; and; 2. Stray welding current damage.

A typical arc welding electrical circuit.

ary or output welding circuit, which is typically a much higher amperage.

The intention is that this secondary circuit be completed as an isolated closed-loop system with two cables: • Electrode Lead — is the secondary circuit conductor transmitting energy from the power source to the electrode holder, gun, or torch.

• Workpiece Lead — is the secondary circuit conductor that is attached to the workpiece by the return current clamp and completes the welding circuit.

For an electrical shock or electrocution to occur, an electrical current must pass through a person's tissue, organs, or bodily fluids. Electrical current levels as low as <0.025 A are known to induce an involuntary muscle contraction, preventing the person from letting go of an electrically live object or releasing a switch. Although there are many variables, such as the pathway that the current travels through the body and the duration of the event, it is clear that amperage levels of well below 0.5 A can be lethal.

It is believed that under certain circumstances, such as when the skin is soaked with perspiration or the skin is broken, that the resistance of the human body can be <100

Cases of electrocution from the secondary (output) voltage of a welding machine most often involves a multiple of factors, as illustrated in the scenario above.

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The Secondary Voltage Hazard

An example of an accessory Voltage Reduction Device for arc welding (“Shock-stop” from DDC Technology Ltd.).

A case of Stray Welding Current caused by not locating the Return Current Clamp close to the location of the weld.

The secondary (or output) voltage on many arc welding machines is high enough to electrocute a person when conditions are unfavourable. Typically, maintenance workers are at the highest risk because of the nature of welding processes they use and the challenging work environments they endure. Many experienced maintenance welders tell tales of electrical shocks they have taken, but they are the lucky ones; other workers have, unfortunately, not lived to tell stories.

The four contributing factors in most reported serious welding shocks or electrocutions are as follows: 1.

When work environments are hot, humid, damp, or high in electrolytes (e.g., salts), and the moisture or worker’s perspiration reduces the electrical insulating properties of standard PPE (leather gloves or work clothes); 2.

When the welding machine is producing high no-load (or OCV) voltage across the terminals; 3. When the welder is in a restricted or confined space and in contact with the work (or structure) that is being welded, or even a damp concrete floor; and 4. When the worker is using a process such as shielded-metal arc welding where the welding machine voltage is normally ‘ON’ and there is a requirement to routinely touch the electrode to change this consumable.

Along with best practices (using dry insulating mats), for these situations there is an engineering control called a Voltage Reduction Device (VRD) available that can reduce the shock hazard.

VRD technology is available on certain models of new arc welding machines or can be purchased as an accessory and retro-fitted to existing machines. Unfortunately, VRD technology is not well known by end-users and is not yet in widespread use.

A VRD is designed to reduce the voltage present between the electrode holder and the work to a safer level, and when the arc is struck, the technology detects a drop in resistance and automatically increases voltage to a suitable level to perform the weld. Users and laboratory testing confirm that these devices do not interfere with the welding operation. The revised CSA W117.2:19 now requires the use of VRD technology under specific circumstances, such as those described above.

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Screenshot from the video The Problem of Stray Welding Current (Conestoga College).

Stray Welding Current Damage Stray Welding Current (SWC) is a fault condition where serious property damage can occur, and the damage to the electrical network can be severe and lead to electrocution of workers.

This is a fault where potentially hundreds of amperes of secondary welding current return to the isolated power source through unintended means, usually the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s protective grounding or bonding conductors. Often this occurs when welders neglect to place the return current clamp at a location close to the point of welding; however, there are scenarios where minor equipment malfunctions can be the root cause.

SWC can be generated by any arc welding machine. In some cases, stray current damages other electrically powered devices in the vicinity of the welding operations. Other equipment can be damaged by this, including machinery bearings, overhead cranes, lifting chains, and slings. There is also the potential arcing in unexpected locations in a facility to cause fires and explosions.

Stray current damage can be a problem economically, since damage may be initially hidden, before it becomes a safety issue. Thousands of dollars of damage can occur in a facility or to machinery and systems from one stray current event, which may not be immediately detected.

Welding machines are bonded to earth potential using a grounding (protective Earth) wire that connects the metallic chassis through the electrical network to an earthing system.

The grounding wire is a critical part of the electrical safety system. Its purpose is to prevent electrical shocks in the case that a fault occurs where an energized conductor comes in contact with an exposed metallic component by shorting that conductor and opening the overcurrent protection device.

SWCs through grounding conductors are not interrupted by the normal circuit protection systems. Electrical codes do not allow for or specify fuses or other overcurrent protection devices in these grounding/bonding conductors, as they are intended to be an uninterrupted low-impedance pathway for fault currents.

Even circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)

devices are ineffective at preventing stray current faults, since these devices work from the principle of detecting AC current imbalances in the primary current carrying conductors using a differential transformer, ignoring the grounding conductors.

SWCs are usually avoided through the strict adherence to rules of the applicable welding safety standards such as CSA W117.2:19. These practices include locating the workpiece lead return attachment point as close as practicable to the arc, using well-maintained welding cables of sufficient amperage capacity, and ensuring that the work return current clamp is firmly attached on an intentionally cleaned spot.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s All About Safety The use of welding machines, especially in maintenance environments, can pose significant electrical hazards. They can provide enough voltage output to cause electrocution under certain circumstances, but there is technology readily available called a VRD, which can greatly reduce this hazard. Welding machines can also generate a stray current that will travel through the electrical system grounding or bonding wires, which can severely damage these critical safety devices, leading to significant property damage and even electrocutions.

The proper installation of the machine and routine inspection of plugs, receptacles, and cords are basically the same as a band-saw or other fabrication equipment operating from similar input power. It should also be mentioned, however, that many arc welding machines also provide an auxiliary power outlet for convenience. These outlets are used to operate electric tools that a welder may need at their worksite.

Depending upon the situation, these outlets may require GFCI protection as dictated by the applicable standards and manufacturer's recommendations. MRO Jim Galloway is a professor at Conestoga College in Cambridge, Ont., where he teaches in the Welding Engineering Technology program. He also volunteers on several CSA technical committees, including CSA W117.2.

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Equipment Restoration and

LUBRICATION STANDARDS

BY PETER PHILLIPS

T

here have been many books written about the importance of equipment lubrication; however, it is still one of the least consistent maintenance practices.

Lubrication is considered the most basic element of any preventive maintenance program since the beginning of the industrial revolution. The necessity for proper lubrication has not changed since those early days. Yet I get reports of lubrication schedules being missed week after week. Below, what is a good lubrication standard and six steps to be included in any world-class lubrication program, will be outlined.

In an earlier article, I identified the wear components on the machinery.

Wear components need lubrication in order to meet their expected lifecycle.

Motors, gearboxes, drive components, and air cylinders need regular lubrication. We call them lubrication standards, which state the type of lubrication, amount of lubricant, and the frequency it is applied. It often states what tool is used to apply the grease as well.

The prescribed lubrication and frequency are included in a ledger (which was created in the September Maintenance 101 article) and are added to the preventive maintenance task in the CMMS. The lubrication work order is scheduled and completed by the tradesperson or a trained operator.

There have been many advancements in lubrication in the last decade, including improvements in the types of lubrication and how they are applied. New lube systems have specific lubrication fittings so the incorrect oil or grease cannot be applied by mistake. Lubrication lines and fittings are coloured coded and designed so the fittings must match or they will not work.

Sometimes the lack of lubrication is almost as bad as the incorrect lube.

In the world of TPM, where operators are responsible for minor maintenance and lubrication, it is important to have

foolproof lubrication methods. Other advancements include new styles of gearbox oil indicators, which are easily read, and refilling ports that only accept the correct oil.

The lube standard includes lubrication procedures that clearly state all the information needed to properly lube the equipment. The person doing the lube needs to understand exactly what lubrication to use, the quantity to apply, and how the steps to apply it.

Lubrication standards also state how the lubrication is to be stored and handled. In the past, lubrication storage and despising have not been conducive to keeping lubrication and its applicators, such as grease guns and funnels, clean.

Generally, they have been the dirtiest place in the plant.

In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s state-of-the-art lubrication storage rooms, oils and greases are kept clean and organized. Lubrication standards state how lubrication is received, stored, and transferred to containers. Oil spills have a large environmental impact, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important that the standards include how to deal with lubrication spills.

Maintenance techs and operators are trained to use the new lubrication standards. Courses running an hour to several days are given to people who will carry out lubrication in accordance with the standards and lubrication maps specific to each machine.

Six Steps That Should be Addressed by Lubrication Standards Lubrication System Assessment and Benchmarking In this process, you assess the things that you do right as well as the things you need to do better. Contact your lubricant vendor and discuss how they can help with lubrication best practices. Take before and after pictures if you upgrade your lube storage and application methods.

Organization and Planning This step is about ensuring that all lubrication tasks in the plant are completed at the right time with the right lubricant and the right quantity while using

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the right processes. Create specific lube standards for each piece of equipment.

Ensure that the right lubricant is added to a piece of equipment; a labelling system is needed. This is driven by the fact that, in large plants, multiple types of lubricants are used. Lubricants are complex chemical compositions and are often very incompatible, so to avoid errors of mixing lubes and to support industry standards, particularly in the food-grade industry, a good labelling system is necessary.

Schedule your lubrication routes in the CMMS and ensure they are completed properly and delivered on time.

Cleanliness Control Oil contamination is a major source of component wear and equipment failure. Therefore, it is important that only clean lubricants are used in the equipment operation. Cleanliness-control centres ensure that the lubricant is stored safely, is clean, and is transferred in a contamination-free environment.

Best practices for cleanliness control include the following: • Only use fully sealed containers; •F it air breathers to all containers to prevent the ingress of water and contaminants from the atmosphere; • Filter all oil to get it very clean.

• Only use contamination-free containers (i.e., containers that will not generate contaminants); and • Make sure grease fitting and fill pipes are clean before adding oils and greases.

Lubrication Tools Adding grease to a machine accounts for the majority of lubrication jobs. Therefore, it’s essential to have tools that are efficient and practical. Grease guns should be colour coded to ensure that the right lube gets in the right application. Colour coded grease guns, with one colour for each different grease, can help in this regard.

strategies today work to prevent such contamination from occurring. This is also a key ingredient in world-class manufacturing standards.

Lubrication Training Maintenance workers must be taught the benefits of good lubrication practices. Trained tradespeople and operators are key to lubrication and the longevity of production and facility equipment.

Best lubrication practices must be used or the equipment that has just been restored will revert back to its original state of disrepair.

There are many maintenance tasks that need to be performed and sometimes we fall behind in our PM program. There are some maintenance activities that must be completed as regular as clockwork, lubrication is one of those activities. MRO Peter Phillips is the owner of Trailwalk Holdings Ltd., a Nova Scotia-based maintenance consulting and training company. Peter has over 40 years of industrial maintenance experience. He travels throughout North America working with maintenance departments and speaking at conferences. Reach him at 902798-3601 or by e-mail at peter@trailwalk.ca.

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RELIABILITY-CENTRED

MAINTENANCE IN

BATTERIES Reliability-centred maintenance (RCM) is a service strategy that provides improved system reliability with a reduced level of required maintenance.

BY ISIDOR BUCHMANN

R

CM began in the 1960s; was adopted by the airline industry in the 1970s and the military in the 1980s. In the 1990s, it spilled into civil users (such as nuclear power plants, oil and gas, subways, and hospitals). Defined by the technical standard SAE JA1011, RCM provides risk awareness that improves reliability while reducing the need for invasive maintenance that lowers operational costs.

“Fix it when broken” worked with old machinery. With air travel, this method no longer applied, and United Airlines was the first company to adopt RCM for safety reasons. Modern aircraft and new machinery now harmonize with RCM to reduce maintenance requirements. As an example of cost savings, the DC-8 airplane built in a pre-RCM era needed four million man-hours of structural inspections; the Boeing 747 built on RCM standards required 66,000 man-hours – 60 times less than the DC-8.

Photo credit: Getty Images

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RCM is also suitable to monitor batteries in systems. The battery often needs replacement before other parts because of capacity fade. However, before battery monitoring can be implemented effectively, better diagnostic technologies must be developed. Most test systems only provide voltage, current and temperature. Without knowing the capacity of the battery, the end of battery life cannot be predicted.

Battery diagnostics tests have not advanced as quickly as other technologies and this is due to complexity and volatility.

A battery resembles a living organism that changes symptoms when fully charged, empty, agitated, or in storage. A pack looks the same when fully charged or empty, new or in need of replacement. In comparison, a car tire distorts when low on air or indicates end-of-life when the treads are worn.

Batteries are often installed and forgotten. A new battery starts with a capacity of 100 per cent and fading goes unnoticed at first. Similar to a mechanical part, batteries can also fail prematurely, especially if stressed. Considering their growing importance, batteries should receive the same treatment as a critical part in an aircraft or machine in which wear and tear falls under strict maintenance guidelines.

The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) rates battery management as one of the top 10 challenges. An FDA survey reveals that up to 50 per cent of issues in hospitals are battery related. FDA points to deficiency in battery quality assurance by device manufacturers, lack of understanding in battery systems integration, and not knowing the end of battery life.

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Commonly asked battery questions

At a recent workshop with biomed technicians, they were asked the following 10 questions.

Are batteries a problem in the devices you service? Do you trust them?

There is a general distrust in batteries, and technicians agree that up to 50 per cent of system failures are battery related.

Who is responsible for the battery in a device?

Devices with removable batteries have an advantage in that the user can replace an empty pack with a fully charged one.

The operator can also check the pack with a battery analyzer and retire it when faded. With built-in packs, the responsibility to test and replace the battery falls on the service technician.

When should a battery be replaced? What percentage denotes end-of-life?

Unless checked with a battery analyzer, the capacity is not known. "Fix it when broken" applies. Batteries come oversized to allow for some fading; end-of-life is commonly at 80 per cent. Battery capacity should be verified when servicing a device. Batteries should also be tested before replacement.

Are there regulatory procedures regarding battery testing?

In the absence of a battery analyzer, device manufacturers recommend replacing batteries on a date stamp. The time allotment is commonly two years and a battery can often be one

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Good to go

November 2019

Below charge alarm

Anomaly

Needs calibration

Low capacity

Example of Fishbowl, which shows various levels of battery status.

year old when entering service. This leads to discarding good batteries. Research has shown that the capacity of a defibrillator battery is still above 90 per cent after two years in service.

As a general guideline, lead- and nickel-based batteries are good for about three years, but Li-ion can last for more than five years. In contrast, batteries for the electric vehicle are guaranteed for eight years. This longevity is also attainable with quality Li-ion properly fitted. To demonstrate battery endurance, the organizer of this workshop reuses spent batteries from patient heart pumps to cut the grass with his modified electric lawn mower.

Do you follow the date stamp or common sense when replacing a battery?

Here the philosophy differed. One gentleman said he replaces the battery according to the mandated date stamp, but most others use the common sense approach, provided the evidence can be proven. Device manufacturers are aware that date stamping leads to underutilization and high replacement costs.

How do you check battery capacity?

Many batteries and portable devices include a fuel gauge dis-

playing battery state-of-charge (SoC). While this is helpful, the readout does not guarantee runtime. A serious error occurs if an aged battery shows 100 per cent SoC while the capacity has dropped to 50 per cent. In this case, the runtime is cut in half.

Unless checked with a battery analyzer, the capacity remains unknown. Capacity is the leading health indicator that also governs end-of-life. When I ask battery users “At what capacity do you replace the battery?” most reply in confusion, “I beg your pardon?”

What are the benefits of the smart battery?

Modern devices equipped with smart batteries offer state-offunction (SoF) that is instantly readable. full charge capacity (FCC) in a smart battery represents the “digital capacity” that correlates to the “chemical capacity.”

Smart battery applications have room for improvement.

Few portable devices show SoF in an easy-to-read format. In fear of high warranty claims with consumer products, SoF is often only accessible by an access code. A technician said that the “digital battery” causes more problems than the chemical battery. Many chargers are hybrid in that they switch to regular charging when digital communications fail.

Legend SoC: State-of-charge SoH: State-of-health; mainly based on capacity SoF: State-of-function FCC: Full charge capacity; relates to battery capacity

Detailed Battery Information of a SMBus battery as presented in a cloud-based dashboard.

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Would an SoF icon work?

As the presenter, I proposed the Fishbowl, an icon that provides SoF graphically.

It became apparent that not all technicians are fully familiar with SMBus. It is unfortunate that device manufacturers hesitate to use SMBus data for the benefit of the user. Valuable diagnostic information is locked up and the battery remains a black box.

How beneficial would a database be?

Online databases that share test results are gaining popularity with battery users, technicians, and fleet supervisors. With the Cadex Cloud, battery packs that drop below a user-set target capacity are identified and replaced. The Cadex Cloud also records the energy consumed by reading SoC before charge.

Batteries returning from the field with low spare charge can be tracked as part of risk management. An analogy is an aircraft carrying enough fuel to anticipate headwinds and a second landing approach.

How well are batteries documented?

It came as a surprise that healthcare requires minimal documentation for batteries in service. There are no set standards, and little is done to track performance history. Tools to assist in-service and online documentation will likely come from the private sector.

over the entire service life of the battery. Batteries follow different criteria than the wear and tear of a mechanical part.

Key performance indicators of a battery that need monitoring are capacity, internal resistance, and self-discharge.

Capacity is the leading health indicator of a battery that determines the end of battery life. Capacity is difficult to measure on the fly and requires a battery analyzer or rapid-test methods. The capacity of Li-ion can also be measured by coulomb tracking during use.

Internal resistance governs current flow. Ohmic values are easy to get, but they do not correlate with capacity. The resistance of Li-ion and lead acid batteries tend to stay low with good power loading capability while the capacity drops gradually and predictably.

Self-discharge reflects the mechanical integrity of a cell. Liion has low self-discharge; elevated levels hint to damage that can compromise safety. Self-discharge of lead acid is moderate but rises with age due to contamination by grid shedding; NiMH has high self-discharge even when new.

Advancements in Diagnostic Battery Management will lead to an effective use of RCM to make the battery transparent.

Accurate diagnostics keeps batteries in service longer and reduces operational costs. Equally important is reducing environmental harm associated with fabricating and disposing of batteries. MRO

Isidor Buchmann is the founder and CEO of Cadex Electronics Inc. For three decades, Isidor has studied the behaviour of rechargeable batterImprovements in battery technology do not rest in higher ies in practical, everyday applications, and has written award-winning capacity alone, but in19_2192_MRO_NOV_CAN supplying dependable safe energy articles best-selling book,AM Batteries Mod:and September 16, 2019 10:19 AM and Print:a10/02/19 10:26:24 page 1inv7a Portable World.

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WHAT’S NEW IN PRODUCTS

Fairbanks Scales Roller Conveyor Scale Fairbanks Scales Inc. Roller Conveyor Scale is designed to capture static weighments of products as they manually move down a conveyor line.

The scale weighs products 0.2 to 250 pounds and accommodates objects from 32 to 36 inches.

The complete Roller Conveyor Scale system features the frame with rails, rollers, integrated scale, and integrated five-digit weight display. It comes with a 36-inch by 55-inch weighing platform, and integrated instrument.

The scale ships fully assembled. Remove the unit from the box and adjust the feet to align the weighing platform with the conveyor line. Built for commercial or non-commercial applications. www.fairbanks.com

ROTALIGN touch EX features include the continuous SWEEP mode and the Live Move function for the simultaneous real-time machine corrections in both horizontal and vertical directions. vertiSWEEP enables the measurement of vertical machines with only one shaft rotation, and the cardan shaft rotating-arm bracket. Also available is the Soft Foot Wizard and the Move simulator allowing the operator to simulate shim values and horizontal corrections before starting moving the machine.

ROTALIGN touch EX users will also benefit from full mobile connectivity, which includes Wi-Fi, an integrated camera, RFID, and the Alignment Reliability Center 4.0 PC Software.

Users connect from the tablet via Wi-Fi within their company network, or through the Cloud, directly to the alignment PC software, where specialists can archive, analyze, and process asset-based alignment data for asset performance improvement and reliability programs.

Together with the RFID reader, automatic machine identification allows two-way transfer of asset data. www.pruftechnik.com

PRUFTECHNIK ROTALIGN Touch EX PRUFTECHNIK ROTALIGN touch EX is for maintenance professionals working in explosive atmospheres. It is ATEX/ IECEX Zone 1 certified, eliminates the bureaucracy of “hot work permits,” and simplifies alignment in EX areas.

Maintenance technicians in the oil and gas, petrochemical, and chemical processing industries can use the PRUFTECHNIK single-laser technology and a ruggedized tablet with touchscreen to perform laser shaft alignment.

FLO Components Introduces 18V Rechargeable Oil Pump to Canada FLO Components Ltd. will introduce to the Canadian market, the Macnaught BOP20, which is the world’s first industrial-grade, completely portable, and rechargeable 18V battery-operated oil pump for five-gallon buckets.

The modular design of the BOP20 allows the powerhead to be transferred across multiple pump stems to reduce setup costs and eliminate cross-contamination. www.flocomponents.com

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Omron Safety Light Curtain Omron Automation Americas has launched the light curtain for more flexible production line design. The F3SG-SR Series Safety Light Curtain helps manufacturers comply with global safety standards.

Omron’s offering helps reduce complexity and setup time by minimizing wiring connections and providing colour indicators for quick verification of beam status and alignment.

F3SG-SR supports a broad range of manufacturing needs by providing ruggedness in harsh environments. It has an oil-proof IP67G rating and the ability to function in temperatures as low as -30°C (-22°F). automation.omron.com

Airflow Systems Filter Walls Free-standing plug and play side drafting air cleaners designed for applications such as plasma cutting, welding grinding, and VOCs. Can be used in the following configurations: portable, floor mounted, connected side by side, or set up around the room in a “push/pull” manner.

Each module comes with one high flow fan, six self-cleaning filters, 20 foot two anti-spark plenum, one back draft damper, and two dust drawers and controls. www.airflowsystems.com

Coral Portable Paint Booths These portable paint booths allow painting of small to medium-sized parts in an MRO environment.

They are available in sizes as small as three feet by three feet, all the way up to 10’ wide and 8’ tall.

The air is captured by the hood, filtered by a series of filters and returned to the shop or exhausted to the atmosphere. www.coral.us

Spray Nine Grez-Off Permatex parts cleaner and degreaser combines functionality of traditional spray degreaser with flexibility and compatibility of a parts cleaner solution in water-based parts washer systems.

Spray Nine Grez-Off Parts Cleaner and Degreaser removes tough carbon, oil, and grease without the need for petroleum solvents, abrasives, or acids.

It features a corrosion-inhibiting formula that prevents flash rusting. The cleaner is non-flammable and does not generate fumes. It is VOC compliant, and safe for home disposal.

Applications include engines, transmissions, rear differentials, undercarriage, machinery, tools, workbenches, garage floors/walls, asphalt, stainless steel, chrome, and exhaust hoods. It is available in a spray bottle, jug, pail, and drum. www.permatex.com

Endress+Hauser Field Xpert SMT77 Endress+Hauser has introduced Field Xpert SMT77, a rugged tablet PC tool to help manage field instruments and document the work progress. SMT77 comes pre-installed with device configuration software and device library. The device enables plant asset management in Class 1 Div 1 hazardous areas.

Field Xpert SMT77 supports HART, PROFIBUS DP/PA, Foundation Fieldbus, Modbus, CDI, and Endress+Hauser service interfaces.

The Field Xpert device library has over 2,700 pre-installed device and communication drivers. It can connect to field instrumentation devices directly via a USB or Bluetooth wireless modem, or via a gateway, remote I/O, or multiplexer to a bus system.

The Field Xpert SMT77, therefore, works with many modern field instruments with “One Click Connectivity.“ The SMT77 also supports Endress+Hauser Heartbeat Technology and FieldCare instrument diagnostic and monitoring functions.

The tablet PC has Windows 10 Pro software installed, comes with an 10.1" LCD Multitouch HD display, 2x bonded Gorilla Glass, a 5MP auto focus camera, a 2MP front-facing camera, and up to 128 GB storage. Communication ports and supported networks include USB, Ethernet, HDMI, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth—with 4G LTE and GPS available as an option.

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to predict potential problems and proactively identify opportunities.

Helping drive behavioural and process changes that solve existing challenges and support continuous improvement efforts, Opti-Vu provides real-time alerts when something’s wrong. www.ritehite.com

The battery runtime is five hours. The SMT77 comes in a general purpose configuration as well as a hazardous area configuration for Class 1 Div 1 and meets all the legal requirements of the relevant EU directives, and is IP65 compliant. www.us.endress.com/smt77

Carlisle Super Arc Power Transmission Belts Timken Belts new Carlisle Super Arc belt is designed for live/powered roller conveyor drives used in warehouse or product loading and shipping industries.

Super Arc belts are engineered to resist extreme stress and wear experienced with friction-driven rollers.

Super Arc belts have a special fabric clutching cover.

Multiple layers of small diameter polyester cord allow the belt to flex laterally around the arc of the conveyor (up to 90° corners). It is made of highly engineered rubber compound that supports the cord.

Features/Advantages include: • Multiple plies of polyester cord provide exceptional flexibility, strength and durability; • Improved rubber compound helps extend belt life; • Superior fabric clutching cover is designed to handle misalignment and enhance wear resistance; and • Oil and heat resistant.

Belts are available in B cross-sections from 135 to 660" long, as well as 9/16” round belts from 155 to 447" in length. www.carlislebelts.com

Rite-Hite Opti-Vu Rite-Hite Opti-Vu is a platform that uses data collection capabilities of Rite-Hite products via a secure wireless network. Opti-Vu helps distill the data into insights and actions.

The platform delivers insights by applying analytics to correlate developing trends with historical data, helping

Professional Infrared Thermometer REED Instruments R2320 Professional Infrared Thermometer offers a precise infrared sensor that allows for accurate and repeatable measurements for needs of industrial, electrical and HVAC/R professionals.

It features a 30:1 distance to spot ratio and is capable of measuring temperatures of up to 1472°F (800°C). It can track maximum, minimum, average and differential readings and has a bright color display for adaptability in sunlight and dimly lit environments. www.reedinstruments.com

Fluke ii900 Imager Fluke ii900 Sonic Industrial Imager features a seven-inch LCD touchscreen that overlays SoundMap on a visual image for leak location identification. Inspect for air and vacuum leaks during peak production periods in noisy environments by isolating the sound frequency to efficiently identify leaks.

It also features an array of microphones which scan large areas and capture leaks from a distance. It is for use in hospitals, power plants, transportation, material handling, oil and gas mining, process manufacturing and discrete manufacturing. www.fluke.com/en-ca

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Canada is World's Preferred Supplier for Oil and Natural Gas: Survey

A

ccording to an updated international research survey by Ipsos, conducted on behalf of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), the world wants Canadian oil and natural gas.

In the 2019 Global Energy Pulse, a follow-up to its 2017 survey, Ipsos found that respondents from 31 countries, chose Canada as their No. 1 oil and natural gas exporter among the world's top 11 energy-exporting nations.

Canada's upstream oil and natural gas industry was rated highly on innovation and use of cutting-edge technology aimed at minimizing environmental impacts.

At home, the vast majority of Canadians (70 per cent) prefer Canadian oil and natural gas to imports from other

countries, and among those with an opinion, 52 per cent believe Canada's energy is the safest and most responsibly produced in the world.

"The results of the Global Energy Pulse once again confirm that people around the world want oil and natural gas made the Canadian way,” said Tim McMillan, President and CEO, CAPP. “Our industry is proud that people around the world want more Canadian oil and natural gas, and believe their lives will be better for it."

Interestingly, of the Canadians surveyed, half believe critical views about the industry are more about political confrontation and don't reflect reality in Canada.

Globally, 71 per cent and 52 per cent believe natural gas and oil, respectively, will

meet future energy demand, and about 50 per cent of those agree our lives are better today because of what oil and natural gas make possible.

Canada has enormous natural resources and a skilled and innovative workforce with high standards for safety, environmental performance, and technological expertise. The results of the survey show that Canadians, and people around the world, recognize that Canada's oil and natural gas industry is a leader. The world wants more Canadian energy.

“With oil and natural gas expected to make up 52 per cent of total global energy demand by 2040, there is an opportunity for Canada to take a leadership role in providing the world with the energy it needs," said McMillan. MRO

Mr. 0, The Practical Problem Solver

Is your preventive maintenance at the right frequency?

We know that preventive maintenance (PvM), if done right, can appear to be wasteful of the items and fluids you discard. However, if done at the right frequency, the cost of that “waste” is less than the total cost of the failures that are prevented.

If the failures could result in safety or environmental risks, we make the decision on frequency on the basis of “risk,” not cost.

Let’s say you have a PvM program and you are seeing a lot of seemingly good “stuff” being thrown away. How do you know if you are doing too much PvM or not enough?

When we use reliability-centred maintenance (RCM), we calculate the task frequencies quite precisely. We will give you a way of sensing when you are doing too much or too little.

If you are doing too little PvM, then the PvM tasks are too infrequent. The area under the curve in the figure (above) will be too large and you will experience more failures than you feel you should. If you experience twice as many failures as you expected. It means you need to cut the blue area in half. Increase task frequency to achieve that. You will then be doing more PvM and you should experience fewer failures.

On the other hand, if you are doing too much PvM, then the area under the curve might be uneconomically small. The costs of doing the PvM may exceed the costs of the failures you are trying to avoid. When you compare costs, remember to include all costs, including the value of lost production.

Another clue to doing too much PvM is if you suffer “infant

mortality” -type failures. These are failures that occur as a result of the change you made.

For example, you changed the oil and filter in an engine sump.

When you added the new oil, you may have inadvertently also introduced some foreign contamination (dirt particles from the oil container). The new oil may now actually have more particulate than the old oil had and it could plug the filter quickly or damage the engine. The premature failure due to the dirt is an example of infant mortality.

These failures are the result of material, part, or other defects, or human errors. Even the start-up after the oil change could be botched by an inattentive operator. A simple root cause failure analysis will help you determine if your PvM interventions are actually leading to more failures.

These early premature failures are quite common. The only way to avoid them is to avoid disturbing the equipment. The adage “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” is quite valid. If you do your PvM too often, then you might be introducing opportunities for infant mortality failures.

A good engineer who understands the mathematics of reliability can help you get very precise in choosing task frequencies, but even without one, you can tell if you need to increase or decrease them. MRO

James Reyes-Picknell, P.Eng. Principal Consultant Conscious Asset

Stray Electric Current: Meet Your Match

The problem: Damage caused by electrical current passing through bearings in electric motors.

The solution: Current-insulated bearings from Schaeffler — including hybrid ceramic or ceramic-coated versions featuring our proprietary Insutect™ coating — that have been engineered to stop stray electric current in its tracks.

Now that’s electrifying! www.schaeffler.ca ©2019