emsjune 2010

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

May/June 2010 Buyers Guide World Class Maintenance ATEX Latest

Creating value with maintenance

Latest News & Products

Maintenance Planning

Revolutionary Measuring

Turn to page 6 for the full story Visit our new information resource www.hazeng.com

Energy Efficiency

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

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Contents

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

First world class maintenance organization 4 -5 Creating value with maintenance 6 - 7 Latest Products 8 - 15 Revolutionary Measuring 1617 Developing a maintenance plan 18-20 OEE 23-24 Energy efficiency 26-28 June 2010 Publisher - Michael Dominguez Email: michael@engineeringmaintenance.info Editors/Contributers - Jon Barratt, Christer Idhammar, Alan France, Mick Saltzer, Mark Haarman

How can we improve reliability? 30 ATEX Update 32-39 New Equipment 40-47 Buyers Guide 48-50

Email: editorial@engineeringmaintenance.info Ad Manager - Paul Clappison Email: paulc@engineeringmaintenance.info Online Sales Director - Paul Miles Email: paul@engineeringmaintenance.info Website: www.engineeringmaintenance.info MSL Group, Cobalt House, Centre Court, Sir Thomas Longley Road, Rochester, Kent, ME2 4BQ Tel: +44(0)1634 731646 Fax: +44(0)1634 731644 www.engineeringmaintenance.info

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

First world class maintenance organization Since 1972 I have been bench marking hundreds of maintenance organizations all over the world. n 1992 IDCON structured a very formal way to do evaluations and benchmarking of maintenance organizations. The structure includes about 285 Current Best Practices elements. Each element is evaluated and rated on a scale from one – one hundred. A guide is used to direct the audit team to assess the performance rating. The methodology is based on the right things to do and leaves it to each organization how to execute each of these elements.

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Over the years a large number of organizations representing a wide range of industries including Food processing, Steel, Pulp, Paper, Wood, Mining, Chemical, Power and many more have used the same model to discover improvement opportunities and to measure and drive progress towards measurable goals.

Some companies have chosen to train their own audit teams to do audits; others have used IDCON to do them.

The average score for all plants is 39 which indicates following; 1) Documentation exists, not always readily available and/or used.

2) Process awareness at management level.

3) Process viewed as value-added at some levels and/or plant areas.

4) Process status is somewhere between implementation & execution.

The first maintenance organization ever to be rated world class by IDCON scored 78. It is normal that IDCON works with organizations that do have substantial improvement opportunities so there are

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of course many more very good and even perhaps world class maintenance organizations in the world.

A score of 78 indicates following; 1) Documentation exists, used at all levels.

2) Process awareness at hourly workforce level.

3) Process is viewed as value-added at all levels.

4) Execution of process is occurring.

The journey towards world class performance for this food processing plant started in 1999. A new maintenance manager started an improvement initiative but it took some time before the organization showed an interest and started to do some serious improvements. In the beginning many of the crafts people saw the improvement initiative as a threat. They had much overtime and feared that their earnings would suffer. A break through for this plant was when the company and union agreed to a monthly salary for all maintenance employees including overtime for any reason.

Another important break through came when this maintenance manager became the corporate reliability and maintenance manager. This plant is one of 23 plants in the same corporation and corporate management realized that the hidden potential in improved reliability represented at least one of their average size plants. With 4,000,000 cows pushing milk through their plants reliability is obviously crucial.

In 2001 this plant and some of the other plants in the corporation made self assessments of their maintenance processes. They all scored themselves between 70 and 80 on a scale of 100.

It is obvious that if you score that high you do not have much to improve upon, you are already world class, or you are too generous with the score.

Next break through came in 2003 when corporate with representatives from all plants attended a maintenance conference and as a result contracted IDCON to do educate key people and to adopt the Current Best Practices (CBP) document to their plants. Only about 5% of content needed to be adjusted. Most of changes were terminology. Key selling points to the plants included: • Improvement initiatives must be implemented in a partnership between operations, maintenance, stores and engineering.

• Common results measurement is total reliability including Quality, Time and Speed.

• Cost is an outcome of better reliability.

• Organization will evolve towards more cost effective preventive maintenance, less unplanned and

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010 unscheduled corrective maintenance work and more time will be devoted to do root cause problem elimination. This concept helps motivate people and to drive out the fear for people to be eliminated because of improved productivity. • Improvements were necessary to help handle the future attrition of crafts people. In some plants up to 50% in next five years.

The first CBP audit by IDCON and corporate audit team resulted in a score of 53. Next assessment was done in 2006. It indicated little progress to a score of 54. It was then decided that next audits would be done 2007 and 2009. The organization then started to believe in the seriousness from corporate, that this improvement initiative was here to stay. 2007 they reached a score of 66 and the improvements started to take hold.

2009 they reached world class with a score of 78. IDCON’s definition of world class is a score of 75.

When visiting this plant, the first observations include a close cooperation between maintenance, operations, stores and engineering, a visible team spirit and pride in accomplishments.

Visible observations comprise well organized work shops, staging areas for planned and scheduled work, clean and well organized store with shafts of all rotating equipment facing the isles so they can easily be rotated to avoid damage. Each area had few but important key performance indicators and written goals posted and referred to in meetings and so on.

As the CBP scored improved, the maintenance cost as percent of true replacement value went down.Very well

managed and organized stores. All rotating equipment with shafts facing aisles so they can easily be rotated to

prevent damage.

Example of parts and documentation kit for a planned job.

Christer Idhammar is a world renowned and awarded Reliability and Maintenance Consultant and Guru. He is the founder and executive vice president with IDCON, INC in Raleigh NC, USA; A reliability and maintenance training and consulting company to industry world wide since 1972. www.idcon.com

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Creating value with

maintenance "What is the added value of maintenance?" - a frequently heard question in boardrooms the world over. Even though maintenance is critically important, few maintenance managers are able to answer the question convincingly, especially when they are asked to express the benefits in terms of economic value. Here, Mick Saltzer, managing consultant for Mainnovation UK discusses how Volvo in Europe adopted Value Driven Maintenance in order to help them answer the question.

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ith five manufacturing sites across Europe (four in Sweden and one in Belgium) Volvo is, as everyone will recognise, a major force in automotive manufacturing. The company’s acquisition, by Ford in 1999, represented an opportunity to bring together the maintenance philosophies of the different organisations and also rationalize the operations at the five sites. In charge of this process and charged with aligning the business plan with the maintenance operation was Peter Decaigny (formerly of Volvo, now executive consultant for Mainnovation).

The first step Peter took, working alongside Mainnovation as a neutral partner, was to visit each manufacturing site in turn and to run workshops in order to identify what were the important issues that needed to be addressed. When asked, a maintenance manager is likely to say: "The value of maintenance comes from delivering maximum

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availability at minimum cost�

While this is true in theory, it's lttle help in the day-to-day operation. This is because it is vital to prioritise: is it better to reduce costs or increase uptime? Is a 1% increase of uptime just as valuable as a 1% reduction of costs? And how is the value of safety determined? Value Driven Maintenance or VDM provides answers by identifying the value potential of four value drivers in maintenance and enables management by those drivers (see figure 1).

Figure 1: Maintenance Value Drivers The workshops which were run at the Volvo sites were structured around The Value Driven Maintenance model which enables those involved in the maintenance operation to identify which of the maintenance value drivers is most important to their operation. Today's

maintenance managers are constantly balancing between higher machine availability (asset utilization) and lower maintenance costs (cost control). In doing so, they must take into account safety, health and environment regulations.

To make everything work, they need to use the right technicians, spare parts, knowledge and contractors (resource allocation).

For all four value drivers, maintenance can help to increase a company’s economic value. In a market where there is more demand than supply, greater machine availability results in more products, more income and thus higher value.

On the other hand, lower maintenance costs produce higher value by avoiding expenditure. The same applies to resource allocation.

One example is a technical storeroom.

Smarter inventory management of spare parts can enormously increase value for a company.

Similarly, the safety, health and

environment (SHE) factor affects value. SHE accidents tend to necessitate substantial expenditu re, with resulting negative cash flows.

Damage caused to personnel, environm ent and image, for example, will increase expenditure.

An even greater danger is loss of the license to operate because of inability to comply with SHE legislation.

No license to operate means no

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010 production and no income.

For Volvo, at the time, global over-capacity in the automotive market was a major factor to consider and so, closer to home, was the introduction of new models at the different Volvo plants.

The economic climate, external factors and market conditions all impact on determning which is the dominant value driver at any point in time - and the VDM methodology helps guide the way.

Once the value potential has been identified, t h e maintenance function must be organized according ly. Which competen ces are, and are n o t , importa n t ?

There will be little point in giving priority to reducing the stock of spare parts if the value potential lies in more uptime. VDM makes a link

between value drivers and core competences (see figure 2).

Figure 2: Maintenance Core Competences Take again the example of Volvo. The market situation at that time meant that most value was achievable by controlling costs. So the right-hand value circle must be configured from maintenance budgeting to cost analysis. Interestingly, both value circles include the competences of reliability engineering, planning and preparation and maintenance execution. These competences are the link between the four value drivers and thus form the heart of VDM. Now that the important competences have been identified, the next step is to organize and control them in the right way. For this purpose VDM puts forward best practices from leading maintenance philosophies.

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) enjoys a reputation as the best practice for registering, analyzing and improving production losses (asset utilization) in discrete production.

In contrast, Asset Based Costing (ABC) is a proven best practice for properly controlling maintenance costs. Using these, a technical department can quickly become a professional maintenance organization that adds

value to the overall business performance.

For Volvo, according to Peter Decaigny, “The biggest change [across the five plants] was to get rid of diversity and to establish a common way of working where, for example, there was one way of ordering a spare part.” Part of this process involved installing some new ‘rules’ and making maintenance less complex. To ensure this common way of working a Gatekeeper rule was put in place whereby all modifications coming from the production side and the maintenance side were overseen. The Gatekeeper communicated all proposed changes to all parties (i.e. different shifts, different departments) for common agreement that could then be enacted. Also, Peter Decaigny says, “There was a lot of small things that helped us. One example was the further professionalisation of the preparation process for planned maintenance activities. The new common process was a mix of internal best practices and some best practices from Mainnovation.”

The result was a ‘blue box’ system where spare parts, work orders, permits, risk assessments were collected prior to a task being actioned, which has increased the efficiency of the technicians.

Is VDM valuable? A growing number of multinationals in Europe and the United States think it is. For example Bengt Svensson, Maintenance Manager at Volvo says of the factory in Torslanda, Sweden that “The results speak for themselves. In 2003, the maintenance cost per car was

SEK 684 (£62). In 2009, it was down to SEK 344 (£31) per car, a 50% reduction in cost representing a saving of SEK 70 million (£6.35 million) per year.”

Managing by value is not just a must, it is the only way to discover the true significance of maintenance. VDM makes maintenance more than a cost centre because it contributes in various ways to a company’s economic prosperity. In fact, VDM confirms what we already thought, but now we have the proof.

For more information about Value Driven Maintenance visit: www.mainnovation. com

Article supplied by Mick Saltzer.

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

WATER INGRESS Business for The Revival Company is the recovery of domestic property and equipment following fire and flood, particularly in the high net worth segment.

Its sister company in the Revival Group, Arepa, is focussed on the recovery of technical equipment following a disaster. Scientific, AV and IT equipment as well as manufacturing plant are typical examples. And both companies are now benefiting from the addition of thermography to its range of detection techniq he Group bought a FLIR B200 infrared camera eighteen months ago and has since supplemented this initial investment with FLIR BCAM models from the company’s compact range. Thermography is used to complement traditional methods of moisture detection. It allows the quick identification of the point of ingress without intrusion and the target areas requiring particular attention to be highlighted.

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reconfiguration of the drainage system serving this area.

“In particular it improves the level of certainty when identifying points and levels of ingress and saves us time and money in the process,” explained Group Technical Manager, Simon Walker.

Establishing efficient drying systems after flood is another important application for FLIR infrared at the Revival Group. This includes identifying building defects which would either hamper the drying process or indicate a pre-existing problem. It enables the optimum drying system to be put into effect and for the drying process itself to be tracked and documented visually.

The company recently investigated a case of water ingress to a substantial holiday villa in Spain that was believed to be the result of a roof leak. Severe damage had resulted throughout the property. Initial reports from the building contractor recommended either repair or replacement of the roof and guttering system.

The Revival Company conducted a thermal imaging survey of all areas using its B200 camera and discovered an unexpected cause. By tracing the passage of water through the fabric of the property, it was able to confirm that the source of ingress was not at high level as originally expected.

It identified a moisture bridge from the roof level sun deck beneath the patio doors that allowed water to enter the property during heavy rainfall.

The recommendations made as result of this inspection included the standard drying techniques employed following an event of this nature.

Remedial work to the sun deck/property junction was also identified and also the

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As a result of the FLIR thermal inspection the cost of this work was fractional by comparison with the large scale roof repairs originally envisaged. Furthermore the work could be undertaken with minimal disruption to the owners.

The first step in planning a drying system is to establish the extent of the moisture ingress to the property and the migration of this through various materials. Whilst standard moisture measurement and detection techniques are also used for this purpose, FLIR thermal imaging employed

by The Revival Company provides its experienced technicians with a thorough understanding of the extent of the problem, without them having to resort to intrusive testing as a first resort.

Additionally the images provide The Revival Company with a visual representation of the moisture within the property allowing more detailed communication with all parties.

During the drying process, moisture monitoring is carried out using both thermography and standard techniques.

The use of thermography provides an immediate indication of the progress of the drying process in various materials.

This enables the operator to establish accurate timescale estimates and, if needs be, to reconfigure the drying system to maintain the optimum performance.

Simon Walker concludes, “Thermography is an extremely useful addition to the drying technician’s arsenal of monitoring and measuring equipment. However the correct interpretation of the results by a trained technician is the key to its success.”

Greater sensitivity and image analysis is the strength of the FLIR B200. It has a 2x digital zoom, 9Hz frame refresh and Picture-in-Picture function. This allows the overlay, pan and scale of an infrared image on a visual one and full analysis of the combined image from retained data.

This is a particular useful customer service feature for The Revival Group.

It makes the task of explaining the water damage problem to a customer so much easier.

Equally valuable for The Revival Group are the humidity and insulation alarms provided by the FLIR B200. These features are ideal for identifying the extent of moisture ingress to premises and can reduce the need to use other time-consuming and more intrusive methods of detection.

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Protection For Pressure Variations Donadon SDD are manufacturers of safety devices to protect systems from pressure variations.

The range includes rupture discs, vent panels for explosion protection and rupture indicating devices based on electric, magnetic, inductive and optical technology.

Very successful innovations that have been really appreciated by our customers are: Ÿ Donadon SCR reverse (compression) rupture with micro-scored calibrated section; special feature of SCR is scoring in 6 sectors instead of 4 as usual in all competitors’ discs in order to allow a better opening and reduce the risk of petal detachment even at high bursting pressure.

Ÿ Donadon SCD concave (forward acting) rupture disc with microscored calibrated section, also with scoring in 6 sectors. Ÿ Donadon LPD low-pressure rupture disk, a simple, reliable, accurate and cost-effective solution in applications that require protection from very low (positive or negative) pressure like storage or process tanks, reservoirs and silos, These discs can be personalized to solve non-standard applications and specifications and can be coupled

with the optical rupture indicator OFI 04.

Donadon SDD Via Franceschelli 7 - 20011 Corbetta (Mi) Italy Tel: +39 02 90.11.10.01 Fax: +39 02 90.11.22.10 www.donadonsdd.com Email: donadonsdd@donadonsdd.com

Gas analysers to monitor gas emission levels Gas Analysers are used in several industries, chemical industries use gas analysers to monitor their gas emission levels, air quality samples are compared to high purity reference gases to analyse and measure the emissions. A common practice is to “calibrate” the sample air against clean, dry pure reference gases such as H2, He, Ar, or N2.

The pressures in gas analysers are typically >100 bar.g, operating at these elevated pressures reliable protection mechanisms become crucial. Historically gas analysers use pressure regulators to reduce the pressure, combined with a Safety Relief Valve (SRV) to avoid risk of personal injury or structural damage.

This system however can be tampered with and is not always reliable, reducing the safety and integrity of the gas analysis procedure.

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In response to this problem Fike Europe B.v.b.a. designed a new, innovative concept to regulate and reduce this pressure to enable safer gas analysis. The Fike Gas Analyser Unit provides the industry with reliable, trouble-free protection for gas analysers. With Fike’s expert knowledge in the development of bursting discs, we developed this easy-touse, in-line unit, already proven at several international companies.

· · · · · ·

Integrated, tamperproof calibrated pressure reducer.

Integral high quality, leak‐tight pressure relief device.

Available in a wide range of materials, sizes and flow ratings.

Virtually maintenance free.

PED compliant.

Compact “Plug & Play” design.

For more information contact Fike UK 01622 677081 or email Features of this innovative Fike Gas on sales@fike.co.uk Analyser Unit include:

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Good dry compressed air with dewpoint measurement One of the most important measurements to ensure dry, good quality compressed air is dewpoint.

As dewpoint measurements can be made almost anywhere on a compressed air system, application conditions can vary significantly.

By answering a few compressed air related questions you also have a chance to win a Vaisala hand-held dewpoint meter.

Sensors must withstand exposure to contaminants such as water spikes, compressor oil, and chemical impurities.

For full view of Vaisala instruments, there is now an online catalogue available at http://www.vaisala.com/industrial catalog

Vaisala sensors can handle all of the above while providing the fastest wetto-dry response time on the market.

What’s more, they have a 2-year calibration interval.

For your chance to learn more about how Vaisala can help with your compressed air quality, visit

Tracy Cleland T: 0121 683 1257 tracy.cleland@vaisala.com www.vaisala.com/compressedair

www.vaisala.com/compressedair.

England Fans Guaranteed Power During World Cup 83% of the UK plan to watch the World Cup on TV this summer*; and with the traditional surge in half-time demand combined with the increasing use of air conditioning units, the resulting drain on the mains supply may well see an increase in damaging power disruptions. To ensure England fans catch every minute of the action, Riello UPS has introduced the new iPlug 600-800VA range of uninterruptible power supplies; specifically designed for domestic and small home office use.

Aside from sudden power cuts at key moments of a

use. A part of the Riello UPS ECO Line of energy

match, other issues such as surges, sags, transients

efficient UPS, the iPlug is a compact, versatile, and

and spikes can cause critical damage to increasingly

user-friendly ‘plug and play’ UPS; providing surge

sophisticated TV, IT and other AV equipment. So if

protection and up to 5 minutes of battery backup

you’re one of the many people who have bought new

time to enable safe shut down of equipment.

home cinema systems to watch the big games there’s never been a better time to think about power protection!

“The iPlug is ideal for the home and home office because it really is so easy to install”, comments Robin Koffler, General Manager of Riello UPS. “The iPlug

Riello UPS supply a range of uninterruptible power

offers energy efficient, reliable protection for nearly

supplies (UPS) ideal for protecting IT and AV equip-

all the equipment found in these environments, and

ment including TVs, Digiboxes, DVD players, Games

is a welcome addition to our ever increasing product

Consoles, PCs, Scanners, Printers, Modems, Hi-fis,

range”.

Phones and Fax machines in domestic and small home-office environments.

The latest edition to the product range, iPlug, offers

UPS Powershield3 monitoring and control software (available as a free download).

Available in 600VA and 800VA models, the new iPlug costs is available to buy online at www.uninterruptible-power-supply.co.uk. Prices start at £71 plus delivery and VAT. For more information on uninterruptible power supplies for the home and small office, visit the main Riello UPS website www.riello-ups.co.uk

The iPlug is packed with end-user features including an LED status panel, user-replaceable batteries, a built-in cable-tidy, and is also compatible with Riello

cost-effective and reliable power protection for home

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

NON-CONTACT TORQUE SENSOR NOW MOUNTS IN MOMENTS The latest model of TorqSense, the noncontact digital torque measuring system, incorporates an integral sprocket or pulley, allowing easy fit-andforget mounting in a vast range of plant and machinery such as drum mixers, generators, pump, dynamometers and conveyor drives.

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Earlier models of TorqSense provided an in-line shaft for connection to the equipment under test. While these are suitable for many situations, sometimes mean a degree of engineering was necessary to mount the unit.

The new RWT 350/360 TorqSense is suitable for virtually any plant driven by a belt or chain drive, particularly those where space is limited or access re

This prompted torque system manufacturers Sensor Technology, of Banbury, to develop this new user-friendly series of models.

Tel: +44 (0)1869 238400

Sensor Technology Ltd Fax: +44 (0)1869 238401 Email: webinfo@sensors.co.uk

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Coal Crusher Gearbox Traditionally large gearboxes have no filtration and the oil is changed on a service interval. Applying a total system cleanliness approach is necessary to maximize uptime, extend gearbox life, extend fluid life, reduce limited maintenance resource demands, reduce fluid disposal costs and even save money on power consumption.

Implementing a Total System Cleanliness Approach: Step 1: Set a target for fluid cleanliness.

Step 2: Install high efficiency glass media or desiccant breathers on all gearbox vent ports.

Step 3: Change the criteria for replacing the oil from a time interval to a decision based on the oil condition determined by oil analysis.

Step 4: Install a dedicated filtration system on each gearbox to filter the oil continuously during operation. If water is present in the oil elements

with water removal capacity or a vacuum dehydrator should be utilized.

Hy-Pro recently implemented this approach on a coal mill gearbox and lowered the ISO Cleanliness Code (per ISO4406-1999) of the lubricating oil from X/21/16 to X/16/11 within 24 hours. Within 75 days the ISO Cleanliness Code of the oil was lowered to X/13/11.

For further information: Phone: +1.317.849.3535 Web: www.hyprofiltration.com

High accuracy RH generator The M2000SP is a high accuracy RH generator incorporating advanced electronics and innovative approaches to RH/T control resulting in an affordable system with high performance and reliability.

The M2000SP measures and controls RH/T using advanced solid-state sensors.

A unique method of activating saturator and desiccant circuitry results in achieving equilibrium within 3-5 minutes for a 70%RH step change. Controller electronics and RH/T control probe maintain accuracy and stability, which means a typical recalibration cycle of 12 months. Combining this with a 4-port door, calibrations can be done in significantly less time.

When using the insulated chamber the M2000SP will generate and control 75%RH @ 40ËšC, an important test point for meeting ICH guidelines in drug development and stability chambers.

An external chamber option provides a capability for calibration of data loggers,

small chart recorders and instruments with digital displays.

Each system is supplied with a Certificate of Calibration from an NVLAP Accredited Laboratory according to ISO/IEC 17025 procedures. The M2000SP

is in use at over 100 facilities worldwide.

For info: pfetkow@optonline.net Kaymont Consolidated Ind. Inc. 631-951-9100

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Compliance, Security and Safety ebro® data loggers, distributed by Camlab of Cambridge, have been developed to provide accurate, reliable and secure records of environmental conditions in laboratories, storage areas and transport vehicles. GLP and GMP guidelines require that temperatures are recorded in incubators, refrigerators and sample storage areas.

There are similar requirements for cold rooms and refrigerated vehicles used to store and transport foodstuffs.

Depending on the industry area, humidity and pressure may also need to be measured and recorded over time.

The ebro EBI 20 family of data loggers are high quality yet value-for-money measuring and recording devices that can hold up to 8,000 measured temperature, humidity or pressure values. The units fit comfortably into the palm of the hand, yet achieve ±0.5ºC accuracy over most of their measuring range, typically -30 ºC to +60 ºC (±3% rH over 0-100% rH or ±5 mbar over 700-1200 mbar).

Current values are displayed on a large, clear digital display and a visual alarm is also provided. Values can be easily and virtually instantaneously transferred to a PC by simply dropping the unit into a USB “cradle”. ebro WINLOG 2000 is a convenient software package that facilitates graphic and numeric presentation of the values.

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A “Starter Set” is available containing all the necessary items – logger, cradle, cables and software – to set up a complete, validated measuring and recording system that meets CFR 21 Part 11 and is also TÜV approved. Additional

loggers can then be simply added as required.

What can we do for You? see our film at www.camlab.co.uk/film Tel: +44 (0)1954 233100

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

FAST SIEMENS SERVICE SWEETENS BRITISH SUGAR When a worm gear drive crown wheel failed due to overload on a crucial conveyor belt at British Sugar’s Wissington plant in King’s Lynn, the priority was to get things running again quickly – and the ultimate result was a minimum of 10% improved efficiency.

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he conveyor fed limestone and

The Siemens service team therefore

suitability for the customer that the

coke into a kiln to help purify

suggested a more energy-efficient,

existing hydraulic motor would also fit.

the sugar at the plant, which

bevel helical Flender FZG gearbox, size

The biggest bonus of all for British Sugar

processed over 3 million tonnes of beet

B3HH08. Where the existing 280 Cavex

was the fact that the new unit cost less

this year alone. In the run-up to the

worm gear unit had a rating of

than a replacement worm gear unit

plant’s busiest time of year, two men

12,500Nm at 1,000rpm, the new

would have done. A spokesman

and a shovel loader were hired to

Flender bevel helical unit was rated at

commented: “We’ve had great service

manually load the feeder for 24 hours

27,000Nm, a considerably higher torque

turnaround, we have a new, more

per day, but this could only be a

rating. The bevel helical unit also had

efficient gear unit with twice the rating,

temporary measure due to cost.

the same hollow shaft diameter as the

and at a lower purchase cost. It’s a

British Sugar approached Siemens

Cavex worm gear unit, so the customer

great result as far as we’re concerned.”

Industry’s Mechanical Handling Division,

could use the existing headshaft. Even

The Wissington plant produces

which had supplied the original Flender

better was the fact that this unit could

bioethanol, a renewable fuel, amongst

Cavex 280 worm gear unit in 1997. Any

be supplied direct from the Siemens

other sugar products.

delivery delay could have affected the

Bradford factory, and that it would

start of British Sugar’s next ‘campaign’

provide improved efficiency. The old

period and would also have meant no

unit was between 74% and 85%

time for running in and appropriate

efficient; the new one offered 95%

More information on the Flender range

checks.

efficiency, an improvement of at least

of gear units is available from Siemens

British Sugar had already looked at a

10%.

Industry on 01274 657700 or by

refurbished competitor’s unit, but it had

The new unit was selected and supplied

emailing anna.grimshaw@siemens.com

a lower rating than the Flender one and

within eight days of British Sugar’s

British Sugar was not confident it would

enquiry, against which drawings were

be suitable.

submitted with the quotation to ensure

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Revolutionary measuring In conjunction with the company’s 40th anniversary, SPM Instrument AB now presents the next generation of its well-known shock pulse method. SPM®HD is an advanced and patent pending measuring technique suitable for all types of applications and particularly well suited for low speed machinery.

Condition monitoring is all about optimizing operations and maintenance for the purpose of lowering costs. The difficulties of getting reliable results when measuring on low speed applications are a well known problem.

These applications create signals with low energy content, where earlier vibration technologies made it difficult to measure such signals with satisfactory results. The SPM®HD measuring technique combines the well-known and reliable True SPM® method with a highly advanced digital technique. Thanks to its high dynamics, SPM®HD can distinguish the weaker yet relevant signals, which are typically hidden among stronger signals caused by mechanical shock phenomena or electronic noise. The

Refined SPM method saves money at Hallsta Paper Mill

ability to detect very weak signals therefore gives decisive advantages

Inner ring bearing damage at Hallsta Paper Mill detected

by SPM HD

when measuring at low speeds. Real world testing has provided up to six months’ forewarning, leaving ample time to plan maintenance and repairs.

The name SPM®HD (High Definition) hints at the extraordinary signal quality as well as a very clear picture of machine condition resulting from the measurements. SPM®HD is built around sophisticated and patent pending signal processing in several steps. The technique works with digital enveloping of the analog shock pulse transducer signal. The sampling frequency is very high, resulting in a crisp and distinct signal. A 24-bit A/D converter provides

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razor-sharp resolution and exceptional detail in spectrums and time signals.

For a full picture of bearing condition, the measuring cycle is based on number of revolutions rather than time. This maximizes the chances of capturing relevant signals in the course of one measuring cycle. By adjusting the sampling frequency to rpm, spectrums are clear and concise.

The measuring technique looks for recurring patterns and uses newly developed and ingenious algorithms to enhance repetitive signals and eliminate randomly occuring high readings. Thanks to the pattern recognition, spectrums and time signals are excellent tools for analysis. The source of the signal is simple to identify, as every component

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010 has its own, distinct damage signature.

The time signals are easily interpreted, making the type and extent of the damage simple to determine. The benefit of this is no trending is required; occasional measurements provide a reliable diagnosis.

In addition to spectrum and time signal, the measuring technique also generates two scalar values, HDm and HDc. HDm represents the highest value measured during the measuring cycle, while HDc is a measure of bearing lubrication condition. Both values are suitable as the basis for setting alarm limits, regardless of machine type.

Automatic evaluation of measuring results, presented on a green – yellow – red scale, provides a quick overview of machine condition.

This sophisticated and complete measuring technique is the result of an intense development effort by SPM Instrument and close cooperation with customers in industry.

SPM®HD has been tested successfully on low speed applications such as twin wire presses, screw presses, drying cylinders and wind turbines, some running at speeds as low as 5 rpm, for many months.

Mikael Lindfors, Manager of Business Solutions at SPM, comments: ”SPM®HD is the unique solution to the problems involving condition measurement on low speed applications. It sets a new standard for modern condition monitoring and can be used successfully on all types of applications.

With SPM®HD, we consolidate our position as a leading supplier of innovative solutions for condition monitoring and predictive maintenance, and we now supplement our successful Intellinova online system with an SPM®HD monitoring unit.”

Visit: www.spminstrument.co.uk

Join the E-volution!

The next generation shaft alignment system from Damalini, Easy-Laser® E710, is a wireless, colour display system with functions for all the important stages of machine setup.

Using a single instrument, you now have the potential to trouble-shoot and prevent wear and

breakdowns in your machines: check the flatness of the machine base – check any bearing play and soft foot – measure and align the machine. EasyLaser® E710 is also first on the market with barcode reader. Just scan the machine tag, and you are immediately ready for measurement! Other features are multi language programs and electronic laser targets.

The Easy-Laser® E710 is expandable for digital sheave/pulley alignment, vibration level check and geometric measurement. No other system on the market can offer this flexibility. A very long operating life, a robust design and 2-year warranty provide a measurement system that is both reliable, easy to use and to own.

For more information, please visit: www.damalini.com Or contact Stan Jackson SPM Instrument UK Limited Tel +44 1706 835331 | Fax +44 1706 260640 stan.jackson@spminstrument.co.uk

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Developing and delivering a maintenance plan: the basics So how do you go about setting up all of the maintenance requirements for several thousand discretely maintainable assets? This was the challenge facing us when we needed to set up the maintenance requirements package for a baggage handling system in a new airport terminal in a major international airport. From previous experience, and the Airport requirements, we had a good idea of what needed to be done. The challenge was about the sheer size of the system - with a total asset base of over 28,000 Methodology

Phase 1 – Identify all Assets

Assets are assets, what can be difficult about identifying them? Well that depends entirely on how far you might want to go down the asset tree. Take a conveyor for example, do we take the asset structure down to component level, such as the drive motor, or do we leave the asset at conveyor level and take a motor as a component? We defined a maintainable asset as an item we could isolate individually, and as a result we opted for the latter. This did, in some instances, create some exceptions; for example a vertical sorter unit (see Image 2) was taken as a single asset, even though it clearly contains three individual conveyors. In another instance a pneumatic conveyor extender at fire breaks was taken as a discrete sub-asset of a conveyor, to simplify the development of the maintenance strategies.

Ultimately, asset identification becomes a fine balance between the identification of local classes (similar equipment) and discrete equipment.

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This may sound simple, but there is an art to doing it in a way that helps to simplify the development of your overall maintenance strategy. We will try to clarify what local classes mean in Phase 2.

b.

Losses in sales in excess of €500k

c.

Losses in sales in excess of €100k

Once you have identified all of the discrete assets in your system, you will need to define how critical they are to the performance of your business. To do this you might want to take a process layout of your system, and mark off large areas such as “Check-In Island A” or “Picking Floor C”, which has a measurable impact on your business.

Now define a series of business-related questions with five possible realistic answers for your business, such as: 1. What would happen to our business if the identified section was out of operation for 24 hours? a.

Production loss of over €1 million

b.

Production loss of over €500k

c.

Production loss of over €100k

d. Significant production loss which could be supplemented by another site e. Minor production losses which could be supplemented by another area on our site 2. How would our customers react to the identified section being out of operation for 24 hours? a. Losses in sales in excess of €1 million

d. Significant losses in sales which could be supplemented by another site. e. Minor losses in sales which could be supplemented by another area on our site.

You need to make sure that the several aspects of your business, such as environmental impact, media coverage, customer perception, reputation and any other issues that have a direct impact on your business and its ability to function and operate in future are addressed. You need to be aware that both the questions and their relevance might change over time, as the business and its environment changes.

Once the business criticality for an area has been determined, you will need to consider the failures that could take

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010 place on the equipment in that area, and the frequency at which these failures might occur. These should not be operational issues such as bag jams, but rather equipment failure issues that would require component replacement or adjustment, such as motor failure or belt adjustment. At this stage you should ignore the length of time it takes to repair the failure - we are more concerned at this stage with the frequency of maintenance-related disturbances.

The two values, Business Risk and Frequency are mapped onto the grid (see Image 3) to define the resulting criticality for the area. This process needs to be repeated for all of the areas you have defined on your process layout.

Two items you will need to be aware of when performing this activity: • If the business risk incorporates a question related to health and safety in relation to people performing maintenance on the equipment, these risks need to be carefully considered.

While the resulting injury could be extremely serious, this risk of injury needs to be mitigated in the risk assessments and resulting method statements or redesign, not in increasing the business risk. The reason for this is if the business risk is too high, then you might consider doubling up on the equipment to reduce the risk, but this adds to an injury risk when maintaining the equipment • All of the equipment and process routes in an area do not necessarily fall into the same criticality as the main routes for the area. You will need to identify the main process routes, secondary and tertiary process routes through the area and assign lower priorities based on their potential impact on the area.

This process needs to be kept as simple and flexible as possible, and ensure all decisions are well documented to eliminate the possibility of misinterpretation or to support any decisions made, should that become necessary. Remember that the business need and market forces will change over time and this criticality review will need to be re-evaluated fairly frequently (usually annually or in major shifts of the economy) to ensure you are still applying the correct strategies. Changes to your environment could quite possibly change the maintenance plan you have adopted for the equipment on site over time.

Phase 2 – Identifying Local Classes and Strategies When looking through all of the equipment on your site, you will notice

that there are several pieces of equipment that are very similar. The probability is high that the maintenance strategy applied to them can be the same, while making allowances for various criticality levels. We identify these equipment groups by giving them a Local Class designation, and develop the maintenance strategies for each of these local classes, defining different frequencies (and strategies if necessary) for all five criticality levels at the same time. This process allowed us to reduce the baggage system from 28,000 items to 122 local classes that we needed to define maintenance strategies for.

‘contracting-to-inhousing’ can be most beneficial. b)

Estimate the following:

Based on your list of local classes, you will need to: a) Draw up a list of every activity that you will possibly perform on this equipment/local class, including: i) Component Replacements, where you need to consider the level at which you want to carry out your maintenance. For example, in Western Europe, if a bearing on a motor reducer unit failed, and a replacement unit cost less than €150, then due to the time and effort required to manage the repair, you might opt to replace and not carry out a repair. Converse to this in Central Africa, component availability and/or lower labour rates might mean a repair is the most cost-effective solution based on the resources at your disposal. ii) Component Adjustments, covering activities such as belt tensioning, oil replacement and defragmenting hard drives. iii) Cleaning Activities, covering the equipment and the immediate surroundings should this be in a restricted-entry area. In many instances cleaning could fall to a lower skill level; however it should not be ignored from the maintenance plan as it forms part of a holistic approach to maintenance. At a food processing plant, we reduced downtime by 20% by reducing dirt in the system and from staff noticing future problems while cleaning – problems which could then be averted. iv) Inspections, covering visual inspections, stoppage inspections and statutory inspections. v) All condition-based inspections such as Vibration, Thermography and Ultrasound. If there is no in-house expertise to perform these activities, you could contract them out to specialist companies to perform the work. In our experience contracting out can be set up and managed well, or poorly, so consider the options carefully. A well-managed process of

i) How long each of the identified tasks will take to complete (Mean Time to Repair [MTTR]), and how many people will be needed to complete the work. ii) Predict the Mean Time between Failures (MTBF) for replacements and adjustments. To define the MTBF, you might want to look at the design or predicted life of a component that you intend to replace or adjust. iii) Decide if the work will require the equipment to be isolated in order to complete the work. c) Define one of the following strategies for each of the criticalities you are using (see Image 4 – Strategy Sheet): i) Time Based, where you define a set frequency to perform the maintenance activity. Some of the tasks are in themselves a strategy, such as a thermal inspection (Thermography) or vibration inspection (Vibration Monitoring), in which case you need to define a frequency based on an anticipated PF failure curve ii) Operational Based, which sets out the flow or operations required between maintenance activities iii) Condition Based, using an inspection or other strategy which will identify the onset of failure and allow for reaction time to address the failure iv) Run to Fail, which allows the component to fail before replacements or adjustments are made.

As part of the creation of the maintenance strategies you can also develop safe working practice method statements and generic risk assessments for all of the maintenance tasks that you have identified. These

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010 method statements and risk assessments are an ideal way of helping to develop a training plan for new employees.

By developing these individual strategies, we found it relatively easy to adopt a cohesive maintenance strategy across the entire baggage

work orders. Clearly we needed a way of grouping these activities into more manageable groups, while still keeping the maintenance information at equipment level. To achieve this we created a software program to reduce the work involved. This then fed the CMMS system we were using which

and any checklists need to be updated to reflect this change in strategy.

Once all of the maintenance routes are entered into the CMMS, you will need to ensure that the risks associated with performing the maintenance are correctly addressed. The generic risk assessments developed during Phase 1 of this process need to be refined given the actual environment in which individual pieces of equipment are installed. This ensures that all risks are identified and people are trained accordingly.

Conclusion The development of this process allowed us to produce a cohesive maintenance strategy and a comprehensive maintenance plan for a very large system, but the process also holds well for smaller systems. More than enabling the creation of the strategy and plan, it also helped to: • determine the manpower needed to support and maintain the system

system.

Do also remember that all of the condition-based inspections, such as Vibration, Thermography and Ultrasound, are supportive of a sound maintenance strategy, and should not be performed in isolation.

Phase 3 – Extract the Maintenance Plan Phases 1 and 2 can be progressed in tandem, however they need to be complete before continuing with Phase 3 of the work. At this point we know all of the equipment we aim to maintain, how critical it is to your business, what strategies we will be using and what maintenance we will be performing.

We now need to extract this as a maintenance plan for each piece of equipment and insert it into our Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS).

This is where things started getting a little tricky! While for many situations this is a manageable task, in the baggage system discussed above, we had around four time-based activities per piece of equipment, therefore amounting to 112,000 planned maintenance activities to enter onto the CMMS. These tasks ranged from weekly visual inspections through to oil replacements every three years on the motor reducers. Downloading this many planned maintenance tasks is clearly a significant task, not to mention the work involved in planning and managing a weekly paper trail of around 31,000

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managed this level of complexity in the form of maintenance routes.

In order to develop a manageable maintenance plan, you will need to identify and group these PM tasks together, based on frequency, strategy, skill and on a physical line of equipment to restrict the impact on the system during a stop inspection (an inspection requiring the equipment to be turned off). Our experience has also shown us that these maintenance routes need to be limited to one person for a maximum of 4 hours per route, otherwise the impact on the system will be too great and the likelihood of completion during a shift will be low.

In the baggage system, this resulted in around 1200 planned maintenance routes, which was far easier to manage than individual job cards on every piece of equipment, and could be managed by one planner.

At this point there are a few key items to consider: • The maintenance plan needs to be flexible: o It should allow you to review and enhance the strategy, adding/modifying/deleting tasks or check list items. o It should allow you to review criticality (impacting on the frequency and strategy applied)• Every time these change, the maintenance routes

• anticipate the spares consumption for the site for the first 10 years of operation • create the training material used to train the engineers on the maintenance of the equipment.

Overall the process helped to minimise the operating cost of the maintenance operation from the outset, where we found the maintenance personnel level required was 15% lower compared to similar asset numbers elsewhere in the airport. In addition, since everything was well documented, we were able to perform a review of the applied strategies and the maintenance routes, and refine them as a result of the lessons learned over the first 18 months of operation. We believe that without this process and the tools we developed to support the overall delivery of the maintenance plan, the initial maintenance plans would still be in development, rather than having gone through the first major review and refinement.

Malcolm Hide, Senior Consultant, Strategic Maintenance Ltd www.strategicmaintenance.co.uk Malcolm is happy to respond to requests. He can be contacted at: enquiries@stratmaint.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 1753 271924 Mobile: +44 (0) 7980 833201

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

The final 10% OEE - achieving operational excellence and competitive advantage I subscribe to a number of blogs, and one feed last week (from Seth Godin) discussed the difficulty of attaining the last 10% of almost anything. The slicker your processes and the higher the levels of service you deliver are, the harder it becomes to progress as there are fewer improvement opportunities to capitalise on.

Lots of companies make cars that reach 120 mph, but far less achieve 180mph, and even fewer reach 200mph. As the speed gets faster, cost, effort and performance has to increase. To reach 180mph it’s not just a question of spending big money on engine design and components, there have to be improvements made to chassis, suspension, brakes and tyre performance. This often results in tradeoffs being made. My old Chevrolet, for instance, could reach silly speeds in a straight line (closed road, professional driver) but when it was driven slowly

everything clunked and clicked. There was so much float in the brakes to allow for expansion when they got hot that stopping the car when they were cold took a mighty push on the pedal.

This wouldn’t do in the airline industry; travelling with airlines that didn’t attain the last 10% of performance required to take off, fly and land would prove rather unpopular. The airlines may compromise their customer relationships when a plane runs into technical problems and the customer stays on the ground, but there is no

compromise on the safety issue which caused the technical grounding.

The significance of manufacturing maintenance reliability varies across industries. For instance, should a bottling plant aspire to the standards of the aircraft industry and attain those maintenance standards? Anything you can learn as part of the improvement process brings value, but achieving the last 10% can come at a high price and requires significant effort.

It’s the same with production performance. If the plant plods away

23

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010 at 40% OEE there is a lot of wasted effort so plenty of opportunity for improvement and there are some big wins to be made. Whilst it takes a lot of effort to improve the OEE score into the mid 80s, it is nothing compared to the change required to move from 90% to 92% OEE.

So, if it’s difficult to achieve, is it worth pushing for the last 10%?

The answer to this question very much depends on the business process and what is been measured. If quality is the focus, and the measure is 90%, the percentage of waste is very poor and results in significant expense for most companies. If we make 60,000 products each week and reject 10% then over 300,000 units are wasted each year, directly impacting bottom line

Is there a basic difference between airline manufacturing maintenance procedures and other industries?

There are two key differences; regulation and manufacturer support.

Everything and everyone is regulated.

People are highly regulated in terms of qualifications, skills and the levels of supervision. Work inspection and recording is regulated. Spare parts are regulated in that all key components are serialised and tracked. The airline industry however has more at stake, for example than a bottling plant (there can be nothing worse for the plane maker than the headline ‘The accident involved a Boeing 777’) and so the levels of maintenance regulation are at a different level. So too are the levels of maintenance support provided.

The bottling plant manufacturer probably spends little time on

really be why shouldn’t the bottling plant strive for the last 10% effectiveness? And what is the true cost to the organisation if it achieving it is deemed too difficult/unnecessary?

At this point, why not check out you own maintenance procedures to see how they compare?

Should you aim for the last 10 %? Godin advises that it’s the all important push: “The last ten percent is the signal we look for, the way we communicate care and expertise and professionalism. If all you're doing is the standard amount, all you're going to get is the standard compensation. The hard part is the last ten percent, sure, or even the last one percent, but it's the hard part because everyone is busy doing the easy part already.”

As a maintenance professional, I have seen the benefits of what some people refer to as the ‘extra mile’. In reality, and in particularly in this economic climate, it isn’t an optional extra.

Companies that strive for the last 10%, that dedicate time to achieving operational excellence and implement the right tools and systems to sustain their improvements, are the companies that fly through their audits and never disappoint their customers. They have the competitive advantage.

profitability. However, if the performance element is the focus and we should achieve 300 units per minute, the 30 units lost do not appear to be a significant problem, unless the case in question is a 24/7 operation and is losing 302,000 units a week.

Less than 90% OEE clearly comes at a cost and for companies with tight profit margins, the situation is even more critical. The example below, created

by Bob King, Group Head of Operational Excellence for Premier Foods, shows that for companies with tight profit margins, the last 10% is where the real money is made and competitive advantage is achieved.

Sustaining OEE scores at this level requires production teams to virtually eliminate breakdowns, slow running and quality issues, and in these cases of operational excellence, effective maintenance is vital.

Is a different kind of maintenance required?

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component testing or the creation of maintenance guidelines; perhaps a page in the machine manual describing oil change frequency, air mist bottles and chain alignment etc. The maintenance planned is usually based on asset availability, operating experience, and the abilities of the maintenance staff. Compare that to the maintenance support aircraft companies provide - failure mode and criticality analysis, component life prediction and testing, testing and more testing. The maintenance guidelines are highly detailed and precise instructions describing not only what should be done but exactly when it should be done, by what skill level, how it should be inspected, and how completion should be reported and recorded.

The first step to ensuring effective maintenance would be to use analytical tools like FMECA to establish improved maintenance standards and procedures. But should the bottling plant move towards airline type maintenance? The question should

Alan France, Operations Director of Idhammar Systems, has extensive experience in lean manufacturing with a background that includes several years as Engineering Systems Manager for the largest food company in Europe. A systems specialist, he now consults on the importance of underpinning lean initiatives with realistic targets and sound metrics.

Contact him by email, alan.france@idham marsystems.com, or visit www.idhammarsyst ems.com for more on CMMS and OEE software.

If you want to read more from Godin here is a link to his daily blog: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_b log

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Energyst chillers can give energy efficiencies that are much better than theoretical Energy efficiency for liquid chillers is key to the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Energy efficiency ratios are often used and unfortunately sometimes misused to evaluate and compare different chiller types and chiller manufacturers.

The use of theoretical benchmarks need to be chosen carefully as there are many different industrial standards and in fact chiller performance varies at different operating conditions and real process circumstances. Energyst design and build chillers to meet the lowest TCO under a wide range of operating conditions. This chiller case study demonstrates that Energyst chillers and application design give energy efficiencies that are much better than theoretical figures often used

Efficiency ratios The most common European efficiency ratios for commercial and industrial branches are the Energy Efficiency ratio and European Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio: 1.

Energy Efficiency ratio (EER)

a. Ratio of the cooling capacity to the total power input of the chiller (excl. liquid pump), under specified conditions by an independent institute like Eurovent. b. The EER specified conditions do not often reflect real process conditions.

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During a longer period of time the actual operating conditions fluctuate. c. Also generally known as Coefficient Of Performance (COP) 2. European Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (ESEER) a. Ratio that is a specified weighted formula taking into account the possible variations of EER with the (part) load rate and the variations of ambient air and liquid outlet temperatures. b. Energyst’s opinion is that the ESEER ratio is the most realistic theoretical measure of energy efficiency.

Project research scope Partnership means trust, honesty, integrity and transparency in relationship and in total cost of ownership (TCO) when it comes down to energy efficiency. Our approach on this project was to openly demonstrate actual energy efficiency to our customer.

•

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010 3x EC750 chillers parallel connected to chilled water circuit customer. Equal flow rate over each chiller is provided by customer (internal pump not operational and in by-pass).

• Total required maximum cool load: 2 MW @ LWT +5°C and + 30°C ambient • Production chilled water for batch process, improving product quality and increasing production volumes • Project period: 14 months (March 2008 – May 2009) Test methodology During a fixed period of time in summer each identical chiller is monitored (24/7) and data logged with external power analyzer and standard monitoring system on chillers. Parameters: •

Fixed and equal flow for each chiller

• Chilled fluid specified (specific heat / density) • Inlet temperature and outlet temperature per chiller

• Total power (kW) consumption per chiller (excl. internal pump) • Chillers were maintained by Energyst technicians in optimal condition, including refrigerant circuit and clean condensers.

Test results All monitored data was analyzed and EER calculations were made. To

come to a realistic outcome, only the results during the hottest period during the day (11.00-19.00hr) were used with following results: • Cool load per chiller varies between 485 kW and 899 kW • Power consumption per chiller varies between 135 kW and 260 kW • Average EER of 3.37 versus theoretical peak load EER of 2.76 • 22% improvement against theoretical value.

Test reliability To ensure reliability we defined parameters as described above. Also a sufficient amount of measurements were taken which makes it possible to use the generally recognised Gaussmethod: • Measured data was analyzed conform the Gauss-method by our independent customer process specialist • The lower average was proven statistically accurate

Conclusion Understanding how chillers interact and work together in a process application is critical: • Chillers rarely operate at full load for long periods in time • In operation the Energyst EC750 has proven more efficient than theoretical figures.

• The design of the Energyst EC750 is adapted to give high efficiencies throughout the operating range.

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010 •

Perfect temperature regulation

• Master/slave possibility in combination with heat pumps or air handlers 2.

Easy to use:

• The standard connections enable units to be attached to existing systems rapidly • Energyst high efficiency design has been adapted to the full range of high performance chillers (EC500 – EC1000) Thoroughly understanding a cooling application and the many factors contributing to chiller efficiency are key factors in engineering the best solution for a given application against the lowest TCO.

consultants are ready to be of service.

They will listen to your requirements and discuss the options with you. They form the link towards the ultimate success that you are looking for.

• Easy to transport with a forklift or a crane •

Pump by-pass

•

Easy to use control panel

Features Energyst Chillers

3.

Environmental Friendly

•

Low noise level

1.

•

Drip trays

Energyst technicians involved in designing, specifying and maintaining temperature control solutions ensure the most energy efficient operation of chillers.

To compare chiller energy efficiencies in use the most realistic standard is ESEER by which the Energyst EC750 chiller demonstrates top quartile efficiency.

Is this an opportunity for you?

Energyst Cat® Rental Power containerised, packaged chillers are used to provide chilled liquid for process cooling or temperature control. We assist you with any equipment that you need to carry out your project – or that of your client – wherever you are.

Energyst provides you with the best possible and latest Caterpillar and JCI/York equipment, at all times.

Our technical

High Performance:

• Outlet temperature down to – 15ºC

• Use of R407C gas (non ozone depleting refrigerant)

•

About Energyst

Monitoring with GSM modem link

• Variable speedpump built into the unit (above 100 kW)

Energyst is a Pan- European power generation and temperature control rental company formed by Caterpillar® and 10 of its dealers in Europe to offer complete rental solutions for air and liquid heating and cooling as well as full temperature control systems and power generation.

Energyst is an independent company working with the extensive Cat® network, which includes 83 Caterpillar® facilities, 70 Caterpillar® dealers and over 700 Cat® Rental Stores across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Learn more at www.energyst.com.

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Fire-Tube Boilers – How can we improve reliability?

Enspec Engineering UK Ltd, a Forensic Engineering company has for many years been involved in the inspections of boilers and the analysis of boiler failures in the food, chemicals and pharmaceutical industries.

In general, boiler failures tend to be of a disruptive nature although catastrophic failures can sometimes occur. Much experience has been gained over the years with respect to operational problems that can lead to unplanned shutdowns, and sometimes expensive repairs.

The continuous on-demand availability of steam for process heating and/or power is an essential requirement for a modern manufacturing facility. It has been said on many occasions that “the boilers are the heart of the factory” and this is of course true. Boilers are critical plant items that are prone to failure due to the severe operating environment in which they operate under. Boilers can often fail due to some unforeseen circumstance, even though they are subject to statutory inspections on a regular basis.

It is Enspecs’ experience that almost all boilers develop leaks or experience some form of mechanical failure at some point in their operational life.

Thankfully, catastrophic failures are rare so the majority of failures tend to be of a disruptive nature, often leading to an unplanned shutdown and sometimes the need for costly repairs.

One of the most common types of boiler in use is the fire-tube (shell) boiler used for generating process steam for both direct and indirect heating. This type of boiler generally operates at pressures up to 150 psig (approximately 10.3 bar.) Where higher pressures are required, water-tube boilers are normally employed. There many facilities that operate both types of boiler.

In the UK, we have statutory inspections which are performed within a specified period of time in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the SAFed (1) organisation. For example, the SAFed guidelines recommend that the fire-tube to end plate welds at both ends of the boiler should be subjected to a periodic ultrasonic examination for any signs of

30

cracking in the root or body of the weld.

In this particular case, the extent of test coverage would be the full length of the weld (i.e. 100%) or where accessible.

Another recommendation is that the shell to end plate welds at both ends of the boiler should be subjected to an ultrasonic examination over a distance equal to 20% of the total length of each weld. A typical area chosen for this test would be a section of the weld at the top of the boiler, although any part of the weld can be selected depending on accessibility. These ultrasonic tests would normally be carried out on a five year frequency.

It is not unusual for failures to occur due to cracking or corrosion, or a combination of both, in-between the statutory inspections. These types of failures usually become manifest in the form of a leak where the defect or affected area has reached a critical stage where minor repairs may not be an option and costly repairs are required. It must also be remembered that defects such as cracking can develop as a result of a geometric stress concentration mechanism either in or adjacent to welds which do not contain any defects.

This means that even modern boilers built to current construction codes or standards can be susceptible to premature failure due to cracking.

Enspec recommends that boiler owners and operators should consider the implementation of non-statutory inspections in-between the statutory inspections, which should ideally be performed every 2 to 3 years. This type of non-statutory inspection is sometimes called a Reliability Inspection which is designed to detect potential defects at an early stage of development, so that they can be more easily repaired at a time and cost that is more convenient for the operator.

There are some major welded connections that are not covered by statutory inspection requirements but from a structural integrity viewpoint are just as important, such as the longitudinal and circumferential welds in

the fire-tube. It is Enspecs’ experience that these welds are prone to the development of fatigue cracking on the gas side surface and that it is a relatively common occurrence. There have been a number of cases where a fire-tube was found to contain major cracking along the edge of the longitudinal welds which were not detected during the statutory inspection.

Image:Fatigue cracking at the edges of a fire-tube longitudinal weld In certain countries, boiler inspections are generally carried out to a high standard by independent inspection bodies. However, it is possible to increase the reliability of a boiler further by implementing Reliability Inspections in-between statutory inspections to detect and identify defects at an early stage of development, thereby reducing the risk of unpredicted failures occurring.

Enspec has created an extensive database of cases relating to inspections of boilers and the analysis of many different types of disruptive and catastrophic failures. It has become apparent that the standards of inspection vary widely from country to country. One reason for this is that the plant inspectors and/or non-destructive testing (NDT) technicians who perform the inspections and tests, often do not possess any understanding of the degradation mechanisms responsible for cracking or corrosion. Also, another problem is that some operators rely too heavily on the advice given by local subcontractors such as fabricators, who would normally be responsible for carrying out any weld repairs or other weld-related activities on a boiler. It is often the case that the fabricator does not understand the mechanisms responsible for a failure, or at best, only possesses a limited knowledge of the metallurgical aspects of a failure or a weld-related repair.

This article was written & provided by Malcolm Nicol from Enspec Technology. For more infor Tel: +44(0)151 334 3821.

E: helpdesk@enspectechnology.com

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Engineered sealing from AxFlow Specifying, installing and servicing mechanical seals are jobs for the experts and AxFlow with its vast knowledge of pumping technology is one such expert.

At its Service Centre in Huddersfield AxFlow now holds a comprehensive range of single spring and cartridge mechanical seals in stock for immediate delivery. Coupled with this, AxFlow is running an extensive mechanical seal service and repair operation complete with facilities for cleaning, lapping, reassembly and shaft mounting using laser alignment technology.

AxFlow managing director Tony Peters reports that an increasing number of its customers are now taking advantage of the Company’s facilities for replacing existing sealing arrangements with AxFlow’s own single spring and cartridge seals when having their pumps serviced.

“AxFlow cartridge seals have all the components pre-mounted on a shaft sleeve, making installation and removal simple tasks,” says Tony Peters. “We can build the cartridge unit to match the application for the pump and its

operating conditions. Having seen this side of the business growing steadily, through pump repair and servicing, we are now offering mechanical seals as a mainstream activity.”

For further product information, contacts: Media enquiries to: Tony Peters AxFlow Ltd Orion Park Northfield Avenue Ealing London W13 9SJ Tel: 020 8579 2111 Email: info@axflow.co.uk www.axflow.co.uk

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

SO YOU NEED AN INTRINSICALLY SAFE DIGITAL CAMERA …

When it comes to choosing an intrinsically safe digital camera, what should you look for beyond ATEX certification to ensure you the best possible performance in the field?

Review Firstly, make sure your chosen camera has both a viewfinder and display so you can check your images once you’ve taken them. It allows you to review your work for focus, scene accuracy and light levels so that shots can be re-taken if necessary.

Battery Intrinsically safe devices come with caveat that only the batteries specified in the user manual must be used. Failure to comply renders it unsafe and negates the camera’s ATEX certification.

Some manufacturers specify third-party batteries for their products. However, just because an IS digital camera uses AA batteries, it doesn’t mean it can use any AA battery! If the specified battery is not readily available the IS device cannot be fitted with ‘look-alike’ without invalidating the certification. Ongoing expense is another consideration. Over time replacement batteries add substantially to the cost.

You buy a digital camera to perform a task over its lifespan which may be measured in several years. The best option to minimise added cost is to choose a camera that uses reliable, rechargeable battery packs manufactured and certified by the camera manufacturer.

Macro Close-up imaging of a rating plate for example is a common requirement of the industrial digital camera user. Most digital cameras are equipped with a macro

32

mode to achieve this. However, with automatic focussing a good image is difficult to achieve. A far better solution involves the use of a specialist macro lens to enlarge the close-up target. So to maximise your options choose a camera with interchangeable lenses.

Safety Your digital camera must contribute to your safety not detract from it.

Make sure the digital camera has power and shutter buttons that are sufficiently spaced apart so they can be easily located and operated even when you’re wearing heavy gloves.

trying to resolve small details which may need to be enlarged and then cropped to highlight important sections of equipment.

It’s therefore best to opt for a 5 megapixels camera with adjustable resolution.

Also consider memory, the recommended minimum for the maintenance professional is 2Gb. And if your camera is capable of shooting videos, its onboard storage capacity is even more important with up to 1Gb required to record every 40 minutes of footage.

Follow these guidelines and you will have a camera that has all the right credentials to help you do your job quicker, easier and with the utmost efficiency.

Contact Us: Tel: +44(0)1904 749020 Email: sales@cord-ex.com

Detail As with any digital camera, greater resolution equals image quality. This is especially important when you are

Web: www.cordexinstruments.com

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Are you running pumps in a hazardous area?

Are you aware of the new ATEX safety regulations?

Varley Pumps manufacture a range of ATEX approved positive displacement double helical gear pumps ranging from size 1 to 225 gpm (0.25 – 60 m3/h).

For a quotation for pumps that are compliant with the ATEX100a Directive, please visit our website.

Varley Pumps manufacture positive displacement double helical gear pumps for oil transfer, processing and forced lubrication applications, that can also be designed and manufactured in accordance with API676. The range also includes bespoke pump systems and twin set pump units.

Varley Pumps Ltd, 1 Kimpton Road, Luton LU1 3LD, England

BE SURE, BE SAFE

T: +44 (0) 1582 731144 E: sales@varleypumps.com www.varleypumps.com

33

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Level Sensors for tough environment

by HB Products.

The unique HBSR-F Liquid switch is designed for use in sanitary, waste water and process applications.

EMS is specially highlighting this switch as it is fully unaffected by foam, splashing and even by any kind of coating.

Additionally it has been approved according to Train Standards which also proves the high quality of the product.

The HBKS liquid level transmitter also by HB Products is used to measure liquid levels in conductive alternatively non-conductive vessels. With more than 10 years of experience in liquid level detection on industrial refrigerant plants the transmitter is build specially to withstand variations in temperature, pressure and vibrations.

Since 20 years HB Products has specialized in development of sensors for tough environments.

In addition to the proven quality and reliability the possibility of customization makes HB Products the ideal partner for sensing solutions.

Further details about the products and data sheets can be found online on www.hbproducts.dk or be sent to you. Please contact sales@hbproducts.dk alt. phone +45 87476207

34

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Zoning in on Portable Gas Detection with new Draeger X-zone 5000 Transportable gas detection has entered a new era with the launch of the Draeger X-zone 5000 wireless monitoring unit.

Easily positioned and providing clear

as hydrocarbons, hydrogen, O2 and other

unit can also be used with external

alarms, these robust, waterproof units

explosive, combustible or toxic gases.

equipment such as alarm horns, lamps

ensure increased levels of safety by

or traffic lights. In addition, the

detecting and communicating the

Continuous monitoring

fenceline signal and alarm contact

presence of a wide range of toxic,

Deployed at varying distances apart,

point can be forwarded to a central

combustible and explosive gases over

the transportable measuring heads

control room for further management

longer distances. Bringing Zone 0 ATEX

continuously monitor a number of

procedures.

performance, longer sensor life,

different gases. Easy to see, even

enhanced battery life and more

from a distance, a green LED band

Low cost of ownership

flexibility to area monitoring, the

around the circumference of the unit

Fast, reliable and accurate, the latest

Draeger X-zone also offers a lower cost

indicates that the air is clean. As soon

miniaturised Draeger XXS high

of ownership.

as one of the units detects a gas it

performance sensors offer extended

immediately transmits an alarm to

life capabilities of up to 8 years for

Using a variety of alarms to warn of

each of the others, the LED bands of

electrochemical sensors, and up to 4

different types of gases, up to 25

the alarming unit change to red while

years for catalytic sensors.

Draeger X-zones can be used at any

the others show green and red signals,

one time, acting as wireless monitors

and unambiguous visual and alarms are

Two different types of rechargeable

around a specific zone, including those

issued. At the same time, a loud

batteries enable continuous operation

areas where an explosion hazard might

evacuation alarm is emitted and a

for either 60 or 12 hours and the unit

exist. This networking and

patented 360ยบ alarm amplifier ensures

can be charged via conventional

synchronised signalling capability

that it is heard with the same intensity

means that people can be guided away

in all directions.

from the potential hazard.

Unlike portable instruments which Allowing gas ingress from every side, independent of wind direction, the units are designed for use with Draeger X-am portable gas detection instruments.

When used in conjunction with the Draeger X-am 5000, for example, it can be fitted with up to four sensors to detect as many as five gases at once. In

usually leave the scene with the wearer, the units can be left inside the zone, constantly issuing an alarm as long as the danger exists. Facilitating an easy, unmistakable evacuation in

methods or, for maximum

the event of a gas hazard, they also

convenience and trouble-free

alert other personnel to the presence

operation, via a modern induction

of a danger zone.

charger.

this instance, by using a catalytic Exsensor together with two electrochemical sensors and a combination, double sensor for CO and H2S, it will provide simultaneous measurement of gases and vapours such

Further information: Customer For continuous monitoring of confined

Service, Draeger Safety UK Limited,

spaces and other areas that are

Ullswater Close, Blyth Riverside

difficult to access, an optional

Business Park, Blyth,

integrated pump can be used for

Northumberland, NE24 4RG. Tel:

distances of up to 45m. Approved to

01670 561200, fax: 01670 356266,

IP67 for dust and water ingress, the

www.draeger.com.

35

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Bore Alignment Measurements used to Confirm Propeller Shaft Line In April 2010 Vibrotech Reliability Services Ltd carried out bore alignment measurements on propeller shaft lines of two ships situated in dry dock.

The bore alignment measurements were required to establish the centre lines of the Aft and Intermediate ‘A’ frames the ‘Engine Room Bulkhead Gland Ring’ the ‘Thrust Block’ and the ‘Engine’.

The bore alignment measurements were taken by generating a laser line (reference), through the Aft ‘A’ frame bore, through the Intermediate ‘A’ frame bore, through the Stern Tube to the Engine Room Bulkhead Gland Ring and Thrust Block.

Measurements were then taken from each propeller shaft line bore using an X & Y axis receiver.From the stored measurements a bore alignment report was generated using the alignment software.

The report shows the ‘reference’ line in relation to each bore in the X & Y plane.

For more information on our full range of Laser Alignment Services, Inc further Geometric & Shaft applications, please contact us on 01642 714710.

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Nobel Fire Systems Nobel has extensive experience in the provision of fire suppression solutions for the machine tool industry where end users continue to demand tighter tolerances, faster deliveries, and lower costs. Existing customers include Star Micronics, Citizen Machinery UK, LNS Turbo, Mori Seiki, Matsuura Machinery and many others, all of whom need to ensure the highest possible levels of safety on their CNC machines and ancillary equipment. As these leading companies realise, modern machinery operating at high temperatures, sometimes for 24 hours a day creates a real fire risk and as such becomes a key responsibility and duty of care to all their customers.

Founded on practical working experience in the machine tool industry and to ensure the highest possible safety measures, Nobel recommends its Stat-X fire suppression system. Based on aerosol technology developed in the space programme, the Stat-X family of fire suppression systems is a patented potassium-based aerosol that suppresses fire by chemically ‘interfering’ with the fire. In the event of a fire, Stat-X

generators can be activated either manually or automatically and on activation, the generators produce an exceptionally effective, ultra-fine, potassium based aerosol.

Stat-X aerosol generators are very cost effective to install and maintain - as they don’t require the pressure vessels, piping or expensive installation costs associated with other extinguishing systems. Space and weight requirements are minimal which makes the task of fitting the system an easy and viable option. On an agent weight basis, Stat-X aerosol is ten times more effective than gaseous agent alternatives. Fire suppression is rapidly achieved through interference between the ultra-fine aerosol particulate and the flame’s free radicals – terminating propagation of the fire. Stat-X aerosol generators are virtually maintenance free and have a shelf life of over 10 years. This, coupled to their very low installation cost, makes them an extremely cost effective fire protection solution.

Nobel’s Commercial Director Ben Parker commented, “We have great experience

in the provision of fire suppression solutions for the machine tool industry.

We see MACH 2010 as an ideal platform on which to inform the industry not just about our range of fire suppression products, but importantly how our installation specialists work with each customer to provide a risk based analysis across their machinery before arriving at what we believe to be the ultimate fire suppression solution to meet their individual needs and to provide all the fire safety reassurances they’re looking for”.

Email Ben.Parker@nobel-firesystems.com Phone: +44 (0)1706 625 777 Fax: +44 (0)1706 625 325

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

39

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

NEW EFFICIENT AND ECONOMICAL OIL-FREE COMPRESSOR FROM JUN-AIR The Gast Group has extended its JUN-AIR range of oil-free compressors with the launch of the new iSeries – a compact, self-contained compressed air package consisting of a rocking piston compressor and an air receiver. needs no installation, is designed for continuous operation and is ready to operate straight from the box. It can be placed directly at the point-of-use, wherever a reliable source of compressed air is required.

The three compressors in the iSeries range offer pulse-free airflow rates from 3.17 to 6.35 cfm (90 to 180 m3/h), a maximum pressure rating of 100 psi (7 bar), tank sizes from 4 to 25 litres (1.1 to 6.6 gallons) and motor outputs from 0.33 to 0.67 HP (0.25 to 0.50 kW). Like all JUN-AIR oil-free compressors, the new iSeries is vibration-free and extremely quiet, operating at just 66dB(A) as a free standing unit.

The iSeries uses fewer moving parts to help reduce wear, provide maximum reliability and minimise maintenance and the fully-automatic package, which

Receivers are internally powder-coated to resist corrosion and ensure optimum air quality, and other features include manual drain. All units are supplied with a two-year warranty.

Commenting for the Gast Group, managing director Adrian Lee says the iSeries reflects the Gast Group’s continued commitment to research and development at a time when many manufacturers are cutting back. “Like all JUN-AIR compressors the iSeries range combines performance and usability with environmental features such as low energy consumption, minimum maintenance and versatility.

These essential ingredients make it the logical choice wherever an efficient yet economical oil-less compressor is required.”

For further information contact: Adrian Lee, Gast Group Limited Unit 11, The IO Centre, Nash Road, Redditch, B98 7AS Phone: +44 (0) 1527 504040, Fax: +44 (0) 1527 525262 Email: gastgroup.uk@idexcorp.com

Eentec, USA Eentec, USA is a designer and manufacturer of multiple vibration instruments.

The featured unit is the SS-3 seismic switch. Designed for the industrial market it is user friendly, easy to install, operates off of 110-220 A/C and has a backup internal battery. When acceleration exceeds the user-selected threshold it closes an industry standard Type C relay. This can send a signal to a plant safety system, turn off sensitive machinery, pumps, alarms, etc.

For the scientific minded engineers we offer the R-1 rotational seismometer, which is immune to translational motion.

Coupled with a translational FBA accelerometer one can profile all 6 DOF

40

of the structure during an event. Coupled with the DR-4050P high resolution recorder that also has a Type C replay and designed for a LAN one can view all the structures behavior.

Design of custom instruments for special applications available.

Visit our website at www.eentec.com

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Stanair completes installation of Lightning hangar doors at Bruntingthorpe Stanair Industrial Door Services has completed the re-installation of the original hangar doors at the Lightning Jet's Bruntingthorpe base, in plenty of time for the May bank holiday open day. The job began more than two years ago, in January 2008, after the Lightning Preservation Group (LPG) turned to Stanair for help.

They had been told that the original doors could not be refitted.

The project was completed at the end of February 2009 and the Stanair team were delighted with the results - each Stanair's team of engineers visited the door leaf can be operated by one site, found the doors to be in reasonable person. condition and agreed to repair and re-fit The rear doors required more work than the front and rear doors. the front doors - obtaining and But it was far from a simple task. reconditioning another set of doors was given serious consideration.

The front doors were scheduled to be hung first, and work started at the end The replacement doors didn't of 2008.The tracks and hinges of the materialise, so Stanair's engineers went doors were wire-brushed (by hand!) to to work and soon had the doors working remove the rust that had built up after perfectly. As with the front doors, all years left in the open, before being the brackets and hinges were wirepainted oxide red to prevent further brushed and repainted then the doors corrosion. were re-hung.

Shortly afterwards the channel for the bottom tracks were cut before the doors were successfully re-hung and the tracks themselves concreted in.

Richard Grieves, depot manager at Stanair's rugby operation, was thrilled with the results. He commented: "The project was a very challenging one. "We

were working with components that had been open to the elements for a long time and because the work was done in the winter, temperatures on site were often well below zero!

"I'm really pleased with the job our engineers have done and I'm thrilled that we have been able to contribute to maintaining this important part of British aviation history."The Lightning Preservation Group is a great group and should be applauded for all the work they have done" Further details can be found on the LPG's website: www.lightnings.org.uk/ Stanair offer a free no obligation site survey and quotes for maintenance,

41

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

42

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Pumping harsh liquids at 120ºC Their seal-less design enables Wanner’s Hydra-Cell pumps to handle virtually any liquid over a wide range of pressures, from very low pressure up to 70 bar and beyond.

Some models are rated as high as 170 bar. Compatible fluids include viscous materials, thin non-lubricating liquids, acid or alkaline chemical solutions, and recycled liquids carrying abrasive particles.

But another feature of the design, in which the pumped medium is isolated from the drive mechanism and 100% contained within the wetted end of the pump, is that the pump also works well with hot liquids. A combination of heat and seal wear can spell trouble for pumps reliant on dynamic seals.

In the Hydra-Cell design, there are no seals to wear and heat is not a factor unless the temperature of the process liquid is exceptionally high. For some of these installations Wanner recommends

the fitting of an oil cooler to hold the viscosity of lubricant in the drive end of the pump within prescribed limits. A new range of oil coolers purposematched for use with Hydra-Cell pumps is now offered by the company – enabling the pumps to handle process liquids at temperatures up to 120ºC. The new cooler is of the air blast type, with built-in circulating gear pump and oil filter. It gives excellent cooling efficiency, maintaining lubricant at correct viscosity and in good condition.

Hydra-Cell Oil Coolers meet EU conformity standards and are CE marked. The units are offered in two versions – for single or three-phase electrical supply. Their introduction will simplify sourcing for customers

concerned with high temperature pumping applications.

More information from the company at www.wannerint.com

Hydro Power Application, Solving Corrosion of Relief Pressure Valve by Barry Nisill Festiniog Power Station, the UK's first major pumped storage power facility, was experiencing corrosion of their pressure relief valves.

The valves were constantly under

selected due to its resistance to a wide

immersion and attached to the turbine

range of chemicals. Following the

spiral casing which is a safety device to

application of Belzona 1111 (Super

release pressure from the spiral

Metal), an overcoat of Belzona 5811

envelope during an emergency

(Immersion Grade) was applied to

shutdown of the turbine which could

protect the valve from future corrosion,

ultimately lead to catastrophic failure

a product particularly designed for the

of the pressure envelope (spiral casing).

protection of metallic and non metallic

In addition to the corrosion needing to

surfaces operating under immersion.

be repaired, the customer also required

Noel Roberts and Derfel Hugh’s, both

a coating to prevent further corrosion

Mechanical Engineers at Festiniog Power

to ensure that if the equipment was

Station both commented, ‘Belzona was

needed it would work without any

specified over a competitive epoxy

problems. Belzona 1111 (Super Metal) a

based coating in a number of plant and

machinable repair composite was

equipment areas during our 2008 and

selected to rebuild the heavily pitted

2009 outages. So far we have had no

areas of the valve, this product was

issues and are more than happy with

the performance given by the metallic, elastomeric and environmental polymer fillers and coatings. The long term performance will be assessed within the next 12 – 24 months during routine inspections.

Our confidence in the performance of the Belzona materials means we are happy to specify and apply in the upcoming 2010 outages at both of our stations.’ www.belzona.com

43

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Humidity transmitter in fermentation chambers – Michell rises to the challenge A leading European food processing manufacturer has chosen Michell’s PF211 RH transmitter to control the humidity and temperature in their range of fermentation chambers.

Designed for small to medium bakeries, fermentation chambers provide a consistent environment for bread dough and yeasted products to rise and prove.

The cabinets are insulated with an air conditioning system to provide accurate control of both temperature and humidity as well as a flow of fresh air.

Previously, in small or artisan bakeries, mixing, kneading and fermentation would be a completely manual process.

The development of these cabinets allows the automation and regulation of part of this process and ensures more consistent results.

The challenge for the manufacturer is to provide reliable control of humidity across the wide range of temperatures required in bread making, from proving

44

(rising dough at a warm temperature) to retardation, where bread dough is kept to rise at a low temperature for up to 12 hours to develop flavour.

a real benefit to end customers who can relax knowing that they will not be required to undertake any complicated maintenance procedures.

The PF211 probe was chosen because of its wide measurement range – from 0 to 100% RH as well as -30 to +70°C. The sensor is highly stable with ±1% RH drift a year, to ensure reliable results over a long period of time.

If you would like more information please contact:

To make maintenance as simple as possible, the PF211 uses the I7000 ‘Hygrosmart’ interchangeable module.

The sensor head incorporates all the calibration data, and to ensure continued reliability over time, the user can simply replace the old sensor with a new one. The process is as quick and simple as changing a light bulb – which is

Contact Name Dan Kot Michell Instruments Ltd 48 Lancaster Way Business Park,Ely, Cambridgeshire ,CB6 3NW Tel: [44] 1353 658000 Fax: [44] 1353 658199 Email - uk.info@michell.com

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

NEWPORT wiSeries HIGH POWER WIRELESS TRANSMITTERS The NEW NEWPORT wiSeries wireless transmitters let you monitor sensors for temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure, as well as thermocouples and any transducer with an analog voltage or current output.

You can record data and view active charts in Web pages over an Ethernet network or the Internet without any special software--just your Web Browser.

You can even set alarms for notifications by email including text messages to cell phones.

The radio is a High Power IEEE 802.15.4 compliant transmitter operating at 2.4 GHz. It can transmit over one kilometer (without obstructions).

The wiSeries wireless transmitters are designed for demanding industrial applications and harsh outdoor environments. The electronics are protected in a rugged weatherproof, polycarbonate IP65 rated housing.

Newport offers different models powered by conventional alkaline batteries that can last for years, as well as versions powered by a universal AC adapter that operates on any voltage worldwide (110 to 240 Vac).

NEWPORT Electronics Ltd. One Omega Drive River Bend Technology Centre Northbank Irlam, Manchester M44 5BD United Kingdom Tel: +44 161-777-6611 Free Phone: 0800-488-488 e-mail: sales@newport.co.uk Web Site: www.newport.co.uk

ABB targets industrial pH measurement with AP300 sensor ABB offers a reliable, cost effective solution for most industrial pH applications with its range of AP300 pH/Redox sensors. Combining measurement, reference and temperature compensation elements in a single unit,the AP300 is suitable for a wide range of standard industrial applications including water, food, textiles and chemicals.

Rugged construction enables the sensors to operate at up to 105oC and 6bar.

Within the robust outer casing, the electrolyte is a media-resistant gel, which is faced with PTFE liquid junction.

The PTFE junction is ideal for most applications and is especially resistant to fouling when used in conjunction with a flat glass element.

The AP300’s integral temperature compensator offers improved accuracy and speed of response. The temperature sensor is located at the tip of the AP300 together with the measuring and reference electrodes. The sensor

provides accurate data which can then be used to compensate for the effects of temperature to produce a precise pH measurement.

·

· The AP300 range is available with ABB’s standard pH-sensitive glass or the option of low-resistance glass, which speeds up the response of the sensor by an order of magnitude at temperatures below 15oC. For applications with higher pH levels and temperatures, ABB’s standard glass offers a much lower sodium error than competing products, enabling the sensor to maintain its accuracy even at very high pH levels, when sodium ions would otherwise cause readings to drift.

The use of a three-wire PT100 as standard enables users to be confident in the accuracy of the temperature readings from AP300 units, regardless of the length of cable runs.

There are five models in the AP300 range:

·

The AP301 is a PVDF, inline/immersion, locknut-style sensor. It can also be converted for dip-type immersion.

The AP302 and AP303 are made from PVDF and can be converted to flow or dip immersion.

The AP304 and AP305 are fullyretractable PVDF-bodied sensors, which enables them to be installed, commissioned and maintained without the need for an expensive bypass system.

This can significantly reduce the cost of new projects and enables the sensors to be maintained without shutting down the process.

45

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Rotronic HygroGen2 Transportable Humidity and Temperature Calibrator The Rotronic HygroGen generates stable humidity and temperature conditions in which instrument calibration can be performed.

Compact and lightweight, the HygroGen only requires an external power connection, so it can be moved around site to calibrate instruments ‘in-situ’.

This feature allows full measurement loops to be checked in only a few minutes, and eliminates the need to remove instruments from their installation point.

With 0...60 oC and 5...95 %rh control ranges, HygroGen can be used to calibrate most humidity and

temperature instruments used in applications such as building management systems, process control, environmental monitoring, climatic test, horticulture and stability evaluation. A three point humidity calibration can be performed in typically 30 minutes, so significant engineering time savings and reduced maintenance down time are achieved.

Probes are applied to the controlled environment through a series of five

chamber ports. Each port can be easily fitted with an adapter to suit any probe diameter, so any type of instrument can be calibrated.

Visit www.rotronic.co.uk for more information.

Rotronic Instruments (UK) Ltd, Crompton Fields, Crompton Way, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 9EE T: 01293 571000. F: 01293 571008.

E: instruments@rotronic.co.uk

Laboratory Grade Humidity and Temperature Generator Thunder Scientific model 2500 two pressure humidity generators are used worldwide in Standards laboratories to create stable conditions in which humidity and temperature calibrations can be performed to a very high standard.

Featuring a large test chamber, the Thunder 2500 can be used to calibrate multiple probes simultaneously, or accommodate large recording devices such as mechanical thermo-hygrographs.

The test chamber temperature control is by means of a water jacket, so that highly stable conditions can be generated throughout a calibration.

The working ranges of -10...70 oC and 2...98 %rh allow the calibration of any type of humidity instrument to be performed. Automated ‘Controlog’ control software allows the user to define a series of set points to allow unattended operation.

The Thunder 2500 is typically partnered with chilled mirror reference hygrometers to provide the ultimate in

46

generated conditions with very small calibration uncertainties. Typical applications include calibration laboratories, instrument manufacturers, National Standards, research laboratories and industrial users requiring the highest possible measurement performance.

Please contact us for more information.

Rotronic Instruments (UK) Ltd, Crompton Fields, Crompton Way, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 9EE T: 01293 571000. F: 01293 571008.

E: instruments@rotronic.co.uk

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Flowline’s EchoPod Introducing Flowline’s EchoPod, a multi-function, non-contact level solution for small tanks that combines switch, controller and measurement capabilities in one sensor EchoPod is an ultrasonic level sensor

For fast and easy configuration, the

that provides high-accuracy, reliable

EchoPod package includes an innovative

and flexible switch, control and

PC user interface with simple pre-

measurement capabilities,

programmed menus, tank set-point

simultaneously or individually, for small

graphics and configuration

tank applications up to 2.5m.

management.

EchoPod’s unique, compact design

EchoPod’s design and performance

allows for installation with limited

capabilities make it particularly suitable

space and mounting options and its

for small tank applications involving

miniature 2" dead band allows for

control or process automation such as

optimised fill capacity. Based on non-

high/low level alarm, auto-fill/empty,

contact, ultrasonic level technology

batching, mixing or dispensing.

icenta Controls Ltd

with no moving or exposed parts,

EchoPod is part of the FlowLine range of

specialists in... precision

EchoPod is virtually maintenance free

level switches & level transmitters that

flow meters... level sensors...

and avoids failures due to sticking,

is available in UK and Ireland through

instrumentation & control

corroding and fouling that can occur

icenta Controls. Further details can be

Email: sales@icenta.co.uk

with contact switches.

found at :

Tel: 0845 895 1020 Fax: 0845 895 1021

www.icenta.co.uk/Flowline-Level-Sensors

47

Buyers Guide 2010

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Asset Mngmt/CMMS Cayman Venture is a British based engineering software company who have been developing and supporting maintenance and engineering systems since 1991.

Telephone: 0191 296 3816 Fax: 0191 296 3856 e-mail: info@cayman.co.uk website: www.cayman.co.uk

Logimatic Logimatic is an international engineering and IT company with more than 20 years of experience of sales, implementation and support of in-house developed software solutions. In addition to that we focus strongly on system integration and consulting services.

Logimatic Aalborg (coporate office)

Tel.: +45 9634 7000 Fax: +45 96 34 7001 E-mail: lmc@logimatic.dk www.logimatik.dk

PMI Software has been established since 1987 providing Engineering & Safety Software Solutions to businesses Worldwide. Best known for its CMMS product PEMAC, we also supply Permit to Work, Risk Assessment & Accident Report Systems.

We also provide innovative Custom Software solutions through our Custom Division, servicing those customers with specific software requirements that are not being met by the marketplace. www.pmisoftware.co.uk

For more information please contact:

By Email: sales@simplisys.co.uk

Our mission at Idhammar Systems is deliver and support market leading systems that help our customers to achieve the ideal balance of productivity, efficiency and economy required for world-class lean manufacturing and maintenance.

353(0)1404 0000

Approved Doors

www.idhammarsystems.com Siveco Group have been developing and producing CMMS (Computerised Maintenance Management Systems) solutions since 1986 for companies within the Industrial and Tertiary sectors.

48

Call our 24 Hour Call Centre: 01536 482187 T. 0161 495 4600

Tel: (44) 1 25 684 38 33,

F. 0161 495 4690

Fax: (44) 1 21 684 37 67,E-mail : byainne@siveco.com

E. info@solutionspt.com

info@stanair.co.uk www.stanair.co.uk

Buyers Guide 2010

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Boilers

Condition Monitoring

Steam has been generated by CERTUSS steam generators for over 50 years, technically perfect, economical and utilised in a controlled manner.

Telephone Number +44 (0)1494 816569 +44 (0)1494 812256 sales@monitran.com

Sales@certuss.co.uk +44(0)121 3275362 www.certuss.co.uk 49

Buyers Guide 2010

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

Hydraulics WFE Hydraulic Services Ltd are designers and builders of bespoke hydraulic cylinders, rotary couplings and power pack systems. Our 35,000 sq ft manufacturing base is situated in North Sheffield adjacent to the M1 J34.

Reliability Software

Formed in 1986, Isograph is a world leader in the development of Safety, Reliability, Maintainability and Availability software.

Isograph software is in use in a wide variety of industries at around 10000 sites worldwide.

Garry Marsh for repairs on:

Isograph products are used extensively in industries such as rail, nuclear power, automotive, defense and aerospace to improve safety and reliability. They are also used to optimize the maintenance and to improve asset performance in industries such as utilities, petrochemical, mining & mineral processing.

Sales: +44 1925 43 7001

Tel: +44 (01142) 430 936

Support: +44 1925 43 7002

Fax: +44 (01142) 425 516

Fax: +44 1925 437010

Tel: +44 (01142) 430 931

E-mail: wfe.hydraulics@btinternet.com

Training

Lubrication

SPM Instrument has 40 years of experience with machine condition monitoring and close cooperation with our customers in all fields of industry.

SPM Instrument UK Ltd. Tel +44 1706 835 331 | Fax +44 1706 260 640

Reliability Consultants

info@spminstrument.co.uk Mutual Consultants Limited specialise in assisting clients to apply ReliabilityCentred Maintenance (RCM) in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland through world class RCM training, RCM consulting, RCM facilitation and the supply of dedicated RCM software.

Increase efficiency – reduce costs These targets are set daily for industrial managers. We have found solutions which have quick pay-backs and which will give you decided competitive advantages. Rely on our experience and competence – which we have gained over 25 years. www.chambers-company.com

As a member of the Aladon Network of companies we can draw on experience from (and provide contact with) Reliability-Centred Maintenance (RCM) users world-wide. Our approach is to impart knowledge of Reliability-Centred Maintenance (RCM) to clients via Training Courses and Technical Support.

Our support may include project management and contract facilitation.

Tel:

+44 (0)1788 555000

Fax:

+44 (0)1788 555010

Thermography

Tel.: +44 1420 5444-33 Fax: +44 1420 5444-34 E-Mail: webenquire@testo.co.uk

Hire - Sales - Calibration - Thermal Imaging Tel: +44(0)1772 815 600

Email: info@mutualconsultants.co.uk

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testo Ltd.

sales@expresshire.net.

Web: www.testo.co.uk

Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

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Engineering Maintenance Solutions, June 2010

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