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| A Hard Lesson Learned About Gearbox Failure
Martin Williamson, Noria UK Limited |
| Like so many attendees in a Noria training class, Bill was no exception. When asked why he was there, he replied, ‘To learn a little more about oil analysis, so I can get the full value from my oil analysis program.’ |
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| Advantages of Kinematic Viscosity Measurement in Used Oil Analysis
C. Patrick Maggi, Cannon Instrument Company |
| Used oil analysis laboratories have long relied on viscosity measurement as a key parameter in determining the condition of in-service engine oil. However, the methods used to determine viscosity often vary in laboratories due to the use of a wide array of instruments and measurement techniques. There is limited standardization between commercial oil analysis laboratories on how this key parameter is measured. |
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| American Axle and Manufacturing Discovers the Advantages of On-site Oil Analysis
Richard Kus, American Axle and Manufacturing, Detroit Gear and Axle and Jeff Snyder, ChevronTexaco Global Lubricants |
| Oil analysis has been an integral part of the preventive maintenance (PM) and predictive maintenance (PdM) programs at American Axle & Manufacturing’s (AAM) Detroit Gear & Axle facility for several years. The program began when the company’s lubrication supplier, ChevronTexaco Global Lubricants, offered its services to complement AAM’s PM/PdM programs. The use of oil analysis as a reliability maintenance tool rapidly increased throughout the facility, with proactive results. |
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| An Integrated Approach to Lubrication Excellence at BHP Steel
Jian G. Ding, BHP Research & Technology Development |
| Lubricated equipment at BHP Steel is massive in quantity and critical to production. It covers millions of bearings, gearboxes, heavy-duty diesel engines, and hydraulic systems throughout hundreds of BHP plants worldwide. |
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| Analyzing the Cause and Effects of Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion
Charles Boyle and James Soisson, U.S. Navy |
| Northrup Grumman - Newport News (NGNN) was asked to perform equipment modernization, which involves modifications to the variable restrictor manifolds on SEAWOLF Class submarines. The trim and drain engine room control valve manifold was removed from USS SEAWOLF for modifications to meet the equipment modernization requirements. The task involved removing the valve manifold, reworking it to meet the requirements and installing the modified manifold on USS CONNECTICUT. When NGNN and Sargent Controls received the manifold, a visual inspection revealed extensive damage to ports C2 and C3. NGNN and Sargent Controls recommended to Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) that the manifold be scrapped and replaced for USS CONNECTICUT. The scrapped manifold was forwarded to the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division (NSWCCD), NSWCCD for failure analysis. |
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| And the 2001 Gill Award Goes To...
Suzy Azevedo, International Council for Machinery Lubrication |
| Arizona Public Service’s Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS), is the 2001 recipient of the Augustus H. Gill Award for Excellence in Oil Analysis. Congratulations to Bryan Johnson and his team at Palo Verde for their contribution to industry in the development of best practices. |
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| Applying Onsite Oil Analysis at the Westinghouse Savannah River Company
J. Mike Weiksner, Westinghouse Savannah River Company |
| Through a pilot maintenance optimization program in a powerhouse plant, the company identified that an oil analysis program would eliminate time-directed oil changes. One department purchased oil analysis screening equipment and obtained a volunteer maintenance mechanic to support the budding oil analysis program. |
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| Buyer Beware: Check New Lubricant Deliveries for Quality
Harold Matroni, Alcoa Mill Products |
| Inspecting new oil deliveries should be an important part of any lubrication program. Many incidents have been reported of customers receiving either the wrong oil, contaminated or degraded oil. The best way to prevent this from happening is to be aware of what could go wrong and inspect and analyze new oil deliveries. The following is an example of an incident that occurred at the Alcoa Mill facility in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. |
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| Change Can Make a Difference
Ken Huckeba, Mission Operations and Maintenance Inc. |
| The Kern River Cogeneration Company Omar Generation Facility has been supplying steam for enhanced oil recovery in the Texaco Oil Field north of Bakersfield, California for the last 15 years. Summertime temperatures in this part of the state frequently exceed 100°F (38°C). |
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| Contamination Affects Constant-level Oilers
Karl Rykert, Pro-seal Service Group |
| Pro-Seal Service Group, a distributor for Royal Purple synthetic lubricants, encounters numerous lubrication-related failures and is thereby challenged to improve reliability on all machinery. |
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| Contamination Control Program Substantially Decreases Mine's Mobile Equipment Costs
Sharon Dory, J.R. Simplot Co. and Teresa Hansen, Noria Corporation |
| Like all industries, the mining industry is under increasing pressure to do more with less. Faced with falling profits, J.R. Simplot Co.’s Smoky Canyon Phosphate Mine near Jackson Hole, Wyo., set out to reduce maintenance costs. Like most open pit mines, the mobile equipment was identified as one of the mine’s largest cost centers. |
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| Cook Nuclear Develops Successful Onsite Oil Analysis Program
Steve Mitchell, Cook Nuclear Generating Station, American Electric Power |
| Oil analysis is a key element to equipment and component reliability at any nuclear power generation facility. In particular, having onsite oil analysis can significantly reduce the total turnaround time between sampling and condition-based maintenance recommendations that are required to keep equipment operating safely and efficiently. Cook Nuclear developed a successful onsite oil analysis program that helped improve equipment reliability and availability while reducing maintenance costs. The power plant found that by using its existing onsite chemistry staff and laboratory to perform onsite oil analysis it was able to save both time and money. |
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| Crankcase Cancer
Louis LaBella, Columbia Gulf Transmission Co. |
| During the time I’ve been involved in predictive maintenance, I have often heard medical analogies used to define and describe predictive technologies. I have even used these analogies in training sessions and executive meetings to aid in the understanding of basic fundamental principles of somewhat complicated concepts. |
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| Developing a Motor Bearing Regreasing Strategy
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| Question
You have just been hired as a maintenance engineer for a large manufacturing plant. The plant has a history of never greasing electric motor bearings, believing that this practice does more harm than good. The plant has a mix of motors, some of which have been in service for 10 years, others just a few months. Depending on motor manufacturer, speed and horsepower, there is everything from sealed and shielded bearings to open bearings. How would you go about developing a regreasing strategy for these motors?
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| Digging Up a Solution to Fluid Contamination Control
Aaron Hoeg, Hy-Pro Filtration |
| Mobile mining equipment hydraulic systems are typically exposed to very high solid particle ingression rates. A mine was experiencing premature component failure on its excavator due to high particle contamination. In the first 27 months of operation, costs included four variable speed piston pump replacements ($20,000 per exchange, $34,000 new), three swing motor replacements, two drive motor replacements, numerous servovalve repairs or replacements, 42 hydraulic hose-related problems, and 16 instances of contamination sensors requiring cleaning. The oil was highly contaminated, yielding excess oxidation after 2,255 service hours and needed to be replaced. Other associated costs included excessive unplanned equipment downtime, more than 39 hours, and unplanned maintenance costs. |
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| Dirty Totes
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| When setting up and implementing the proactive oil analysis program at Deeter Foundry, I realized the importance of ensuring the procurement and maintenance of clean oil. Obtaining clean oil from a distributor, however, proved to be more difficult than I expected. |
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| Discrepancies in Particle Counts Pinpoint Contamination Source
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| A European manufacturer of large hydraulic components flushed its newly manufactured components with clean hydraulic fluid at a high turbulence to remove any particles left behind during production. This flushing was carried out using a specified brand of low viscosity hydraulic oil. The oil type, flushing procedures and targeted cleanliness levels were provided to the manufacturer by its customer. |
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| Effective Fluid Management Delivers Big Time at the Port of Tacoma
Jim Harris, Port of Tacoma and Nick Nesland, Sr., Hydraulic Repair and Design |
| With an eye on improving the operational profitability of each piece by extending the life of the equipment and reducing maintenance costs, the Port of Tacoma undertook an aggressive program of fluid condition management. |
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| El Paso Electric Samples Cooling Tower Gearboxes
Jaime Viramontes and Lesley A. Harrignton, El Paso Electric |
| One of the first tasks when setting up an oil analysis program is selecting the appropriate sample location for each critical component. |
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| Electrostatic Purification Helps Pulp Mill Control Sludge and Varnish
David M. Bickford, ASL Technologies LLC |
| With hydraulic fluid ISO cleanliness levels of 14/10/7 to 15/12/10 on a main slab press, it is hard to imagine that it would be necessary to dump and replace fluid this clean. However, that is the position Millar Western Forest Products Ltd., a large Canadian forest company, found itself in at its chemi-thermo-mechanical pulp (CTMP) mill in Whitecourt, Alberta, Canada. |
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| Engine Failure Results in Proactive Solutions
Derek Wilcock, Sishen Iron Ore Mine |
| Situation Prior to Failure
The engine currently installed in truck no. 526 is a Cummins K2000 series engine that had been in production for 349 hours prior to failure.
Observation
The diagnostic engineering department observed that the oil analysis results indicated copper wear was taking place (graphically displayed overleaf). A microscopic analysis also indicated copper wear particulate. |
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| Enterprise Products Improves Reliability With Lubricant Upgrades
Francisco J. Gonzalez, Enterprise Products |
| Enterprise Products Partners L.P. is one of the largest publicly traded energy partnerships with an enterprise value of more than $14 billion, and a leading North American provider of midstream energy services to producers and consumers of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and crude oil. Enterprise transports natural gas, NGLs and crude oil through 32,500 miles of onshore and offshore pipelines and is an industry leader in the development of midstream infrastructure in the deepwater trend of the Gulf of Mexico. Just eight years ago, Enterprise Products operated 200,000 brake horsepower of equipment, most of which was at its Mont Belvieu facility in Texas. Today, Enterprise Products operates equipment totaling in excess of 1.6 million brake HP. |
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| Failure of Cooling Fan Shaft Bearings
Stephen Shakeshaft, Stephen Shakeshaft Consulting |
| A facility manufacturing intermediate chemical compounds for plastics manufacture has a large number of air-cooled systems with numerous fans driven by electric motor and speed-reducing pulleys. Over the years it experienced many premature bearing failures on the fan shafts. |
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| Field Facts
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| In this new feature, we focus on stories where the application of basic oil analysis leads to a long-term solution to a fundamental lubrication related problem. The first of these, supplied by Bill Herguth of Herguth Laboratories Inc., concerns the long-term impact of fluid cleanliness on the transmission gearboxes of large power generation windmills in Northern California. |
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| Fluid Isn't Always to Blame for Filter Plugging
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| I recently had an unusual experience with filter plugging on a diesel fuel filter in an agricultural combine. The combine plugged six filters in the previous 350 hours of operation. Because this was obviously abnormal and filter plugging is not rocket science, I decided to investigate. |
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| Flushing and Filtering Heat Transfer System - Recognizing the Benefits
Jason Wilkening and Steve Reed, Lubrecon Systems, Inc. (an O'Rourke Company) |
| In June 2005, Shell Chemical’s Process Engineering Group set out to chemically clean two reboilers involved with the benzene, toluene and xylene chemical process. The reboilers were not transferring heat to the product and the heating oil was losing its capacity to transfer heat in other areas of the units.
Shell Chemical knew that changing the degraded heating oil would improve production and effectively transfer heat throughout the units. Mechanical cleaning of the reboilers was too time-consuming and therefore was not an option for the short shutdown. |
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| From Mud to Oil
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| Seminole recently converted its scrubber effluent from landfill material into synthetic gypsum. Many new types of equipment were installed for this conversion process; some old equipment was required to run in and out of the original design parameter. |
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| FTIR Uncovers Cause of Pump Seal Failures
Teresa Hansen, Noria Corporation |
| After experiencing two hydraulic pump seal failures in as many months on a pump that normally “runs forever” with no problems, the maintenance staff at Alcoa Mill Products, Lancaster, Pa., decided that something out of the ordinary was going on. Even though the routine oil analysis results indicated the pump and its lubricant were normal, the oil’s strange color prompted the staff to investigate further. A Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis was conducted, which led the staff to the root cause of the seal failures - cross contamination. |
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| Gearbox Mishaps are Valuable Lessons
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| While working as a lube salesman in the Toronto area, I was called to visit a customer who had experienced a lube-related problem. Over the weekend, a welder had been working on a large gearbox that was drained of our oil – a conventional EP gear oil. |
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| Goodbye Oiler, Hello Skilled Lube Tech and Lube Analyst
Drew Troyer and Mark Barnes |
| A world-class lubrication and lubricant analysis program requires individuals with world-class skills. While it is true to say that those directly responsible for lubrication must be properly trained, other individuals in the organization also require knowledge, or at least awareness of the program’s goals, primary benefits and fundamental tenets. |
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| Here's to Another Great Conference
Frances E. Ward, Noria Corporation |
| You can feel it in the air, the exhilarating electricity of being surrounded by hundreds of people converged to share success, failures and ideas about oil analysis. Looking into the sea of attentive faces processing the streaming information from exhibitors pitching their products gives one the feeling that something special is taking place in this oil town in northeastern Oklahoma. |
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| Human Error Destroyed a Gear Box
David Trocel, Fertinitro |
| A five-year old single reduction conveyor drive was taken out of service for a scheduled preventive maintenance inspection and was disassembled. Prior to the inspection (disassembly), the unit had been in operation with routine vibration based surveillance for a full year since the previous PM inspection. There was no indication of any mechanical defect based on the vibration-based condition assessments. |
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| Increasing Engine Life
Alan Travierso, Rio Tinto Minerals - Boron Operations |
| In June and July of 2005, Rio Tinto Minerals - Boron Operations' haul fleet suffered four catastrophic engine failures. These resulted from main and crankshaft bearing failures on the MT 4400 Terex Unit Rig haul trucks. While the causes and subsequent tactics developed to mitigate these failures are not the focus of this case study, they did prompt an investigation into extending the life of the Detroit Diesel (MTU) 16V4000 engines that power the MT 4400 fleet by 25 percent. This increase would take the engines from the OEM recommended total fuel burn of 750,000 gallons between engine overhauls, to 1,000,000 gallons. |
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| Innovative Sampling Method Creates Strange Results
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| A large municipal bus fleet engineering manager was perplexed. With six different bus depots, each operating buses with engines of the same model and age under similar service conditions, using the same oil and fuel supplier, why was only one of the depots routinely showing elevated soot levels from more than 90 percent of the engine oil samples? |
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| Integrated Wear Particle Analysis Scheme for Trunnion Bearing Oil
Rende Liu, Shanghai Boasteel Industry Inspection Company, P.R. China |
| A converter is one of the main pieces of equipment used in making steel. The bearings in the converter trunnion are characterized by low speeds, heavy loads and large bearing dimensions and revolve slowly when molten steel is added or emptied. Their life expectancy is 20 years. Their failure reduces the output of the converter, incurring losses in the entire product line. Therefore, it is important for the bearings to operate smoothly. |
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| Keep a Close Eye on the Water Levels in Your Oil
Allen Kelly, Lubrecon Systems, Inc. |
| In January 2006, a large inland marine company purchased heat transfer oil from O'Rourke Petroleum's Lubricants Department for a cargo barge in its fleet. The fluid was to be used in the heat transfer system of the barge. The barge, which transports lubricating oil to different destinations, was encountering problems with the heat transfer system within the barge's cargo storage tanks, thus belching oil out of its venting system. The marine company assumed it was due to water leaking inside the heat transfer system, and contacted Lubrecon Systems, Inc., a service branch of O'Rourke Petroleum to analyze the situation. |
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| Knowledge is Power
Matt Spurlock, Noria Corporation |
| In my previous column, I presented a case study that portrayed how having specific knowledge about a given situation can result not only in finding a viable solution but also in changing people’s minds about the abilities of oil analysis. In keeping with the theme of “knowledge is power”, I’d like to present a case study in which a client received great oil analysis data; however, the data was not utilized properly to indicate the true condition of the equipment until failure was simply unavoidable. |
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| Lesson Learned: Discovery in Soot Testing
Sabrin Gebarin, Noria Corporation |
| Recently, an engine oil sample was tested to determine the root cause of a failure that resulted in an engine seizing. Initial observation of the oil sample showed it was thick and almost gel-like. |
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| Longer Lasting Lubricants for The Aluminum Industry
E. Akochi-Koble Ph.D., J. Pinchuk, D. Pinchuk, G. Arseneault of Thermal-Lube Inc. and R. Gagne of Alcan Smelters and Chemicals Ltd. |
| This project, like so many others, had a humble beginning. About five years ago, after returning from a routine sales call to the smelter where a representative was selling synthetic and specialty greases, he challenged the authors to develop a series of lubricants that he could sell to the aluminum industry. In a discussion with a group of maintenance people at the smelter, he was told that if his company could develop lubricants that would last longer and protect equipment better than the current product, they would buy from him. |
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| Low-additive Mineral Oil Solves Vacuum Pump Failure - Saves $40,000 in Maintenance Costs
Brian Reno, Dow Corning |
| Lubrication technicians helped a chemical manufacturer drive costs down by solving a vacuum pump failure, saving $40,000 in maintenance costs.
Dow Corning installed a new two-stage vacuum pump in one of the processing plants in its chemical manufacturing complex in Midland, Michigan, where the pump was needed to draw gases from a process reactor vessel. The pump was put into operation using a conventional mineral oil that was specified by the original equipment manufacturer. During the first nine months of operation there was a catastrophic failure occurring every four to six weeks. |
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| Lubrication Reliability Program Yields Big Savings
David Bandt, EVTAC Mining Co. |
| Today’s global economy is here to stay. Manufacturers from automobiles to toothpicks are under continuous pressure to reduce costs. In order to survive in this environment, a company must either adapt, embrace and master newly emerging technologies or be swallowed by those that do. EVTAC Mining is one of many companies currently striving to make such changes. |
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| Magnetic Plug Inspection Enhances Condition-Based Maintenance
Sharon H. Dory, J.R. Simplot Co. and Teresa Hansen, Noria Corporation |
| In early 2001, the average rebuild cost for J.R. Simplot Co.’s Caterpillar 785 haul truck differentials and final drives was $2.11 per hour of operation. By 2003, the average cost had dropped to $1.36 per hour of operation and the mine’s maintenance personnel set a goal of further reducing the cost to $1.17. At the same time, the mine’s reliability team successfully extended the average oil drain intervals on the differentials and final drives from 2,000 hours to 6,000 hours and set a goal of 10,000 hours. |
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| Major Reliability and Lubricant Consumption Savings at Tutuka Power Station
A.E. Cattaert, Eskom - Tutuka Power Station |
| Tutuka Power Station was put into full commercial operation in June 1990. Tutuka - a Zulu word meaning progress - is a 3,600 MW thermal power station located in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. Each of Tutuka’s six turbine-generators runs separately with its own fuel and water supply, output transformer and instrumentation. |
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| Monitoring Active Sulfur in EP Gear Oils - And Other Options for Monitoring EP Additive Depletion
Arnold Shugarman, Ph.D., CLS |
| Extreme pressure (EP) gear oils are used to minimize wear and scuffing in automotive and industrial applications under high load conditions, especially where high peak or shock loads are encountered. Modern EP gear oils are formulated with additives that contain active sulfur, frequently combined with phosphorus, to provide a thermally stable, noncorrosive lubricant with high load-carrying capacity. |
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| Monitoring Water Contamination
Steve Jiroutek, Vaisala Inc. |
| Mosaic is the merger of two global leaders in the fertilizer industry, IMC Global and Cargill Crop Nutrition. As one of the world's largest potash and phosphate mining and processing operations, Mosaic provides an expanding selection of products and services to enhance crop yield and livestock nutrition. |
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| New Maintenance Strategy Achieves World-class Status
Teresa Hansen |
| In the early 1990s, Southern Company adopted a predictive maintenance program in conjunction with a time-based preventive maintenance program. In 1994, predictive maintenance guidelines were issued for Southern Company plants. This program was improved upon in 1998 when the plant reliability optimization (PRO) program and streamlined reliability centered maintenance (SRCM) was introduced. Thanks to the Southern Company Services, Routine Maintenance Group, under the leadership of Randy Lee and Randy Jones, all Southern Company plants began focusing on the new maintenance strategy. |
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| Oil Analysis Confirms Lubricant Selection Suitability - Hydrogen Recovery Compressor Study
Matthew Dinslage |
| Some equipment owners view oil analysis as a tool to help determine when to perform an oil change. Some view it in terms of the fault detection ability. Still others apply it to a strategy for contamination control and filter performance monitoring. But the best strategy is to incorporate all these aspects of oil analysis together into one program, which will ultimately meet reliability goals. The key is to define the goals and design the program to achieve those goals. |
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| Oil Analysis Implementation for First Energy Services
Brett Winberg, LubeTrak |
| First Energy Services is an aggressive oil field construction company operating more than 125 pieces of Caterpillar® equipment and more than 400 pickups and trucks serving a majority of oil field needs. Its core business consists of building oil drilling pads, pipeline construction, fabricating wells, pipe cleaning and similar jobs. Robbie Weakland is the company maintenance operations manager and Billy Waite is the lead technician at First Energy Services. |
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| Oil Analysis Improves Cooling Tower Problems
J. Mike Weiksner and J. Brad Harrelson, Westinghouse Savannah River |
| The Savannah River Site is located in the southeastern coastal area of South Carolina near the Savannah River, and operates as a U.S. government Department of Energy nuclear materials management facility. The Site Utilities Department (SUD) is a department within Solid Waste and Infrastructure that is within the Operations business unit of the Savannah River Site. |
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| Oil Analysis Reveals Root Cause of Piston Rod Failures
Stephen H. Shakeshaft, Stephen H. Shakeshaft Consulting Ltd. |
| A chemical manufacturing plant with three, three-cylinder reciprocating compressors was accustomed to performing intensive maintenance on the compressors. For about 20 years, the maintenance on these three machines was not performed on any schedule; it was simply performed whenever a machine broke down. Periodically, a machine would break a piston rod, be taken out of service, and a standby machine would be put on line. |
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| Oil Analysis Success at a Power Generation Station
Bryan Johnson, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station |
| The PdM team of Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station has a recipe for oil analysis success. Over the past several years they have documented several "saves" that could have potentially costed over $200,000. |
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| Onsite Analysis Saves Cedar Bayou $1 Million
Robert Walker, Cedar Bayou Power Station, Reliant Energy |
| Cedar Bayou Generating Station, located near Baytown, TX, consists of three gas and fuel oil-fired super-critical steam generators producing a combined output of 2,340 megawatts. |
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| On-site Lab Determines Cleanliness of Drummed Oil
J. Mike Weiksner and Toby Risher, Westinghouse Savannah River |
| The Savannah River Site is located in the southeastern coastal area of the United States. Located in South Carolina, it is bordered to the west by the Savannah River. As a U.S. government Department of Energy facility, it provides safe management of nuclear materials and the environment. The Site Utilities Department (SUD) is a department within Solid Waste and Infrastructure that is within the Operations business unit of the Savannah River Site. The oil lab, in the SUD, routinely samples and tests new oil for cleanliness. |
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| Onsite Portable Filtration - Texas Style
Robert Perez, Flint Hills Resources and Duke Cooper, Oil Filtration Systems |
| For many industries, production downtime and scheduled outages are few-and-far between. While logic and best practice may suggest a need for system redesign, a filtration upgrade or a complete flush, the pressure from production to continue operations until the next scheduled shutdown usually wins out - and rightly so. |
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| Plant's Integrated Reliability Initiative and Team Environment Bring Success
Teresa Hansen, Noria Corporation |
| Like many chemical facilities, BP Canada Energy Company’s linear alpha olefin (LAO) plant in Alberta must do everything it can to reduce costs and increase profits. And like with most industries, reliability is an area that can have a major impact on the facility’s bottom line. Therefore, the company is pushing its reliability program to world-class status. The push is obviously working, as the plant has reached 98 percent reliability. Thanks to a comprehensive equipment inspection program, a unique team environment and a well-planned oil analysis and lubrication program, the LAO plant is successfully meeting its maintenance and reliability challenges. |
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| Practical Solutions to Lubrication Failures
John Gobert, the Hurt Company |
| In 2000, Premcor Refining (now Valero) began seeking ways to reduce machinery and equipment failures, which resulted in a lubrication reliability department dedicated to the development of programs for identifying poorly functioning equipment and determining the root causes of substandard equipment performance. |
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| Predictive Technologies Team Up to Produce Huge Savings
Rick Kus, Dave Giacobozzi, Julius O’Steen, Jim Panoff, Ron Radford and Max Segar, American Axle and Manufacturing Detroit |
| The preventive maintenance team at American Axle and Manufacturing (AAM) addressed an issue found during a routine preventive maintenance work order. Relying on their skills and field experience, they corrected the issue with minimal effect on productive time. Catching the issue in a timely manner saved the company an estimated $50,000. |
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| Proactive Maintenance and Off-line Oil Filtration on Stamping Presses
William Bradley, Bradley Enterprises / Nova Tube |
| This article discusses the value of proactive maintenance and the use of off-line filtration to reduce wear particles and improve reliability. The author has applied these principles to closed systems to protect the lubricant and machinery from lubricant-induced wear. This article discusses applying filtration in the 5 to 10- micron range to stamping presses that range from 100 to 400 tons each. These presses have an open lube system as well as a high rate of contamination from exposure to the clutch and brake mechanism. The performance of different manufacturers of depth filters or various filter systems is not compared in this article. |
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| Purifier Solves Oil Contamination Problem and Increases Oil Service Life
Will Hurley, Fluid Metrics, LLC |
| A major textile manufacturer located in the southeastern United States depends on eleven Sullair 400 HP oil-flooded rotary screw air compressors to keep production in its plant running at full capacity. According to the facilities maintenance manager, it is nearly a full-time job for one maintenance technician to perform all the preventive maintenance tasks specified by the compressor manufacturer. Of these recommended tasks, the most time consuming and most costly is changing the compressor's oil and separators at their regularly scheduled intervals. For each of the 11 compressors, the service technician spends most of an eight-hour shift draining and filling each compressor with 55 U.S. gallons (208.2 liters, 452 pounds) of Sullube PAG/POE oil, and then disposing of an equal amount of used, hazardous waste oil and bulky, messy separators. |
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| Quality Lubrication Renders Engine Teardown Spotless
Dennis Hammons, Conocophillips Lubricants |
| The benefits of proper equipment maintenance and use of a high-quality heavy-duty diesel engine oil are evident at Miles Sand and Gravel, a sand and gravel supplier in Auburn, Washington. The company's 18 quarries span across the state, meeting the construction industry's daily sand, gravel and concrete needs. |
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| Rcm Program Pays Big Dividends
Rob Crawford, Crawford Resources, Inc. |
| After years of operating vacuum facilities with a schedule-based preventive maintenance program, engineers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) John Glenn Research Center in Cleveland began considering reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) programs to increase facility uptime and decrease operational costs. |
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| Revitalized Oil Analysis Program Produces Impressive Results
Mark Mayworm, Westar Energy |
| In 2002, Westar Energy made the decision to aggressively implement a lubrication management program throughout its six plant facilities. Management recognized that change needed to start with education and training. With the oil analysis program in need of overhaul, oil analysis training began for predictive maintenance (PdM) techn | |
