Availability in a Supply Constrained Environment is the #1 Issue for Refinery Executives

A long time ago, I discovered that most maintenance people like gadgets and smart methods, especially from within their fields. I must include myself in this group, and have learned to use the knowledge of a variety of maintenance methods to keep up my own enthusiasm while generating interest and commitment for implementing better preventive and corrective maintenance practices. Most of these methods are old, but they are very new to many, especially to people who are just entering the area of maintenance.

Part 5 of 9 on Troubleshooting Mechanical Seals: Scoring - symptoms, causes, failure modes, and solutions.

Many problems with hydraulic systems occur on start-up of a new system, after a repair or overhaul, after a new component is added, or when a component is adjusted or some other form of change occurs. In any machine, particularly in hydraulics, any change in one part of the system will affect all the other parts of the total system. This will result in problems that will require trouble shooting.

Personnel should follow a system when troubleshooting. The following articles outlines the STOP System and seven things to consider when troubleshooting hydraulics.

Let's suppose that we have recorded the time when each failure of a repairable subsystem has happened during a season. The arrangement of these failures (black points in Figure 1) along the time axis is called a stochastical realization of failure events.

Part 2 of 9 on Troubleshooting Mechanical Seals: Wide Wear Track - symptoms, causes, failure modes, and solutions.

One of the most rewarding aspects of working as an electrician is taking such compelling evidence as “appears to be developing a problem,” determining what is actually going on, and making a sound decision on the correct course of action. Successfully troubleshooting a complex piece of equipment gives a technician a tremendous sense of satisfaction. Having an effective troubleshooting plan and following it can help obtain this feeling of satisfaction.