“Five Nines” and Infrared Testing (IR) at Data Centers

Chemical corrosion control. Chemical corrosion can destroy the containment materials in contact with a process. Means exist to mitigate and even prevent chemical corrosion. 

In most buildings, critical pipes carrying water and natural gas; cables carrying data and electricity; ventilation pipes carrying cool or warm air, are all typically hidden behind walls, out of sight. The facilities team needs to see them. They need to know where everything is and what each pipe connects to so that they can always maintain and ensure the proper functioning of these conduits. So how does one see through walls?

We like to be warned about things well ahead of time: when to buy or sell a stock, when we can expect 3 to 6 inches of snow, etc. The same could be said about the equipment and systems that drive your processes every day. These critical and expensive assets are expected to produce the valuable products your company is known for with little or no interruption. We might have a reasonably clear picture of how things look today, but what about 30 days from now? Wouldn’t it be beneficial to have a picture of what our systems might look like that far into the future… and have confidence in that view?

The focus of the previous installment was on cooling water microbiological fouling and control basics, as fouling can cause the most prompt and intense damage in cooling systems.  However, scaling and corrosion can be problematic as well.  Because scale and corrosion control programs often overlap, the next two installments will outline, respectively, primary scale-forming and corrosion mechanisms (scale formation in cooling water systems).  We will tie these together in Part 5 when examining the evolution of scale/corrosion control programs.  

“How dare you mix the modern word predictive with the ancient concept of running equipment to failure! Those are on opposite ends of the maintenance maturity spectrum! See the graphic below… what is wrong with you!”

Even with consistent Preventive Maintenance for wintertime heating, any heating device can eventually take on wear and tear that requires repair or replacement. Industrial maintenance teams can stay ahead of it by remaining vigilant for common warning signs, allowing them to intervene before their building faces a major disruption.