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Inspecting Seals with IR Thermography
Inspecting Seals with IR Thermography
James Gambrell Predictive Maintenance Technician Hercules Inc. Pinova div.
In today’s industry, practices that were once acceptable are no longer even tolerated. Environmental concerns and EPA mandates are applying more and more pressure on businesses like the chemical industry to improve the manufacturing processes being used, to the point that not only is a slight drip from a pump seal not acceptable, but in 2004 the MACT will be enacted and only 500 – 1,000 parts per million vapor will be allowed and, eventually, no vapor at all.
Thus mechanical seals and packing for pumps that were once acceptable at a cost of $50.00 to $1,500.00 will have to be replaced with seals costing $3,500.00 to $7,000.00. For a plant with at least 100 or more pumps with seals, that’s a cost difference of up to $700,000 a year IF you can get your MTBF on seals to go a year.
Hence the condition monitoring technologies in use today include infrared, vibration analysis, ultrasound, and vapor detecting equipment. My particular expertise is in the thermography and vibration analysis condition monitoring techniques. My company has already started implementation of advanced mechanical sealing, where a great deal of the seals being used are the double mechanical kind with some type of barrier fluid being used between them, i.e. (water, process fluid, or synthetic oil).
Thermograms before and after seal correction and a visible photo, note the dramatic temperature drop.
The infrared technology can be a great tool if used in a route circuit, check your seals for temperature increases and you will be surprised to find out just how many seals either do not have proper flow of barrier fluid or none at all! Not only will you save and/or increase the life of the seal, but the savings in maintenance and seal replacement can be tracked and documented. The possible bonus at the end of the year isn’t bad either.
In closing; check, track, and document your seals with your infrared equipment, if you do not have thermal equipment it’s time to invest; it’ll be worth the cost. For some strange reason, for the officials in charge, a picture is worth a thousand words, and the IR camera is the only device that can provide it.
Any time you use dual seals (two seals) in an application, you should have a fluid circulating between them to prevent the generation of unwanted heat.
Maximum achievable control technology (MACT) standards are technology-based air emission standards authorized by the Clean Air Act of 1990 and monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The nearly 100 MACT standards are found in 40 CFR Part 63. Each standard regulates a specific source category such as dry cleaners, petroleum refineries, or vegetable oil production.
Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF), a measure of reliability. The longer the time span between failures, the more reliable the device.
Editor’s note: James receives an InfraMation Executive Attaché for his article contribution.
Although thermal imagers may be simple to operate, they are most effective in the hands of a qualified technician who understands electrical measurement and the equipment to be inspected. For anyone using this type of imager, the following three points are especially important.
Although thermal imagers may be simple to operate, they are most effective in the hands of a qualified technician who understands electrical measurement and the equipment to be inspected. For anyone using this type of imager, the following three points are especially important.
In this paper I will outline some of the key business opportunities and issues which are driving change in the industry, summarize some of the resulting trends, as I see them, and then draw some conclusions regarding the implications of these trends for Condition Monitoring equipment manufacturers and suppliers, Condition Monitoring contractors, and organizations employing Condition Monitoring techniques.
In this paper I will outline some of the key business opportunities and issues which are driving change in the industry, summarize some of the resulting trends, as I see them, and then draw some conclusions regarding the implications of these trends for Condition Monitoring equipment manufacturers and suppliers, Condition Monitoring contractors, and organizations employing Condition Monitoring techniques.
It may seem that visual inspection goes beyond what thermographers are hired to do, but conscientious thermographers include notes and even images in their reports when they see code violations, broken equipment, incorrectly sized fuses, bad wiring, etc. A good thermographer will not ignore copper tubing used as a fuse, even if it looks fine in the infrared. Whether the inspection is insurance driven or a proactive stance, an infrared inspection and a visual inspection complement each other.
It may seem that visual inspection goes beyond what thermographers are hired to do, but conscientious thermographers include notes and even images in their reports when they see code violations, broken equipment, incorrectly sized fuses, bad wiring, etc. A good thermographer will not ignore copper tubing used as a fuse, even if it looks fine in the infrared. Whether the inspection is insurance driven or a proactive stance, an infrared inspection and a visual inspection complement each other.
Condition Monitoring when used to drive reliability improvement offers diagnostics, information and data for Root Cause Analysis and equipment redesign, along with verification of defect or design correction. Condition monitoring applied proactively is a context embracing world class reliability maintenance concepts.
Condition Monitoring when used to drive reliability improvement offers diagnostics, information and data for Root Cause Analysis and equipment redesign, along with verification of defect or design correction. Condition monitoring applied proactively is a context embracing world class reliability maintenance concepts.
Accept that you will sometimes be wrong and do whatever it takes to find out the “as found” condition. This is often difficult to accomplish but it is well worth the effort and in the best circumstances this should be implemented as a normal procedure.
Accept that you will sometimes be wrong and do whatever it takes to find out the “as found” condition. This is often difficult to accomplish but it is well worth the effort and in the best circumstances this should be implemented as a normal procedure.
Infrared Thermal Imaging is an excellent condition monitoring tool to assist in the reduction of maintenance costs on mechanical equipment. The technique allows for the monitoring of temperatures and thermal patterns while the equipment is online and running under full load. Most mechanical equipment has allowable operating temperature limits that can be used as guidelines. Unlike many other test methods, Infrared Thermal Imaging can be used on a wide variety of equipment including pumps, motors, bearings, pulleys, fans, drives, conveyors etc.
Infrared Thermal Imaging is an excellent condition monitoring tool to assist in the reduction of maintenance costs on mechanical equipment. The technique allows for the monitoring of temperatures and thermal patterns while the equipment is online and running under full load. Most mechanical equipment has allowable operating temperature limits that can be used as guidelines. Unlike many other test methods, Infrared Thermal Imaging can be used on a wide variety of equipment including pumps, motors, bearings, pulleys, fans, drives, conveyors etc.
From stringent hygienic requirements to ensure food safety, to tight production schedules and constantly changing consumer tastes, food and beverage processors face a number of unique challenges. It’s imperative that processors’ equipment operates at peak performance, minimizing downtime while ensuring high quality end products for consumption. Pump performance is a critical factor in overall operational efficiency. Properly functioning pumps ensure product flows effectively through the line to final packaging and distribution, and they play a crucial role in efficient cleaning-in-place processes. Condition monitoring of pumps in the food and beverage industry.
From stringent hygienic requirements to ensure food safety, to tight production schedules and constantly changing consumer tastes, food and beverage processors face a number of unique challenges. It’s imperative that processors’ equipment operates at peak performance, minimizing downtime while ensuring high quality end products for consumption. Pump performance is a critical factor in overall operational efficiency. Properly functioning pumps ensure product flows effectively through the line to final packaging and distribution, and they play a crucial role in efficient cleaning-in-place processes. Condition monitoring of pumps in the food and beverage industry.
