Maintaining a Strong Performance in the Mill

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. 

Recoating based on visible rust is a form of reactive maintenance, when coating failure and rust formation are the reason for repairs or replacements. Erosion is a far more effective reason for recoating. Maintenance based on erosion is a form of preventive maintenance where repairs are performed to prevent a more serious future failure.

Often overlooked is the opportunity to invest more in preventive maintenance training, ensuring maintenance team members are well-equipped to recognize potential issues and to fix equipment before it requires a more significant intervention.

This article explains metal corrosion basics - the process including the basic chemistry of how metal loss occurs. Methods to control corrosion are also listed and explained. Metal corrosion is a chemical reaction between a metal surface and its environment. Corrosion can occur in a gaseous (dry) environment or a damp (wet) environment. It is the result of an electrical process in which electrons are exchanged between the corroding metal atoms and the acceptor element atoms. Corrosion control involves stopping or minimising the loss of electrons between the components involved in the process.

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?