Energy and Life Cycle Cost Savings in Pumping Systems

The potential-to-functional failure interval (P-F interval) is one of the most important concepts when it comes to performing Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM). Remarkably, the P-F interval is also one of the most misunderstood RCM concepts. The failure mode analysis becomes even more complicated when you are dealing with several P-F intervals for one failure mode. This paper will help clarify the P-F interval and the decision-making process when dealing with multiple P-F intervals.

Maintenance personnel go to work and do their jobs taking measurements and writing reports, often with great care and skill. Their reports and recommendations then travel into a deep abyss from which they never return. Sound familiar? This situation is all too common in the condition monitoring (CM) world.

The more I delve into this subject, the more I discover the pronounced impact lubrication has on energy and the environment. A case in point is the impact of clean oil on fuel consumption and emission in engines. There are many ways that a lubricant could fail to deliver fuel-efficient engine performance. Many of these are due to formulation issues as opposed to transient properties of the lubricant in service.

This paper presents a case study in a process industry that illustrates how industrial productivity may be increased and business objectives achieved by application of a process termed as REU (Reliability of Equipment Usage). REU basically concentrates on the process of improving operational reliability through knowledge workers. Operational reliability may encompass problems in equipment, process, system, spare parts, cost, purchase, material stocking and a host of other problems connected to business effectiveness. The process is briefly described. The results and benefits of such improvements are highlighted.

Westar is currently evaluating the implementation of a new database and route collection system. This new component to the infrared program will allow for Web-based tracking and trending of all infrared projects and will greatly enhance the efficiency of our program. It will also allow for simultaneous imbedding, reporting, tracking, and trending of the ultrasonic technology being brought into the thermography program.

As many of us strive to improve the reliability of our plants, several comments bemoan how challenging that is to do in an era of continuous deep cost cutting. They say that in their operation, maintenance is seen as a cost, and is one of the first things to arbitrarily cut. Some think their operations have cut too far! What they seek is a way to justify a strong maintenance capability. I submit that one approach is to speak of maintenance as an “investment in capacity.” Use the language that plant managers, controllers and senior management understands: capital investment and return on investment (ROI).

Are you new to vibration analysis, or do you just need a quick refresher on filters, sensors, or vibration data? These tips from Zenco Vibrations break down the core concepts of decibels and vibration sensor orientation.