Energy and Life Cycle Cost Savings in Pumping Systems

Keys for Effective Troubleshooting Warren Rhude Equipment can malfunction for a variety of reasons. Mechanical contacts and parts can wear out; wires can overheat and burn open or short out; parts can be damaged by impact or abrasion; etc. Equipment may operate in a manner far different than it was designed to, or not at all. Troubleshooting can be key...

Analyzing Semiconductor Failure Perry L. Martin What follows is a brief description of how to properly perform semiconductor failure analysis without introducing unwanted artifacts into the analysis. Semiconductor devices are almost always part of a larger, more complex piece of electronic equipment. These devices operate in concert with other circuit elements and are subject to system, subsystem and environmental influences....

Noria In an ideal world, multiple components could be produced in a single piece, or coupled and installed in perfect alignment. However, in the real world, separate components must be brought together and connected onsite. Couplings are required to transmit rotational forces (torque) between two lengths of shaft, and despite the most rigorous attempts, alignment is never perfect. To maximize...

What is the True Downtime Cost (TDC)? Don Fitchett The key to realizing greater savings from more informed management decisions is to predetermine the "True" cost of downtime for each profit center category. TDC is a methodology of analyzing all cost factors associated with downtime, and using this information for cost justification and day to day management decisions. Most likely,...

Improvement: What Comes First? Christer Idhammar, Founder IDCON INC I often receive these questions: What Improvement Comes First? Do we start with Root Cause Problem Elimination (RCPE) or do we start with Preventive Maintenance and Planning and Scheduling? I use the term RCPE because it is a waste of good initiatives and time to only find the root cause of...

Use P-F Intervals to Map, Avert Failures Robert Apelgren, www.reliableplant.com 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...

Use this Game Plan to Justify an Investment in Maintenance and Reliability Ned Mitenius 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...