Hello everyone! I have recently taken on the role of reliability engineer at a chemical plant, specifically within the maintenance department. Prior to my arrival, there was no dedicated reliability staff, only a preventive maintenance team in place. To kickstart my work, I began by identifying the most critical rotating equipment in the plant. While I didn't conduct a formal equipment criticality analysis, I selected the top 50 high-cost equipment and also considered a list provided by the production team (another 50 units). To effectively monitor these selected equipment, I established a vibration analysis route to be conducted weekly, with 20 pieces of equipment to be checked each day over 5 days. While this has been a good start, I am seeking suggestions on what additional steps to take beyond vibration analysis. The main equipment of focus includes compressors, pumps, fans, blowers, and agitators. Do you have any recommendations or tips for me as I continue in this role? Wishing you all a Happy New Year! Peace.
To optimize equipment performance, it is crucial to begin with a foundation of basic care and cleanliness. Implement a comprehensive lubrication strategy and analyze past failures to better understand your equipment. Identify and prioritize the top problematic components for elimination. Evaluate the effectiveness and adequacy of preventive maintenance procedures. Assess key performance indicators related to maintenance work management, focusing on rotating equipment. Consider potential upgrades or modifications to the major equipment package. Ensure that equipment is operated within its specified operating parameters. Effective collaboration between operations and maintenance is imperative for successful outcomes.
If you are performing vibration readings on your own, consider outsourcing or hiring additional staff to handle these tasks. This will allow you to focus on other important aspects of your business operations.
Consider implementing Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) for your rotating equipment packages. Additionally, conduct reliability modeling for your plant to determine its inherent/design reliability percentage. It is essential to ensure the reliability of not just your equipment but the entire plant. These tasks can be efficiently handled by external consultants.
Josh, that's a solid list you've got there. When it comes to reviewing maintenance strategies, it's important to consider various formal processes like RCM, PMO, and FMEA. RCM is just one method among many. It's crucial to assess the level of reactive maintenance and identify breakdowns that could have been prevented through proper planning. Detailed modeling may not always be necessary - sometimes, simply spending a day with the right people can provide valuable insights into reliability needs. If needed, investing in modeling can be beneficial. External consultants often offer review processes, which can be a more efficient alternative to months of benchmarking. In my experience, there is a lot of similarity in industry reports, with scoring in various categories almost identical across different sites. Many mining companies initially used benchmarking for reliability programs, but eventually found it to be less effective as all sites faced similar challenges. Consider these points when evaluating your maintenance strategy.
Hello everyone! Hey Steve, would you be able to provide a set of 110 questions spanning 11 different categories related to benchmarking audits? This resource could be invaluable for deepening our understanding of the audit process conducted by external consultants. It would serve as a valuable tool for enhancing our knowledge and improving our practices.
Congrats on your new role! It's great to see you're proactive and have already initiated a vibration analysis route. Alongside this, consider adding thermographic inspection to your routine. This could help identify hot spots in electrical systems before they result in equipment failure. Also, consider utilizing oil analysis for equipment with gearboxes, hydraulics, or pumps, as it could reveal early wear-out conditions. Lastly, setting up a clear failure reporting process for operators on the plant floor could provide quick insights into issues, enhancing preventive measures. Best of luck with your next steps and Happy New Year!
Hello and congratulations on your new role! It sounds like you've made a solid start with the vibration analysis route. A step forward could be introducing oil analysis tests, particularly for compressors and pumps, which can be an effective way to identify issues such as wear, contamination, and other temperature-related failures. Additionally, you might want to consider implementing a thermographic inspection program to detect heating issues in electrical components before they cause equipment failure. As you continue, you'll find that combining various predictive maintenance strategies will give you the best overall result. A Happy New Year to you too, and may it be a year full of success!
Hello and a Happy New Year to you too! Your strategic start sounds quite commendable. In addition to the vibration analysis, you might want to consider thermographic inspection and lube oil analysis for your regular monitoring. Also, key instrument calibrations and periodic mechanical equipment alignment checks can significantly improve reliability and performance. Furthermore, engaging your maintenance and operation crews for regular input and feedback about any abnormal equipment behavior or signs of failure they notice during their routine tasks could be beneficial too. Good luck with your new role!
Great initiative on working with critical equipment and setting up a vibration analysis routine. For these types of machinery, thermal imaging could also be a useful non-invasive way to identify potential issues like overheating or insulation problems. Laser alignment checks for rotating equipment can assist in avoiding premature wear and failures too. Also, in terms of proactive maintenance, oil analysis could help you predict and prevent failures by providing an early-warning system. Don't forget to keep optimizing your preventive maintenance strategy based on the data you gather. Finally, training your team to recognize early signs of potential issues is invaluable. Happy New Year and good luck with your new role!
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Answer: - Answer: In addition to vibration analysis, other maintenance strategies that can be implemented include oil analysis, thermography, ultrasonic testing, and motor current analysis. These techniques can provide valuable insights into the condition of the equipment and help detect potential issues before they lead to failures.
Answer: - Answer: Conducting an equipment criticality analysis is crucial in prioritizing maintenance efforts as it helps identify the most critical equipment in terms of safety, environmental impact, production losses, and maintenance costs. This analysis ensures that resources are allocated efficiently to maintain the most critical assets.
Answer: - Answer: Some key considerations when monitoring rotating equipment include establishing a comprehensive maintenance schedule, regularly checking for abnormal vibrations, monitoring temperature variations, inspecting lubrication systems, and ensuring proper alignment and balance of the equipment.
Answer: - Answer: Collaboration between the reliability engineer and the production team is essential for developing effective maintenance strategies. The production team can provide valuable insights into equipment performance, operational challenges, and production requirements, which can inform maintenance decisions and help
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