Plant life matters
Although the cost of components - such as rolling element bearings, rotors and fasteners - in hydraulic pumps is usually very small, compared to the list price of the pumps themselves, the cost of stopped production and any consequential losses resulting from component failure is almost invariably significant.
Looking for trouble
Diagnosing problems in rotating machinery well before anything has a chance to break makes a whole lot of sense. Dr Tom Shelley reports on the range of technological making a difference
Seeing is preventing
An ability to anticipate mechanical breakdowns before they impact plant performance can be invaluable in minimising unplanned downtime. Dr Tom Shelley reports
Sound of silence
Ultrasonic tools are invaluable in detecting bearing failure, mostly because warnings appear well before any temperature rise or low frequency vibration can be seen. In fact, the technology recognises everything from early fatigue failure, through brinelling to lubricant problems.
Global warning
For some engineers, questions about how much money could have been saved if a major failure had been predicted, trigger thoughts about the cost of expensive process interruptions and downtime. For others, it's all about avoiding unnecessary plant strip-down and rebuild costs caused by resulting damage. And for others again, the relevant measure relates to degradation in the quality of the product or service provided.
Good acoustics?
It's a poor workman that blames his tools, goes the proverb. But on machinery condition monitoring, it's been understandable. However, all of that is about to change, writes Brian Tinham