Wind Farm O&M: Predictive vs. Preventative Maintenance

Maintenance practices on wind turbines are primarily either 'preventative' actions performed at routine intervals according the manufacturers specification or 'reactive' when a turbine's component is damaged causing the machine to shut down. New 'preventative' maintenance practices are now being developed, using high tech condition monitoring technologies, which aim to reduce the overall turbine O&M lifetime costs.

One of the most important aspects of a wind turbine is the reliability of its ‘critical’ components (gearbox, generator, blades etc.). These parts need to be properly conserved and maintained in order to achieve an optimum level of performance and reduced need for costly maintenance.

The standard time-based ‘preventative’ maintenance strategy used by most asset owners uses ‘schedule-based’ techniques and ‘threshold-based’ alarms. The problem with scheduling maintenance is that the intervals between inspections (typically every half year) are – in most cases – too far between to detect a problem at its early stage. Similarly the alerts activate too late to enable pre-emptive maintenance, and the maintenance subsequently turns ‘reactive’ rather than ‘preventative’.

See more at: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/partner/first-conferences/news/article/2012/01/wind-farm-o-m-predictive-vs-preventative-maintenance

Wärtsilä to supply power and positioning system for Statoil's two new offshore drilling rigs

The Wärtsilä power and positioning system solution represents proven reliability as well as superior efficiency, which results in lower operating costs, fewer emissions and less maintenance. Furthermore, Wärtsilä's unique condition monitoring system and the company's local service network supports the operator in harsh environments.

Wärtsilä, the marine industry's leading solutions provider, has been contracted to supply the power and positioning system for two new drilling rigs ordered by Songa Offshore AS, the Norwegian arm of the Cyprus-based offshore drilling company. These so called cat D semi-submersible rigs are tailor designed for use by Statoil in mid-water segments, and are being built at the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co.Ltd (DSME) shipyard in South Korea.

See more at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/23/idUS64330+23-Jan-2012+HUG20120123

HIGH LEVEL CONSULTANCY CHOOSES FLIR THERMAL IMAGING CAMERAS

The 3i Condition Monitoring Consultancy is a thermal imaging company with a difference. Its founder, Saira Dar, is a Level III thermographer and as such not only has considerable applications experience but also high proficiency in training. Additionally, she is a FLIR ITC (Infrared Training Centre) partner, a move that complements her company’s new found status as distributor for the entire predictive maintenance range of FLIR thermal imaging cameras.

Based in Stockport, Cheshire, 3i Condition Monitoring works across all sectors of industry, providing a tailored condition monitoring service. It has particular expertise in the paper production and food processing industries but its client-base also encompasses data centres and public sector institutions, such as hospitals.

See more at: http://www.pandct.com/media/shownews.asp?ID=31734

Condition Monitoring of Tactical Vehicle Engines

In 2004, a field trial was initiated over a four-year period with tactical and combat vehicles. The spectrum included armored reconnaissance vehicles (ARV) as well as main battle tanks (MBT). Oil samples removed from the monitoring well were taken every 90 days with an oil sampling kit normally used for aviation components. To avoid cross-contamination with other functional fluids taken from the vehicle, every sample was taken with a new sampling kit.
Among the monitored vehicles were 40 main battle tanks (Figure 1), 25 armored infantry fighting vehicles (AIFV), 16 armored howitzers, 25 armored reconnaissance vehicles (ARV) and 10 mechanized infantry combat vehicles (MICV).

See more at: http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/28707/condition-monitoring-tactical-vehicles

Optimising industrial fan performance

Industrial fans are a critical plant asset employed in a wide variety of applications ranging from burners and furnaces, heating, ventilation and cooling systems, to provide ‘blow-off’ air for clearing or drying. It is an area where compromise on maintenance or spare part quality should not be an option as asset failure can impact significantly on productivity.

Whether centrifugal or axial in action, industrial fans are generally driven by a motor, meaning they have the potential to consume high levels of energy if not correctly controlled or maintained – particularly given that, as with many other industrial applications, motors larger than necessary for the applications are frequently specified as contingencies are built into the design process. This is amply demonstrated by a recent Defra study which revealed that some 22 per cent of industrial motor energy consumption relates to fans. It is clearly an area where appropriate product specification, maintenance and asset management can impact very positively on profitability.

The issue is further complicated by the highly demanding environments in which fans often have to operate – frequently contending with extremes of heat, gases, dust and particulates, all of which have the potential to affect performance.

See more at: http://www.pandct.com/media/shownews.asp?ID=31574

Control systems just got more maintenance-friendly

Mike Bacidore says integrated infrastructure could allow remote diagnostics and condition monitoring for asset management with fieldbus connectivity.

As industrial plants continue to extend their operations, the need for condition monitoring and remote diagnostics keeps increasing, as well. Many sites now cover thousands of acres, and some field devices might be monitoring assets that are miles away.
While many plants have begun utilizing the control-system network more often for monitoring assets, each of the devices might be running on a different system, so managing physical assets in a coordinated fashion still requires a bit of patchwork integration.
In December, the Fieldbus Foundation (www.fieldbus.org) inched that integration just a little bit more within reach when released details on its Foundation for Remote Operations Management (ROM) at Lee College’s Fieldbus Center (www.lee.edu/fieldbus) in Baytown, Texas. The initiative is designed to provide a single unified, integrated infrastructure built specifically for asset management in remote process industry applications ranging from tank farms and terminals to pipelines, offshore platforms, and OEM skids.

See the full article here: http://www.plantservices.com/articles/2012/01-From-the-Editor-maintenance-control-systems.html

Intelligent Electronic Devices Increase Availability, Power Quality in Power Distribution Networks

Until recently, power distribution networks have operated in a simple, unidirectional flow. Rising overall consumption and a growing share of renewable generation are two factors changing these operational needs. Wind power and solar generation often take place closer to customers, making power networks multidirectional. To operate these growing unidirectional and multidirectional distribution networks in an efficient and economical way, a more comprehensive approach is essential that involves new smart grid technologies for monitoring and automating the distribution network.

Current Situation

Many power distribution networks are, or soon will be, under threat from unpredictable, inclement weather conditions or aging infrastructures. In addition, renewable power generation such as photovoltaic (PV), wind power and biomass are starting to directly feed into distribution networks. Consumers are evolving and the distribution network is changing into a multidirectional network that requires new automation to prevent overload situations and outages. There are, therefore, new challenges to address:
• Prevention of outages to avoid losses of earnings and/or penalties,
• Reduction of power losses,
• Maximized utilization of medium-voltage (MV) equipment (capacity utilization and life span),
• Low-voltage (LV) stabilization to stay within tolerances,
• Demand response or better modulation according to power production, and
• Asset management.
An ideal approach to distribution automation would not target only one of these challenges, but would address all major application issues.

Reduction of Brownouts or Blackouts

Two main factors should be considered: the reduction of the outage frequency and the reduction of the outage duration. Currently, the use of remote terminal units (RTUs) has reduced outage durations by nearly 50 percent on average. Adding spring-loaded or motor-driven load breakers can reduce the outage duration to minutes.
The RTU, combined with fault indicators, informs the substation automation system of the short circuit current flow on the faulty segment. Based on network topology and related algorithms, the substation automation system in the primary station will automatically isolate the faulty section and close the normal open switch in the ring structure. By reclosing the infeed switch at the primary substation, the procedure for service restoration will be completed. This usually takes just one to two minutes.
It is now known that using intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) with combined protection and RTU functionality is the next level of automation, and there are new systems that are able to clear a distribution fault and re-establish power from another source in less than 300 milliseconds.

See more at: http://www.utilityproducts.com/articles/print/volume-16/issue-01/product-focus/alternative-power-construction/intelligent-electronic-devices-increase-availability-power-quality-in-power-distribution-networks.html

Fix It Before It Breaks

Condition-based maintenance (CBM) detects equipment failures before they happen. Can you afford to be without it?
By Barry Parker
Condition-based maintenance (CBM) was perhaps best described by maritime writer Ryan Skinner, who observed a shift from the prevailing industry maxim of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” to an emerging philosophy of “Fix it before it breaks.” More formally, the International Standards Organization, in a 2004 publication, defined CBM as “maintenance performed as governed by condition monitoring programmes.” Danny Shorten, Product Manager for Maintenance Management at Lloyds Register (LR), defined CBM in a recent presentation as “An equipment maintenance strategy based on measuring the condition of equipment to assess whether it will fail during some future period, and then taking appropriate action to avoid the consequences of that failure.”
CBM has seen applicability to rotating devices with close tolerances, like shafts, which are difficult to inspect. More recently, with advances in technology, it’s been applied to up-and-down movements – within engine cylinders, for example. Shorten and others emphasize that switching to CBM from a different maintenance approach requires ongoing input from the individuals involved as the processes and policies surrounding maintenance are changed. It’s a people business, ultimately, and maintenance culture is impacted as much by people as it is by new technology. Just because it’s possible to monitor a process (a spinning shaft, say) using a new indicator (likely tied to the home office via a VSAT or maritime broadband hookup) doesn’t mean that everyone involved, both shoreside and on the vessels, need not be comfortable with their new and evolving roles.
The business case and return on investment (ROI) for CBM, at the highest level, is based on the trade-off between costs and benefits, the most obvious of which is the increased “up” time for components. Not surprisingly, the early inroads have occurred in the less price-sensitive parts of the maritime world with a high “shadow price” on downtime. These include naval vessels, oil company supply chains, gas transportation and the cruise sector. An important crossover sector has been offshore oil platforms where, by definition, the working assets did not come into port, allowing maritime applications aboard commercial vessels to benefit from the ingrained learning curves developed around the offshore sector. A secondary set of economic benefits may come from outsourcing, whereby a component manufacturer assumes responsibility for the maintenance function, or for one or more items.

See more at: http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/fix-it-before-it-breaks

Machine Condition Monitoring Equipment Industry Report Now Available from IBISWorld

The Machine Condition Monitoring Equipment Manufacturing industry will continue to post strong gains over the next five years, aided by technological developments and new products, according to a new report from IBISWorld, the nation's largest publisher of industry research. Demand will likely strengthen as markets increasingly adopt condition monitors that help them cut costs and avoid production downtime. Specifically, the development of lower-cost advanced CM equipment, combined with rapid processing functions, direct and wireless communication tools and improved software is anticipated to lead to further saturation of industry products into new markets. Combined with other positive demand drivers, such as growing foreign demand, revenue is forecast to increase at an annualized rate of 6.2% to $2.2 billion over the five years to 2016. In 2012, sales are projected to jump to $1.7 billion. For this reason, industry research firm IBISWorld has added a report on the Machine Condition Monitoring Equipment Manufacturing Industry to its growing Industrial Machinery Report collection.

See more at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/01/04/prweb9077156.DTL

Cloud computing, mobile ERP, analytics expected to gain traction in 2012

Analysts say that manufacturing IT departments are feeling optimistic enough about consumer demand this year to plow serious money into newer technologies -- especially cloud computing, mobile ERP, “big data” and analytics -- that remained mostly on the drawing board until now.

IDC Manufacturing Insights, in Framingham, Mass., predicts healthy investments in foundational technologies that it says will constitute the next major IT platform: mobility, big data, cloud computing  and social business. The analyst firm predicts that manufacturers will harness these “four forces” to build next-generation applications, including integrated business intelligence (BI) and corporate application stores where employees can download smartphone apps.

“The complex nature of modern manufacturing requires a new IT mindset,” said Bob Parker, IDC’s group vice president. “That will be achieved through the next generation of business intelligence, big data and analytics. Companies are building systems of engagement on top of their systems of record.”

The new systems will be dedicated to better decision making and will help IT evolve from an era of consumption to one of production, according to Parker. “The IT function is moving closer to a revenue-generating function than [it has] ever been.”

See more at: http://searchmanufacturingerp.techtarget.com/news/2240113244/Cloud-computing-mobile-ERP-analytics-expected-to-gain-traction-in-2012

RTI Biologics Achieves 98.7 Percent Equipment Performance Rating

RTI Biologics Inc. (RTI) /quotes/zigman/109594/quotes/nls/rtix RTIX -0.02% , a leading provider of orthopedic and other biologic implants, was recognized in the 2011 fourth edition of Evolution magazine for achieving a 98.7 percent equipment performance rating for its facilities and processing equipment. Evolution magazine is published by SKF Group, a global company which provides condition monitoring to RTI.

In 2007, the RTI facilities team began transitioning to a condition-based maintenance program in the company's 65,000 sq. ft. processing facility. The program combines skilled and trained personnel, specific predictive maintenance tools and equipment, and analysis of data such as vibration analysis, oil quality, thermal and infrared readings from the facility equipment. Using this data, the facilities team can predict when equipment failure might occur and therefore, equipment can be repaired at convenient times that will minimize work flow disruptions. Since the implementation of the program, the equipment performance rating for RTI went from 80 percent to 98.7 percent over four years, placing RTI among the top echelons of facilities in the U.S.

In 2010, RTI was the first U.S.-based company to implement an advanced vibration-detection technology to monitor the health of its machinery. RTI was selected for the initial implementation honor by SKF, developer of the technology, based on the work the company had already been doing to move to a condition-based maintenance program. The SKF machinery health reporting system allows the RTI facilities team to track machinery performance issues more accurately, trend patterns farther in advance and sustain high machinery performance levels.

"The investment of time and resources into condition-based maintenance has been very important to RTI," said Chuck Ratliff, RTI director of facilities. "Because of the intricacy of our processes and the importance of protecting donor tissue it is critical that our equipment be reliable and accurate."

"We are very proud of our facilities team for achieving such high standards in equipment maintenance," said Thomas F. Rose, RTI executive vice president and chief operations officer. "Our facility is unlike most others, in that our technicians are preparing human donated tissue for transplantation for recipients around the country. Most companies cannot afford the disruption in work flow that equipment failures bring, but when your company is the crucial step between tissue donation and transplantation, you have additional responsibility for ensuring your equipment is always in top condition."