dibyendu

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Review of Common Failure Cases -- Power Plant

Review of Faults and Failures: Case Studies from Thermal Power Plants Thermal power plants are complex facilities that convert heat energy into electrical power, typically using coal, natural gas, or oil as fuel. Due to their high-temperature, high-pressure environments, these plants are susceptible to a variety of operational failures and faults. This review explores case studies of common…

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Review of Common Failure Cases of a Cement Plant

Review of Failure/Fault Cases in the Cement Industry The cement industry is one of the most critical sectors in the world, providing the essential building material for infrastructure development. However, due to the demanding nature of the production processes and the harsh operating environments, it is also highly susceptible to various faults and failures. This review covers some of the most…

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Course Structure of "Art & Science of Diagnosis of Faults"

The course structure of the online program — “Art & Science of Diagnosis of Faults” is as follows: The Rationale: Modern machinery in most industrial plants is now so complex and expensive that engineers and engineering managers find it increasingly difficult to detect and analyse failure by, for instance, recognising changes in sound ‘signatures’, and few plants can afford the luxury of…

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Case of Rotor Open Failure Mode

Learning Reliability from Daily Events. Industry: Cement Plant Equipment: Pre-heater Fan Sub-assembly in distress: Motor Specification of the motor: Specification of the Motor — 1650 KW, 3 phase, VFD, 11000 V, Amp = 110 to 170 amps, F class insulation, 1000 RPM . Number of stator slots = 72, Number of rotor slots = 86  Symptoms experienced: — Though the motor is being operated slightly below…

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The Boring and Interesting Parts of Vibration Analysis

Vibration readings/values are the most boring thing in the world. And learning about vibration and its characteristics through maths, though useful to a point, is also boring. The other boring parts of the subject are signal processing of vibration data. On its own, vibration readings and data almost tell us nothing useful. Therefore study of such things is the most unimportant part of learning…

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The curious case of Fluid Coupling Bearing Failures

Once upon a time, in a giant cement factory, there was a hardworking bucket elevator named Bhima. Bhima’s job was to carry rock like material vertically to a rotary Kiln machine for further processing. Bhima had a big heart, or should I say, a powerful motor coupled to a strong gearbox connected to the head pulley of the bucket elevator, that helped him lift all those heavy rock like…

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Beginner's Guide to Chaos

Even small changes can have big effects on equipment vibrations levels. Equipment design matters! A strong foundation support structure is crucial. Lubrication plays a vital role! The right oil viscosity can impact vibration of equipment.

The Case of the Shaky Fan: A Beginner’s Guide to Fan Chaos Imagine a giant fan in a petrochemical industry, grinding away at work. But this fan had a quirk. Sometimes, when the power settings changed or the weather did something strange (like in the monsoons the air temperature drops), it would vibrate violently for a short while before calming down on its own. It was almost like a magic trick!…

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A Story of Unusual Vibration of a Fan

The culprit? A phenomenon called "Secondary Critical Speed" or "Half Critical Speed." Imagine a tightrope walker. With adequate training a tightrope walker can walk easily unless the wind (external force) matches their natural swaying rhythm.....

The Case of the Shaky Fan: A Story Imagine a giant fan developing a wobble! This wobble isn’t constant, but happens only at certain speeds. We were called in to investigate. The Problem: The fan vibrates more than usual between speeds of 645 and 720 RPM (rotations per minute). This wobble is strongest side-to-side (horizontal). Even though the shaking isn’t severe yet, it’s a warning…

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Keeping the Textiles Flowing: How We Solved a Chain-Breakage Problem?

Imagine a factory where production comes to a grinding halt every few weeks because of a critical chain breaking down. This was the reality for one textile fiber company, experiencing frequent failures with their stretch roller chains. These chains, vital to the machines’ operation, were breaking under the heavy loads and sudden movements inherent to the manufacturing process. At Reliability…

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The Curious Case of the Shaky Tank: Unveiling the Science Behind the Shudders

The Case: Have you ever encountered a seemingly straightforward task that took an unexpected turn? In the world of engineering, even the most routine processes can present intriguing challenges. Today, we’ll delve into the case of the shaky tank – a story that blends science, investigation, and the pursuit of solutions. Imagine a tank filled with a thick liquid, like a giant vat of molasses.…

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From Shaky Fan to Smooth Operations: A Case Study in Industrial Efficiency

The issue: Imagine the heart of a steel plant pulsating with activity. One crucial component, an ID Fan, plays a vital role in this symphony of industry. But what happens when its rhythm falters, replaced by concerning vibrations that threaten entire operations? This was the challenge we faced at Reliability Management and Intellithink Industrial IoT, and this is the story of how we transformed…

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Asset Performance Management through Life

Asset Performance Management through Life

Abstract: The use of the terms Reliability (R) and Maintainability (M) are now in vogue. Does improvement in Reliability and Maintainability (R&M) relate to Maintenance Optimisation or Asset Optimisation? In this paper we would examine whether such a relationship exists. We would also explore whether the DOM (Design Out Maintenance) strategy can be effectively employed in improving Reliability…

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Case on DOM through Material Selection

DOM or Design Innovation

The Issue: Frequent failure of a critical pipe disrupting Reliability, Availability, Performance and Safety Solution: Design Innovation –> DOM (Design Out Maintenance) Component: Outlet pipe from a Furnance Function: Carries hot (1000 degrees Centigrade) oxidised metal (calcine) from the Furnance. Dimension: The diameter of the pipe is 350 mm at the inlet and 250 mm at the outlet. The length…

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Strategy Selection against Failure Modes

In a certain mining company of South Africa the Maintenance Planners chose the following Maintenance Strategies against the failure modes experienced in a crusher. Would you agree with the selection of maintenance strategy? What is the critical piece

In a certain mining company of South Africa the Maintenance Planners chose the following Maintenance Strategies against the failure modes experienced in a crusher. Failure ModesMaintenance StrategyHigh pressure before filterPMPipe chockedCorrective Flow Switch openPMThermal TripDOMLeaking Grease pipeCBMLow Pressure of oil before filterPMOil Flow lowPMBlocked ChuteCorrectiveLub Pump…

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History of FMEA

Introduction: Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) is a name given to a group of activities, which are performed to ensure that all that could possibly go wrong with a product have been identified and appropriate actions have been taken to either prevent undesirable failures or prevent the consequences of both probabilistic and deterministic failures.

History: In the 1960s, for the…

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Rules of Thumb about Decision Making

Rules of Thumb about Decision Making

Consider what you want to achieve, avoid, sustain or improve. Focus on results yu want to achieve. Don’t focus on actions. Create goals accordingly. In short a goal is the gap between the vision and current reality.

Generate many options to achieve the goal. Don’t stick to a few options.

Decisions are based on published, measurable criteria and never on an ad hoc basis.

Criteria can usually be…

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Rules of Thumb -- Engineering Communication

Rules of Thumb — Engineering Communication

One of the most important tasks of engineers, managers, facilitators, guides, mentors, consultants and trainers is to communicate.

Without right and effective communication, nothing seems to get done. One may be working very hard but he/she would fail to see results on the ground. That is indeed very frustrating. The secret is — unless people are involved, nothing worthwhile gets done. The…