Chemical Processing - August 2007 - (Page 7) 555 West Pierce Road, Suite 301, Itasca, IL 60143 Phone: (630) 467-1300 Fax: (630) 467-1109 www.chemicalprocessing.com E-mail: cpnews@putman.net Subscriptions/Customer Service: (888) 644-1803 or (847) 559-7360 EdItoRIaL StaFF MaRk RoSEnzWEIg, editor in chief, x478 mrosenzweig@putman.net kEn SChnEPF, managing editor, x442 kschnepf@putman.net JILL RuSSELL, digitaL editor, x455 jrussell@putman.net MIkE SPEaR, editor at Large hertfordshire, U.K. mspear@putman.net ContRIbutIng EdItoRS andREW SLoLEY, troUbLeshooting coLUmnist LYnn L. bERgESon, regULatory coLUmnist ChRIStoPhER RuSSELL, energy coLUmnist dIRk WILLaRd, coLUmnist dESIgn & PRoduCtIon StEPhEn C. hERnER, groUp art director, x312 sherner@putman.net dEREk ChaMbERLaIn, associate art director, x426 dchamberlain@putman.net RIta FItzgERaLd, prodUction manager, x468 rfitzgerald@putman.net EdItoRIaL boaRd Vic edWards, aker Kvaerner tim franK, dow chemical ben paterson, eli Lilly roy sanders, ppg industries eLLen tUrner, eastman chemical ben Weinstein, procter & gamble Jon WorsteLL, shell chemical sheiLa yang, fluor corp. MIkE bREnnER, groUp pUbLisher, x487 mbrenner@putman.net bRIan MaRz, pUbLisher, x411 bmarz@putman.net adMInIStRatIvE StaFF John M. CaPPELLEttI, president/ceo JuLIE CaPPELLEttI-LangE, Vice president RoSE SouthaRd, it director JERRY CLaRk, Vice president of circULation JaCk JonES, circULation director REPRIntS CLaudIa StaChoWIak, marKeting manager claudia@fostereprints.net 1-866-879-9144 x121 fax: 219-561-2019 FoStER REPRIntS 4295 ohio street michigan city, in 46360 FROM THE EDITOR << Adroitly address equipment problems A successful approach demands looking at more than maintenance ALMOST EvEryOnE ApprEciATES the potential value of predictive maintenance. After all, spotting situations before they cause significant problems means maintenance generally can be planned so the right parts and people are available and work is done when it least impacts operations. Developments in diagnostic technology are certainly helping. For instance, as Mike Spear explains (p. 32), instrument companies now are making sound use of noise to get early warning of problems and to pin down their causes. in addition, new types of instrumentation, designed for diagnostics, are emerging. For example, on-line corrosion monitoring (www. chemicalprocessing.com/articles/2005/525. html) is increasingly replacing traditional techniques like coupons. it can distinguish between localized and general corrosion and not only give a heads-up on hardware condition but even can help plants identify process disturbances that lead to corrosion spikes. Similarly, new technology is challenging vibration monitoring. At the 2007 north American Foxboro User Group conference in mid-July in Boston, SWAntech, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., showed off an instrument that uses ultrasonic “stress wave” measurement to provide what it claims is the earliest detection of damage to rotating equipment. Having more and better data isn’t enough, though. plants must go from condition monitoring to condition management, noted neil cooper of invensys at the Foxboro meeting. This means moving from just collecting data to putting the data into context and effectively dealing with the information. i’d add that plants also need to avoid problems outright, making some maintenance unnecessary or at least minimizing it. One key to success here is proper equipment selection. yet, as plants lose people with expertise, more mistakes undoubtedly occur. consider the ubiquitous motor. choosing a replacement motor of the same horsepower and mounting isn’t enough, stresses Dan Snyder (p. 27) — the wrong bearings can significantly shorten motor life. The service and orientation of the motor greatly influence what type of bearings should be in the unit. A motor directly driving a load generally needs different bearings than the same-size motor handling belts. installing a motor designed for horizontal service vertically may cause a loss of grease in the bearings. in addition, minimizing stresses on equipment during startups, shutdowns and infrequent operations certainly can play an important role in maintaining the health of plant hardware. Here, too, we face challenges as skilled operators retire and don’t effectively pass on their experience and expertise. Even if you’re lucky enough to still have top-notch operators, performance from shift to shift New instrumentation for diagnostics is emerging. undoubtedly varies because some people simply have a better “feel” for the process. However, as pat Kelly explains (p. 20), control systems now can capture best practices and procedures and so help operators do their jobs better and more consistently. Maintaining what we’ve been doing just isn’t good enough anymore. CP Mark Rosenzweig Editor in Chief mrosenzweig@putman.net August 2007 • 7 Folio editorial excellence award Winner www.chemicalprocessing.com http://www.chemicalprocessing.com http://www.chemicalprocessing.com/articles/2005/525.html http://www.chemicalprocessing.com/articles/2005/525.html http://www.chemicalprocessing.com/articles/2005/525.html
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