Up Time Magazine- April/May 2008 - (Page 67) upgrade benefit to the chip detectors found on most aircraft lube sumps. As a corollary, if to a slightly lesser extent, sensor data provide the same relative early warning, and such data can be used in conjunction with oil analysis test data to provide a clearer view. Sample readout screens from the ANALEX fdMplus lowing a measurement to be taken. The fdMplus is a totally flexible instrument. What types of industries do you see as benefiting the most from the ANALEX fdMplus? Any industry that is lubricating high capital value assets will benefit from using the fdMplus. Kittiwake provides condition monitoring instruments to marine, land based and offshore industries, so whether one is operating a cargo vessel, an offshore platform or a cement plant, the fdMplus will be a vital instrument in the armory against premature failures. What types of contaminants can the ANALEX fdMplus detect, and what can’t it detect? The ANALEX fdMplus is a magnetometer and will, therefore, only measure metals which are magnetic. It is necessary to understand the relevance of measuring ferrous wear debris as many people will ask, “what about all the other metals?” Most parts in lubricated compartments consist mainly of iron. Should abnormal wear conditions occur it is typically iron wear debris that will be indicated. The fdMplus, therefore, is an important first line of defense, accurately tracking ferrous debris, and prompting further investigative action accordingly. What industries do you think could benefit from using mobile Ferrous Debris Monitoring that haven’t embraced it yet? The ability of the ANALEX fdMplus to operate on 12v provides access to laboratory grade instrumentation for field usage. The remoteness of many industrial plants around the world that do not have ready access to either their own or a commercial lab makes this a vital tool. Specific www.uptimemagazine.com examples include remote cement plants in India, island power plants and floating barges in Indonesia, or mines in Australia. What advantages are there to having this technology available in the field vs. using it through an oil analysis lab? It happens, from time to time, that an oil sample indicates ‘no problem’ but, then, wear occurs immediately or shortly afterward, festering until the next regular interval for a sample has been reached. There are times when that interval is too long, and the component fails, or sustains severe damage that could have been detected. The primary value for having an fdMplus onsite is for the ‘earliest’ warning of a potentially catastrophic failure, where ferrous particles reveal such developments. Catastrophic (fatigue or similar) failures are the types that move quickly once the mechanism triggers. An early warning allows the possibility of making an immediate (saving) decision, if other evidence supports, or at least taking a sample out-of-turn to get more complete information, such as performing analytical ferrography, to make a decision to take action or not. If it were possible to use the component under scrutiny more sparingly, based on the fdMplus’s readings, this benefit would also accrue, minimizing chance of failure before more complete information is garnered. One might liken this pre-warning What are the three top reasons a company should consider investing in the ANALEX fdMplus? 1. Easy: there is no learning curve with the fdMplus. Shake, load and measure…it is that simple.. 2. Reliable: There are no moving parts or need to recalibrate! 3. Accurate ferrous metal results in PPM: no need for charts that cross reference arbitrary numbers… PPM is universal and when it is trending up… you have a problem. What is the time frame a company can expect for a return on their investment in an ANALEX fdMplus? With this type of instrument, we would expect ROI to be typically less than one year. Exact measurements and predictions are difficult but consider a plant with vital lubricated assets in operation 24 hours a day, where inspection is only accomplished during the annual plant shutdown. If these assets were to suffer premature failure, plant down time and repair cost would be significant – often beginning at six figures. Constant trending of the ferrous wear debris in these assets would indicate when premature wear occurs, allowing early intervention prevent shut down and production losses. How can interested people get more information about the ANALEX fdMplus and other Kittiwake products? Contact Keith Macaluso with Kittiwake Americas at keithm@ kittiwake.com or 678.905.5630 ext. 801. Also, please visit our website: www.kittiwake-americas. com 67 http://www.kittiwake-americas.com http://www.uptimemagazine.com
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