Up Time Magazine- August/September 2008

motor testing upload The Forgotten Asset Electric Motors and Their Management by Krzysztof (Kris) Goly E lectric motors are an important part of every production facility’s physical assets and should be managed accordingly to achieve high reliability levels at the lowest possible cost. Total cost is the sum of maintenance/ repair, production downtime, safety and environmental costs. This is true for any physical asset management process. This article describes the current situation in industry and presents a solution – a Motor Management & Reliability Program. Industry in Need of Change Electric motors are a unique asset. They are the primary movers in a vast majority of applications and make plants “run.” The impact of motor reliability and availability is felt throughout the entire business. They have the potential to severely affect production output, but often are the forgotten asset, unappreciated and left out in many planned maintenance programs. Recently, the situation has become exaggerated due to various factors including disappearing motor knowledge from the plant maintenance workforce. During my frequent visits to production plants and motor repair facilities, I often hear complaints about the lack of a trained workforce. While recently observing a simple motor winding insulation test, I was surprised that the technician did not know about temperature normalizing while trending the results. He was even more surprised to learn how much temperature can affect the trending. And this was just the beginning – the plant’s maintenance electrical technicians did not understand the difference between induction squirrel cage and wound rotor motors, and had no understanding of synchronous motors. The plant has a large number of motors ranging from fractional to 2,500HP. Most of them are critical to production. The question that came to mind was how the motors were maintained given the relative lack of knowledge by the maintenance department. The answer came through the MTBF (mean time between failures), which was approximately three years. What was more disturbing was that many critical motors were repaired more than once a year. The motor histories were not tracked, so there was no means of assessing the quality of repairs, performing root cause analysis or even checking who repaired the failed motors. This led to less than adequate motor performance and a negative impact on the bottom line. The situation was exaggerated by the fact that the majority of the workforce and management did not see a need for change. They were convinced that given their “unique” applications, if a motor lasted six to 12 months, everything was OK. Motor Management & Reliability Program – What is it? In an effort to address the problems just described, a comprehensive Motor Management & Reliability Program (MMRP) has been designed that addresses all aspects of managing motors as a critical physical plant asset. Some of the targeted areas include: • Preventive and predictive maintenance programs • Corrective maintenance actions, breakdown and recovery programs • Motor procurement • Reliability program • Motor repairs • Spares management • Continuous improvement • Root cause analysis • Data management A detailed description of all MMRP elements and case studies showing real-life results including economic benefits (ROI) are provided. The result is a sustainable process in place that drives motor reliability and plant performance. Program Description As mentioned, motors are part of the critical plant asset and should be treated accordingly. What is unique about motors is that they are part of an asset class called “rotable” or “reparable” items, meaning they often are moved out of their locations and sent to repair shops, warehouses etc. Figure 1 depicts a simplified motor management process. As shown in Figure 1, the motor life cycle can be complex, and there are many stages that need to be addressed by a Motor Management & Reliability Program. Before going into the detail of the program, it’s necessary to define its goals. A well-defined and implemented Motor Management & Reliability Program should: • Increase motor reliability 44 august/september 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Up Time Magazine- August/September 2008

Up Time Magazine- August/September 2008 Contents Upfront Upclose Information Technology Lubrication Infrared Maintenance Management Motor Testing Precision Maintenance Reliability Ultrasound Vibration Upgrade

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