POWER May 2017 - 19

and didn't produce an alternative. That
meant a new valve had to be designed and
manufactured (Figure 5). To certify the
new design, mandatory destructive testing
was required-a costly process. Adding
to the complexity, the changeover to
the new-generation system would have to
fit into a briefly scheduled maintenance
window to minimize plant downtime.
The plant turned to Archer Enterprises,
a third-generation privately owned, precision
engineering firm with its own Manufacturing
Centre of Excellence in New
South Wales.
The Engineering Process
" It's one thing to design and manufacture
a part, it's another to think beyond the
project brief and consider the ramifications
of having that new part implemented
into a work site, " explained Archer's Managing
Director Brad Byrne. Sometimes the
answer requires approaching the task from
a completely new perspective, and in this
case, potentially hundreds of thousands of
dollars were saved.
Archer's four-stage solution involved
the following steps:
■ Designing a new stainless
steel MJC
valve capable of connecting to the incumbent
infrastructure
■ Reengineering the valve so that the
complete unit didn't have to be destructively
tested and the tested part
could easily be replaced
■ Introducing an unorthodox changeover
procedure
■ Part marking
Archer was able to overcome all of the
challenges by designing a more efficient
type of MJC valve manufactured from
stainless steel and two types of nickel.
The original cage feature was done away
with and replaced by an open design. This
was done so that the entire unit didn't
have to be destructively tested, and the
tested part could easily be replaced.
" In addition to the new design, we
developed a changeover method for the
power station, which allowed them to
systematically install the new valves
one after the other, meaning there was
no interruption to power generation. We
made the right amount of valves in continuous
stages to suit their time line, "
Byrne said.
Then the group initiated part marking
and produced reference materials. " Every
part at the power station had a code number
or reference number for record keeping.
Because we developed the brand new
assembly, we were in effect the new OEM.
Housekeeping is in our culture, so we determined
that in addition to coming up
with a valve solution, we should support
it with the necessary procedures. As each
part was machined, we marked it with a
part number for asset management and
traceability, " Byrne continued.
" For phased end of life, it is vital that
you can always track your parts. We developed
a comprehensive methodology,
which included part numbering, batch
numbering, and serial part numbering.
We also generated supporting materials,
such as reference guides and specification
sheets, which Stanwell added to its
preventative maintenance program, " said
Byrne.
In the end, new MJC valves were installed
within the timeframe allotted
and reliable operation of the system was
restored. ■
-Craig E. Hingston is founder and director
of Your Image Marketing & Media.
May 2017 | POWER
www.powermag.com
19
http://www.powermag.com
POWER May 2017

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