M-News Edition 33
|
| Plant Maintenance Resource Center
M-News Edition 33
| |
|
|
|
|
Edition 33, February 2003 ContentsIn this edition...
If you wish to receive notification of future copies of this newsletter by email, please register at www.plant-maintenance.com/registration.shtml. If you have any feedback on the newsletter, or have something to contribute, please send me an e-mail. WelcomeWelcome to the 33rd issue of M-News. Once more, we have four high quality articles for you in this edition - and don't forget to register your response in our annual Maintenance Salary survey for 2003. Happy Reading. Regards...
Feature Article - Defining And Maintaining Fluid Cleanliness For Maximum Hydraulic Component LifeMany factors can reduce the service life of hydraulic components. Contamination of hydraulic fluid by insoluble particles is one of these factors. To prevent particle contamination from cutting short component life, an appropriate fluid cleanliness level must first be defined and then maintained on a continuous basis. This article, an extract from the first chapter of Brendan Casey's excellent book "Insider Secrets to Hydraulics" (see our review below) gives some highly practical tips for extending the life of, and increasing the reliability of, your hydraulic systems. You will find the article at http://www.plant-maintenance.com/articles/hydraulic_fluid_cleanliness.pdf. Note that you will require the free Adobe Acrobat reader to be able to view this file. Feature Article - Preventing Space Shuttle Disasters Means Getting to the Root CauseThis article is written by the Reliability Center's Bob Latino, author of the excellent book on Root Cause Analysis "Root Cause Analysis, Improving Performance for Bottom Line Results". The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster was barely an hour old and already the pundits were speculating about the "cause." This article argues that no disaster like the Columbia is ever because of one, or even two easy to identify causes, such as the often-mentioned insulation falling and damaged left wing tiles. The root causes always go much deeper. You can read the article at Feature Article - Maintaining Substation ReliabilityAs a result of economic pressures caused by deregulation, utilities are looking at new ways to approach the business of operating and maintaining their assets. In particular, one utility has taken a look at managing their substation assets as if they were stocks in a portfolio. Like financial managers who try to maximize return-on-investment for each asset in a client's portfolio, substation maintenance managers try to maximize the value of each task. This is done through careful consideration of the condition of each asset and its ability to produce revenue. This article, contributed by Joe Nichols and Bob Matusheski of Meridium, Inc. outlines how one electric utility used Reliability Centered Maintenance principles to develop asset management strategies for their electrical substations. You can read it at http://www.plant-maintenance.com/articles/SubstationReliability.pdf. Once again, you will require the free Adobe Acrobat reader installed to be able to view this file. Feature Article - Condition Based Maintenance For Coal Handling Plant Of Thermal Power StationsThis article has been written by one of our regular contributors, Makarand Joshi. It outlines how one power station has implemented Condition Based Maintenance to detect the onset of a degradation mechanism thereby allowing casual stresses to be eliminated or controlled prior to any significant deterioration in the component physical state. Guidelines for implementation of Condition Based Maintenance in Coal Handling Plants are also discussed in this paper. You can read the full article at http://www.plant-maintenance.com/articles/cbm_coal_handling.pdf. Yet again, you will require the free Adobe Acrobat reader installed to be able to view this file. Survey - Maintenance SalariesOur fifth annual Maintenance Salary Survey is now open. In the past, this survey has generated plenty of interest and responses, and, with your support, we can make it even bigger and better this year. The survey will close on March 15, 2003. In the meantime, you can contribute to the survey (all individual data is competely confidential), and review the results to date at http://www.plant-maintenance.com/survey.shtml. Please let as many as possible of your colleagues, associates and friends know about this survey - the more responses we get, the more meaningful the results. Book Review - Insider Secrets to Hydraulics by Brendan CaseyThe author, Brendan Casey, has spent 15 years working in the Hydraulics industry, and his experience and expertise shows in this book. Jam-packed full of practical suggestions and tips, and backed up by his obvious knowledge of the subject matter, this book has the potential to save many organizations lots of money. The book is short, easy to read, and worth its weight in gold. To read the full review of this book, click here. Recommended BooksHere are ten Maintenance-related books that we have reviewed recently, and strongly recommend:
Get more information on these and other books at http://www.plant-maintenance.com/maintenance_books.shtml. On the Lighter Side - Engineering HumorUniversal Laws for Naive Engineers Law #1: In any calculation, any error which can creep in will do so. Law #2: Any error in any calculation will be in the direction of most harm. Law #3: In any formula, constants (especially those obtained from engineering handbooks) are to be treated as variables. Law #4: The best approximation of service conditions in the laboratory will not begin to meet those conditions encountered in actual service. Law #5: The most vital dimension on any plan drawing stands the most chance of being omitted. Law #6: If only one bid can be secured on any project, the price will be unreasonable. Law #7: If a test installation functions perfectly, all subsequent production units will malfunction. Law #8: All delivery promises must be multiplied by a factor of 2.0. Law #9: Major changes in construction will always be requested after fabrication is nearly complete. Law #10: Parts that positively cannot be assembled in improper order will be. Law #11: Interchangeable parts won't. Law #12: Manufacturer's specifications of performance should be multiplied by a factor of 0.5. Law #13: Salespeople's claims for performance should be multiplied by a factor of 0.25. Law #14: Installation and Operating Instructions shipped with the device will be promptly discarded by the Receiving Department. Law #15: Any device requiring service or adjustment will be the least accessible. Law #16: Service conditions as given on specifications will be exceeded. Law #17: If more than one person is responsible for a miscalculation, no one will be at fault. Law #18: Identical units which test in an identical fashion will not behave in an identical fashion in the field. Law #19: If, in engineering practice, a safety factor is sent through the service experience at an ultimate value, an ingenious idiot will promptly calculate a method to exceed said safety factor. Law #20: Warranty and guarantee clauses are voided by payment of the invoice. Law #21: The rule for engineers: "Change the data to fit the curve." I hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. All feedback, comments and contributions to future editions are very welcome (as are enquiries about contributions to, and sponsorship of, this newsletter). Alexander (Sandy) Dunn
Copyright 1996-2009, The Plant Maintenance Resource Center . All Rights Reserved.
|
|
