M-News Edition 34
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| Plant Maintenance Resource Center
M-News Edition 34
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Edition 34, March 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. Feature Article - Organising the Plan for TurnaroundsMost organisations recognise that a turnaround is no longer a single occurrence that is simply part of the maintenance function. It is readily accepted there is a need for multi-functional teams to be responsible for planning, and for a work process the organisation is able to follow throughout these high cost activities. However, definition of the work process can be a challenge. The solution for many organisations has been the adaptation of a generic process to their local environment. A common mistake is simply to classify turnarounds as just "other projects". This article, from Rod Oliver of Meridium, Inc., argues that the work process for planning the turnaround needs to address the specific needs and challenges that are part of repairing continuous process equipment. You will find the article at http://www.plant-maintenance.com/articles/TurnaroundPlan.pdf. Note that you will require the free Adobe Acrobat reader to be able to view this file. Feature Article - Are You a Take Over Target For Contract Maintenance?All contract maintenance providers (large or small) clearly understand profit and the importance of overall craft effectiveness (OCE) and quality service. Very simply their goal is to perform services equal to and with lower cost than in-house maintenance while making a profit and creating potential savings for you. The future will see third party maintenance continue to replace in-house maintenance operations that have priced themselves out of the marketplace due to low craft labor productivity, poor service and technical skills, lack of internal leadership and of course declining physical asset reliability. This article, the first of two parts, contributed by Ralph "Pete" Peeters of The Maintenance Excellence Institute, discusses how Overall Craft Effectiveness can assist in-house maintenance departments to avoid being "taken over". You can read the article at Feature Article - On-line corrosion mapping of industrial plant using advanced electrical resistance techniquesRowan Technologies Ltd, a UK based company, has recently developed a range of scanner systems for monitoring corrosion/erosion and thermal behaviour over small or large areas of plant. Data can be presented in the form of multi-dimensional plots. The systems are nonintrusive, using electrodes connected externally to the plant, and are maintenance-free at the monitoring location, allowing lifetime monitoring in potentially inaccessible areas. This paper presents data from two corrosion and thermal scanner systems installed at AES Drax power station, UK, followed by an overview of a range of applications to which the scanner technology can be applied. You can read it at http://www.plant-maintenance.com/articles/CorrosionMapping.pdf. Once again, you will require the free Adobe Acrobat reader installed to be able to view this file. Feature Article - An Intelligent Conveyor Control System For Coal Handling Plant Of Thermal Power PlantThis is yet another article by one of our regular contributors, Makarand Joshi. In Coal Handling Plants, conveyor control systems use simple on/off switches and some forms of speed switches. These switches can only play the role of protective devices to a limited extent. These conveyor control systems are the biggest problem for the plant operator and maintenance engineer, being the cause of unsafe plant operation, which forces plant breakdowns and interrupted coal supply to boilers resulting in loss of generation. This paper focuses on the required conveyor control system, which will permit smooth, and safe plant operation. You can read the full article at http://www.plant-maintenance.com/articles/conveyor_control.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 recently closed. We are collating the results, and will have a summary of the key findings in next month's issue. 161 responses were received, significantly lower than previous years. Book Review - Minding the Machines - Preventing Technological DisastersThe fundamental underlying proposition of this book is that Technology has advanced to the point where the impact of catastrophic failures of this technology are felt far and wide, and that the traditional, technocratic methods of assessing and managing these risks are no longer appropriate. The book recognises the value of technical assessment of technological risks, but also outlines a number of significant failings in the methodologies typically used (such as Probabalistic Risk Assessment (PRA), Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) and Risk-Cost-Benefit Analysis (RCBA)). In particular, it points out failings in human beings capability to effectively assess the risks associated with high-consequence, low probability events. For Engineers wishing to consider concepts of technological risk at a higher level, this book is excellent reading. 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 HumorThe Board of Trustees of a nearby University, decides to test the Professors, to see if they really know their stuff. First they take a Math Prof. and put him in a room. Now, the room contains a table and three metal spheres about the size of softballs. They tell him to do whatever he want with the balls and the table in one hour. After an hour, he comes out and the Trustees look in and the balls are arranged in a triangle at the center of the table. Next, they give the same test to a Physics Prof. After an hour, they look in, and the balls are stacked one on top of the other in the center of the table. Finally, they give the test to an Engineering Prof. After an hour, they look in and one of the balls is broken, one is missing, and he's carrying the third out in his lunchbox. 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.
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