MEETA Newsletter. March 2014 Issue: 2014 Q1. The Chairman s Welcome CONTENTS

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1 MEETA Newsletter March 2014 Issue: 2014 Q1 The Chairman s Welcome I am pleased to welcome all 1980's and will continue to so please take the opportu- our readers to this special strive for excellence and inno- nity to give us your feedback What s inside this month: This month features some of the best MEETA articles from the past few years CONTENTS Shaft pg 2 Alignment Bearing pg 2 Installation & Removal Safety How to install pg 3 V-belts Data to pg 3 knowledge edition of the MEETA newsletter which is a compilation of the best of the Meeta Newsletters. As chairman I would like to thank everybody who supported us in any way during the past year. Also my special thanks to Eric Bergin and his team who have successfully steered MEETA through the past two years. Their work gives a solid foundation on which to build and progress. Any organisation such as MEETA depends on the efforts and enthusiasm of its members to survive. MEETA has been in existence for 30 years and has served the interests of the Maintenance and Asset management community since the early vation in this area. Our position as a society within Engineers Ireland gives us a strong position to put forward and maintain the important position of asset management practitioners within the broader engineering family. As with any organisation there are many challenges facing us, however I am confident that the organisation can build on the success of previous years and meet those challenges. I would appeal to anyone in the field of Maintenance to become involved and make the organisation yours we would be delighted to hear from you. This is the first of a planned series newsletters this year and let us know what you want to read about. This year we hope to develop the image of MEETA and attract a broader range of people involved in Asset management. Also, as it is the 30 th anniversary of MEETA we shall be striving to make it a year to remember. I am looking forward to working with all interested parties to make it a very successful year for all. John Coleman, MEETA Chairman Sustainability pg 4 Communication pg 5 Is the key It is estimated that 10-15% of fatal accidents at work and 15-20% of all accidents, are connected with maintenance. (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, 2010) Annual MEETA Conference in Institute of Engineers, Clyde Road, Dublin Benefit...from Experience Provisional date 21st November 2014 With these statistics in mind those of us involved in the maintenance function at any level must focus on the types of hazards that can present themselves during maintenance and we must carry out adequate risk assessments at all times to ensure the hazards are controlled. This year the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work is running a safe maintenance campaign. For more information about the Good Practice Awards, and to find out how else to get involved in the Healthy Workplaces Campaign, get in touch with the Agency s national focal point in your country:

2 Page 2 Shaft Alignment What is shaft alignment? misalignment, is the dis- gross misalignment, the bear- Shaft alignment is the posi- tance between the shaft ings and seals on the machines Sometimes alignment is worth paying attention to! In extreme cases of shaft misalignment, the bending stresses tioning of the rotational centers of two or more shafts such that they are co-linear when the machines are under normal operating conditions. Proper shaft alignment is not dictated by the total indicator reading (TIR) of the coupling hubs or the shafts, but rather by the proper centers of rotation of the shaft supporting bearings. There are two components of misalignment angular and offset. Offset misalignment, sometimes referred to as parallel centers of rotation measured at the plane of power transmission. This is typically measured at the coupling centre. The units for this measurement are mils (where 1 mil = in.) When shafts are misaligned, forces are generated. These forces can produce great stresses on the rotating and stationary components. While it is probably true that the coupling will not fail when exposed to the large stresses as a result of this that are misaligned will most certainly fail under these conditions. Excessive shaft misalignment, say greater than 2 mils for a 3600 rpm machine under normal operating conditions, can generate large forces that are applied directly to the machine bearings and cause excessive fatigue and wear of the shaft seals. In extreme cases of shaft misalignment, the bending stresses applied to the shaft will cause the shaft to fracture and break. applied to the shaft will cause the shaft to fracture and break. Bearing Installation & Removal Safety Caring for bearings keeps them turning for longer Proper bearing maintenance and handling practices are critical. Failure to observe the following warnings could lead to a risk of serious bodily harm. Never spin a bearing with compressed air. The rollers may be forcefully expelled with great velocity. If a hammer and bar are used for bearing removal, fragments from the hammer, bar or the bearing can be released with high velocity. A mild steel or brass bar is preferred since it is less susceptible to fragmenting. When installing or removing bearings, always wear safety glasses or goggles. Cleaning solvents may be toxic or flammable. Ensure adequate ventilation and wear protective clothing. Remove oil or rust inhibitor from parts before heating to avoid a fire or fumes.

3 Page 3 Proper installation and maintenance can prolong the life of V Belts V-belts run longer and perform better if they are given the proper care and attention during installation, and in particular, during the following 48-hour running-in period. A pair of V belts This is a most critical time for V-belts, especially if they are to last for a few years. During this run-in period, the initial stretch is taken The initial 48 hour out of the belt. Also, the soft rubber surface of the belt s outer envelope is abraded away, and the belt settles deeper in the groove of critical if you want running in period is the sheave. This causes the belt to run slack. At this point, the slack your V belts to last. on the new belts must be taken up to avoid considerable slippage, frictional burning, and other irreparable damage. It is very important that the belts are checked often over the first few days of operation and are adjusted according to the correct tension until all signs of stretching have been eliminated. This practice will eliminate early damage and promote longer belt lives. Data to knowledge - the next challenge We need to make better use of data, We need easier access to the data, We need to get the right data into the hands of the right people, so they can make the right decisions, Don t just give me more data, give me better knowledge. Visualisations can help highlight priorities and actions required Any discussion about the use of plant operating data with plant management or operational staff will quickly spawn one of the above. The statements are correct. As Maintenance managers we do need to improve our ability to make efficient use of the automation and plant information data system investments. But the questions are how and where can the value be truly capitalised on? This call to deliver is being driven by reductions in resources, increased desire to maximise capacity utilisation, the need to optimise operational performance, and the need to ensure that we are in compliance with company goals, targets and corporate responsibilities. To put the challenge in perspective, equipment managers are being asked to deliver more with less. Data management is an essential element of the solution to this challenge. Over the last 20 years, the processing industries have invested heavily in automation and plant information systems such that the data is now available. As a result, we should now be able to put it to productive use. The challenge with raw data, no matter how accessible, is that it is just data, and data on its own is of little use. It must be converted into knowledge before real benefit can be derived from it. In most cases, the data needs to be validated, analysed and converted into a level of knowledge that is actionable and useful. This can still require a significant investment of time and resources so prioritising the data is essential. Utilising a Key Performance Index (KPI) can be the first step in putting data into a context that is more aligned with organisational goals. Every plant group or department has objectives and targets. If the raw data can be converted in real-time or close to real-time into these KPIs, then the knowledge available in the data can be communicated to the relevant people very quickly. Non-compliance to operational targets can be quickly identified and decisions made based on good knowledge. However while converting this data into KPI s is a necessary step, this alone does not guarantee the desired operational improvements. If the KPI s themselves are not managed effectively, companies often simply transform the problem of data overload into the problem of KPI overload. So as with any system the management of the overall requirement is fundamental. To manage the available knowledge it is critical to identify what is important and focus on the key aspects THE NEED FOR VISUALISATION The visualisation layer is an essential element to getting the value from any KPI-based monitoring system. We have all seen the promises of the digital dashboard and speedometer-like displays of plant efficiency delivered in real-time though a web based environment. But the true power of visualisation layer is its interactive ability to quickly sort and display the consolidated performance data to highlight the high priority requirements and provide guidance on the actions required.

4 Sustainability Through modernisation and optimisation Page 4 Every business operation has budgets, production targets, business goals and a sustainability plan. Each of these operations aims to minimise capital expenditure, reduce operating cost and downtime, and increase profit and productivity. Challenges we cannot control add further to the mix, such as fuel prices and global economic performance. Achieving budgets and business goals requires the efficient use of all internal resources, such as; people, plant, raw materials and maintenance. How do you achieve these goals with current resources? Globally, business operations are faced with the same general challenges. Ask any plant manager if they are operating efficiently, and within original design specifications, and the response will resoundingly be no. This is due to many reasons - capital constraints, increased throughput, raw material changes and composition, aging plant - these are just some of the challenges. Other factors could include manually operated equipment, high staff turnover, resulting in loss of local knowledge, limited personnel numbers who are focused on operation with no time for projects. Without responding to these factors, the sustainability of an operation is threatened, and the consequences are obvious; plants run at low efficiency, with high operating costs, lower than desired production, high maintenance costs, etc. To achieve sustainability, plants must optimise and modernise. Most sites have a good idea where their operational bottlenecks are, or which part of the plant is causing the most problems, but where should you start? Process audits are an excellent way to benchmark current performance, review current operating and production targets. An audit carried out in an honest and efficient manner will answer the tough questions that threaten your sustainability. What are the audit questions? How do I get that extra 3% yield? How can I reduce water consumption? How can I reduce my power usage? What gains can be achieved without capex? Where can I spend my limited capex for maximum return? Depending entirely on the scope, a process audit may include: Site-wide energy balance Overall and unit efficiency of existing plant Mechanical condition of existing plant Identification of bottlenecks and root cause analysis of performance issues Corrective actions and improvement opportunities identification Also it is worth auditing Spares, service, maintenance and training Am I carrying enough critical spares to stay online? Do I know the lead times for critical spares that I don t carry? Is my preventative maintenance program suitable? Do my operators have the skills to run my plant optimally? Do we know how to effectively troubleshoot? Answering no to any of these questions represents a risk to the sustainability of your operation. Not only will an effective audit answer these questions, it will provide the information on what corrective actions are necessary to achieve sustainability. It will pay dividends to use the most knowledgeable people to carry out the audit. Making sure your operations people are operating at absolute maximum efficiency through customised training packages or ensuring you have competent spare parts and maintenance programmes are some of the key factors. And in today s market, with all the challenges facing all manufacturing operations, staying ahead is particularly critical.

5 Page 5 Communication is the key to Excellence in Maintenance Communicating effectively on maintenance strategy is a key element to delivering maintenance excellence. Without this people will become disillusioned as to what is happening and try to fit their own logic to the scenario. This communication effort is particularly important in the current economic climate where businesses are working on minimising expenditure. Decisions that affect the business are often made quickly for reasons of business strategy, particularly in global companies. Every effort should be made to deliver the information to those affected by the decisions as quickly as possible after the decision is made. Without this key ingredient, the maintenance excellence effort will not be sustained. An important part of this task is to effectively communicate the "opportunity" generated by the change and how it will contribute to the survival of the business. It is also important to explain what changes will result from the decisions. To obtain buy-in for the change by all parties, they all need to be involved. Effective communication will help bring the parties together. In many cases this is a complete culture change. Some maintenance people will not want to be part of this activity because they are comfortable with things the way they are now. Operations personnel may feel this process is just for maintenance personnel. All these people must be involved in defining this process. MEETA 22 Clyde Road Ballsbridge Dublin 4 Phone: Fax: Meeta@engineersireland.ie The Asset Managers Meeta, the Irish Maintenance and Asset Management Society, is a society within Engineers Ireland. Meeta actively encourages and promotes the implementation of the best practice in asset management and asset care and represents the interests of engineers and practitioners working in this field.it would also be useful to include a contact name for readers who want more information about the organization.