Adding a New Dimension to Predictive

Maintenance
Written by Johan Van Puyenbroeck and Kris Deckers
Pumps & Systems, November 2007
The benefits of predictive maintenance are becoming readily accepted throughout industry
in Europe as well as North America. Guy Mertens, who is responsible for predictive
maintenance at the Belgian Refinery Corporation (BRC), added an extra dimension to his
predictive maintenance program by using it to identify common machine faults for the
maintenance staff to watch for.
Since the early 1990s, BRC has employed predictive maintenance to get longer life out of
refinery machinery while avoiding unexpected downtime. Mertens now monitors 515
machines (motors, pumps, gearboxes, compressors, turbines, fans, etc.) as a part of this
predictive maintenance program. With support from Belgian distributor Coservices, Mertens
relies on vibration data from the field and periodic analysis of machine oil samples to
determine if and when a machine should be removed from service for repairs.
After any piece of rotating equipment is removed to repair a problem identified as a result of
vibration monitoring, a root cause analysis is always performed. When certain issues occur
too frequently, Mertens issues advisories to help refinery personnel avoid them in the future
to prevent breakdowns and improve machine life. Results achieved through these root cause
studies are often cited in Mertens' annual predictive maintenance report to upper
management.
Anyone responsible for the upkeep and longevity of rotating machinery may want to
implement a similar root cause analysis program. An awareness of frequently occurring
conditions, along with suggested corrective actions, can be a useful addition to any
predictive maintenance program.
Brinelling (Damage Occurring When a Machine is Not Running)

Most processes in refineries have spare machines installed for redundancy. If an operating
machine breaks down or needs to be taken off-line for any reason, the spare can be activated
to take over the load so no production time is lost. This means many machines are kept on
standby, sitting idle for extended periods. If these machines are in an environment where a
lot of vibration is common, a phenomenon known as brinelling may occur.
When a bearing is idle, the grease at the bottom of the bearing between the outer race and
the rolling elements (also between the rolling elements and the inner race) will be slowly
pushed away due to the gravity and whatever vibration may be present. At some point, all of
the grease between the lower rolling element and the outer race will disappear, resulting in
metal-to-metal contact.
General vibration occurring in an industrial setting can cause the rolling element to hammer

at the same spot on the outer race until it is damaged (see Figure 1).

Figure 1, left. Brinelling of bearing outer race.

Even if the machine is brand new but has not been run for two years, severe vibration soon
after start-up may indicate that bearing damage has occurred. To avoid this condition with
equipment that sits unused for extended periods:
Fill holes under the fundation plates (grounding).
Replace cylinder bearings in motors with double ball bearings. It appears that these
cylinder bearings are much more sensitive to brinelling then ball bearings.

Brinelling Due To Corrosion

Corrosion is much more likely to occur when machines are not running. This too can lead to
brinelling (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Bearing corrosion due to moisture ingress

To prevent corrosion in bearings due to the entry of moisture as well as condensation:

Frequently alternate the use of one motor and then the other. Establish an operating
schedule so that no machine is left idle for extended periods.
If this problem reoccurs on a number of machines, an improvement can be made by
adding an extra seal specially designed to keep water out of the bearings (see Figure 3).

Figure 3. Effective sealing arrangement for grease lubrication. V-ring seals are suitable for both grease and oil-lubricated applications. For
sealing grease-lubricated bearing arrangements against dust or water spray, the V-ring should be arranged outside the housing cover or
housing wall. Dust, water spray and other impurities can be excluded in this position. The V-ring will also act as a grease valve. Used grease
or excess new grease can escape between the counterface and the sealing lip.

Ball Bearings Versus Cylinder Bearings

A survey on 120 motors in the refinery revealed that the vibration impact level on NUbearings on the coupling side is much greater than with ball bearings (see Figures 4a, 4b).

Figure 4a , above

Figure 4b, above

This can occur when the bearings are not running under minimum load as specified by the
bearing supplier (2 percent of the nominal load of a bearing). In this situation, ball bearings
fit the application very well and there is no need for cylinder bearings. Well-aligned
machine trains, such as motor-pump groups, exert no major force on the bearing coupling
side, so ball bearings are sufficient. A recommendation was given to replace the cylinder
bearings with ball bearings in these motors.

Moisture Penetration in Pump Bearings

Several pumps in the refinery are equipped with steam tubes on the seals. If the seal fails,
allowing product to escape, the risk of spontaneous combustion is reduced. However,
machines equipped with steam tubes have a much higher risk of water penetration, and for
that reason, the steam tube method is no longer recommended.

Mean Time Between Repairs (MTBR)

Predictive maintenance corrections implemented as a consequence of vibration monitoring

and analysis have resulted in substantially longer life cycles for the 515 monitored machines
in the refinery. This machine longevity is expressed as Mean Time Between Repairs
(MTBR). See Figure 5.

Figure 5

The MTBR calculation has been done the same way very consistently over the years,
providing a reliable trend indicator. The equation for MTBR (expressed in years) is simply:
MTBR = # machines / # repairs during the year. All interventions related to electrical and
mechanical problems initiated as the result of vibration monitoring and analysis were taken
into account in the MTBR calculations, including:

All bearing changes on motors, pumps, fans, gearboxes, mixers, etc. because of
bearing damage or bearing clearance
Problems with couplings, including the replacement of gear couplings by disk
couplings

Revisions of gearboxes due to gear wear

Electrical repairs (rotorbar defects and stator problems)

Belt replacement

Minor maintenance without replacing parts is not considered to be a "repair." Those are not
included in MTBR calculations. For example, replacing a seal without replacing the bearing
may not constitute an intervention resulting from data developed through condition

monitoring. Other examples include checking of clearances, belt tension, extra lubrication,
oil levels, etc.

Conclusion

Figure 5 provides ample evidence that moving from preventive maintenance to predictive
maintenance, combined with the extra dimension of root cause analysis, had a positive and
growing effect on the mean time between repairs for monitored machines in the BRC
Refinery. The slight dip in the MTBR-plot in 2001 was due to a lengthy refinery shutdown
during which many planned preventive revisions were implemented.
Without question, periodic vibration measurements in conjunction with effective analysis of
the root cause of machinery problems have resulted in an enviable predictive maintenance
program.
Johan Van Puyenbroeck is the Product Manager Core Technologies for Machinery Health
Management Business, Emerson Process Management Europe, Interleuvenlaan 50, 3001
Heverlee, Belgium, +32 16 741 440, http://www.mhm.assetweb.com/.
Kris Deckers works at Coservices, Interleuvenlaan 64, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium, +32 16 40
01 36, Fax: +32 16 40 01 37, http://www.coservices.be/.