Rotating Equipment Switch-Over Frequency

Maximum Reliability Time Interval Study

Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter, Machinery Consultant 2020

Machinery Switch-Over Frequency Optimization and Methodology for Plant Machinery

Industrial plants utilize spared machinery to provide higher plant availability as machines can
fail and standby machinery are critical to plant reliability and safety. This means that plants
incorporate a scheduled switchover frequency usually of once monthly period between the
operating machine and its standby sister equipment. Some plants use two weeks, others may use
two months interval. This report attempts to optimize the switchover period to maximize plant
machinery safety, reliability and reduce operator workload. The author has worked with over 200
process plants during the past 25 years, and over time recognized that Industry in general is not
applying reliability centered maintenance towards switchover practices of standby equipment.

Machinery Switchover Frequency Optimization Benefits

 Prolong Machinery life and MTBF including the auxiliaries.

 Reduce emergency work activities. Increase machinery and plant safety.
 Minimize operating expenses and total maintenance cost including PM.
 Minimize machinery component corrosion, crystallization of fluids, and adhesive bonding.
 Eliminate rotor sagging and vibration problems.
 Establish true “Hot Standby” capability by actual system testing.
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Copyright 2020 Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter
 Rotating Equipment Switch-Over Frequency
Maximum Reliability Time Interval Study
Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter, Machinery Consultant 2020

Time Dependent Issues Involved In Setting Switchover Frequency for Standby Machines

1. Machinery shafts and rotors experience some deflection due to gravity weight while the
driver and driven machines are stopped. Shaft sag is a time dependent phenomena impacted
by rotor weight and stiffness. It imparts a temporary bend in rotors which causes vibration
and possible rubbing problems. This is important particularly for larger machines of 500 KW
and above which have greater mass and rotor span between bearings. It is not practical to
ask plant personnel to perform hand rotation of all shafts to mitigate shaft bending.
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Copyright 2020 Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter
 Rotating Equipment Switch-Over Frequency
Maximum Reliability Time Interval Study
Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter, Machinery Consultant 2020

Time Dependent Issues Involved In Setting Switchover Frequency for Standby Machines

2. Bearing Housing Component Corrosion: This occurs to machinery such as pumps and
compressors, gearboxes, motors, and their bearings depending on design, including the shaft
sealing areas affected by air humidity while shutdown. Both sleeve and rolling element type
bearings must be lubricated once monthly [max interval] or surface corrosion occurs to shaft
or bearing. In addition, gearbox teeth are made of alloy steel, and must be lubricated with a
film of oil at least once monthly, or corrosion attack from the air will damage tooth surface.

3. Centrifugal Compressor: Dry Gas Seal component materials are chosen from extremely
corrosion resistant materials so no issues arise with these elements. However it is
recommended to maintain the nitrogen purge on tertiary DGS seals, functioning all of the
time and this will reach the secondary seals at least. The Nitrogen purge pressure can be
reduced to a lower pressure such as 2.0 psig during the long shutdown period. This reduces
consumption.

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Copyright 2020 Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter
 Rotating Equipment Switch-Over Frequency
Maximum Reliability Time Interval Study
Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter, Machinery Consultant 2020

Time Dependent Issues Involved In Setting Switchover Frequency for Standby Machines

4. Pump Mechanical Seals: These liquid seals need to have the sleeve and faces rotated with
fluid to reduce fouling buildup, adhesion and “lubricate” contacting parts. The adhesion force
during startup will cause face and spring failures upon startup after longer time intervals.

5. Internal Corrosion or Solid Fouling: In some process machinery applications these may have
internal corrosion action due to air or gases trapped in the casing on long shutdowns. This
includes reciprocating engines and gearboxes whose gears require lubrication of all surfaces
at least once monthly to protect from oxygen and moisture corrosion in air. In liquid
applications such as pumps some liquids will be crystalizing or fouling and this is another
reason to start them at monthly intervals in order to minimize fouling buildup and unbalance.

6. Rolling Element Bearing Static Load Degradation: It has been claimed that machinery rolling
element bearings undergo microscopic deformations due to the dead weight of rotor when
machine is off. The author has not seen evidence for this in 25 years of plant operations.
However, it is possible that this was a phenomena of the past when rolling element bearings
were under-rated by design meaning undersized compared to modern standards, thus
resulting in excessive loading under static and dynamic weight. This may have been true for
the 1960’s era machinery and before, but not modern machinery. Another reason why this
may have occurred long ago is that the precision of manufacturing balls, rollers, and the races
they contact was not as geometrically precise as in modern bearings. Modern bearings actual
ball or roller contact area to race is higher, leading to reduced loading per unit contact area.
The final difference is that modern steel alloy rolling element bearings utilize Rockwell-C-60
surface hardness and above; while 1960’s bearings were about RC-55.

7. Failure to Start on Demand: The Plant operations personnel need to test the standby
machinery to determine if they have the “Hot” standby capability of being immediately
started in case of failure of the primary operating machine. This is another reason for the
typical once monthly switchover frequency and is a valid argument. However the
confirmation of standby machine readiness and fitness status can be achieved through
different methods.

8. Preventive Maintenance: Another reason for scheduled shutdown of the main operating
process machine is to be able to perform detailed preventive maintenance procedures to the
driver and driven machines plus associated electrical, lubrication systems, control, and
instrumentation. This includes lubrication replacement for machines with self-contained lube
oil bearing housings. Maximum recommended oil replacement interval is six months.

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Copyright 2020 Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter
 Rotating Equipment Switch-Over Frequency
Maximum Reliability Time Interval Study
Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter, Machinery Consultant 2020

Frequent Switchover Introduces the Following Negative Impact to Rotating Equipment

DIPF Curve by ReliabilityWeb.com

The machinery lifetime operation chart illustrates the various design, installation, maintenance
and operational regimes and their impact on machinery. The failure modes below negatively
impact the Proactive and Corrective domains thus reducing total machine life between failures:

 Pump or Compressor Mechanical Seal Premature Failure: High startup acceleration torque
occurs with motor drive and causes fatigue failures in mechanical seal components on pumps.
This is invisible to the user but it is highly detrimental to seal life, including the thermal cycling
failure mode that also occurs at every start-shutdown cycle. Its impact affects liquid seals
more than gas seals. For Sealless pumps, these are also impacted by thermal cycling mode,
and by the possibility of short dry run periods during startups.

 Internal Rotor Deflection at Startup: Frequent starting of larger and high speed machines
introduces the hazard of rubbing at close clearance contact zones as the machines pass
through critical speeds. For multistage pumps this would be at the interstage bushings and
wear rings, while in centrifugal compressors and steam turbines this can occur at packing
glands or interstage seals.
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Copyright 2020 Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter
 Rotating Equipment Switch-Over Frequency
Maximum Reliability Time Interval Study
Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter, Machinery Consultant 2020

 Process Machinery Infant Mortality: Introduction of Infant mortality failures due to operator
or auxiliaries errors at startup affects all machinery. This is a common phenomenon in Fluid
handling equipment. For example it is possible that poor centrifugal pump priming occurs, so
each startup introduces the possibility of dry running hazard.

 Increased safety hazards: Fires or destructive failure incidents at faulty startup events. It is
also possible that fires occur during operation of high temperature equipment, but what is
meant here is that frequent stopping and starting introduces new chances for such failures.

 Thermal cycling from cold to hot and back to cold: Acts to fatigue metal, ceramic, and
elastomeric parts and loosen bolted components. Thermal cycling affects M-Seals, motors,
gas turbines, reciprocating engines, steam turbines, hot service pumps, and gas compressors.

 Motor Starting Electrical Insulation: Excess startups reduce motor electrical insulation life
particularly on larger motors, with high amperage during startup and sudden high winding
temperatures occurring at startup. Impacts both Induction and Synchronous motors.

The main detrimental issues from the above are: Sudden acceleration torque at startups, rotor
high deflection at startup, thermal stresses at startup and shutdowns, Infant mortality failure at
startup, electrical startup stresses in electrical equipment. Practical conclusion from this is that
75% of damage occurs from starting, with about 25% impact from shutting down cycles. For these
reasons machinery switchovers should be minimized as they are detrimental to reliability. In
other words, the standby machine has increased the system availability; but the installation of
the second machine has actually reduced the reliability of the first unit. This is non-intuitive and
this interesting conclusion is proven by both theory and actual practice.

Calculation of Start-Stop Damaging Cycles for A, B Configured Equipment

A, B Machines Switching On 1-Month Basis in 12 Month Period

A Machine: 6 starts and 6 shutdown yearly

B Machine: 6 starts and 6 shutdown yearly
Total harmful cycles: 24 cycles per year.

A, B Machines Switching On 6-Month Basis in 12 Month Period

A Machine: 1 start and 1 shutdown first six months.

During second half of year 6 month shutdown period: 1 short start-stop per month= 5 cycles.

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Copyright 2020 Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter
 Rotating Equipment Switch-Over Frequency
Maximum Reliability Time Interval Study
Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter, Machinery Consultant 2020

B Machine: 5 start-stops first half of year, and 1 start, 1 shutdown second half of year.
Total harmful cycles: 7 per machine= 14 cycles per year. Short Stop is not counted as cycle.
Calculation of Start-Stop Cycles for A, B Configured Equipment

A, B Machines Switching On 12-Month Basis in 12 Month Period

A Machine: 1 start and 1 shutdown in 12 months.

B Machine: 11 short start-stops each month during the year. Short Stop is not counted as cycle.
Total harmful cycles: 2 for A-machine, and 11 for B-machine= 13 cycles per year.

Optimum Interval Selection: The author considers that the winner in the above calculations is
that which provides the highest balance toward achieving PM access to machinery, standby
active test ability, and greatest reduction of start-stop cycles on main and standby machinery.
This leaves the Six-Month starting-stop model as the ideal.

A, B, C Machines Switching On 6-Month Basis in 12 Month Period

In this case when 3 x 50% machines are installed and 2oo3 are operating:

A Machine: 1 start and 1 shutdown first six months. Then restarted after P.M.
B Machine: 1 start and 1 shutdown first six months. Then restarted after P.M.
C Machine: Is not designated as Standby, it is designated as temporary service machine to be
used whenever A, or B is shutdown during a forced trip or shut down for scheduled maintenance.
Conclusion: For A, B, C service machinery: The third machine will not be utilized as standby
switchover machine; it is permanently designated as temporary usage machine and will
accumulate less hours compared to sister machines. This machine is started once monthly for
one hour. This total procedure is not harmful to machine or plant.

A, B, C, D Machines Switching On 6-Month Basis in 12 Month Period

In this case when 4 x 33% machines are installed and 3oo4 are operating

A Machine: 1 start and 1 shutdown first six months. Then restarted after P.M.
B Machine: 1 start and 1 shutdown first six months. Then restarted after P.M.
C Machine: 1 start and 1 shutdown first six months. Then restarted after P.M.
D machine: Is not designated as Standby, it is designated as temporary service machine to be
used whenever A, B, C machine is shutdown during a forced trip or for scheduled maintenance.
Conclusion: For A, B, C, D service machinery: The fourth machine will not be utilized as standby
switchover machine; it is designated as temporary usage machine and will accumulate less hours
compared to sister machines. This machine is started once monthly for one hour.
Page 7 of 10
Copyright 2020 Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter
 Rotating Equipment Switch-Over Frequency
Maximum Reliability Time Interval Study
Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter, Machinery Consultant 2020

Philosophy of Reliability Centered Switchover Strategy

 The above calculation attempts to capture the relationship between time interval in
operating and shutdown modes, as compared to frequency of damaging cycles.
 The author considers that the winner in these calculations is that which provides the highest
balance toward achieving toward achieving PM access to machinery standby active ability,
and reducing start-stop cycles on both main and standby machinery. This leaves the Six-
Month starting model as the ideal for all types of plants machinery.
 This model also incorporates once monthly short start-stopping cycles on standby machines
to maintain lubrication of parts and reduction of fouling-corrosion in process machines.
 Reduction of Machine Stress Monthly Test Starting; In the 6-Month model the yearly number
of starts is same as for 1-Monthly switchover interval, however the operating temperatures
of critical parts do not reach the higher temperatures achieved under long term operation.
This is why stops are ignored. In addition, during the monthly test startup of reciprocating
engine machinery, steam, or gas turbine driven machines, the shaft speed does not have to
reach 100%; Even 50% is suitable as long as critical speeds are avoided.
 Improved Operational Philosophy: Maintain the operating blowers, compressors or pumps
designated as main machine. The standby compressors or pumps are only started once
monthly for one hour on recycle mode then shut down without bringing them online. The
standby machine is later placed into full operation at six-month intervals. For A,B,C or A,B,
C,D configurations: The non-utilized machine is not Standby; it is a temporary usage machine.
 There is no benefit to operating centrifugal machines on short interval shared time basis as
only positive displacement machines undergo significant wear during operation. Even
reciprocating machines can have sharing of wear life in extended intervals of 6 months. Well-
designed and maintained modern centrifugal machines do not need to be operated on a
frequent switching on-off cycle mode of operation.
 Large rotating equipment are equipped with pressure fed circulating lube oil systems
therefore it is recommended to start these auxiliary systems every week for a 30 minute time
period as a system test. This will also eliminate the possibility of corrosion in lube and seal oil
systems, including bearing and seal journal areas on rotor. All non-operating pumps or
compressors with lube oil systems should have the lube oil system started once weekly for
30 minutes. This weekly action can be safely automated in the plant central control computer
as no startup hazards occur from remote starting of the lubrication pumps.
 Preventive Maintenance intervals of self-contained bearing housings can be extended by
using high quality synthetic oils which allow longer operation without oil replacement.
 This method reduces startup-shutdown cycles per year from 24 down to 14 for the machinery
train assuming A, B, or more configuration machines that were normally cycled once monthly.
At the same time it confirms that the standby machines are available for action.
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Copyright 2020 Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter
 Rotating Equipment Switch-Over Frequency
Maximum Reliability Time Interval Study
Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter, Machinery Consultant 2020

Procedure for Motors, Pumps, Blowers, Compressors, Generators, Steam Turbines

1. Maintain the operating blowers, compressors, or pumps designated as main machine.

2. For A, B configuration the standby compressor or pump is only started once monthly for one
hour minimum recycle then shut down without bringing online. The standby machine
switches roles with main and enters full operation at six-month intervals.
3. For larger machines with API-614 Special purpose Lube oil systems: The lubrication pump is
started for a half-hour weekly or twice monthly which also becomes a lubrication system test.
4. Do not shutdown main operating compressors or pumps except every 6-months for
switchover to standby mode. This saves ten startup-shutdown damaging cycles per year.
5. For compressor dry gas seals maintain Nitrogen pressure continuously at all times.
6. Centrifugal Instrument Air Compressors: Apply the same method above of maintaining the
operating air compressors online without switching off, while starting the standby
compressors for 30 minutes monthly offline. This increases reliability as frequent starting and
shutting down increases machinery failures. Test the standby air compressors at monthly
intervals. Start lube oil system weekly.
7. Lubrication of self-contained bearing housing: Apply Synthetic oils to allow extension of oil
replacement interval to 6 months. Bearing housing isolation seals further improve reliability.
8. Main Firewater Pumps: These are a special case, only follow Fire Protection NFPA standards.
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Copyright 2020 Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter
 Rotating Equipment Switch-Over Frequency
Maximum Reliability Time Interval Study
Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter, Machinery Consultant 2020

Procedure for Reciprocating Process Plant Machinery above 200 HP

1. Emergency Diesel Generators: These are not normally in an A, B main and standby
configuration as they are only utilized upon loss of plant power. Typically start tested weekly
or twice monthly. It is not recommended to subject them to 52 starts per year. Applying a
twice per month period for test starting is sufficient to guarantee availability meaning 26
starts per year. Some plants have extended this to once monthly but that is the maximum
possible period for such critical service equipment.
2. Reciprocating Engines or Compressors: These machines are also best not stopped and
switched over every month. It is advised to utilize six-month operating intervals for
reciprocating engines or gas compressors with standby machine once-monthly startup for 1
hour operation on light load recycle mode, not actually placed into service. The unit, if
equipped with electric lube oil motors should have the lubrication system started weekly for
30 minutes. Water cooled cylinders system piping, heat exchangers, pumps, and cooling fluid
should be properly selected and modified to resist six month downtime corrosion.
3. Reciprocating Pumps: These pumps can be operated similarly to the reciprocating gas
compressors using six-month duty cycles, with standby pump once-monthly startup for 1
hour operation on recycle mode, not actually placed into service. However those with thicker
polymerizing, crystalizing, or caking fluids should be handled on a special case by case basis.
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Copyright 2020 Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter