Operator Maintenance - Key to reducing breakdowns

written by K.R.IYER, Reliance Petroleum Ltd., Jamnagar, India

First published in Hydrocarbon Processing OCT 2002.
Reprinted with the permission of Hydrocarbon Processing

Here are the benefits and implementation procedure:

It is said, "Accidents do not happen, they are caused". The same is true for
equipment breakdowns. They are due to human reasons - negligence,
ignorance, attitude, etc. There is always a human factor behind any
equipment failure. Since breakdowns are caused and do not happen on their
own, they are preventable. Failure investigation may point to various reasons
for failures (Table 1) but the root cause of all failures is human.

Table 1: Most Common Causes of Equipment Failures

Faulty design Manufacturer fault Human reasons

Faulty selection Consultant mistake Human reasons

Faulty installation Erector fault Human reasons

Misalignment Erection contractor or mechanic fault Human fault

Excessive load Operation Human reasons

Excessive heat Operation Human reasons

Abrasive particle in lubrication Improper lubrication Human reasons

Moisture contamination in
Improper care Human reasons
lubrication

Repetitive failure Lack of proper skill Human reasons

While ignorance and lack of skill, etc., can be overcome easily by proper
training, the human attitude and mindset towards equipment failure is
somewhat difficult to surmount. In failure investigations, we try to find the root
cause in components, electronic circuits, etc., but very often we ignore the
human aspect.
Breakdowns will occur unless all the people who are associated with the
equipment change their way of thinking and behavior. Rather than resigning
to an "equipment fails" attitude, we should think: "we will not cause
equipment breakdown." In the present scenario, the operations department is
often unaware of the maintenance activities performed to put the equipment
back in operation. We often see entries such as " Pump broke - repaired" or
"Mechanical seal failure - seal replaced" in operations logbook. Such entries
merely help in maintaining failure statistics but not in failure analysis.

The real meaning of breakdown:

Equipment is said to have broken down if it fails to perform its standard
function, which is to say there is disruption of normal equipment operation.
This means that not only when there is function loss but also even if there is a
function - reduction, it is regarded as equipment failure/breakdown.
Equipment stoppage is "catastrophic breakdown" or "sudden breakdown" and
not just breakdown. In function reduction (also called function deterioration or
quality deterioration) condition, continued equipment operation results in

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defective components, reduced output, frequent stoppages, noisy operation,
reduced speed, unsafe conditions, etc.

Performance deterioration due to wear and tear, loss of fit between parts,
low-voltage, poor insulation, leakage, etc is function deteriorating breakdown
or quality deteriorating breakdown. For instance, a dim or flickering of a
fluorescent light is a Function reduction breakdown. It is normal to assign
importance to breakdowns where there is total stoppage of equipment and/or
production loss. Function-disruption/reduction failures that are not given due
attention will soon manifest to equipment stoppage if not acted on.

Why Breakdown occurs?

Breakdown occurs because we have no idea as to what causes the
breakdown, until the equipment actually fails. Most of the breakdowns occur
during startups and shutdowns. However, equipment failure of recently
overhauled machine could also be due to poor maintenance. Causes that
evade our notice are termed as "hidden defects". Thus, the key to achieving
Zero breakdowns is to uncover and rectify these hidden defects before
breakdown actually occurs. This is the fundamental concept of Preventive
Maintenance and Operator maintenance.

Breakdowns are only a tip of the iceberg. Hidden defects such as dust, dirt,
sticking, abrasion, looseness, leakage, corrosion, erosion, deformation,
scratches, cracks, temperature, vibrations, noise, etc., are the abnormalities
that lie beneath. Even when such abnormalities are noticed, they are
neglected because of their minor nature or the perception that such defects
are insignificant and will not contribute to breakdown. Our tendency to
overlook such minor defects soon results in minor defects becoming major
defects. It is not uncommon to receive queries from operations staff in
response to a "high vibration report" about how long we can continue running
our equipment in the present condition. Does it call for immediate equipment
stoppage? Various justifications are given for not attending to minor defects
in time such as:

• The maintenance cost is not worth the cost of eliminating minor

defects,
• We ought to obtain the maximum life of the component before it fails
i.e., run-to- failure
• It is not justified to stop a running machine for maintenance
especially in today's environment where such advanced condition
monitoring systems are available.

Yes, there may be some justification in not dismantling a running equipment

for checks or overhauling, etc., but preventive maintenance jobs such as
cleaning, bolting, minor adjustments, etc., that do not require any major
equipment disassembly (which may affect the internal clearances and
settings in a well-set machine) cannot be neglected. No amount of
sophisticated machine condition monitoring system can entirely do away with
preventive maintenance and lubrication. Unless very high-end condition
monitoring equipment is employed, the incipient cracks, wear and tear,
deterioration, abrasion, etc., may not be discovered through condition
monitoring alone. Even in the modern age of proactive maintenance,
preventive maintenance has its own significance. This run- to- failure
advocated by some practitioners may lead to emergency outages, costly
failures, etc.

We fail to appreciate that when the equipment breaks down catastrophically,

defects multiply. Consequently, more components need to be replaced in
instances where timely minor cleaning or adjustment would have sufficed.

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Rarely does a breakdown occur due to a single major defect. Breakdowns
are caused due to the combined effects of several so-called minor defects.

The interaction of minor defects influences each other and magnifies the
damage. Although the equipment design may incorporate generous safety
factors for bearings and mechanical seas, those components rarely achieve
their design life. This clearly shows that minor defects and the environment
under which a component has to operate can have a profound effect on
component life.

If these minor defects are not removed as soon as they are noticed, the initial
failure damage may be obscured by subsequent damage and root cause not
be known and rectified. In turn, this may lead to repetitive or chronic failures.
It is, therefore, highly important that during failure analysis not to overlook
these minor defects.

The reason chronic failures remain unsolved, despite use of various

advanced failure analysis techniques, is that such investigation centers on
the failed components and the human factor is not thoroughly considered.
The failure analysis reports should also include a "Lessons learnt" section
that is human-oriented. As with accidents, so with breakdowns, every failure
has a lesson to teach. Unless we learn from the failure and apply the lessons,
failures will repeat themselves.

Is Zero breakdown possible?

If survey is taken among operations and maintenance staffs whether there
can be zero breakdowns, the overwhelming answer will be zero breakdowns
are theoretically possible but impossible in actual work environment. Yes,
zero breakdowns are difficult to achieve but far from impossible. If all
concerned persons operations and maintenance personnel set a goal of zero
breakdown and diligently work toward that goal, it is attainable. However,
total commitment is needed from all persons, i.e., from top Management to
supervisors and down to the operator level. What is required are fool proof
systems and practices, as well as strict adherence to the following six
countermeasures;

• Maintaining the basic/necessary conditions - The basic

equipment requirements are usually only three - cleaning, lubrication,
and bolting. Vendors' recommendations and lessons learnt from our
own experience should be strictly followed. The vendor manual
should be readily available with the operator and mechanic. Fastener
torque values, assembly/disassembly procedures, clearances to be
maintained, correct startup and shutdown procedures, lubrication to
be used, oil change frequency and checks, etc., are mentioned in the
vendor manuals.

The vendor manuals also specify the limits/values of trip/alarm

settings, logic for interlocks, protective devices, etc. However, it is
quite common to find that the vendor manuals are not available at the
time of repairs. It is good practice to laminate the cross sectional
drawings, part list, wiring diagrams, logic diagrams, and keep in unit
Maintenance workshops. Those connected with the equipment
should read the vendor manual thoroughly. Some illustrations may be
pertinent to drive home the point:

o Hydraulic system vendors specify the permissible limits for

contamination in oil, oil change frequency, running-in care,
etc. But very few companies have particle-counting
equipment in their laboratories.

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 o In a large high-pressure reciprocating pump, after replacing
the gland packings, the vendor specified that the pump
should be run at low rpm and at low pressure for some hours
during the running-in period and then be brought to its rated
rpm and full discharge pressure. This was known by anyone
in the operations group, which has been running the pump
for several years.
o The NPSH and minimum flow required by the pump, etc.,
should be known to the operations and maintenance groups.

Typically, operations and maintenance groups are unaware of the

vendor recommendations, basic conditions, trips and alarms limits,
etc.

Cleaning leads to inspection and inspection results in timely detection

of any shortcomings like cracks, bolt loosening, damaged belts, etc.
Dirt and dust conceal hairline cracks and leaks and hinders proper
inspection.

• Adhering to operating conditions - All machines are

designed for certain operating conditions such as voltage, rpm,
fittment conditions, pressure, temperatures, utilities, etc. The
operations and Maintenance staff should be thoroughly conversant
with the equipment operating/rated conditions, and should not run it
under off-spec conditions. The author often receives queries from
operations staff whether we can operate the equipment without
cooling water-since it is not available. We have encountered several
instances when the equipment is not run at its duty point or a pump is
run for a fluid it was not designed for, etc.
• Restoring deterioration- All equipment deteriorates with time.
The degree of deterioration should be measured. If it is more than a
certain limit, restoring the equipment to its original and proper
condition is necessary. Deterioration is of two types;

Natural deterioration - aging, wear and tear, heat, etc

Forced deterioration - improper lubrication, choking, cavitation,
dust, abrasive, etc.

Probability of failure in a well-oiled and well-maintained machine is

negligible. Lubrication helps to stop wear and tear. Cleanliness helps
to prevent corrosion due to leaks, moisture, etc. Hence, maintaining
basic conditions such as lubrication, cleaning, dechoking, etc., are
essential for reliable and trouble-free equipment. Initially, the PM
should be based on vendor recommendations and later updated by
actual operating experience.
• Improving design weakness - Design defects occur because
the vendor is not provided with sufficient specifications, process
conditions etc., at the time of initial inquiry, lack of technical know-
how, errors made during design and manufacture, field erection, etc.,
and cost cutting. The author has come across several instances
where a pump manufacturer did not give complete process
parameters to the mechanical seal vendor. No wonder mechanical
seal life in such cases does not measure up to desired values.
• Improving skills/expertise - This is accomplished through
proper training and practical demonstrations.

Operator Maintenance:
In TPM parlance, operator Maintenance is also known as "self-initiated

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maintenance". When the equipment owner does maintenance, it is known as
"operator maintenance" since operations is considered to be the owner of
equipment, facility, and plant. Such autonomous maintenance has several
benefits (Table 2) and is one major step toward achieving zero breakdowns.

A good system does not allow equipment to wait for Maintenance. Operators
are available round the clock near the equipment so they can continuously
watch for problems while the maintenance staff is usually available only
during the general shift - in their maintenance workshops and not near the
machine. In operator maintenance, the operator provides "First Aid" as soon
as the symptoms are noticed. First aid cannot wait; it must be performed
immediately. This immediacy is required for safety reasons as well. For
instance, nuisance, polluting and noxious leaks have to be attended to
without delay.

Preventing equipment deterioration is one of the main responsibilities that the

operations department should accept. Prevention is indeed the fundamental
role of maintenance. Thus, the operator should look after the cleaning, oiling,
bolting, servicing, minor adjustments and minor repairs such as attending to
leaks, daily checks and preventive maintenance.

The maintenance department can then concentrate on specialized repairs,

overhauling, alignments, reliability improvement measures, solving chronic
failures, etc. Maintenance should do routine work only if it requires major
disassembly, realignment, special tools, torquing, rigging assistance, mobile
cranes, chain blocks, etc. If the maintenance staff has to do daily "fire-
fighting" routine jobs and also do overhauling, failure analysis, etc., it will be
too busy putting equipment back into service. They won't be inclined to do
any failure analysis and, hence, failures will continue. Due to this fire fighting,
the mechanic has to skip certain critical measurements and checking of
clearances and does a quick-fix, patch-up job.

Through Operator Maintenance, the specialized maintenance team gets time

to find the root-cause of the failures rather than just fixing the symptoms.
Daily equipment checking by look, listen and feel (LLF) should be the shift
duty of the operator. Table 3 show the operations and maintenance duties of
an operator in an operator Maintenance atmosphere. Table 4 shows the roles
of specialized maintenance team in an operator Maintenance environment.
However, the precise duties of operator and mechanics will vary from plant to
plant. Hence, individual plants should make an exhaustive list such as Tables
3 and 4 to have roles properly defined and to avoid any ambiguity.

Advantages of Operator Maintenance:

Table 2 lists the benefits of operator maintenance.

Table 2: Benefits of operator maintenance.

1. Significant drop in unplanned Maintenance, emergencies and

chronic failures
2. Uninterrupted sustained production, good quality output, less
rejections
3. Reduced catastrophic breakdowns, eventually tending
towards Zero breakdown and, hence, 100% availability due
to timely maintenance
4. Reliable and safe operation, high plant onstream factor
5. Reduced downtime during repairs - because of timely
maintenance, failure of components is not that severe and
can be fixed quickly

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 6. Low maintenance, inventory costs and operating costs
7. Reduced manpower requirement
8. Good housekeeping, cleaner plant, more pleasant
atmosphere to work in.
9. Enhanced knowledge and understanding of the equipment
for operator and maintenance staffs.
10. Relaxed working conditions for operations and maintenance
staff. Reduced employee stress and tension.

Some plants have reported a 99% drop in unplanned maintenance. There are
several examples where a vigilant operator saved costly shutdowns; plant
trips; prevented fire hazards; detected hydrocarbon, hydrogen and acid leaks;
overheating; abnormal noise; etc. About 80% of all breakdowns are
immediate resulting from sudden change in conditions. It is here that operator
maintenance can help prevent abrupt failures. Continuous monitoring and
upkeep by operators is essential for high onstream factors. Regular servicing,
preventive maintenance, cleaning, lubrication, adjustments, etc., do not
require many spares. Only catastrophic breakdowns render parts beyond
repair/reuse and consume a lot of spares. With lower spare consumption,
there is no need for over-stocking of inventory.

Lastly, with operator maintenance, manpower can be substantially reduced.

The organization stays trim and healthy. Since, the operator does routine
maintenance, the maintenance staff is only involved in major repairs or where
complete disassembly is required. Most continuous process industries require
maintenance staff to come in three shifts to do routine maintenance like
strainer cleaning, conveyor belt adjustments, filter cleaning, etc. When plants
are running normally, both operator and maintenance staffs remain idle. If
you look at the mechanics logbook, he would have done only one or two
minor jobs during the shift. Such a waste of manpower can be avoided by
operator maintenance. Further, lubrication, cleaning, etc., are considered
lowly jobs, and even the operators have the tendency to let these jobs be
performed by casual laborers. Through operator maintenance, it is possible to
reduce maintenance work forces. The maintenance department can thus be
centralized for the whole complex.

Also typically, the operation staff hands the equipment to the maintenance
staff and aren't bothered to find out what component failed and what was
done. Even when the operator is free, he will seldom come to the place
where the repairs are made to learn about the assembly. Similarly, the
maintenance staff is also ignorant about the process parameters required by
the equipment, and the function of the equipment. Through operator
maintenance, the skills and technical knowledge of the operation staff and
Maintenance staffs will be greatly enhanced. The Maintenance staff can shift
its approach from replacement of components and concentrate on design
improvements, troubleshooting, etc.

Once operator maintenance has been implemented, breakdowns will not

immediately reduce to zero. Operator maintenance is not a magical wand to
rid the equipment of all problems. It requires sustained commitment and effort
to change old policies and habits. But the results will be lower failures,
increased machine availability and reliability, etc. Gradually, if the Operator
maintenance is consistently practiced, breakdowns will tend towards zero.

How operator maintenance can be implemented?

In an existing company, operator maintenance cannot be implemented
quickly. Meticulous preplanning is required. First, the groundwork has to be
done to overcome resistance to change. Culture change is slow. There
should be a proper timetable for implementing operator maintenance. It can

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be implemented in a phased manner. In a unionized existing company,
implementing operator maintenance may result in labor problems. It may be
necessary to reach an agreement with the union and start special incentives
for operator maintenance.

Implementing operator maintenance cannot be half-hearted. There should be

a total commitment from the top and middle management and union leaders.
Nevertheless, the implementation process should not lose momentum while
impediments are being addressed. Top management should also not jump to
the conclusions too quickly. Some companies abruptly abandon operator
maintenance and settle on "status quo" since they are too impatient to
evaluate the benefits of operator maintenance.

Training is key to being successful. Operators should be trained and skills

should be imparted for doing maintenance jobs. Personnel should be taught
how to maintain their equipment by daily checks, lubrication, cleaning,
repairs, adjustments and early detection of abnormal conditions. Operators'
awareness and understanding the operating principles of their machines
should be increased through training. The operator should acquire the ability
to judge an abnormality and have knowledge of the correct measures to
quickly implement for preserving the normal running condition. He should
understand quantitative methods for determining the extent of deterioration
based on standards and follow the rules once decided. Basic and essential
training should be given on specific equipment that is under his control.

In a new company or location, the implementing operator maintenance is

easy. Advertise for "operator-maintenance" and recruit persons who have
experience in operation and maintenance. Operator trainees should undergo
rigorous classroom and practical training in maintenance. After training, they
should be made to report to maintenance department for on-the-job training
for about a year and then they should be assigned operations duty. Top
management support is very essential so that line manager/supervisors do
not face any problems.

Table 3: Role and duties of Operator in "Self maintenance"

environment

Operational duties

• Operate the equipment efficiently

• Isolate the equipment safely for handing over to Maintenance for
major repairs
• Hose connections for steaming, purging, cleaning etc.
• Cleaning the equipment of dust and house keeping etc.
• Recording of hourly readings from field instruments.
• Report health of the equipment to shift engineer
• Explain job to the maintenance staff
• Daily checks of the equipment - LLF
• Equipment changeovers
• Write logbook and hand over charge to reliever.

Maintenance roles of operator:

• Lubrication - oil top up and replacement, greasing of valves, plummer

block bearings, gear couplings, open gears, etc.
• Routine maintenance - adjustments, opening, cleaning and assembly
of filters; opening, cleaning and reclosing of strainers up to 4" size,
lapping, bolt tightening up to 36 mm spanner size.

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 • Decoupling (excluding large couplings, compressor couplings etc.) of
equipment for maintenance.
• Opening and reinstallation of drain plugs, caps, etc.
• Couplings alignment with straight edges.
• Attending/ arresting leaks of ferrule joints, threaded connections,
plugs, flanges up to 4'-600#. Cutting gaskets from gasket sheets, if
required.
• Replacing small gear lube oil pumps.
• Checking and filling N2 in bladders and accumulators.
• V-belt tension adjustments and replacements.
• Arresting flange joint leaks by tightening.
• Observe equipment repair / overhauling.
• Overall vibration measurement using data collectors, speed
measurement using stroboscope, temperature measurement using
non-contact thermometer, etc.
• Conveyor belt off-centering adjustmen.
• Mechanical Level gauge repairs.
• Fixing of coupling and belt guards.
• Gland tightening/adjustments of reciprocating pumps, and isolation
valves.
• Steam trap maintenance.
• Assist specialized maintenance staff during major repairs.
• Remove control valve tubing, if the control valve is to be removed
from position for maintenance.
• Remove/fix pressure gauges, temperature indicators, etc.
• During shutdowns/turnarounds, assist maintenance in maintenance
work.

Table 4: Role of Maintenance in Operator Maintenance

environment

• Major repairs that require complete/major disassembly and

assembly.
• Repairs that require special tools and devices etc.
• Gasket replacements, arresting flange leaks from large size flanges
and that which require spanner size greater than about 36 mm.
• Decoupling large / heavy couplings.
• Attending catastrophic breakdowns.
• Alignment using dial indicators or lasers.
• Spare parts review , ordering and inspecting incoming spares in
warehouse.
• Maintaining equipment history, failure reports, failure statistics, failure
photographs.
• Trouble shooting and root cause analysis.
• Modifications, reliability improvement and maintainability studies.
• Vendor correspondences.
• Issuing of spares and consumables to unit workshops.
• Turnaround maintenance and shutdown maintenance.
• Equipment overhauling.
• Keeping warehouse assemblies, rotables, spare cartridges in ready
condition
Welding jobs, etc.
• Component repair and reconditioning.
• Supervising painting and insulation work.
• Vessel inspections, inside repairs and static equipment repairs.
• Heat exchanger tube plugging.

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 • Import substitution of imported, costly spares, etc.

The Author:
The author presently works for Reliance Petroleum Ltd, Jamnagar, India as
DGM (Maint.) Jamnagar, India. He has also worked in other gas-based in
Fertilizer companies like KRIBHCO, OSWAL AGRO CHEMICALS and TATA
CHEMICALS Ltd. He has over 18 years of experience in Maintenance. He
obtained his Mechanical engineering degree from Sardar Patel University and
his Post graduate diploma in Business and Industrial Management from
South Gujarat University. He has also done special courses in TPM
implementation and TPM at workplace through Japan Institute of Plant
Maintenance Inc. He has authored several articles published in various
national and international technical journals and delivered papers in national
and international conferences. He can be contacted by e-mail:
k_r_iyer@ril.com.