Professional Documents
Culture Documents
July/August 2021
maintenance
&assetmanagement
Encouraging the pursuit of
excellence in Asset Management,
Engineering, Maintenance and journal
Manufacturing
July/August 2021
Vol 21 Issue 4 Contents
Editor 03 / COMMENT
Nick Barrett Editor Nick Barrett predicts a renewed focus on maintenance at fulfilment centres
nick@maintenanceandengineering.com
following a series of crashing robot related fires
Business Development Manager
Colin Campbell 04 / COVER STORY
colin@maintenanceandengineering.com Why is Predictive Maintenance so hard?
Commercial Director
Fawad Minhas
06 / NEWS
fawad@maintenanceandengineering.com Manufacturing to stage dramatic post-pandemic recovery
Account Manager
Kirsty Barrett
kirsty@maintenanceandengineering.com PLANT & MAINTENANCE
Production Manager
Andrew Pilcher 8 / ROUNDTABLE
andrew@maintenanceandengineering.com
Hovering around zero
Advertising Assistant
Alastair Lloyd 10 / CONDITION MONITORING
alastair@maintenanceandengineering.com Ongoing condition monitoring of large HV rotating machines delivers
Editorial Advisory Board financial and operational benefits
Graham Cooper, founder and principal consultant,
Systems Excellence 12 / OEE
Roy Davis, director, MPI (Manufacturing Measuring Maintenance Effectiveness
Productivity Improvements)
Prof. John Ahmet Erkoyuncu, 14 / LUBRICATION
Professor of Digital Engineering Five reasons why Point of Care Oil Analysis makes sense now
Head of the Centre for Digital Engineering and
Manufacturing, Cranfield University 16 / EXHIBITION
Dr Peter Geake Asset Performance 4.0 Conference and Exhibition goes Hybrid!
Steve Johnson, vice president digital, EPS, Petrofac
Dennis McCarthy, director, DAK Consulting 18 / PLANNED MAINTENANCE
John Saysell, director of technical training,
Extending the value of your maintenance software -
MCP Consulting Group
Georgia Smart, asset management leader, UKAEA Meter Based Maintenance and Virtual Stores
Printing 20 / PUMPS
Warners Midland plc
Maintenance reduced and H&S improved with new water mixers
Annual subscription
to all overseas destinations £99.00 22 / THERMAL IMAGING
Copyright Thermal imaging and industrial maintenance best practices
© Barrett Byrd Associates 2021
7 Linden Close,
30 / EMISSIONS MONITORING
Tunbridge Wells, Preparing for Stage V compliance
Kent
TN4 8HH 31 / STEAM
The evolution of steam and, what does ‘good’ steam look like?
Tel 01892 553143
E info@maintenanceandengineering.com 32 / TRAINING
W www.maintenanceandengineering.com Scotland’s new non-destructive testing training school
It’s no joke...
Things usually run extremely well apparently, but a
similar fire destroyed Ocado’s automated warehouse at
Andover in 2019 and robot related incidents have been
reported at warehouses owned by fashion retailer Asos
in the UK and Germany. The latest fire was held in check
Nick Barrett, Editor better than the 2019 incident because of fire attenuation
nick@maintenanceandengineering.com measures that have reportedly been strengthened across
@MaintOnLine fulfilment centres since 2019. Little is being heard about
what improvements in robot operation might make
T
hree robots bumped into each other in a a difference, but doubtlessly software and hardware
fulfilment centre – it might sound like the start specialists in the field are hard at work and artificial
of a joke, but it isn’t – causing a £110 million fire intelligence modified algorithms will provide solutions.
at what is held to be one of the UK’s most sophisticated All new technologies or new applications of
and largest automated warehouses. The fire at the Erith, established technology suffer teething troubles and
Kent, fulfilment centre operated in joint venture by Marks the use of robots is no exception. But these incidents
& Spencer and Ocado, took 100 firefighters with five fire can have an important knock on effect on investor
engines some 14 hours to get under control. The incident confidence. Venture capitalists and other investors
in July took the facility, that can process some 150,000 have poured millions of pounds and dollars into online
orders a week for home deliveries, out of action for the grocery delivery technology and they will be nervous, and
best part of a week. perhaps reluctant to make new funding commitments
Ocado’s ‘Hive’ system is a highly impressive operation until they are sure the crashing robots issue is resolved.
normally, with over 1,000 robots whizzing around a Expect a renewed focus on maintenance and other
grid, stopping to pick up crates of food that are delivered technical support activities as fulfilment centre operators
to areas where human packers assemble items for and others using robots do all they can to ensure their
Ocado’s fulfilment delivery to people’s homes. Technology to replace human reputation does not get further tarnished.
centre in Erith, Kent involvement in the packing activities is being developed. The benefits of a benign outlook on a company’s
operations from the investment world has also been felt
at a diverse range of specialist engineering and other
technology companies of the sort that you read about
in every issue of M&E. Companies like Spirax Sarco,
Halma, Renishaw and Rotork typify the sort of specialist
engineers that have become stock market favourites
recently. Spirax Sarco’s share price for example is up
about 75% since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic,
despite having grown very strongly for three years prior
to that.
Companies recognised as technological leaders have
Bankography / Shutterstock.com
ME / July/August 2021 / 3
COVER STORY
Why is
Predictive
Maintenance
so hard?
Predictive maintenance (PdM) is a proactive approach to addressing machine failures before they become
a problem. By analyzing huge volumes of machine data, PdM allows maintenance staff to understand the
health of machines and optimize their activities accordingly to prevent unplanned downtime and eliminate
sudden failures. But, despite its obvious benefits, successful PdM deployments are often hard to achieve.
Alexander Hill Chief Global Strategist of Senseye looks at the rise of PdM, and why so many vendors - and
their customers - continue to get it wrong.
Predictive maintenance - then and now others have applied conventional data science approaches to a
Predictive maintenance has been around for a lot longer than problem space that is far from conventional.
you might think. During the Second World War, scientist CH Without the necessary understanding of exactly what a PdM
Waddington observed that a plane’s rate of failure or repair tended system is, and just how it works, many new solutions won’t even
to be at its highest immediately after an inspection or maintenance make it to the marketplace. As a result, few businesses will achieve
session. any real success at scale.
Known as the “Waddington effect”, this phenomenon resulted Ultimately, much of this lack of understanding - and subsequent
in the adjustment of maintenance processes to correspond with PdM success - comes down to three fundamental mistakes that
a plane’s physical condition and the frequency of its use, with vendors and their customers will often make time and time again.
adjusted inspection cycles based on analysis of the resulting data.
In short, it was the beginning of PdM. 1. As we’ve seen, the concept of PdM is nothing new. Techniques
A lot has changed since then, of course. The advent of the such as condition monitoring, maintenance credits, and
Industrial IoT / Industry 4.0 has seen technological breakthroughs prognostics have been in existence for some time now. But a lack
occurring at a such a rate that they’re “disrupting almost every of ability to scale these techniques beyond just critical machines
industry in every country”. has meant their deployment has been largely limited to just
These breakthroughs have led to significant improvements in critical machines.
sensor, network, data acquisition, and storage technologies which, 2. PdM is not, as some believe, a Big Data problem in which there
along with the access to a wealth of computing power and data are millions of data points and labels on which to train models.
made available by recent advances in AI technology, have seen PdM A factory environment is highly dynamic and noisy, with a
become increasingly applicable to wider industry. range of variables including machine maintenance, different
Today, just as it was almost 80 years ago, the key benefit of production speeds, and even behavior of different machine
PdM remains its capacity to inform decisions. Responsible for operators. And, of course, every machine is unique. Despite this,
overseeing many machines across one or more sites, maintenance however, many organizations will still take a classic data science
professionals are extremely busy people. By providing them with approach to PdM.
a better understanding of the ongoing health of their machines, a 3. It’s important to remember just how busy maintenance
PdM solution can help them to make better use of the limited time professionals are. If a PdM system’s user experience doesn’t
and resources available to them. reflect this, there’s a risk that it won’t engage with its target
So, given its heritage and the clear advantages it offers, users. All the valuable information and insight it generates will
why has it been so hard for so many to achieve success be ignored, and an organization’s investment in the system itself
in PdM? will be wasted.
4 / July/Aug 2021 / ME
moneo – simply made for you!
moneo.ifm
PLANT & MAINTENANCE / NEWS
REGIONAL OUTLOOK*** Yorkshire 2020: 5.7 that’s never been achieved before. As difficult as the crisis has
previous two quarters & Humber
2020: 6.1 2021: 6.1
been it has shown how resilient and agile UK manufacturers are.”
2021: 6.2 REGIONAL OUTLOOK***
2020: 5.7 Make UK says the most recent indicators for 2021 show the
2021: 6.6
manufacturing sector has renewed optimism as the sector
REGIONAL OUTLOOK***
2021: 6.4
2020: 6.1 bounces back with output rising to record levels, with heightened
West
REGIONAL OUTLOOK***
Midlands East of
England
2021: 5.7 levels of employment and investment intentions rising, partially
2020: 5.9
2021: 6.7 Wales boosted by the Government’s super-deduction scheme.
REGIONAL OUTLOOK*** However, when viewed over a twelve-month period the growth
REGIONAL OUTLOOK*** South East 2020: 6.3 achieved in early 2021 is not necessarily enough to recover losses
and London 2021: 6.4
2020: 6.2
South West incurred during the second half of 2020. Many regions on balance
2021: 6.0
still reported overall contractions, where on average the declines
in industry outweighed its gains within the measured period.
Some locations, like the East of England, South East & London,
Difference in Business Confidence Indicator*: compared to one year ago
KEY South West and Scotland, reported average balances that Make
n Positive relative change in confidence (upper quartile)
n UK says leave room for only cautious optimism. Only one region,
n the North West has produced average positive balances across
n Negative relative change in confidence (lower quartile)
* Business Confidence Indicator: Manufacturer’s confidence about their own business performance in the next twelve months
the board, whereas all other regions or nations have reported an
** Northern Ireland excluded from comparison due to missing data
*** Map coloured to show the relative change in average confidence between 2019q3/2020q2 and 2020q3/2021q2 overall contraction on at least one metric.
T
he Make UK - BDO survey also reveals that uncertainty caused by leaving the EU was UK, said: “It’s clear that even before our final
Britain’s manufacturers were seeing their beginning to be felt even before the actual departure from the EU that political uncertainty
dependence on the EU as an export market departure and the signing of the trade deal at the was hitting exports to the bloc. While
decline even before the impact of full departure end of 2020. opportunities are opening up elsewhere the EU
and the agreement of a trade deal. The most recent quarterly trade data shows will remain our biggest trading partner through
The survey shows that in 2020 five English exports to the EU in Q1 were still 16% below sheer fact of geography.
regions together with Wales saw their percentage Q1 2019 which Make UK says backs anecdotal Mr Phipson said it is vital that Government
of exports going to the EU fall, in two regions evidence that many companies were already works with business and the EU to smooth out
the share stayed the same and only the West choosing not to supply the EU or, that EU critical issues such as customs procedures.
Midlands and Scotland saw exports to the EU customers were turning away from UK based “Otherwise there is a risk that the drop in exports
increase. companies. to the bloc we have seen over the last couple of
Make UK says this shows that the political Stephen Phipson, Chief Executive of Make years will become structural and permanent.”
6 / July/August 2021 / ME
ENABLING SOLUTIONS IN CONDITION-BASED MAINTENANCE
TODAY FOR A BETTER WORLD TOMORROW
Specialists in the application of Model-Based
Voltage and Current (MBVI) systems
Hovering
around zero
Awareness of the government’s net zero target and how industry should
respond remains at a low level. The M&E Editorial Advisory Board discussed
how levels of engagement could be raised. David Fowler reports
T
he government has committed the UK Graham Cooper, founder and principal DAK Consulting director Dennis McCarthy
to cutting emissions by 78% from 1990 consultant of Systems Excellence, was formerly said that was his experience too, with a few
levels by 2035 on the way to net zero by operations director for an Agfa plant in notable exceptions. He mentioned an engineer
2050. The start of the 26th UN Climate Change Leeds, and led a worldwide project to spread at Arla Foods, “who was absolutely keen on the
Conference, COP26, in Glasgow is less than sustainable practices. He said: “In Agfa, we amount of power a particular pump was using
three months away. were highly aware of the net zero goal, but we and had done lots of experimentation in his
The prospect of trying to reduce emissions used to host best practice visits to our site of spare time”. And an associate had worked in
while they are still struggling with the SMEs, and I would say that for 90-95% of SMEs Brazil with organisations focused on driving
disruption of Covid-19 is daunting for many energy efficiency is not on their agenda, to the environmental improvement. “But I think
firms, especially smaller manufacturers. extent that most didn’t even know what they there’s potential there for engagement on the
Recently Make UK highlighted examples of were spending on electricity, let alone have a front line that isn’t used,” he concluded.
companies that had achieved “incredible” target. They considered it a fixed cost. Bigger In general positive examples of companies
results, often in quite simple ways (M&E, May/ companies generally will have more of a grip on making progress appeared thin on the ground.
June). But, said chief operating officer Ben it, but I think for smaller companies, it doesn’t Mr Cooper said: “There’s a passive
Fletcher, the biggest challenge was to get across appear on their radar.” improvement going on because there’s more and
the urgency of acting now. Georgia Smart, UK Atomic Energy Authority more renewables going into the grid, so if people
asset management leader, said: “I think that
‘I would say that for 90-95% large organisations are certainly aware, but I ‘There is a direct correlation
of SMEs energy efficiency don’t think it’s trickled down to where it can between energy use and
is not on their agenda, to have an impact.” Companies’ boards might talk OEE.’
the extent that most didn’t Dennis McCarthy,
about net zero, and produce glossy documents
even know what they were DAK Consulting
spending on electricity.’ on sustainability, but little was being done to
Graham Cooper, raise awareness among people on the front line.
Systems Excellence John Saysell, MCP Consulting Group director
of technical training, referred to a list published were tracking their CO2 emissions they would
The M&E Editorial Advisory Board discussed in February by Carbon Index of companies see a downward trend without doing anything.
this question at its most recent meeting, in which had set a target to achieve net zero by a But there’s still a residual amount that needs
particular focusing on levels of awareness of given date. But, apart from exceptions such as doing.” He added that one “excellent” example
the net zero target in the maintenance and AstraZeneca, Lucozade Ribena Suntory, Nestlé was Crystal Doors in Rochdale, whose owner
engineering community, as well as examples of and Spirax-Sarco, there were few examples on and managing director Richard Hagan was “an
progress and best practice. the list of blue-chip manufacturing firms. evangelist” for the environment. The company
8 / July/August 2021 / ME
a directive that all plants must be accredited
‘I think one aspect of net
to the standard. “That enabled me to get the
zero is to stop looking at it
in terms of a money cost local people on the ground interested in energy,
and look at what is the cost because from on high they had ‘you must
in environmental or energy get 50001’, and the only way you get 50001
terms.’ is knowing where all your energy goes.” He
Georgia Smart,
suspected that the same standard might be used
UK Atomic Energy Authority
by the government as a means to push more
the efficiency savings made possible by companies towards net zero.
changing from using a motor direct online and Mr McCarthy asked if there was a role for
adding an inverter, soft start or other more training. “What should be done at the front line
efficient method of drive. Mr Cooper thought level to raise awareness of what’s possible and
there was a wider issue concerning electric maybe focus specifically on the importance of
motors, which are estimated to account for 60 future environmental costs, rather than purely
to 80% of industrial energy use. “People don’t the lowest cost in the short term? How difficult
understand how much of it is waste. So many would it be to tweak front line engineering
motors out in the field now (a) are old and training to incorporate the idea of net zero as
inefficient but (b) they’re oversized.” being a desirable target?”
Traditionally a designer might calculate that Mr Saysell said he could see two possibilities
a 20kW motor was adequate for a particular for incorporating net zero – in reliability courses
application, but might specify a 25kW item to alongside concepts such as mean time between
be on the safe side. The design might then be
reviewed by someone more senior, who might ‘The idea of Net Zero has
increase it to 30kW. got to be driven up from the
shop floor and down from
GLF Media / Shutterstock.com
ME / July/August 2021 / 9
PLANT & MAINTENANCE / CONDITION MONITORING
Ongoing condition
monitoring of large
HV rotating machines
delivers financial and
operational benefits
Improving reliability whilst reducing maintenance
costs is the ultimate goal. Seoras Shaw, Product
Manager at Quartzteq, part of the Quartzelec
Group, explains why Lifeview® condition
monitoring is increasingly being adopted by
owners of large rotating machines to measure
parameters relating to insulation failure.
T
he global power chain is dependent on large high voltage capabilities were added to the online monitoring equipment range,
rotating electrical machines for mission-critical tasks which allowing users to determine bearing and rotor inter-turn insulation
when purchased new, cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. condition during operation.
Often expected to have ‘arduous’ lives, they are designed to deliver Offline systems are typically used during regular maintenance
many decades of reliable service across industry and infrastructure; programmes and can detect issues during an outage, but constant
generating electricity, driving production lines, for utilities and online monitoring is being increasingly implemented due to there
transport applications or mining and extraction and in hazardous being no interruption to production.
environments. The problem is that they start to deteriorate from day
one and if left untreated significant failures can occur. Data interpretation
All high voltage motors and generators are susceptible to With data being collected over time, careful analysis can determine
vibration, torque, thermal cycling, corrosion, and critically partial the exact insulation condition of a machine, with the most recent
discharge. Visual inspections and scheduled maintenance help data being compared to established baselines.
identify issues but are intrusive and with numerous large ‘aging’ Professional interpretation of the data is also vital, and the
motors in everyday use a more scientific approach is needed. Quartzelec Group boasts over 100 years of experience in rotating
Quartzteq’s Lifeview® condition monitoring solution, ostensibly machine design and fault analysis from an OEM perspective. Reports
developed around partial discharge analysis, is a flexible, modular, and recommendations from the experienced team of specialist
and proven approach to evaluating the health of HV rotating engineers help make informed maintenance decisions thus
electrical assets. Offering both online and offline monitoring preventing costly breakdowns whilst optimising machine lifespan.
options, assorted sensors and modules – to measure partial
discharge, tan delta, rotor flux or shaft voltage and current – can be The financial return
attached as part of an outage or permanently installed on rotating The cost of implementing a Lifeview® condition monitoring solution
assets to capture data and create a detailed analysis of the insulation is minimal when comparing the potential costs of an undiagnosed
condition of each machine. insulation issue, and when combined with an ongoing maintenance
programme offers real value for money – particularly when data
Partial discharge analysis could prevent a critical failure, avert expensive repair bills
Damage
Partial Discharge is a localised high frequency discharge which and potentially many months of lost productivity. Due to these
caused
by partial occurs when the electrical field of the equipment breaches the production saving benefits, insurance companies are increasingly
discharge breakdown strength of the insulating material or gaseous insulation taking a real interest in the advantages that ongoing monitoring
voids and can excessively further delivers and where detailed machine performance data is available,
weaken and damage any insulating the reward can subsequently be significantly reduced premiums.
material. It is difficult to identify This means that the ‘payback time’ is often relatively short.
using traditional testing methods, the
damage is progressive, and it can result The future
in catastrophic failure if not detected Around the globe owner/operators are increasingly discovering
and effective action taken. Significant the real benefits to be made by implementing online monitoring
stator earth damage often results in alongside ancillary and critical plant maintenance. This achieves
weeks of downtime and major repair an informed and cost-effective maintenance strategy that allows
expenditure anywhere between £400k them to focus on driving the business forward removing the risk of
to millions. a significant failure of a critical rotating machine that could have
Following the development of serious implications to operators and business stakeholders.
the partial discharge element of
the Lifeview® range, rotor flux and www.quartzelec.com | t: 44 (0) 1788 512512
shaft voltage/current measurement jody.townsend@quartzelec.com / seoras.shaw@quartzelec.com
10 / July/August 2021 / ME
PLANT & MAINTENANCE / ADVERTORIAL
C
onforming to the latest international standards, • Service interface (USB) for configuration using Rotronic HW4
the Intrinsically Safe (secondary side) HygroFlex5-EX software
transmitters have two-channel 4-20 mA outputs. For many • Range of calibration accessories available.
installations there is no need for an Intrinsically Safe power supply, .
dedicated clean earth or Zener barrier. Interchangeable probes A technical datasheet is available. Call Rotronic on 01293 571000 to
are available for all applications, including a screw-in probe for discuss your application or project.
pressure environments and a low dewpoint probe. www.rotronic.co.uk instruments@rotronic.co.uk
ME / July/August 2021 / 11
PLANT & MAINTENANCE / OEE
Bankrx / Shutterstock.com
E
ffectiveness is a measure of how well a process achieves
Maintenance effectiveness calculation and loss categories
its purpose, a measure of how often that process hits
that ‘right first time’ sweet spot. The gap between the Priority losses categories can then be targeted using the classic
Effectiveness achieved and 100% is a measure of the health of the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle credited with transforming Japanese
process. manufacturing industry from third-rate to world-leading by driving
Although the most widely used measure of effectiveness is OEE progress towards ‘right first time’ outcomes.
(Overall Equipment Effectiveness), Effectiveness can be applied to The Effectiveness glide path for the food processor from Table 1
improve any process including Maintenance Management. is shown below. This illustrates how, as effectiveness improved
and around 40% of engineer time was released, it was redirected
So what? to improve the problem prevention score from 72% to 99%. The
Maintenance is most effective when engineers’ time is directed outcome of improved Maintenance Effectiveness included a
towards getting the most out of the asset. The table below reduced maintenance cost per tonne to almost 2⁄3 of previous levels.
Table 1 contains the results from a food processing and packaging
Causes of Maintenance Effectiveness Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
plant on their journey from over 80% of time spent on reactive
Effectiveness Planned as a % of Total 20% 48% 68% 91% 94%
Barrier maintenance to less than 10%.
PM Completion as planned 20% 70% 85% 88% 91%
Tactic Break out of Reactive Maintenance Process Asset Packaging Problem Prevention 72% 77% 92% 95% 99%
issues Asset Issues Maintenance Effectiveness 3% 26% 53% 76% 84%
Resolve technical weak points 21% 2% Maintenance cost per tonne index 100 89 89 79 68
Set standards to define normal deterioration 48% 31%
An important TPM concept underpinning the use of
Improve work instruction 5% 29%
Effectiveness is loss tree analysis. This provides a set of
Remove the causes of accelerated Wear 22% 27%
improvement glide paths that drive effectiveness up and cost down.
Remove the causes of human Error 3% 11%
100% 100% The table below summarises the loss tree steps for the case study.
The first order priority was to work on the causes of accelerated
As can be seen here, the biggest barriers to maintenance wear whilst locking in the gains by improving Maintenance
effectiveness relate to how well work routines are defined and Standards. This dealt with around 70% of recurring failures.
carried out. That is what effectiveness measures. In this case, As breakdowns became less common, the focus moved on
the biggest barrier to overcome was a lack of robust inspection to improving maintenance value added. The outcome was to
standards to trigger actions to restore component condition prior extend MTBI (Mean Time Between Intervention) which extended
to breakdown. component life (reducing maintenance material cost) and the risk
of human error. The most important improvement, however, was
Measuring Maintenance Effectiveness the transformation of Engineer mindset from fixing breakdowns
Effectiveness combines measures for resources used, faster to finding ways of adding more value. Priceless!
productivity and quality of output. In Overall Equipment
Effectiveness these are Availability, Performance and Quality. www.dakconsulting.co.uk
12 / July/August 2021 / ME
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PLANT & MAINTENANCE / LUBRICATION
Five reasons why to interpret report complete with diagnostics and remedial action
recommendations.
I
n a recent reliability survey, between 60 to 70% of industrial
facilities employ oil analysis as an important component
of their reliability programs. Oil analysis gives a snapshot
of machinery health, preventing unnecessary oil changes REASON #5 Duplicate Success with Enterprise Tools
and predicting equipment failures before they happen. Most Shared software platforms, with the same point of care solutions
organizations draw oil analysis samples and ship them off-site to throughout multiple sites, increase efficiency within an enterprise.
be analyzed in a laboratory. The results are sent back anywhere Equipment reliability can be viewed at regional, national or
from days to weeks depending on location and industry. even global levels. Problem-solving knowledge from equipment
Point of care oil analysis (today’s on-site oil analysis) has grown maintainers also can be shared across the enterprise, so people at
rapidly in popularity as leading industrial companies in several each site can easily tap into others’ experiences and expertise.
sectors have invested in these tools and software solutions to bring
oil analysis in-house and are now reaping the benefits.
Here are five reasons why organizations across the world are
investing in point of care solutions:
REASON #3 Simplicity
Breeds Confidence Summary
Major advances in Oil analysis at various plant locations was once reserved for
instrumentation have resulted those who could duplicate off-site laboratories. This model has
in easy-to-operate instruments, changed in the last few years. The new miniature, rugged, portable
which means data can be instruments make this process simple and accurate without the
generated by the maintenance need for solvents and dangerous chemicals. Point of care oil
team in the course of their daily analysis is a proven and viable path forward for an organization
tasks. The new generation of looking to reduce risk.
systems have software that not
only provides accurate data, AMETEK Spectro Scientific
but also generates a single, easy www.spectrosci.com | sales.spectrosci@ametek.com
14 / July/August 2021 / ME
Your Global Automation Partner
Manual
or
Automatic
Data Collection
Which would you choose?
HOW DO YOU COLLECT YOUR OEE DATA?
Quality – Identify continuous Performance – Identify root causes for Availability - Tracking of process/
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sensors with
Turck Banner’s wireless part counting solutions enable our customers to deploy intelligent lean initiatives by providing
the means to accurately measure, analyse and optimise their OEE performance
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Blenheim House, Blenheim Court, Wickford Essex. SS118YT For more information contact: enquiries@turckbanner.com
PLANT & MAINTENANCE / EXHIBITION
16 / July/August 2021 / ME
ARI-Armaturen – your answer to all your valve needs
Introducing ENCOsys®
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M
ost CMMS projects focus on getting the preventative appropriate stock levels. The alternative approach is to then carry
maintenance element up and running first. Identifying large quantities of every conceivable spare but this is inefficient
the equipment to be maintained, the intervals and and expensive.
the key value-added tasks that need to be performed to reduce To maintain control of the spare part holding, the first step
equipment failures. The biggest mistake here is assuming that is to ensure that all unplanned work is recorded on the CMMS.
time-based maintenance is the correct approach. It is clearly the When a spare part is issued to the asset, engineering can then
easiest method to use, but its efficacy is questionable, especially calculate demand, getting a better understanding of the total cost
when you factor back in the varying demands put on equipment. of ownership (TCO) for the asset and reset reorder levels. This is
Usage based maintenance is a much more effective strategy. the first step, but you are still left with an expensive problem, an
Connecting a meter to your routine maintenance check allows investment trade off, carrying the spare and incurring the cost
the equipment usage to trigger a maintenance check, saving now versus taking a chance that you can get the spare quickly if
resource time, expensive spares, and productive capacity. Proving required. Various strategies have been tried to help reduce lead
this,however, is a challenge. times from consignment stock through to spares hubs.
One way to start this evaluation is to capture the unplanned One innovation is to use 3D scanning technology to create a
work generated in the system and start generating a metric such virtual store, scanning certain spare parts and then making spares
as Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) for the asset. By comparing locally.
this figure to the current maintenance interval against a machine, One of our clients started scanning shafts using a 3D scanner
overmaintained and undermaintained interventions can be and then linking the scanned image to the appropriate spare in our
identified. It’s essentially a very simple way to create a feedback PEMAC Assets system. When the spare is required, the drawing
loop or learning outcome in your system. is issued to a local company via PEMAC. The turnaround time
Once this is done, engineering can then decide how to capture was lowered and the costs were on average a third of the Original
those meter readings from the equipment. It can be done Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) cost. In the first year the company
manually as part of a visual inspection achieved a return on investment of 850%.” To extend the benefit
route and captured on your maintenance further the company started specifying the material to be used.
app. Alternatively the meter data can be This doubled the life of the spare, extending the maintenance
captured remotely through an interface. interval and reducing costs further.
These interfaces have become much more Software is one of those rare products. After you buy it, it
commonplace and are often mentioned in continues to change. That change comes from interacting with
conjunction with Industry 4.0 or the Internet people and organisations, solving problems and learning. It’s
of Things (IOT) initiatives. In software terms, that shared learning that you really buy when you make your
if your CMMS includes an Application investment and then realising it becomes your key challenge.
Program Interface (API) or more correctly a
Published API, these interfaces become easier 07480 181 787 | sales@pemac.com
18 / July/August 2021 / ME
It’s not new –
but sometimes
there’s no need to
reinvent the wheel.
Handheld Sensors
Fabricated and Specialist
Thermocouples XE - 3470 - 001
N
o matter how careful you are, working at height, especially small mountain building up in the centre.
outdoors in winter or in strong winds, is not brilliant. The mixer became completely blocked and the crust was so
For the maintenance team at Glatfelter, a leading global thick it wouldn’t disperse, so several times over the years, Glatfelter
supplier of engineered materials, this, following regular failures of had to drain everything down and pay for contractors with cranes
a mixing system for an open-topped tank, meant it was time for an to come in and dig it all out.
upgrade. Four years on, we are proud to say that the installation of our
Hayes GFS, who are experts in the installation and 11kW Jet Mix system is described as a “resounding success”; so
refurbishment of glass-fused-to-steel tanks, suggested that much so that Glatfelter decided to invest in three more Landia
Glatfelter try an externally-mounted mixer from Landia. mixers. Two further JetMix systems now serve a 1500m³ vessel,
Manufacturers of quality key products for industries such as with another JetMix installed in a 500m³ unit. Both containers
food & beverage, electrical, building and medical, Glatfelter’s work as balancing tanks before the wastewater goes on to other
open-topped 1000m³ above-ground (7m) glass-lined steel tank treatment processes at the Gloucestershire plant, including two
(used for pH correction) was fitted with an internal propeller DAF systems.
mixer that for repair and servicing was only accessible via vertical For each tank, the pump outlets are horizontal, allowing mixing
ladders, and then use of a cumbersome mechanical winch – to continue, even if tank levels are low. JetMix, which is mounted
although the problems were manyfold. through the side of the tank wall, makes it well-suited for mixing
Failures with the mixer had become all too frequent, so on top liquids with a high viscosity, such as drained or digested sludge.
of the arduous and very awkward process of having to retrieve it, The optimal motor cooling function also makes it an ideal choice
there was also the downtime of having to wait for it to be repaired, for liquids with high temperatures.
and sometimes replaced altogether with a brand-new unit. This All of the health and safety issues caused by the old mixing
had become a costly, ongoing exercise that was no longer viable. system have been removed, including working in confined
A new mixing system would have to be much easier to manage, spaces. And even though there are very high pH levels, the first
and also be able to deliver on performance in a very aggressive Landia mixer is still in very good condition four years on from
application with pH levels from three, right up to 13. The old its installation. And despite all the variables in the wastewater,
internal mixer also couldn’t prevent crust building up in the centre the mixers, which run almost 24/7, have received excellent
of the tank – and when the vessel was drained down, Glatfelter performance reports, with our in-house service team now visiting
discovered that the mixer had been scouring the bottom of the the Glatfelter facility every six months to carry out preventative
unit. The reinforcing bars could be seen, which wasn’t good at all, maintenance.
so it was time for a replacement tank.
Having the mixer on the outside of the tank is always going t: 01948 661 200 | pd@landia.co.uk | www.landia.co.uk
20 / July/August 2021 / ME
Maintenance and Engineering - Advert 1 Feb21.pdf 1 10/02/2021 18:42:45
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onitoring equipment performance with thermal imaging connection points such drives,
cameras can reduce the likelihood of unplanned disconnects, controls, and so on.
downtime, reduce reactive maintenance fees and Where higher temperatures are discovered, follow that circuit, and
equipment repair costs, and extend the lifespan of machine assets. examine associated branches and loads.
A change in heat pattern is often an early symptom of equipment A good rule of thumb when making a comparison of increased
damage or malfunction and thermal imaging is an important tool in temperature on a thermal image, is anything five degrees or more
preventive maintenance programs. above ambient temperature may indicate an electrical fault. This is
a rule of thumb used to indicate candidates for further investigation
and experience is often the best guide.
Ideally, electrical device checks should be made when they are
fully warmed up and at steady state conditions with at least 40% of
the typical load. That way, measurements can be properly evaluated
and compared to normal operating conditions. Where possible
check panels and other connections with the covers removed to
improve the assessment as thermal cameras read only the surface
temperature.
22 / July/August 2021 / ME
When OVER
www.denso.net
A MEMBER OF WINN & COALES
INTERNATIONAL
PLANT & MAINTENANCE /
COMPANY NEWS & PRODUCT REVIEW ABSTRACTS
email kirsty@maintenanceandengineering.com to feature here
CBM service for robots ABB PixelPaint wins Total is transforming and
prestigious Innovation and becoming TotalEnergies
Entrepreneurship Award
ABB’s PixelPaint robotic non-overspray
technology for the automotive industry
has won this year’s IEEE/IFR Innovation and
Entrepreneurship Award for Outstanding
Achievements in Commercializing Innovative
Robot and Automation Technology.
Launched in 2020, PixelPaint uses inkjet head
technology to directly apply high resolution
two-tone or individualized designs to a car body
in a single pass, enabling manufacturers to easily
meet the rising demand for customized paint jobs
A Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) while eliminating wasteful overspray.
service from ABB enables robot users to “We are delighted that our PixelPaint solution
create a preventive maintenance schedule for has been recognized for its innovative,
individual or robot fleets based on real-time sustainable technology that helps our customers
data, to optimise productivity and minimise respond to consumer requests for more Paris, May 28, 2021– At the Ordinary and
downtime. personalized design. With PixelPaint, 100 percent Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting,
Using real-time data on robot operations of the paint can now be applied in half the time shareholders approved today, almost
helps identify any potential issues that compared to the previous method used for unanimously, the resolution to change the
could affect performance, including duty, custom paint jobs, with a much better finish company’s name from Total to TotalEnergies,
speed, acceleration, and gearbox wear. quality,” said Joerg Reger, Managing Director thereby anchoring its strategic transformation
These variables are compared against other of ABB Robotics Auto OEM Business Line. “For into a broad energy company in its identity. In
robots in ABB’s worldwide robot database to our customers, this provides the triple bonus tandem with this name change, TotalEnergies is
calculate the likelihood and timeframe of a of saving millions of dollars per year through adopting a new visual identity.
potential fault or failure. ABB’s CBM tool can reduced paint consumption, improved efficiency “Energy is life. We all need it and it’s a source
advise whether remedial action is required, and improved environmental performance of progress. So today, to contribute to the
involving either repair or replacement of through reduced VOC and CO2 emissions, while sustainable development of the planet facing
affected parts. By identifying which parts meeting their customer needs.” the climate challenge, we are moving forward,
are likely to fail and when, spare parts can ABB Robotics Global Media Relations together, towards new energies. Energy is
be purchased and prepared without having Nick O’Donnell reinventing itself, and this energy journey is
to hold them in stock, helping users to plan t: +44 7704 294085 ours. Our ambition is to be a world-class player
their budgets and ensure that resources e: nicholas.odonnell@gb.abb.com in the energy transition. That is why Total is
are available to carry out the work when transforming and becoming TotalEnergies,”
required. declared Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and Chief
To help customers decide which preventive Executive Officer of TotalEnergies.
measures to take, a report is provided for the This new name and new visual identity embody
robot, including its serial number, summary the course TotalEnergies has resolutely charted
table, data analysis, individual maintenance for itself: that of a broad energy company
recommendations, conclusions, and rating of committed to producing and providing energies
the system. Using this data, the customer can that are ever more affordable, reliable and clean.
design an appropriate maintenance schedule t: 01977 238 200
– with help from ABB if required. e: ms.marketing@totalenergies.com
www.abb.com/robotics | t: 01925 741517 w: www.services.totalenergies.uk
24 / July/August 2021 / ME
Vol 36 no 4
maintenance
&assetmanagement
July/August
2021
journal
ME / July/August 2021 / 25
maintenance
&assetmanagement
With a worldwide network of plants and a slowly declining sales volume due to technology shifts in
the market, there was intense internal competition between the companies’ factories worldwide,
because product loading was biased towards the most efficient plants. The Leeds plant adopted the
Graham Cooper strategy of focusing on reduced consumption to reduce manufacturing costs. Particularly noteworthy
Founder and principal consultant, successes were achieved with gas, electricity, water, and acid consumption reduction and a move
Systems Excellence from 6,000 tonnes of general waste to landfill to zero tonnes. Collectively, this type of work won the
graham@systems-excellence.co.uk IMechE MX awards for sustainable manufacturing in 2007 and 2011.
This article will focus on the way energy consumption was characterised and then reduced using
classic continuous improvement (CI) techniques (Demings PDCA or the more modern Six Sigma
DMAIC processes). This approach was followed because there was already a strong culture of CI in
the plant and because capital was severely restricted given the business environment. The specifics
of what was done in the Leeds plant may not be directly transferrable to other businesses, but the
processes followed should be illuminating to others.
26 / July/August 2021 / ME
maintenance
&assetmanagement
ME / July/August 2021 / 27
maintenance
&assetmanagement
understand the heating consumption. First, hottest two or three months of the year, would sensors to turn lights off when nobody was
the offices were only heated on Monday to have the coolant from the HVAC cooling coil present. However, although significant energy
Friday. The gas consumption for heating at the diverted to it which would be heated by the was saved, on a site level this was not significant.
weekend was compared with midweek, and cooling tower return water. What had never been done before was to
the office consumption was inferred from the In Fig 7 (below), HX is the new heat look at the electrochemical process lines where
difference (around 7% of the space heating gas). exchanger. Water returns to the cooling tower most of the electrical energy was consumed.
The gas space heaters in the warehouse at around 28°C from the process line and is fed For the decades before this project, this usage
had a fan motor and a burner assembly and to the cooling coil circuit for the HVAC system was considered fundamental to the product and
were either fully on or fully off, controlled by via HX. thought to offer no opportunities.
thermostat. The site electrician suggested fitting The HVAC cooling coil then instead becomes Being a large consumer (at the time the plant
a £10 run timer to each fan motor (see Fig 6). a pre-heating coil for air for the production area consumed 28,000 MWh of electricity annually
with liquid at 26°C within it. at a cost of just over £2,000,000), the team had
Because the cooling coil had a very large access to half hourly meter readings from the
surface area it became a very efficient pre-heater, supplier.
and the gas heated heating coil only came into Note that sites which consume more than
use when the external air went below 5°C. 100,000 kWh of electricity per annum will have
Fig 8 shows the smoothed monthly gas a half hourly meter.
consumption from Jan 2006 to December 2011, This data had never been examined before.
clearly showing the impact of the line 1 project Fig 9 is an example from June 2010 for the
in May 2007, the line 2 project in July 2008, and Leeds site.
the HVAC project in September 2010. At this time there were two distinct product
types being produced which had different
Electricity consumption reduction specifications for surface roughness and anodic
Encouraged by the early successes with gas weight. This required different current flows
reduction it was decided to investigate what in the electrochemical processes. Each of
Figure 6 might be possible for electricity reduction, with these products also had a variety of gauges of
the project commencing in 2010. Work had aluminium ranging from 0.15mm to 0.4mm.
The fan motor only came on when the burner been done prior to this project, replacing old The thinner gauges had to run more slowly
was on, and the capacity of the burner was fixed lights with more modern efficient ones, with because of the limited current carrying capacity
and known. Therefore, by knowing how long
the fan had been running in a day the gas the Figure 7
space heater had consumed could readily be
calculated.
Each of the seven space heaters’ run
timers were added to the security guard’s
daily walkaround and the results placed in a
spreadsheet. In this way the gas used to heat the
warehouse was found to be around 29% of the
total space heating gas.
Knowing the office and warehouse
consumption allowed the production area
consumption to be estimated, at around 64%
of the space heating. This was the area that was
looked into further.
Figure 8
Reduction of production area space
heating gas consumption
The HVAC system consisted of air being drawn
through filters, across a large cooling coil and
across a smaller heating coil. The cooling coil
was fed by a chiller, but was inactive most of the
year because Leeds rarely gets warm enough
to require it (the air temperature specification
for the production area was a maximum of
25°C). The heating coil was fed by a gas boiler
providing circulating hot water. The heating coil
was used most of the year.
Beneficially for the project, the HVAC unit was
situated adjacent to the cooling tower referred
to earlier. The proximity allowed the installation
of another heat exchanger which, in all but the
28 / July/August 2021 / ME
maintenance
&assetmanagement
Figure 11
Figure 9
ME / July/August 2021 / 29
SITE, BUILDINGS, ENERGY & WORKS MANAGEMENT / EMISSIONS MONITORING
T
A technician he introduction of Stage V emissions legislation was vapour. The ECM controls the AdBlue pump, which primes
carrying designed to tighten restrictions on non-road engines and the AdBlue dosing system and purges it back into the tank
out engine equipment, lowering limits on particulate matter (PM) when the engine is turned off. Electrical power to the ECM is
maintenance
emissions for equipment ranging from 0 to 560 Kw (engines maintained until the process is complete, otherwise it can lead
up to 19 Kw have used in-cylinder technology to meet their to crystallisation of the AdBlue within the system. OEMs can
emissions limits). Stage V was introduced for engine ratings solve this issue by installing a permanent battery connection
below 56 Kw and above 130 Kw in 2019 and for 56 Kw in 2020 — to the ECM — this requirement will be outlined in the engine
130 Kw engine ratings also became subject to this legislation. manufacturer’s installation documentation.
OEMs were given until June 2021 to place transition engines Larger engines fitted with an SCR system use NOx sensors to
— engines built before the Stage V introduction — onto the measure the difference in NOx levels between the engine outlet
market. and SCR outlet. Some engines are designed for NOx sensors to
The move from Stage IV to Stage V poses a real challenge be easily incorporated, although the manufacturer may need to
because OEMs must now select an engine fitted with a diesel find an off-engine location to house the electronic NOx sensor
particulate filter (DPF) as well as a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) controllers.
and a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) cannister (>56 Kw). This By engaging with the engine supplier early on, OEMs can
addition has in many instances increased the overall footprint get a clear understanding of their machine’s design limitations
of the engine assembly. Although manufacturers were granted and how their engine choice will affect emissions. A registered
1204J-E44TTA
extra time to prepare, many are still looking for guidance on dealer will already have several years of experience working
Stage V
compliant redesigning their equipment, so they can continue to sell their with different Stage V technologies and can also recommend the
engine products in the European market. correct engine rating and emissions technology best suited to the
application. Such collaboration will be key for helping industrial
Adapting to equipment OEMs as they prepare on their Stage V journey.
aftertreatment
The key to Stage V compliance t: 0800 0730 424 | engines@diperk.co.uk | www.diperk.com
is integrating the engine and
aftertreatment technology
to equipment, be it a pump,
genset, or combine harvester.
In the electric power market,
manufacturers of constant
speed mobile generators will
now have aftertreatment
Stage V
devices including selective 1204J
catalytic reduction (SCR), diesel particulate filters (DPFs) and electric
NOx reduction systems (NRS). The choice of aftertreatment power
combination is determined by the engine’s power rating: an engine
30 / July/August 2021 / ME
SITE, BUILDINGS, ENERGY & WORKS MANAGEMENT / STEAM
D
id you know that every kilogram of steam contains Steam - creating a strong foundation for your
around 2200 KJ of condensable energy? That’s 26 times success
more usable energy than a kilogram of water in a typical While steam is a very forgiving medium, you need to start with
heating system based on flow and return temperatures with a a strong platform for your success. Steam doesn’t function at its
delta of 20°C! best without every level of the process being in check before it
Steam is easy to distribute and when its work is done, it is comes into play. You’ll need to have a well-designed system and
simply water – reassuring to know in our environmentally the correct skills to maintain. Your system needs to be efficiently
conscious world. managed to ensure your productivity and sustainability targets
are achieved.
A sustainable and clean energy source
Steam is a reliable and more importantly, sustainable energy On the topic of sustainability, let’s take the example
source. An efficient steam system targets the demands of your of Heinz…
industrial processes, including improvement requirements for Yes, the beans. To help achieve their sustainability targets, Heinz
energy-saving, environmental performance, safety or regulatory reduced their carbon emissions by 200 tonnes per year. How?
compliance. Simply, by improving the management of their steam system.
But their success doesn’t stop there, Heinz predict to slice more
So, what does a ‘good’ steam system mean? than 4% of its energy consumption in the next three years after
For your plant to operate effectively, steam should be delivered: introducing a steam trap management plan, with the help of a
◆ in the correct quantity team of steam experts.
◆ at the correct pressure and temperature So, what can we take away from this? Steam is simply water
◆ clean, dry, and free from air and other non-condensable gases – clean and environmentally friendly when managed correctly.
(NCGs) Regular maintenance of your steam systems could help you to
make big sustainability improvements and do your bit to help our
Why is steam quality important? planet.
Good quality steam will help you to get the best out of your If you have net zero or carbon reduction targets, then
applications and processes. Heating water, cooking food, drying maintaining the quality of your steam and steam systems is a
garments, curing tyres, delivering power, or any application where fantastic place to start.
steam is applied, will require steam to perform efficiently and
effectively. e: hello@uk.spiraxsarco.com
For steam to perform at its optimum level, the steam must be w: www.spiraxsarco.com/global/en-GB/contact-us
dry with a minimal amount of entrained moisture and free from t: +44 1242 521361
ME / July/August 2021 / 31
SITE, BUILDINGS, ENERGY & WORKS MANAGEMENT / TRAINING
I
MechE Fife NDT has now opened, offering a full range of Additionally, the training school offers training at Level 3, the
non-destructive testing (NDT) training courses, including highest and most difficult to achieve certification level. This is
Magnetic Particle Inspection, Radiographic Interpretation, provided by specialist tutors and Level 3 consultants from IMechE
Weld Inspection, Liquid Penetrant, Visual and Ultrasonic testing. Argyll Ruane who are now happy to deliver training in Scotland.
Based in Dunfermline, it is also the first training school in Also offered, is a full range of Level 3 consultancy services, from
Scotland to offer the advanced courses of Phased Array, Ultrasonic procedure writing to employer-based training and examinations
Testing and Time of Flight Diffraction. under ASNT SNT-TC-1A and EN4179 certification schemes.
NDT training in Scotland has been threatened when Covid-19
caused the NDT school at Fife College to close its doors in 2020
after more than 30 years in operation. Scotland was left with no
NDT training school in the central belt of the country where there
is significant manufacturing, marine and defence industries that
depend on skilled, certified NDT technicians.
IMechE Argyll Ruane, based in Sheffield, had supported Fife
College for many years by providing NDT examination services
for their PCN courses as an authorised qualifying body (AQB)
with the British Institute of Non-destructive Testing (BINDT).
IMechE Argyll Ruane convinced its parent, the Institution of Peter McPherson said, “These are difficult times, but I am
Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), to step in to save the jobs of the delighted that the Institution of Mechanical Engineers supported
training staff and commit to establishing a new training school. us, and myself and my colleagues invite Scottish NDT Technicians
After determining the optimum location for the new training to experience our expanded services and first-class facilities in
centre, IMechE Fife NDT Ltd was incorporated and established in Dunfermline”.
Chris Kirby, IMechE Argyll Ruane General Manager, said,
“This has been a major investment in the current climate,
but the IMechE felt it was important to support the Scottish
NDT sector. Our new colleagues have worked hard to create
an excellent training centre and continue to offer the friendly
and efficient service that Fife College was known for, with the
benefit of now being able to provide a significantly expanded
service that includes advanced methods and Level 3 training and
consultancy”.
32 / July/Aug 2021 / ME
C
CM
MY
CY
CMY
With industry-leading efficiencies greater than 87% LHV and 80% HHV,
our range of compact thermal fluid heaters feature a four-pass,
high-efficiency design with heat outputs to 3500kW and standard
operating temperatures up to 345°C. And like many Fulton heat transfer
systems, thermal heater solutions can also be skid-mounted and
delivered to site ready for installation connection to existing pipework.
To find out more about its range of thermal fluid heater solutions
visit www.fulton.co.uk, email sales@fulton.co.uk
or call +44 (0)117 972 3322.
Pure and
simple air
quality with
oil-free
compressor
technology
David Bruchof, Product Manager for oil-free from contamination. However, to guarantee air purity, many
businesses are switching to oil-free compressors.
screw compressors at CompAir, part of Ingersoll
Rand Inc., details some of the key considerations Why choose oil-free?
for operators looking for consistent, high Oil-free systems use a range of technologies that remove the need
compressed air quality and outlines how oil-free for lubricating oil. This eliminates the risk of contamination and
ensures guaranteed air purity.
compressor technologies can help improve site
There are many benefits to oil-free technology, which can help
efficiencies. energy managers make valuable cost savings while improving
W
hen it comes to compressed air, quality matters. operational efficiencies too. Whole life costs are reduced, with
Avoiding process contamination, which can lead to businesses able to save on the cost of oil replacement. Unlike oil-
potential product rework or production downtime lubricated systems that require oil change intervals throughout
is a necessity. There are a number of rigorous standards in place their service life, there is also no need to purchase equipment
governing compressed air performance to ensure processes that would clean and separate oil from air, such as oil separators,
remain free from contaminants – or that they are reduced to filtration equipment and condensate treatment.
acceptable levels – while minimising unscheduled downtime and The latest oil-free solutions take advantage of innovative
the associated costs. technologies to help improve site efficiencies, too. CompAir’s
These regulations include ISO 8573, a group of international Ultima compressor, for examples, uses its efficient U-Drive
standards stipulating compressed air purity and quality. ISO concept to maximise compressed air production.
8573 consists of nine separate parts, with part one identifying Traditional two-stage compressors use a single motor and
contamination levels that can be tolerated within a single mechanical gearbox design to drive the low and high-pressure
cubic metre of compressed air. Specifically, part one identifies air-ends. In contrast, Ultima replaces the gearbox and single motor
permitted particle count, pressure dewpoint and amount of oil with two high-efficiency, permanent magnetic motors, allowing for
allowed within this sample. performance optimisation throughout the complete volume range.
The other eight parts detail testing methods for a range of This technology offers energy efficiency savings of up to 13 per
contaminants, including solid particles, oil vapour, organic cent when compared with other traditional, two-stage oil-free
solvents, microbiological contaminants, liquid water and gaseous compressors. The motors are powered by two separate inverters,
contaminants, alongside humidity levels and aerosol content. so they can be individually driven at different speeds depending
They also ensure that air quality test results are comparable on demand. An intelligent digital gearbox design then monitors
within a given tolerance of measurement. and continuously adjusts the speeds of each aired, ensuring
Many operators are now applying additional measures to maximum efficiency and pressure ratios at all times. Most
guarantee high-quality compressed importantly, the compressed air it delivers is 100 per cent oil-free.
air, adopting the principles of the
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point In conclusion
(HACCP). This ensures facilities are Oil-free technologies can provide additional assurance to
complying with hygiene legislation operators keen to mitigate risk – delivering clean, oil-free air that
and either eliminating any potential can help reduce the likelihood of downtime and product spoilage,
hazards or reducing them to an while being mindful of the environmental concerns around waste
acceptable level. oil disposal.
In some cases, high-quality air
is achieved by using oil-lubricated To find out more about oil-free compressor technology, visit
compressors, which rely on filtration https://www.compair.com/en-gb/oil-free-compressors
to protect products and equipment e: david.bruchof@gardnerdenver.com
34 / July/August 2021 / ME
F¥CUS / COMPRESSORS
T
ypically, a fifth of UK industry’s electricity bill is attributed
to the production of compressed air, but it is a sobering
fact that a substantial portion of the generated power
dedicated to its production is energy wasted.
That is why over 25 years ago, compressor technology leader
Atlas Copco addressed the problem and was the first to introduce
VFD/VSD technology in its screw compressors, which is
recognised as the greatest energy saving innovation in the history
of compressed air developments.
It is a fact that most operators who decide to purchase a
variable speed drive compressor do so primarily because of
the prospect of low total cost of ownership. Even though the
Plant room with the GA90VSD+FF rotary screw compressor,
compressor’s initial price tag is likely to be higher than that Optimizer 4.0 central controller, FX dryer and AirNet pipework.
of equivalent, fixed-speed models − because of its greater
sophistication and advanced components – VSD compressors are making certain that the electrical cubicle of the inverter, a crucial
actually less expensive to own and operate over their lifetime. piece of technology for the efficiency of the compressor, can
That is because they consume far less energy and because the cost withstand temperatures of up to 55°C.
of that energy makes up the bulk of a compressor’s total cost of The net results of all these dependable features are smooth
ownership. operation, productivity gains, increased uptime, and lower
maintenance costs. An additional benefit of this increased
The benefits of VSD+ technology efficiency is that it also lowers emission levels and allows for a
Now, in the form of the latest advanced solutions, compressors more sustainable production. As a result, a VSD+ compressor
with high-tech VSD+ specifications are not only capable of does not just improve a company’s bottom line, it also helps to
achieving outstanding savings of up to 50% of their energy protect the environment.
requirement, but they offer the attributes of total functional The principal game-changing innovation of Atlas Copco’s
reliability and the essential benefit of smart control and VSD+ design is in the close-coupled IP66-rated drive train − the
monitoring communication technology, such as the OPC UA combination of a high-efficiency motor and technically advanced,
common language that allows equipment items to ‘speak’ with asymmetric compression element. The IP55 motor was designed
each other. in-house with special attention to cooling requirements and
Where these advanced compressors come into their own is efficiency.
The GA 160 when air demand fluctuates significantly between jobs, varies With no coupling or gears between the motor and screw
VSD with by shift on weekends or seasonally, and when manufacturing element the compressors are exceptionally quiet, 73dB (A) in
Optimizer 4.0 processes require tight tolerances for operating pressure. But operation and extremely energy-efficient in performance. The
is ready for of the three primary benefits that VSD+ technology brings to vertical aspect drive train of the VSD+ machines is a closed
Industry 4.0
and designed compressor users − energy efficiency, reliability, and connectivity circuit in which both the motor and the element are cooled with
for smart – it is guaranteed energy efficiency that is the key to affordable air oil, thus contributing additional energy savings. Added to this
factories with up to 50% achievable savings, and lower cost of ownership. is an impressive 6% increase in free air delivery for improved
Stating the obvious, plant efficiency and performance, plus a reduction in the compressors’
operators can only enjoy total lifecycle costs in the order of 37%.
improved energy efficiency if the Overall, this new technology in the form of the latest
compressor keeps on running revolutionary, compact and smart VSD+ compressors brings
reliably. That is why market- unprecedented levels of industry-leading performance and
leading compressors are built savings to medium and large-scale operations − attributes
to function unfailingly even that can be summed up as more air, smaller footprint, smart
in the toughest conditions. connectivity, and less energy cost.
Specifically, that means a
capability of operating at ambient www.atlascopco.co.uk/compressors
temperatures of up to 46° C and compressorsGB.web@atlascopco.com
ME / July/August 2021 / 35
SITE, BUILDINGS, ENERGY & WORKS MANAGEMENT /
COMPANY NEWS & PRODUCT REVIEW ABSTRACTS
email kirsty@maintenanceandengineering.com to feature here
Thorite –
Succeed with preventive behaviours,” says Svanäng. “When your company
Nitrogen system
adopts a kaizen mindset where employees are given
maintenance by engaging the opportunity to influence their workplace, it will installations at
machine operators lead to more motivated employees.” the University of
Tork®, an Essity brand, is launching a new guide to Recent research shows that 89% of machine
‘kaizen’ that aims to help businesses implement a operators believe that continuing to improve
Liverpool
culture of continuous improvement. preventive maintenance routines is important and Thorite has successfully
Equipped to Improve™ - A guide to improving 87% agree that preventive maintenance reduces completed installation of
productivity, is available to download here and lost production time.* a series of compressor
contains concrete tips on how to implement a “We want to help companies improve preventive systems and Nitrogen generators for brand new
continuous maintenance routines by contributing with smart laboratories at The University of Liverpool.
improvement and innovative products that can improve efficiency, The university is leading pioneering research
culture. In because we know small changes can have a into coronaviruses and antimicrobial resistance to
developing the significant impact,” says Jenny Turner, Marketing antibiotics from their new Centre of Excellence for
guide, Tork worked Director for Industry for Essity’s professional hygiene Infectious Diseases & Research building. The research
with kaizen expert, business. laboratories required multiple nitrogen outlets which
Jonas Svanäng The Tork Performance® system therefore includes are used in liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry
“The goal of a wide collection of professional wiping cleaning and a range of analytical instruments.
kaizen is to products to help optimise autonomous cleaning Thorite’s installation is is exceptionally energy efficient
establish a culture routines in industrial environments. and is based on a Parker NITROSource system which
of continuous Visit www.tork.co.uk/equippedtoimprove to consists of three, N2-80PALY nitrogen generators in a
improvement download the free guide. two on-duty, one standby configuration.
by changing *Source: Tork machine operator research, Psyma (July 2019) t: 0800 092 1273 | e: capital@thorite.co.uk
w: thorite.co.uk.
36 / July/August 2021 / ME
SITE, BUILDINGS, ENERGY & WORKS MANAGEMENT / ADVERTORIAL
Combilift’s
60,000th truck
delivered
T
he Irish forklift manufacturer Combilift recently marked a further
milestone when its 60,000th unit came off the production lines
at the company HQ in Monaghan. This special forklift is being
delivered to Metroll, a leading Australian manufacturer and supplier of steel
building products.
Metroll has branches across the country, and the new Combi-CB3000
will be a further addition to its fleet of 13 Combilifts that are operating
throughout the Metroll Group, with another 10 already on order. These
range from 3t multidirectional units to a highly customised 10t model.
Combilift number 60,000 has been fitted with features such as 4.9m
triplex mast with a 3050mm spreader to safely and easily manage the
long loads that are typically handled by Metroll. requirements. There are very few other companies in the world, if any,
According to Metroll Operations Manager Vic Josephs: “Like most that can offer this level of customisation whilst manufacturing in such
businesses we are very busy and we’re also growing at a significant volume. The fi rst half of this year has also been by far the best in our
rate, so space has become a premium resource. With this unit we can 23 year history for the number of orders we have received across our
utilise our space more efficiently whilst at the same time ensuring safe complete product range. We’d like to congratulate Metroll on taking
operation, which is of paramount importance. This truck allows us to delivery of our 60,000th truck, and thank them for their continued
bring our racks more closely together to maximise factory floor space.” support over the years.”
Combilift CEO and Co-Founder Martin McVicar commented: “This
is a great achievement for Combilift, particularly as almost every www.combilift.com/60000 | www.metroll.com.au/
truck we manufacture is a one-off, designed for specific and individual Watch the video at https://youtu.be/eEuIGnhl_4U
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M&E is looking to host a series of roundtable
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Roundtables offer you the • Asset Management
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If your company would like to host a roundtable
sponsor of a topical debate of high and see a write-up published in a future issue of
interest on a key market area at M&E, contact:
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