Maintworld 4/2016

ASSET MANAGEMENT
HARIS
TROBRADOVIC,
SDT International,
haris@sdt.be
MONITORING ASSET CONDITION cannot
be done effectively with just one CM
technology. Yet how many maintenance
departments rely predominantly on
data from “just vibration” or “just oil
analysis” (as only two examples… there
are surely others)? There are so many
failure modes that threaten asset health
and not every symptom is detectable using
a single method. Some organizations
have a strong vibration programme but
that’s all. Others may see clearly with
infrared thermal imaging but lack a good
oil analysis solution. Their focus must be
broader.
Benefits of Ultrasound
Ultrasound testing presents a solution
to those finding themselves with less
manpower to solve a growing number
problems. First, it’s versatile. So many of
the defects that haunt maintenance personnel
are detectable with ultrasound.
Second, it’s not prohibitively expensive.
Quality equipment requires an investment
on par with, or even lower than
conventional CM technologies. Third,
it’s deployable. Implementing ultrasound
into a reliability department is
painless and fast.
Reliability and Operational
Excellence
Improving Reliability and Operational
Excellence are absolute priorities within
every organization. Ownership by every
person is a must and each must be made
to feel some level of leadership. Then
questions are answered, tasks are completed,
and obstacles tossed aside. Still,
we clearly witness that many reliability
projects fail, or perform at a level far below
expectations.
Reliability Improvement and Operational
Excellence must start with a
revolution and continue as an evolution.
There is no timeframe for continuous
improvement. If there were, we would
improve up until the deadline and then
just revert to old ways again. It would
just be called improvement… without
continuous. Each team member must
accept they are part of the revolution
and it is not going away.
Communication plays a big role. It
is a fact that less than 10 percent of employees
clearly understand companies’
strategies. The purpose for the revolution
must match the organization’s operational
mission and be communicated
from the executive suites to the plant
floor. Some call this “line of site” (CRL,
Uptime Elements). Poor communication
should trigger alarms. Strategies, ideas,
and tasks become blurrier and mystified
as they travel from the top of the pyramid
to the base.
There is a lot of talk about culture
change within an organization these
days. The concept of creating a reliability
culture and creating programmes to
make it happen, leads to more blurriness
and mystification. The real cultural
changes need to start by changing the
way strategy is explained to, and implemented
in, the behavior of employees.
Instead of asking why culture change
is difficult to create, why not search for
the point where the culture to do things
the reliable way was rejected? If the
complexity of knowledge is too great can
we take these ideas that resemble large
blocks and slice them into smaller, more
digestible pieces?
Ultrasound solutions implemented
in concert with organization’s reliability
mission answers this question. This technology
promotes a high level of involvement
across the entire operation and has
the capacity to lead culture change.
Ultrasound is a versatile technology.
Its many uses appeal to departments at
all levels. Its positive impact resonates
through energy efficiency, asset longevity,
product quality, and bottom line. But
being versatile doesn’t mean complexity.
For every ultrasound guru, there are ten
inspectors who need only adopt a small
slice of knowledge for the technology to
have positive impact. Each user receives
training on the applications that improve
reliability in their area. Micro projects
all contribute to macro results.
Ultrasound solves complex machine
issues in a simple way. It detects Friction,
Impacting, and Turbulence, three
phenomena commonly associated with
asset defects. Most Failure Mode assessment
projects (FMEA) point to ultrasound
as a good candidate for condition
monitoring. For some assets, it is the
first line of defense while for others it is
the only line of defense. Does that make
it the best condition monitoring technology?
Far from it. That doesn’t exist. This
is no “better or worse” when it comes
to CM. It all boils down to matching the
technology to the defect. It just happens
that ultrasound matches well to a broad
spectrum of potential failures, either in a
direct or complimentary way.
Where is Ultrasound Useful?
The eight pillars of ultrasound suggest
that it should be employed for:
• Machine condition monitoring
• Acoustic lubrication of bearings
• Leak detection
• Steam trap assessment
• Electrical inspections
• Valves
• Hydraulics
• Tightness testing
Defects related to the eight pillars all
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