Maintenance Tip: Tracking the Origin of Corrective Maintenance Work
Track the origin of your corrective maintenance work. Proactive organizations with good control of equipment condition find that the majority of their corrective work - work that is needed to remedy a substandard condition - comes from the results of structured preventive and predictive maintenance activities. These are usually reported by the Maintenance organization. Reactive organizations typically wait until there is a noticeable problem or loss of function until a work order is generated. This work is typically reported by Operations.
The best way to get this information is to create separate work types in your CMMS for corrective work from PM and PdM and classify the work accordingly. A simple query of hours by work type will show the source. If you don't have separate codes for this work, however, you can run a query of corrective work orders by requestor. If the requestors of most of the work are from Operations, you know you have a problem!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Leveraging the “Visibility of your IR/T PdM Program” at the Corporate Level: Part 6
Leveraging the “Visibility of your IR/T PdM Program” at the Corporate Level: Part 6
Recognition can equal rewards and more!
Effort = Recognition
A great deal of time and effort is spent in becoming an expert at thermography. Now take those efforts and make them “visible”, not just with great thermal images. Take the trend data from the inspections and make it available for everyone in the organization to see. Data such as the type seen in the graph below can provide valuable evidence to support the efforts and further illustrate program effectiveness as it is showing positive business results. There are a number of ways to present the value-add benefits which are not limited to this one graph. The power of this graph, is that it shows, not only how many problems were found at each plant, but also how the continued improvement in the thermography program contributed to fewer problems found each subsequent year the thermography program continued.
Working From the TOP, Where You Want to Be
When approaching the corporate decision-makers in the organization, they view what a thermographer does and what is accomplished from a much different view point. Their view of these efforts is rooted from an economic standpoint. Again, not typically what might be expected. As a thermographer, you are accustomed to dealing with the replacement value or economic impact of the problem, but how does that contribute to the corporate “bottom line”? The corporate level is more interested in Return on Asset (ROA), Return on Investment (ROI), maximum equipment availability, regulatory compliance, minimum maintenance spend, reduced maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) inventory, risk mitigation, alignment to corporate goals and objectives and alignment to maintenance objectives with ALL key plant functions. Learning to speak in financial benefits language will help allow corporate leaders to buy into thermography and apply that technology to drive Reliability throughout the organization.
Typically, corporate managers will be interested in the potential ROI of a program. The benchmarking data points below provide some interesting opportunities for analyzing this ROI. For instance, the illustrations below highlight maintenance savings for the paper industry. While the paper industry as a whole, credits thermography with only an 8% credit for ROI, imagine the improved results if management was aware of the entire value of a thermography program throughout the organization. It is the technicians’ job to make them aware and “sell it”. What the CEO and managers are truly interested in,
of course, is what are the potential savings.
Here is one more example to look at from the steel industry. Note the increase in technology credit for thermography.
Top performers maintain asset Reliability based on statistical criticality, usage and network analysis. Benchmarking shows the large difference between top quartile performers and the rest of competitive organizations. For example, top quartile steel manufactures will utilize thermography on approximately 80% of their mechanical equipment and 100% of their electrical equipment; fourth quartile performers utilize thermography on 0% mechanical equipment and 55% (or less) electrical equipment. This is typical across the market vertical. Some quick calculations can easily provide a business case for taking steps to move from one level to another. This benchmarking also proves how important a coordinated approach to improving enterprise asset Reliability is to achieving the results top performers have achieved. Maintaining equilibrium in all asset management practices is critical to success.
The illustration below is presented to show why managers of the organization look at Reliability and PdM programs the way they do, including thermography, from a financial viewpoint. This is an example of how even a small change in the reliable operation of a facility can have a dramatic impact on the overall financial performance of the organization. It is from a financial standpoint that corporate decision-makers review and evaluate every aspect of the thermography and PdM programs.
In conclusion, the visibility of a thermography program effort is paramount to each and every effort in the Reliability initiative. However, it is not just the thermal images from an infrared camera that tell the entire story. It is the visibility of the thermography program throughout the entire process and how it is ultimately sold throughout the organization and presented to the corporate decision-makers that will drive the overall success of Reliability initiatives. As thermographers, it is important not to get caught up in the quality and message of the thermal image because the thermal image is only part of the visibility of the thermography program.
Building standardized foundational data, starting with a master equipment list (MEL) and incorporating this MEL into an enterprise asset management configuration for use within the Planning and Scheduling efforts is the linkage to successful Reliability initiatives. Once these systems and tools are implemented, they bring together all of the thermal images, report data and inspection information to build and create a complete Reliability program. Finally increased awareness, program value, and organizational buy-in is encouraged and achievable by communicating across all levels of the organization. This includes communicating to management and understanding how corporate managers equate efforts in financial language. Thermography can assist in driving successful Reliability programs from the plant floor to the corporate suite when properly leveraged.
Recognition can equal rewards and more!
Effort = Recognition
A great deal of time and effort is spent in becoming an expert at thermography. Now take those efforts and make them “visible”, not just with great thermal images. Take the trend data from the inspections and make it available for everyone in the organization to see. Data such as the type seen in the graph below can provide valuable evidence to support the efforts and further illustrate program effectiveness as it is showing positive business results. There are a number of ways to present the value-add benefits which are not limited to this one graph. The power of this graph, is that it shows, not only how many problems were found at each plant, but also how the continued improvement in the thermography program contributed to fewer problems found each subsequent year the thermography program continued.
Working From the TOP, Where You Want to Be
When approaching the corporate decision-makers in the organization, they view what a thermographer does and what is accomplished from a much different view point. Their view of these efforts is rooted from an economic standpoint. Again, not typically what might be expected. As a thermographer, you are accustomed to dealing with the replacement value or economic impact of the problem, but how does that contribute to the corporate “bottom line”? The corporate level is more interested in Return on Asset (ROA), Return on Investment (ROI), maximum equipment availability, regulatory compliance, minimum maintenance spend, reduced maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) inventory, risk mitigation, alignment to corporate goals and objectives and alignment to maintenance objectives with ALL key plant functions. Learning to speak in financial benefits language will help allow corporate leaders to buy into thermography and apply that technology to drive Reliability throughout the organization.
Typically, corporate managers will be interested in the potential ROI of a program. The benchmarking data points below provide some interesting opportunities for analyzing this ROI. For instance, the illustrations below highlight maintenance savings for the paper industry. While the paper industry as a whole, credits thermography with only an 8% credit for ROI, imagine the improved results if management was aware of the entire value of a thermography program throughout the organization. It is the technicians’ job to make them aware and “sell it”. What the CEO and managers are truly interested in,
of course, is what are the potential savings.
Here is one more example to look at from the steel industry. Note the increase in technology credit for thermography.
Top performers maintain asset Reliability based on statistical criticality, usage and network analysis. Benchmarking shows the large difference between top quartile performers and the rest of competitive organizations. For example, top quartile steel manufactures will utilize thermography on approximately 80% of their mechanical equipment and 100% of their electrical equipment; fourth quartile performers utilize thermography on 0% mechanical equipment and 55% (or less) electrical equipment. This is typical across the market vertical. Some quick calculations can easily provide a business case for taking steps to move from one level to another. This benchmarking also proves how important a coordinated approach to improving enterprise asset Reliability is to achieving the results top performers have achieved. Maintaining equilibrium in all asset management practices is critical to success.
The illustration below is presented to show why managers of the organization look at Reliability and PdM programs the way they do, including thermography, from a financial viewpoint. This is an example of how even a small change in the reliable operation of a facility can have a dramatic impact on the overall financial performance of the organization. It is from a financial standpoint that corporate decision-makers review and evaluate every aspect of the thermography and PdM programs.
In conclusion, the visibility of a thermography program effort is paramount to each and every effort in the Reliability initiative. However, it is not just the thermal images from an infrared camera that tell the entire story. It is the visibility of the thermography program throughout the entire process and how it is ultimately sold throughout the organization and presented to the corporate decision-makers that will drive the overall success of Reliability initiatives. As thermographers, it is important not to get caught up in the quality and message of the thermal image because the thermal image is only part of the visibility of the thermography program.
Building standardized foundational data, starting with a master equipment list (MEL) and incorporating this MEL into an enterprise asset management configuration for use within the Planning and Scheduling efforts is the linkage to successful Reliability initiatives. Once these systems and tools are implemented, they bring together all of the thermal images, report data and inspection information to build and create a complete Reliability program. Finally increased awareness, program value, and organizational buy-in is encouraged and achievable by communicating across all levels of the organization. This includes communicating to management and understanding how corporate managers equate efforts in financial language. Thermography can assist in driving successful Reliability programs from the plant floor to the corporate suite when properly leveraged.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Leveraging the “Visibility of your IR/T PdM Program” at the Corporate Level: Part 5
Leveraging the “Visibility of your IR/T PdM Program” at the Corporate Level: Part 5
Planning and Scheduling
Within the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) component of the EAM is where the Planning and Scheduling for the organization begins. Effective Planning and Scheduling is another contributor to the successful thermography program. An organized planning & scheduling process makes a significant difference for organizations looking to improve operating efficiency, thus impacting the bottom line through improved process efficiencies. Planning and Scheduling is one of the foundational bricks that is held in place by the PdM cornerstone and thermography contributes significantly to the program’s success through the interpretation of the temperature related data contained within the thermal image.
Data Is Not Static and Its Integrity Affects Business Performance
Technicians must ensure that all data and reports are in a standardized process function in order to facilitate an EAM focused approach to Reliability vs. a reactive maintenance management approach.
“Many companies simply think business intelligence tools will solve all their problems without thinking about the quality of the data the tools will draw upon.”
The average middle manager spends about 2hrs a day looking for data they need, according to a study by Accenture. “Managers have too much information, do too little sharing,” says Study.
Many corporations will make large initial investments in starting a PdM program, including: Infrared cameras, vibration data collection machines, other PdM technology tools, training, and more. What happens after the jump start of these programs is, unfortunately, significantly less impressive than their initial intent. Without having quality foundational data as the bedrock to grow the program, the initial enthusiasm of any PdM or thermography program will soon falter.
Reliability Programs should be “Owned” by All
It is as important to have a channel of communication within the maintenance and operations groups as it is across all other departments in an organization. Clarity is certainly a component as well as illustrating the benefits of new technologies by applying them to specific tasks. By showing everyone the performance gains and “what’s in it for me” the grumbling of those in doubt of the value demonstrated by new technology will remain at a minimum. Once a technician crosses this bridge, they will find them self in the enviable position of being looked at as a true helping hand. Technical experts need to understand that the new technologies, information and methods have a tendency to intimidate long time employees of an organization. Many plant personnel may consider the newly introduced technology a threat to the work habits that have developed over the years.
The key to this communication is the sharing of as much information with everyone who will be involved with, or affected by, the introduction of the new technology. Take them along on the inspections. Teach them about the technology. Let them have a view through the infrared camera so it is not a mystery. Make sure to follow-up on the information that is provided. Even if the reports created don’t directly involve them, include all departments that may benefit from the implementation of the new technology, i.e. Planning and Scheduling. Follow-up with them and ensure that the reports are physically available in the field for the repair. Often, it is assumed that the reports are being viewed by the end user, the skilled repair craft, only to find out too late, they didn’t even see what it was they were trying to repair. Remember, visibility is the ultimate bonus in everything a thermographer produces. Almost every other PdM technology involves numbers, graphs or data in some form other than a picture. As a thermographer, the thermal image tells the story. It is significantly easier for a craft person to “see” where the problem is with a thermal image. Make certain they are, in fact, seeing those thermal images.
Planning and Scheduling
Within the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) component of the EAM is where the Planning and Scheduling for the organization begins. Effective Planning and Scheduling is another contributor to the successful thermography program. An organized planning & scheduling process makes a significant difference for organizations looking to improve operating efficiency, thus impacting the bottom line through improved process efficiencies. Planning and Scheduling is one of the foundational bricks that is held in place by the PdM cornerstone and thermography contributes significantly to the program’s success through the interpretation of the temperature related data contained within the thermal image.
Data Is Not Static and Its Integrity Affects Business Performance
Technicians must ensure that all data and reports are in a standardized process function in order to facilitate an EAM focused approach to Reliability vs. a reactive maintenance management approach.
“Many companies simply think business intelligence tools will solve all their problems without thinking about the quality of the data the tools will draw upon.”
The average middle manager spends about 2hrs a day looking for data they need, according to a study by Accenture. “Managers have too much information, do too little sharing,” says Study.
Many corporations will make large initial investments in starting a PdM program, including: Infrared cameras, vibration data collection machines, other PdM technology tools, training, and more. What happens after the jump start of these programs is, unfortunately, significantly less impressive than their initial intent. Without having quality foundational data as the bedrock to grow the program, the initial enthusiasm of any PdM or thermography program will soon falter.
Reliability Programs should be “Owned” by All
It is as important to have a channel of communication within the maintenance and operations groups as it is across all other departments in an organization. Clarity is certainly a component as well as illustrating the benefits of new technologies by applying them to specific tasks. By showing everyone the performance gains and “what’s in it for me” the grumbling of those in doubt of the value demonstrated by new technology will remain at a minimum. Once a technician crosses this bridge, they will find them self in the enviable position of being looked at as a true helping hand. Technical experts need to understand that the new technologies, information and methods have a tendency to intimidate long time employees of an organization. Many plant personnel may consider the newly introduced technology a threat to the work habits that have developed over the years.
The key to this communication is the sharing of as much information with everyone who will be involved with, or affected by, the introduction of the new technology. Take them along on the inspections. Teach them about the technology. Let them have a view through the infrared camera so it is not a mystery. Make sure to follow-up on the information that is provided. Even if the reports created don’t directly involve them, include all departments that may benefit from the implementation of the new technology, i.e. Planning and Scheduling. Follow-up with them and ensure that the reports are physically available in the field for the repair. Often, it is assumed that the reports are being viewed by the end user, the skilled repair craft, only to find out too late, they didn’t even see what it was they were trying to repair. Remember, visibility is the ultimate bonus in everything a thermographer produces. Almost every other PdM technology involves numbers, graphs or data in some form other than a picture. As a thermographer, the thermal image tells the story. It is significantly easier for a craft person to “see” where the problem is with a thermal image. Make certain they are, in fact, seeing those thermal images.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Leveraging the “Visibility of your IR/T PdM Program” at the Corporate Level: Part 4
Leveraging the “Visibility of your IR/T PdM Program” at the Corporate Level: Part 4
Above is a graphical depiction of a MEL. Note, data starts with the Class and Subclass of every asset in a facility. Following the blue highlighted area, this listing will start with class=bearing, then subclass=ball, then attribute=type and then value=precision ground. The minimum would be four levels within the MEL. There are many variations that would make up the MEL, the graphic is only a single example of one such asset. Also this MEL is made up of all of the individual components of an asset and will serve as the base for the Bill of Materials.
Once an accurate MEL is built, the remainder of the technicians data work is in building the route list. Above is an example of a tree leading to the route based location of individual components on an inspection route. Note: Bldg 1, lower level, MCC and the equipment name is similar in nature to the MEL described above. This tree can and should be linked to the MEL which will then feed directly into the EAM/CMMS and therefore, feed directly into the Planning and Scheduling areas of a facility. Below is another example of how this tree list might appear in a graphic user interface (GUI) on a route based data collection device.
Enterprise Asset Management (EAM)
Definition: The whole life optimal management of the physical assets of an organization to maximize value. It covers such things as the design, construction, commissioning, operations, maintenance and decommissioning/replacement of plant, equipment and facilities. "Enterprise" refers to the management of the assets across departments, locations, facilities and, in some cases, business units. By managing assets across facilities, organizations can improve their utilization and performance, reduce capital costs, reduce asset-related operating costs, extend asset life and they may subsequently improve ROA (return on assets).
Asset intensive industries face the harsh realities of operating in highly competitive markets and deal with high value facilities and equipment where each failure is disruptive and costly. At the same time, they must also adhere to stringent occupational safety, health and environmental regulations. Maintaining optimal availability, Reliability and operational safety of plant, equipment, and other assets, is therefore, essential for an organization's competitiveness.
The functions of asset management are taking a fundamental turn where organizations are moving from historical reactive (run-to-failure) models and beginning to embrace whole life planning, life cycle costing, planned and proactive maintenance and other industry best practices. However, some companies still consider physical asset management as another term referring to maintenance management. Once these organizations realize the enterprise-wide impact and interdependencies with operations, design, asset performance, personnel productivity and lifecycle costs, will this shift in focus progression from maintenance management to Enterprise Asset Management.
EAM/CMMS, forms the enterprise system and corporate philosophical base by which maintenance Planning and Scheduling, parts order and replacement etc… may be managed and optimized, it is the life and blood of a proactive maintenance driven organization. It also provides a centralized source for standardized information.
Above is a graphical depiction of a MEL. Note, data starts with the Class and Subclass of every asset in a facility. Following the blue highlighted area, this listing will start with class=bearing, then subclass=ball, then attribute=type and then value=precision ground. The minimum would be four levels within the MEL. There are many variations that would make up the MEL, the graphic is only a single example of one such asset. Also this MEL is made up of all of the individual components of an asset and will serve as the base for the Bill of Materials.
Once an accurate MEL is built, the remainder of the technicians data work is in building the route list. Above is an example of a tree leading to the route based location of individual components on an inspection route. Note: Bldg 1, lower level, MCC and the equipment name is similar in nature to the MEL described above. This tree can and should be linked to the MEL which will then feed directly into the EAM/CMMS and therefore, feed directly into the Planning and Scheduling areas of a facility. Below is another example of how this tree list might appear in a graphic user interface (GUI) on a route based data collection device.
Enterprise Asset Management (EAM)
Definition: The whole life optimal management of the physical assets of an organization to maximize value. It covers such things as the design, construction, commissioning, operations, maintenance and decommissioning/replacement of plant, equipment and facilities. "Enterprise" refers to the management of the assets across departments, locations, facilities and, in some cases, business units. By managing assets across facilities, organizations can improve their utilization and performance, reduce capital costs, reduce asset-related operating costs, extend asset life and they may subsequently improve ROA (return on assets).
Asset intensive industries face the harsh realities of operating in highly competitive markets and deal with high value facilities and equipment where each failure is disruptive and costly. At the same time, they must also adhere to stringent occupational safety, health and environmental regulations. Maintaining optimal availability, Reliability and operational safety of plant, equipment, and other assets, is therefore, essential for an organization's competitiveness.
The functions of asset management are taking a fundamental turn where organizations are moving from historical reactive (run-to-failure) models and beginning to embrace whole life planning, life cycle costing, planned and proactive maintenance and other industry best practices. However, some companies still consider physical asset management as another term referring to maintenance management. Once these organizations realize the enterprise-wide impact and interdependencies with operations, design, asset performance, personnel productivity and lifecycle costs, will this shift in focus progression from maintenance management to Enterprise Asset Management.
EAM/CMMS, forms the enterprise system and corporate philosophical base by which maintenance Planning and Scheduling, parts order and replacement etc… may be managed and optimized, it is the life and blood of a proactive maintenance driven organization. It also provides a centralized source for standardized information.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Leveraging the “Visibility of your IR/T PdM Program” at the Corporate Level: Part 3
Leveraging the “Visibility of your IR/T PdM Program” at the Corporate Level: Part 3
Turning Data into “Reliability Information”
Thermographers spend countless hours capturing thermal images, analyzing thermal images, creating and producing reports, tracing results of work completed and communicating. Translating the benefits of thermography across all areas of the organization will instill “buy-in” across functional departments. The explanation of program effectiveness and how it contributes to improved business performance and bottom line results will become the “Wow” factor.
Defining the Master Equipment List
An accurate Master Equipment List (MEL), describing all physical equipment and their functions, will become the cornerstone for developing a sound Reliability program and streamlining daily maintenance processes.
The completed MEL will:
Turning Data into “Reliability Information”
Thermographers spend countless hours capturing thermal images, analyzing thermal images, creating and producing reports, tracing results of work completed and communicating. Translating the benefits of thermography across all areas of the organization will instill “buy-in” across functional departments. The explanation of program effectiveness and how it contributes to improved business performance and bottom line results will become the “Wow” factor.
Defining the Master Equipment List
An accurate Master Equipment List (MEL), describing all physical equipment and their functions, will become the cornerstone for developing a sound Reliability program and streamlining daily maintenance processes.
The completed MEL will:
- Aid in critical decisions and strategies, facilitate correct cost roll-ups in the EAM/CMMS or ERP software, and improve the usefulness of historical maintenance data.
- Introduce efficiencies into the daily planning activities and speed the maintenance strategy and Bill of Material (BOM) development effort by making it easy to locate equipment and to identify duplicate or similar equipment.
- Provide the ability to easily identify all of the in-service equipment a spare part can be used on when couple with BOMs. This crucial information will allow for informed decisions when establishing spare part stocking levels or removing unnecessary parts from inventory.
- Assist the maintenance department planners and technicians in establishing standardized procedures to be used in maintaining equipment. Because duplicate and similar equipment can be identified, procedures can be copied to all applicable equipment. The copied procedures are then useable with only minor changes needed to meet specific equipment requirements.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Leveraging the “Visibility of your IR/T PdM Program” at the Corporate Level: Part 2
Leveraging the “Visibility of your IR/T PdM Program” at the Corporate Level: Part 2
Including Thermography within a Reliability Program
We should appreciate that Reliability may be defined in several ways:
Reliability is the idea that something, an asset, a process or a component, is fit to perform its function at a given time; that is, it will remain in operation without a functional failure for the duration of a specified period in which it is required to perform said function.
Reliability may be the capacity of a device or system to perform as designed; therefore, if a given pump is designed to pump 100 GPM, it continues to do so at that design capacity within the specified period.
Reliability is the resistance to failure of a device or system; therefore, the described asset, process or component has a quantified resistive failure factor. This could include aspects of the physical strength of the component, horse power, insulation factor for a motor, or size and wall thickness for pipes.
Reliability is the ability of a device or system to perform a required function, under stated conditions, for a specified period of time and the probability that a functional unit will perform its required function for a specified interval under stated conditions.
Reliability engineers rely heavily on statistics, probability theory, and Reliability theory. Many engineering techniques are used in Reliability engineering, such as Reliability prediction, Weibull analysis, thermal management, Reliability testing and accelerated life testing. Because of the large number of Reliability techniques, their relative expense, and the varying degrees of Reliability required for different situations, most projects develop a specific Reliability program to be performed on an intended system.
The function of reliability engineering is to develop the reliability requirements for the equipment, output, or system. A Reliability Engineer establishes adequate reliability programs, by performing appropriate analyses and tasks to ensure the equipment, output or system will meet its requirements. Reliability engineering is closely associated with maintainability engineering and logistics engineering. As you can see by this description of Reliability engineering, the thermography component of your PdM program aligns with a number of areas within the overall Reliability objectives of your organization.
The thermogram, Example A, below provides a technician with a significant amount of information. The second set of standard photographs, Examples B and C, gives the operations department of a facility even more information. However, this thermal image and the photographs alone do not tell the whole story. How and where this information fits into your Reliability program should be considered in order to align this information with all other thermographic and PdM data that will be reviewed and analyzed as part of your overall Reliability program. Once the data and information is integrated, translated, analyzed and the results applied will it become meaningful and valuable to, not only the Reliability initiative(s), but across the entire organization.
Example A: Thermal image of a hot spot located on the back wall of a power generation boiler.
Example B: Standard photo matching above thermal image after burn through of hot spot
Example C: Close up standard photo showing actual burn through area seen in thermal image
Including Thermography within a Reliability Program
We should appreciate that Reliability may be defined in several ways:
Reliability is the idea that something, an asset, a process or a component, is fit to perform its function at a given time; that is, it will remain in operation without a functional failure for the duration of a specified period in which it is required to perform said function.
Reliability may be the capacity of a device or system to perform as designed; therefore, if a given pump is designed to pump 100 GPM, it continues to do so at that design capacity within the specified period.
Reliability is the resistance to failure of a device or system; therefore, the described asset, process or component has a quantified resistive failure factor. This could include aspects of the physical strength of the component, horse power, insulation factor for a motor, or size and wall thickness for pipes.
Reliability is the ability of a device or system to perform a required function, under stated conditions, for a specified period of time and the probability that a functional unit will perform its required function for a specified interval under stated conditions.
Reliability engineers rely heavily on statistics, probability theory, and Reliability theory. Many engineering techniques are used in Reliability engineering, such as Reliability prediction, Weibull analysis, thermal management, Reliability testing and accelerated life testing. Because of the large number of Reliability techniques, their relative expense, and the varying degrees of Reliability required for different situations, most projects develop a specific Reliability program to be performed on an intended system.
The function of reliability engineering is to develop the reliability requirements for the equipment, output, or system. A Reliability Engineer establishes adequate reliability programs, by performing appropriate analyses and tasks to ensure the equipment, output or system will meet its requirements. Reliability engineering is closely associated with maintainability engineering and logistics engineering. As you can see by this description of Reliability engineering, the thermography component of your PdM program aligns with a number of areas within the overall Reliability objectives of your organization.
The thermogram, Example A, below provides a technician with a significant amount of information. The second set of standard photographs, Examples B and C, gives the operations department of a facility even more information. However, this thermal image and the photographs alone do not tell the whole story. How and where this information fits into your Reliability program should be considered in order to align this information with all other thermographic and PdM data that will be reviewed and analyzed as part of your overall Reliability program. Once the data and information is integrated, translated, analyzed and the results applied will it become meaningful and valuable to, not only the Reliability initiative(s), but across the entire organization.
Example A: Thermal image of a hot spot located on the back wall of a power generation boiler.
Example B: Standard photo matching above thermal image after burn through of hot spot
Example C: Close up standard photo showing actual burn through area seen in thermal image
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Leveraging the “Visibility of your IR/T PdM Program” at the Corporate Level
Leveraging the “Visibility of your IR/T PdM Program” at the Corporate Level
Introduction
Thermography is one of, if not THE, most visible technology within your predictive maintenance program (PdM).
Reliability initiatives and successful Reliability implementations are of great interest to all industries and therefore seek to capitalize on the benefits of the Predictive Maintenance and Reliability programs within these industries. Whether you are involved in the actual data acquisition or in managing the Reliability initiative or PdM program, the intent of this presentation is to give you some ideas and methods by which you may be able to capitalize on the visible benefits of the thermography component, within your PdM program. Thermography may act as, or become a change agent within your organization. Capitalizing on the WOW factor and presenting the business benefits and maintenance values to the corporate decision-makers is where “buy in” to thermography programs begin and from where the entire organization will “buy into” a truly reliable operation of your facility driven from the top down.
We are all aware that thermographic inspections can find all variants of anomalies, anything from the visibly obvious to the very subtle issues - i.e., how a problem on a PCB may trip a 200 Megawatt Generation system. Yet more often than not, the information that a Thermographer produces travels, at most, no further than the Planning and Scheduling department followed by the crafts people who are tasked with the repair. Many times, maintenance personnel are not only pleased, but surprised, when they actually receive an infrared image attached to the work order. Why the pleasure…or surprise? It’s simply because an infrared image is one of the best ways to “see” a temperature related problem that has been located. It is the ONLY PdM technology that provides pictures along with other key data. Pictures, as we know, are worth a thousand words and help illustrate the importance of thermography and its applicable methods to ensure successful and scalable Reliability initiatives throughout your organization.
In order to fully understand the integration of thermography into a Reliability program, we must first become familiar with the other components involved in a Reliability program. Although the actual thermal image is the most critical aspect of the thermography portion of the program, this thermal image is integrated with data. Data forms the foundation for all Reliability components and how they are managed; the Enterprise Asset Management Systems and Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (EAM/CMMS), and the Master Equipment List (MEL), to name but a few, all feed into the Planning and Scheduling efforts.
Introduction
Thermography is one of, if not THE, most visible technology within your predictive maintenance program (PdM).
Reliability initiatives and successful Reliability implementations are of great interest to all industries and therefore seek to capitalize on the benefits of the Predictive Maintenance and Reliability programs within these industries. Whether you are involved in the actual data acquisition or in managing the Reliability initiative or PdM program, the intent of this presentation is to give you some ideas and methods by which you may be able to capitalize on the visible benefits of the thermography component, within your PdM program. Thermography may act as, or become a change agent within your organization. Capitalizing on the WOW factor and presenting the business benefits and maintenance values to the corporate decision-makers is where “buy in” to thermography programs begin and from where the entire organization will “buy into” a truly reliable operation of your facility driven from the top down.
We are all aware that thermographic inspections can find all variants of anomalies, anything from the visibly obvious to the very subtle issues - i.e., how a problem on a PCB may trip a 200 Megawatt Generation system. Yet more often than not, the information that a Thermographer produces travels, at most, no further than the Planning and Scheduling department followed by the crafts people who are tasked with the repair. Many times, maintenance personnel are not only pleased, but surprised, when they actually receive an infrared image attached to the work order. Why the pleasure…or surprise? It’s simply because an infrared image is one of the best ways to “see” a temperature related problem that has been located. It is the ONLY PdM technology that provides pictures along with other key data. Pictures, as we know, are worth a thousand words and help illustrate the importance of thermography and its applicable methods to ensure successful and scalable Reliability initiatives throughout your organization.
In order to fully understand the integration of thermography into a Reliability program, we must first become familiar with the other components involved in a Reliability program. Although the actual thermal image is the most critical aspect of the thermography portion of the program, this thermal image is integrated with data. Data forms the foundation for all Reliability components and how they are managed; the Enterprise Asset Management Systems and Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (EAM/CMMS), and the Master Equipment List (MEL), to name but a few, all feed into the Planning and Scheduling efforts.
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