by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Jul 26, 2021 | Electrical Reliability, The Sustainable Plant
In the context of this article, the term “smart device” is defined one that is programmed to be capable of some independent action. We also use terms such as big data, cloud, neural networks, artificial or augmented intelligence (AI), virtual reality,...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Jul 18, 2021 | Electrical Reliability, The Sustainable Plant
As usual, you get up early in the morning to go to work, leaving your house about the same time as all your neighbors. As you drive, you begin to notice that you’re catching all green lights on the main thoroughfares, and cross traffic has less time for its...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Jul 11, 2021 | Electrical Reliability, The Sustainable Plant
In the vernacular of smart grids, your facility might already be considered a “microgrid.” One of the concepts that became part of the smart-grid framework we discussed in my July 3, 2021, article (see link below) had to do with the definition of...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Jul 3, 2021 | Electrical Reliability, The Sustainable Plant
Everything seems to be “smart” these days. Phones, cars, refrigerators, you name it. What on Earth, though is a “smart grid?” We really didn’t begin referring to the power grid as “smart” until around 1994, when I was serving as the...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Jun 27, 2021 | Electrical Reliability, The Sustainable Plant
We are moving into an evolving age of “green energy” and “a green economy.” In the process, we’re facing issues on how to integrate legacy systems with new technologies and how to protect them from each other. As noted in several...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Jun 20, 2021 | Electrical Reliability, The Sustainable Plant
I received a number of comments regarding Part 9 (June 11, 2021, see link below) of my series on reliability and maintenance opportunities. Several of of those messages compared the longer life of nuclear or coal-fired power plants to what might be construed as the...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Jun 11, 2021 | Electrical Reliability, RAM Tools & Methods
As discussed in my June 5, 2021, article (Part 8, see link below), taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture can change your perspective greatly. Consider, for example, unsatisfactory equipment operation, including not meeting expected performance;...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Jun 4, 2021 | Electrical Reliability, RAM Tools & Methods
In surveys and studies, as well as actual root-cause analyses (RCA) and troubleshooting activities in plants and facilities, a trend seems to have emerged: focusing on a point of failure or loss and not looking deeper into the system-related issues. Unfortunately,...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | May 29, 2021 | Electrical Systems, Tech Reviews
I recently had the opportunity to review/test the Onics neutral-harmonic filter. The goal was to assess the technology’s impact on energy and reliability. Having investigated the old power-factor “energy savers” and related attempts in the 1990s, I...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | May 22, 2021 | Electrical Reliability, RAM Tools & Methods
In their ground-breaking 1978 report for the U.S. Military titled, “Reliability-Centered Maintenance,” Fred Nowlan and Howard Heap discussed what was to become known as the “P-F Curve,” as well as how to use it to select optimal testing...
