by Jane Alexander, Managing Editor | Feb 28, 2021 | Solution of the Week, Solution Showcase
SKF, Gothenburg, Sweden and Lansdale, PA, has extended its range of tachometers with three new handheld models to optimize machine data collection in production operations. According to the company, the devices monitor conditions such as rotational and linear speed...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Feb 28, 2021 | Newsletter Column, RAM Tools & Methods
Mean time to repair/restore (MTTR) is the maintenance metric that summarizes the historical time taken to make necessary repairs and adjustments to return equipment to its desired operational state. In other words, “Fix it fast, fix it right.” When I ponder the...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, T.A. Cook/Accenture, Editor | Feb 27, 2021 | Safety Matters, The Sustainable Plant
While industrial facilities can have a very positive impact on the communities and economies where they are located, they can also create some risks for the people and ecosystems that are near them. In the past, I’ve written about the importance of creating...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Feb 27, 2021 | Electrical Reliability, Motors & Drives
As noted in Part I of this article series (Feb. 14, 2021, see link below), the purpose of the “U.S. Industrial and Commercial Motor System Market Assessment Report” is to provide information on the current state of electric motor-driven systems in United States...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Feb 27, 2021 | Asset Management, Lubrication Corner
When was the last time you performed an interior physical inspection of your oil-system reservoirs? Is performing a reservoir cleanliness check (interior and exterior) part of a regular preventive maintenance (PM) checklist for all hydraulic,...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Feb 27, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
Articles on “Eliminating Cooling Water from General Purpose Pumps and Drivers” date back to about 1976. The rationale for dispensing with cooling water in the bearing housings of most process pumps was later explained in many books. However, despite the...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Feb 22, 2021 | Newsletter Column, RAM Tools & Methods
I was recently listening to a radio interview of the great Frank Oz. You may recall that Oz is the master puppeteer and voice behind such iconic Muppets and Sesame Street characters as Miss Piggie, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Cookie Monster, Grover, and Bert, as well as Yoda...
by Howard Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP | Feb 21, 2021 | Asset Management, Electrical Reliability, Plant Operations
With the extreme polar vortex dipping south into Texas recently, there’s been plenty of discussion about the reliability of wind turbines in supplying power. The issues raised have ranged from turbine icing to the notion that Texas might have been relying too...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Feb 21, 2021 | Electrical Reliability, The Bloch Files
Unless you’re hiding in a cave, you probably will have heard what happened when severe winter weather hit Texas over the past week (starting Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021). It’s been an unimaginable catastrophe for all 254 counties in the state and the millions of...
by Bob Williamson, CMRP, CPMM, MIAM, Editor | Feb 20, 2021 | Asset Management, Electrical Reliability
Here’s a bit of history to ponder, or for RAM pros of a certain vintage, to vividly recall. “Drive 80 mph and freeze a Yankee,” was a popular bumper sticker in Texas during the 1973 – 1974 energy crisis. I lived in Northern Michigan at the time and...
