by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | Jun 13, 2021 | Asset Management, RAM Tools & Methods
This week, I continue my multi-installment focus on leading metrics that help drive proactive behaviors with a discussion of Overall Lubrication Effectiveness (OLE). It builds upon my May 29, 2021, article for The RAM Review (see link below) on Overall Inspection...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Jun 6, 2021 | Asset Management, Lubrication Corner
If a machine is to provide service life past its warranty stage, its designer must envision and consider all operating conditions under which the machine will operate in the field. For example, to mitigate the effects of severe and semi-severe conditions, the design...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Jun 4, 2021 | Asset Management, Tech Reviews, The Bloch Files
As industrial gas turbines began evolving from aircraft jet engines in the 1950s, the need for high-torque and/or higher-speed-capable flexible couplings became more evident. To keep pace, these shaft connectors were enhanced to achieve greater power...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | May 29, 2021 | Asset Management, RAM Tools & Methods
Here, and for the next six weeks in The RAM Review, I’ll be focusing on leading metrics that help drive proactive behaviors on the plant floor, increase MTBF/MTTF, decrease MTTR, and reduce the variability of those averages. Keep in mind, as I wrote in my May...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | May 28, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
When the bid invitations for a major petrochemical facility were sent to several pump manufacturers some 45 years ago (in 1976), not all bothered to reply. The three that did, though, pointed out that they could not accept warranty responsibilities for the several...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | May 23, 2021 | Asset Management, Newsletter Column, Plant Operations
Humans are funny. One might assume that the big prize of increased profits and safer, more environmentally-responsible operations would motivate enterprises to adopt the practices of high-reliability organizations. That, however, is rarely the case. It turns out that...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | May 22, 2021 | Asset Management, Tech Reviews, The Bloch Files
The main function of reciprocating compressor valves is to control flow in and out of a compressor’s cylinders. Valves are critically important components in that their functional integrity usually governs the availability, reliability, and efficiency of...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | May 15, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, RAM Tools & Methods
In my last article for The RAM Review (May 8, 2021), I focused on the important role metrics play in driving behaviors in a plant (see link below) I want to carry on with that theme this week to discuss mean time between failure (MTBF), mean time to failure (MTTF),...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | May 14, 2021 | Asset Management, RAM Tools & Methods, The Bloch Files
In my April 22, 2021, article for The RAM Review, I wrote about KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), noting that not all of them make sense (see link below). One such example dates back several few years, when I sat down with a competent machinery-reliability...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, Editor | May 8, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, RAM Tools & Methods
We’ve all heard the adage “what gets measured gets done.” To be more precise, however, what gets measured gets rewarded, and what gets rewarded gets done. In the April 18, 2021, issue of The RAM Review, I asked this question: “Are you seeking reliability, yet...
