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, T.A. Cook/Accenture, 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, T.A. Cook/Accenture, 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, T.A. Cook/Accenture, 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...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | May 1, 2021 | Asset Management, Lubrication Corner
When a lubricant manufacturer decides to update or develop a new lubricant for market, it begins by developing a lubricant specification. Built around a series of industry-defined parameters, performance standards and tests, this specification becomes a lubricant’s...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Apr 28, 2021 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
A standard centrifugal pump will let you down in services handling free-flowing slurries, sludge, and fibrous materials. If used in such applications, a standard centrifugal pump may clog, become vapor-bound, or wear excessively. This is where pumps with fully...
by Drew Troyer, CRE, CMRP, T.A. Cook/Accenture, Editor | Apr 25, 2021 | Asset Management, Newsletter Column, RAM's Human Factor
I suspect that a large majority of readers of The RAM Review’s columns and articles are reliability engineers like me. But I also suspect many may actually be functioning, albeit unknowingly, as “unreliability engineers.” Has unreliability become an...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Apr 22, 2021 | Asset Management, The Bloch Files, Workforce Issues
Most readers would hesitate to disagree with the saying: “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.” I for one, however, don’t believe that all metrics presently used as key performance indicators (KPIs) make sense. As just one example, an oil refinery used...
