by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | May 22, 2022 | Asset Management, Lubrication Corner, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
Needless to say that there are significant differences between the storing of a home sewing machine and the preserving of a surplus commercial airliner. We remind readers that this article is focusing on the storage-preservation of machines found in modern industry....
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | May 15, 2022 | Asset Management, Lubrication Corner, The Bloch Files
It would be overly optimistic or even a bit naïve to assume that all lubrication-related design decisions made by the equipment manufacturer best serve the end-user’s long-term interests. Understandably, cost competitiveness will have been foremost on the...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Apr 3, 2022 | Lubrication Corner, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
A reader at a refinery sought our advice and we answered. He wrote: “I am working to set up a lube program step here to begin sampling the lube oil we receive from our supplier upon receipt before deploying to field. My question is, from your experience, have...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Feb 20, 2022 | Lubrication Corner, Newsletter Column, Plant Operations
Recently, while conducting an on-line lubrication-training workshop, I received a question that I had never before been asked. Seeming at first, to be self-explanatory, it highlighted an over-used analogy with no direct parallel in maintenance terms and no distinct...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Feb 14, 2022 | Asset Management, Lubrication Corner
This conclusion of a three-part article on “cradle-to-cradle” (C2C) management of a site’s lubricants examines practices that help ensure those products are and remain the best they can be. And, more important, that they provide the highest levels of...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Feb 6, 2022 | Asset Management, Lubrication Corner
Part 1 of this article regarding a cradle-to-cradle approach to lubricant management (Jan. 30, 2022, see link below) laid out a blueprint for understanding and documenting a site’s lubricant current state. This blueprint is used to build a crucial...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Jan 30, 2022 | Asset Management, Lubrication Corner
Lubricants are often thought of as a machine’s lifeblood. If they are to protect machine investment and perform as designed, their needs and end-user requirements must be understood and met with diligence. Getting the most out of your lubricants calls for a...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Jan 15, 2022 | Lubrication Corner, RAM Tools & Methods, The Bloch Files
One of my recent articles (Jan. 10, 2022, see link below) made the case for simplified equipment-failure analysis. We referred to it as the FRETT approach. FRETT stands for Force, Reactive Environment, Time, and Temperature. Its application is best explained using an...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Dec 4, 2021 | Lubrication Corner, Tech Reviews, The Bloch Files
This discussion is a continuation of one that began in a Nov. 27, 2021, article (link below) on the role that oil mist has played in protecting stored equipment for decades. Here, the focus is on a variety of advantages this technology offers in equipment preservation...
by Ken Bannister, MEch (UK), CMRP, MLE, Editor | Nov 28, 2021 | Asset Management, Lubrication Corner
It’s very much a lubrication issue. When two metal surfaces are expected to interact, if they are not to weld to each other due to excess friction, they must be kept apart. That’s accomplished with a suitable film of lubricating oil. Some 50 years...
