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 | May 8, 2022 | Plant Operations, RAM Tools & Methods, The Bloch Files
For process pumps that consistently meet high reliability expectations, oil rings are rarely (if ever) the most dependable means of lubricant application. They tend to skip around and even abrade (Fig. 1) unless: the shaft system is truly horizontal. However,...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | May 1, 2022 | Plant Operations, Tech Reviews, The Bloch Files
You will probably have worked with some equipment and component suppliers that saw no reason to offer you upgraded components. Perhaps your seal vendor was among those that were quite happy with the status quo. Such sellers link their growth to numbers of products...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Apr 24, 2022 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
Engineering Procurement and Construction contractors (EPCs) will sometimes ask about literature that discusses practical steps for switching back and forth from preservation to operating modes when using oil mist. Still others will occasionally relay requests from...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Apr 18, 2022 | Asset Management, The Bloch Files, Workforce Issues
Some time ago, a never-before commissioned nuclear plant was about to start up 29 years after it was built. In our editorial capacity with another publication, we received a question from a Reliability Professional at the site who brought up a concern related to the...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Apr 10, 2022 | Asset Management, Professional Development, The Bloch Files
Some liquids are not easy to pump, and ammonia is probably one of them. A number of years ago, a reader contacted us regarding issues he encountered with pumps in ammonia service. A bit of exasperation caused him to write to two colleagues with whom he shared...
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 Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Mar 27, 2022 | Asset Management, Plant Operations, The Bloch Files
“XYZ” (obviously not his real initials), a manager for “MPP,” whose products are process pumps, told me his company was working on the thrust chamber design for their new horizontal pump. I was interested because millions of process pumps would benefit from...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Mar 20, 2022 | Plant Operations, The Bloch Files, Workforce Issues
All the book-learning in the world will fail us if we don’t use common sense. We could also say that we need to think things through and should recognize that intuitive logic can lead us astray. If that sounds like semantic banter, let’s zero in on three practical...
by Heinz Bloch, P.E., Editor | Mar 6, 2022 | RAM Tools & Methods, The Bloch Files
For years, it has been the contention of Reliability Professionals that root cause failure analysis (RCFA) is a skill that must be taught, absorbed, and consistently practiced. We agree with the CEO of a prominent RCFA training company, which, for several decades, has...
