Operator Maintenence
Operator Maintenence
Operator Maintenence
It is said, "Accidents do not happen, they are caused". The same is true for
equipment breakdowns. They are due to human reasons - negligence,
ignorance, attitude, etc. There is always a human factor behind any
equipment failure. Since breakdowns are caused and do not happen on their
own, they are preventable. Failure investigation may point to various reasons
for failures (Table 1) but the root cause of all failures is human.
Moisture contamination in
Improper care Human reasons
lubrication
While ignorance and lack of skill, etc., can be overcome easily by proper
training, the human attitude and mindset towards equipment failure is
somewhat difficult to surmount. In failure investigations, we try to find the root
cause in components, electronic circuits, etc., but very often we ignore the
human aspect.
Breakdowns will occur unless all the people who are associated with the
equipment change their way of thinking and behavior. Rather than resigning
to an "equipment fails" attitude, we should think: "we will not cause
equipment breakdown." In the present scenario, the operations department is
often unaware of the maintenance activities performed to put the equipment
back in operation. We often see entries such as " Pump broke - repaired" or
"Mechanical seal failure - seal replaced" in operations logbook. Such entries
merely help in maintaining failure statistics but not in failure analysis.
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defective components, reduced output, frequent stoppages, noisy operation,
reduced speed, unsafe conditions, etc.
Performance deterioration due to wear and tear, loss of fit between parts,
low-voltage, poor insulation, leakage, etc is function deteriorating breakdown
or quality deteriorating breakdown. For instance, a dim or flickering of a
fluorescent light is a Function reduction breakdown. It is normal to assign
importance to breakdowns where there is total stoppage of equipment and/or
production loss. Function-disruption/reduction failures that are not given due
attention will soon manifest to equipment stoppage if not acted on.
Breakdowns are only a tip of the iceberg. Hidden defects such as dust, dirt,
sticking, abrasion, looseness, leakage, corrosion, erosion, deformation,
scratches, cracks, temperature, vibrations, noise, etc., are the abnormalities
that lie beneath. Even when such abnormalities are noticed, they are
neglected because of their minor nature or the perception that such defects
are insignificant and will not contribute to breakdown. Our tendency to
overlook such minor defects soon results in minor defects becoming major
defects. It is not uncommon to receive queries from operations staff in
response to a "high vibration report" about how long we can continue running
our equipment in the present condition. Does it call for immediate equipment
stoppage? Various justifications are given for not attending to minor defects
in time such as:
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Rarely does a breakdown occur due to a single major defect. Breakdowns
are caused due to the combined effects of several so-called minor defects.
The interaction of minor defects influences each other and magnifies the
damage. Although the equipment design may incorporate generous safety
factors for bearings and mechanical seas, those components rarely achieve
their design life. This clearly shows that minor defects and the environment
under which a component has to operate can have a profound effect on
component life.
If these minor defects are not removed as soon as they are noticed, the initial
failure damage may be obscured by subsequent damage and root cause not
be known and rectified. In turn, this may lead to repetitive or chronic failures.
It is, therefore, highly important that during failure analysis not to overlook
these minor defects.
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o In a large high-pressure reciprocating pump, after replacing
the gland packings, the vendor specified that the pump
should be run at low rpm and at low pressure for some hours
during the running-in period and then be brought to its rated
rpm and full discharge pressure. This was known by anyone
in the operations group, which has been running the pump
for several years.
o The NPSH and minimum flow required by the pump, etc.,
should be known to the operations and maintenance groups.
Operator Maintenance:
In TPM parlance, operator Maintenance is also known as "self-initiated
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maintenance". When the equipment owner does maintenance, it is known as
"operator maintenance" since operations is considered to be the owner of
equipment, facility, and plant. Such autonomous maintenance has several
benefits (Table 2) and is one major step toward achieving zero breakdowns.
A good system does not allow equipment to wait for Maintenance. Operators
are available round the clock near the equipment so they can continuously
watch for problems while the maintenance staff is usually available only
during the general shift - in their maintenance workshops and not near the
machine. In operator maintenance, the operator provides "First Aid" as soon
as the symptoms are noticed. First aid cannot wait; it must be performed
immediately. This immediacy is required for safety reasons as well. For
instance, nuisance, polluting and noxious leaks have to be attended to
without delay.
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6. Low maintenance, inventory costs and operating costs
7. Reduced manpower requirement
8. Good housekeeping, cleaner plant, more pleasant
atmosphere to work in.
9. Enhanced knowledge and understanding of the equipment
for operator and maintenance staffs.
10. Relaxed working conditions for operations and maintenance
staff. Reduced employee stress and tension.
Some plants have reported a 99% drop in unplanned maintenance. There are
several examples where a vigilant operator saved costly shutdowns; plant
trips; prevented fire hazards; detected hydrocarbon, hydrogen and acid leaks;
overheating; abnormal noise; etc. About 80% of all breakdowns are
immediate resulting from sudden change in conditions. It is here that operator
maintenance can help prevent abrupt failures. Continuous monitoring and
upkeep by operators is essential for high onstream factors. Regular servicing,
preventive maintenance, cleaning, lubrication, adjustments, etc., do not
require many spares. Only catastrophic breakdowns render parts beyond
repair/reuse and consume a lot of spares. With lower spare consumption,
there is no need for over-stocking of inventory.
Also typically, the operation staff hands the equipment to the maintenance
staff and aren't bothered to find out what component failed and what was
done. Even when the operator is free, he will seldom come to the place
where the repairs are made to learn about the assembly. Similarly, the
maintenance staff is also ignorant about the process parameters required by
the equipment, and the function of the equipment. Through operator
maintenance, the skills and technical knowledge of the operation staff and
Maintenance staffs will be greatly enhanced. The Maintenance staff can shift
its approach from replacement of components and concentrate on design
improvements, troubleshooting, etc.
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be implemented in a phased manner. In a unionized existing company,
implementing operator maintenance may result in labor problems. It may be
necessary to reach an agreement with the union and start special incentives
for operator maintenance.
Operational duties
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• Decoupling (excluding large couplings, compressor couplings etc.) of
equipment for maintenance.
• Opening and reinstallation of drain plugs, caps, etc.
• Couplings alignment with straight edges.
• Attending/ arresting leaks of ferrule joints, threaded connections,
plugs, flanges up to 4'-600#. Cutting gaskets from gasket sheets, if
required.
• Replacing small gear lube oil pumps.
• Checking and filling N2 in bladders and accumulators.
• V-belt tension adjustments and replacements.
• Arresting flange joint leaks by tightening.
• Observe equipment repair / overhauling.
• Overall vibration measurement using data collectors, speed
measurement using stroboscope, temperature measurement using
non-contact thermometer, etc.
• Conveyor belt off-centering adjustmen.
• Mechanical Level gauge repairs.
• Fixing of coupling and belt guards.
• Gland tightening/adjustments of reciprocating pumps, and isolation
valves.
• Steam trap maintenance.
• Assist specialized maintenance staff during major repairs.
• Remove control valve tubing, if the control valve is to be removed
from position for maintenance.
• Remove/fix pressure gauges, temperature indicators, etc.
• During shutdowns/turnarounds, assist maintenance in maintenance
work.
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• Import substitution of imported, costly spares, etc.
The Author:
The author presently works for Reliance Petroleum Ltd, Jamnagar, India as
DGM (Maint.) Jamnagar, India. He has also worked in other gas-based in
Fertilizer companies like KRIBHCO, OSWAL AGRO CHEMICALS and TATA
CHEMICALS Ltd. He has over 18 years of experience in Maintenance. He
obtained his Mechanical engineering degree from Sardar Patel University and
his Post graduate diploma in Business and Industrial Management from
South Gujarat University. He has also done special courses in TPM
implementation and TPM at workplace through Japan Institute of Plant
Maintenance Inc. He has authored several articles published in various
national and international technical journals and delivered papers in national
and international conferences. He can be contacted by e-mail:
k_r_iyer@ril.com.