Regular Equipment Maintenance

Monitoring by Electromechanical Instrumentation. According to basic engineering principles, no process can be conducted safely and effectively unless instantaneous information is available about its conditions. AH sterilizers are equipped with gauges, sensors (qv), and timers for the measurement of the various critical process parameters. More and more sterilizers are equipped with computerized control to eliminate the possibiUty of human error. However, electromechanical instmmentation is subject to random breakdowns or drifts from caUbrated settings and requires regular preventive maintenance procedures. 

Good equipment maintenance is important for safe, efficient operations. Equipment should be inspected and maintained regularly. Servicing schedules should be related to expected usage and the reliability of the equipment. Equipment awaiting repair or maintenance should be removed from service. 

All parts of society must regularly confront the problem of "optimally" managing abiotic materials. A factory manager s choice of equipment maintenance activities, a homeowner s choice of exterior trim for his house, and an architect s choice of artwork for a public square can all be cast as problems of materials management. Materials can then be regarded as components of processes that produce desired outputs and services which may be enhanced by some human activities (e.g., devoting labor to cleaning) and hindered by others (e.g., atmospheric pollution). 

Catalyst systems are complex in themselves, requiring complex control technology and skilled use of expensive equipment to ensure their continued effectiveness, care in fuel and vehicle use, and regular skilled maintenance, which may be beyond the capability of the third and fourth owners. 

Good equipment maintenance is essential for safe and efficient operations. Laboratory equipment should be inspected and maintained regularly and serviced on schedules that are based on both the likelihood of and the hazards from failure. Maintenance plans should ensure that any lockout procedures cannot be violated. 

Electric shock is the major electrical hazard. A relatively low current of 10 iruUiamperes (mA) poses some danger, and 80 to 100 mA can be fatal. In addition, if improperly used, electrical equipment can serve as an ignition source for flammable or explosive vapors. Most of the risks involved can be minimiz by regular, proper maintenance and a clear understanding of the correct use of the device. 

In spite of care in its operation, regular preventive maintenance, and keeping a high standard of cleanliness, chemical plant may still develop faults—but only after giving reliable service for long periods. When faults do arise, it is imperative that the operator reports them to his supervisor or the maintenance staff immediately. Delay may result in serious damage to equipment and risk to his safety and that of others. 

During implementation, there is a need to check fire protection and extinguishing systems and equipment. Some components require regular testing, maintenance, and inspections. For example, hydrants require testing for water pressure and flow. Extinguishers, alarm systems, and sensors require inspection and testing. 

There are many methods to fit empirical failure data to a probability distribution function. That distribution is typically also used in the predictions, i.e. the variation in empirical data represents the uncertainty in the prediction. However, with little data, the exercise of fitting them to a distribution is difficult. With e.g. only two failure records at times tj and tj, there can be no good fit. For equipment in the oil and gas industry with regular preventive maintenance, it is common to assume that the time until a failure follows the simple one-parameter exponential distribution. That way, all which is needed is finding the A, parameter by dividing the number of failures by total surveillance time. 

Each contractor shall plan for short term and long term equipment maintenance, regular equipment inspections and operators equipment-specific training. 

In the three-color system, if there are no repairs or adjustments needed, the white copy is filed within the equipment s home department. The yellow copy is filed with maintenance and possibly collected during regular preventive maintenance checks. The pink copy stays in the book. 

There can be an element of maintenance costs that is fixed and an element which is variable. Fixed maintenance costs cover routine maintenance such as regular maintenance on safety valves which must be carried out irrespective of the rate of production. There also can be an element of maintenance costs which is variable. This arises from the fact that certain items of equipment can need more maintenance as the production rate increases. Also, royalties which cover the cost of purchasing another company s process technology may have different bases. Royalties may be a variable cost, since they can sometimes be paid in proportion to the rate of production. Alternatively, the royalty might be a single-sum payment at the beginning of the project. In this case, the single-sum payment will become part of the project s capital investment. As such, it will be included in the annual capital repayment, and this becomes part of the fixed cost. 

If maintenance is performed, there are two principal maintenance strategies preventive and breakdown maintenance. These are not mutually exclusive, and may be combined even in the same piece of equipment. Take for example a private motor car. The owner performs a mixture of preventive maintenance (by adding lubricating oil, topping up the battery fluid, hydraulic fluid and coolant) with breakdown maintenance (e.g. only replacing the starter motor when it fails, rather than at regular intervals). 

For many years the usual procedure in plant design was to identify the hazards, by one of the systematic techniques described later or by waiting until an accident occurred, and then add on protec tive equipment to control future accidents or protect people from their consequences. This protective equipment is often complex and expensive and requires regular testing and maintenance. It often interferes with the smooth operation of the plant and is sometimes bypassed. Gradually the industry came to resize that, whenever possible, one should design user-friendly plants which can withstand human error and equipment failure without serious effects on safety (and output and emciency). When we handle flammable, explosive, toxic, or corrosive materials we can tolerate only very low failure rates, of people and equipment—rates which it may be impossible or impracticable to achieve consistently for long periods of time. 

The selection of materials to be used in design dictates a basic understanding of the behavior of materials and the principles that govern such behavior. If proper design of suitable materials of construction is incorporated, the eqiiipment should deteriorate at a uniform and anticipated gradual rate, which will allow scheduled maintenance or replacement at regular inteivals. If localized forms of corrosion are characteristic of the combination of materials and environment, the materials engineer should still be able to predict the probable life of equipment, or devise an appropriate inspection schedule to preclude unexpected failures. The concepts of predictive, or at least preventive, maintenance are minimum requirements to proper materials selection. This approach to maintenance is certainly intended to minimize the possibility of unscheduled production shutdowns because of corrosion failures, with their attendant possible financial losses, hazard to personnel and equipment, and resultant environmental pollution. 

Electrical equipment Regular inspection and maintenance by qualified electricians Prohibition of makeshift installations... 

Drain valves that are used only occasionally to empty equipment for maintenance should be blanked when not in use. Regular surveys should be made to see that the blanks are in position. On one plant, a survey after a turnaround showed that 50 blanks were loose, each hanging on one bolt. 

Equipment should be purchased from reputable manufacturers. They should be located at clearly defined fire points. All equipment should be recharged after it has been used. Manufacturers instructions for maintenance and recharging must be followed closely. Regular inspection and maintenance of all firefighting equipment is essential, otherwise it is liable to deteriorate and prove unserviceable when needed. 

Combustion equipment can be set to give optimum efficiency at the time of commissioning but this condition will not be maintained. Wear and tear on control valves, partial blockage of filters, sooting of surfaces, etc. will all cause a fall in efficiency. To counter this, regular maintenance is desirable, and must include routine flue analysis and burner adjustment. 

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