PLANT SERVICES • January 2012 Vibration analysis and condition monitoring are part of a bigger picture. Reducing maintenance cost, reducing production cost, improving uptime, reducing risk, improving safety, and improving product quality are some of the essential drivers for deploying vibration analysis and other predictive maintenance tools. They should be goals of any plant or [...]

ENERGY-TECH • January 2012 At a power generating station in Florida, a severe electrical fault caused such extensive damage to a 40 MW gas turbine-driven generator that a complete replacement of the generator stator was required. An on-site spare generator core was available, but needed the faulted generator’s bearing support brackets to be installed to make [...]

“Does misalignment waste energy?” is a question often asked. The answer, emphatically, is yes! General Motors Corporation and Ludeca Inc. performed and published a study on this issue in 1993 which showed conclusively that energy savings (Real Power savings) of 2.3 percent could be obtained on loaded machines. On unloaded machines, the savings ranged as [...]

PLANT ENGINEERING • November 2011 Friction can cause damage, but it also can be an energy hog. Keeping your rotating shafts in alignment is a fundamental—and often overlooked—maintenance project. Alan Luedeking, the manager of technical support for LUDECA Inc., Doral, FL, talked with Plant Engineering (PE) about some of the critical issues in shaft alignment, and how [...]

“If you think the cost of training is high, try calculating the cost of ignorance.” “What if we train them and they leave?” “What if we don’t train them and they stay?” “Training ain’t learning.” When we see a magician pull off his head and stick it under his arm we are amazed; but when [...]

UPSTREAM PUMPING SOLUTIONS • Spring 2011 Mud Pump Vibration Analysis Online condition monitoring for hard-to-reach or hazardous places A mud pump is a reciprocating piston/plunger device designed to circulate drilling fluid under high pressure down the drill string and back up the annulus. Mud pumps come in a variety of sizes and configurations, but for [...]