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There are three philosophies of maintenance.... "Break-down",
"Preventive", and "Predictive". In most industries,
breakdown maintenance is catastrophic and is not even an option. Preventive
maintenance pays for itself many times over by insuring continued
production from one maintenance day to the next. With the addition
of predictive maintenance, preventive maintenance can be prioritized
and scheduled more economically by the condition of the equipment
rather than the calendar.
As a part of our Refractory Management Services (RMS), TFL provides
infrared scanning services to detect and quantify surface temperatures
of various industrial equipment. These measurements can be used to
locate excessive heat build-up created by friction, electrical resistance,
inadequate insulation, and etc.
One time instantaneous readings can be misleading and interpreted
incorrectly. However, routine use and comparative records, can be
used to provide early warnings of potential "break-down"
maintenance items for electrical motors, switchgear, and distribution
systems, as well as frictional problems from couplings, bearings,
gearboxes, and other power transmission equipment. All dryers, heaters,
furnaces, and boilers can be monitored for break down of insulation
and refractory.
With a combination of infrared monitoring, record keeping, and qualified
data analysis, a predictive maintenance program will pay for itself
by foretelling the potential breakdown of equipment. Where preventive
maintenance days are scheduled periodically, they are enhanced by
predictive maintenance planning using infrared scanning to pin point
potential problems.
The plant can be broken down into several areas by location or type
of equipment and one area scanned each week. Then over a period of
several weeks, the entire plant will have been scanned. In addition
to scanning one area each week, any pervious problem point can be
monitored weekly for change or continued degradation.
When a major shut-down is planned for a prolonged outage, several
days of scanning and review of the weekly scan data will be used to
assist in making a shutdown maintenance list. All records will be
brought up to date and provided to the personnel planning the maintenance.
Predictive maintenance technicians identify, record, analyze and diagnose
any indication of abnormal heat transfer in a plant's equipment or
components. Even though some plants rely solely on "in house"
expertise for this service, they are burdened with infrared training,
"other" duties, and turnover of personnel due to promotions
and attrition. The service we provide has evolved from our much larger
Refractory Management Services and is designed to provide trained
technical personnel and provide longevity and continuity to your data.
Your personnel can not afford to spend all their time on predictive
maintenance.. Ours are paid to do only that.....for you!
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