Micro-sized dust particles, along with water, can ruin the best lubricating fluids. Contamination of lubricating fluids can occur due to the byproducts of combustion, metal wear, oxidation and more. T..
Engineers use design and safety factors in sizing and specifying instrumentation or major process equipment, such as pumps, valves and compressors. Design factors are applied to cover the uncertainty ..
Purists among reliability professionals are sometimes concerned about the accuracy of the measurement of the mean-time-between-failure (MTBF) of an asset. There are many ways to conduct this failure f..
Analyzing failed parts or poor operation requires the proper skills and equipment. Sometimes these investigations are not always very difficult. Often, troubleshooting a failure just requires a logica..
Software combines crude management with designInvensys released its integrated Spiral CrudeSuite crude oil knowledge-management software (Fig. 1) with its SimSci PRO/II design and ROMeo optimization s..
For any person working in the oil and gas industry who is responsible for the safety of employees, colleagues, plant equipment and property, one of the most potentially confusing aspects in providing ..
Earlier in the year, the author attended a series of client and organizers’ presentations at the 2013 TapRooT Summit in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. TapRooT is a structured failure analysis and trouble..
In early 2012, a rotating equipment engineer was involved in a machinery quality assessment (MQA).1 Located halfway around the globe, this engineer’s new job was to oversee the engineering, procu..
Turbomachinery, essential to refining and petrochemical operations, has significant impact on plant production, maintenance and energy consumption. One of the most effective ways to improve turbomachi..
Burner management system ideal for retrofitsPrincipal Technology Inc. offers a modern burner management system (BMS) (Fig. 1) specifically designed for the retrofit of legacy boilers, ovens, furnaces ..