Batch Reactor Is Widely Used In The Chemical Mechanics Essay

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23 Mar 2015

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A batch reactor is widely used in the chemical and process industry to perform several operations such as providing an environment of chemical reactions, crystallization, product mixing, dissolution of solids, polymerization, liquid to liquid extraction as well as batch distillation. The equipment comprises of tank that has an integrated heating and cooling system as well as an agitator. The main advantages of using a batch unit is it ability to perform various function without the need to change or break containment. Toxic and highly potent compounds can be processed in the batch unit.

Part one

Question 1

a) Explain why you would regard this batch chemical reactor as a plant unit.

According to the definition of a chemical plant, a plant is comprised of several units that are interconnected by piping. Materials move in and out of these units. These materials or raw materials are converted into different products. In this example, the batch reactor is a separate unit of the plant which processes the raw materials introduced before feeding them to the centrifuge system. This batch reactor is also the principle chemical converter in this plant.

b) Explain your reasons for concluding that this unit is critical for production

This unit is critical for the production in this process because

  • It prepares and processes the raw materials by heating them to the prescribed temperature and also providing the required pressure for the process.
  • It ensures full utilization of the centrifuge unit; this is because it produces more than the centrifuge can process. the batch unit produces 18 (te) of product
  • The batch unit is the principle raw material processor in this process, it receives raw materials, process them to complete products, thereafter, these materials are sorted out by the centrifuge. There is no other unit for processing materials in this plant unit.
  • The batch unit temporary stores the materials before they are feed to the centrifuge system.

b) Extract any user requirements for this designated unit from the plant description. Are there any production ‘windows'?

The main user information is;

  • The vessel consist of a jacketed agitated glass lined vessel, heated to a certain temperature and pressure and consist of a thermocouple, a temperature alarm and has a safety relief valve
  • The equipment list is also provided to the plant engineer with information about the different components installed on the plant.
  • The drawing of the batch unit also shows the plant engineer the layout of the different components in the reactor. Jacket safety valve, temperature pocket, temperature controller, steam trap, agitator and the pipe work.
  • The batch reactor process is also described so that the user or the operator can clearly understand how the processes are carried out, for example “the batch unit starts when 18 (te) of raw materials are introduced to the reactor”, the content are heated through to a preset temperature/ time profile that takes 10 hours” the products are then feed to the centrifuge system. This explanation helps the user or the plant operator understand its operation.

d) Extract any corporate requirements for this unit from the plant description

Some of the corporate requirements for this unit obtained from the text are:

  • The equipment is shutdown for 16 hours during the 40th week of each year.
  • The production of the batch reactor is also indicated, that is “the manufacturing unit makes 13,000 te of bulk pharmaceutical product within a given year”
  • The information provided for the batch reactor jacket is also vital to the corporate use. This information is “the jacket is a registered steam receiver and also has a safety relief valve”
  • The company guidelines state that reactors should be maintained to archive 25 years and gear boxes should be maintained to give 15 years life.

e) Extract any legislative requirements for this unit from the plant description.

The legal requirements include;

  • The procedure for controlling maintenance activities must conform to the environment standard ISO14000.
  • The manufacturing process must be licensed by FDA and the British pharmaceutical product.
  • The manufacturing activities must comply with GMP (good manufacturing practice) and the process must be to the quality standard ISO 9002.

f) Table 1 shows the existing life plan for this unit. Comment on whether you think that some of the tasks designated for the scheduled shutdown could be completed during production windows or when the plant is on-line. Could any of the tasks designated for completion during production windows be completed on-line?

From the company maintenance guidelines, it can be seen that the company stipulates a 16 hour shutdown for the batch reactor during it 40th week of operation each year. Various test and maintenance activities are carried out to ensure that the batch reactor archives 25 years life and the gear boxes give a 15 year working life. In addition to the maintenance activities, the industry should be kept clean and painted to ensure that it passes the pharmaceutical inspectors test and prevent unnecessary shutdown.

The maintenance activities should however be scheduled in such a manner that they don't interfere or affect the operation of the plant thereby maximizing the profits obtained from the production line. This calls for the scheduling of light maintenance operation to be done when the plant is still operating. Based on this classification, three maintenance operation are carried out for this batch reactor these are

On line:

these are maintenance activities that run concurrent with the production line. The maintenance activities are performed when the machine is still in use. Proper scheduling must be done to ensure that these activities are well planned for. The online and offline maintenance windows should also not coincide.

Offline maintenance:

These are maintenance activities that are performed when batch reactor is switched off or some interruption has to occur the machine is shut off and a part in the system is removed or repaired. Back up systems are used.

Maintenance window:

 this is a user defined period of time in which automatic maintenance activities are carried out. During the maintenance window, the need for maintenance activity is first evaluated, and if the system does not meet the required parameters a maintenance activity is carried out. If the required conditions are met the maintenance activity is not carried out (IBM, 2009).

The activity for this batch reactor can be scheduled as follows

Activity

Comments

CV1, replacing trim

Currently the machine is shutdown before this maintenance activity is performed, based on the time taken to perform this activity and the frequency, it is best that it is done during the production window.

  • Agitator gearbox
  • Checking the oil
  • Checking the oil seals for leaks
  •  Visual check
  • These activities are performed when the reactor is running, due to their frequency and time required these activities they can be done when the machine is still running(online)

Agitator coupling

Can be done when the production is progressing (online) as the process takes a short time and is performed often.

SV1, pressure test and inspection

This is a rigorous activity and can only be performed when the reactor is shutoff.

Agitator visual check

Does not require to be performed during shut off, it can be done as the machine operates (online) and can also be scheduled during the production window. It can also be performed when the agitator coupling is being checked

Internal inspection

Pressure test

Should be done when the equipment is shutoff as it is a rigorous activity and takes a long time

Pressure test and inspection

It can be done during the production window.

Visual checks for leaks

Leak test

Vibration monitoring of the motor and pump bearing

Should be done on daily basis. The pump motor should also be checked as the leak tests are done. This will help monitor the pump. The checks are done by the plant operator.

g) Analyze the recorded jobs from the computer maintenance management system

(CMMS) for this unit. (These jobs are shown in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet called Worklist.xls.) Is there any evidence which confirms that the life plan is being carried out? Is there any evidence to say if the life plan is effective or not?

To check and analyze the data recorded on the computer maintenance management systems for this unit. The different maintenance activity was evaluated and the frequency of these activities, as well as the time taken to complete this activity was evaluated. The excel data was first sorted into the various groups of maintenance activities. The obtained data was as follows

For the agitator coupling the Visual check - annual ticket for weekly task were as follows

8/8/1996

4.33

5.2

Planned

8/8/1997

4.33

5.2

Planned

8/8/1998

4.33

5.2

Planned

8/8/1999

4.33

5.2

Planned

8/8/2000

4.33

5.2

Planned

8/8/2001

4.33

5.2

Planned

8/8/2002

4.33

5.2

Planned

8/8/2003

4.33

5.2

Planned

From the table the maintenance activities were carried out as per the schedule and the activities took a longer time than was actually planned for. were as planned for.

For the agitator visual check, the table is as shown in the figure below

3/3/1996

2

4

Planned

3/4/2002

2

4

Planned

The activity interval time was 6 years between subsequent maintenance activities and this was carried out as per the life plan specifications. They however took more time than was specified.

For the oil seals, the maintenance information was as shown in the table below;

Check oil seals and for leaks - annual ticket for weekly task

7/7/1996

8.67

10.4

Planned

Check oil seals and for leaks - annual ticket for weekly task

7/7/1997

8.67

10.4

Planned

Check oil seals and for leaks - annual ticket for weekly task

7/7/1998

8.67

10.4

Planned

Check oil seals and for leaks - annual ticket for weekly task

7/7/1999

8.67

10.4

Planned

Check oil seals and for leaks - annual ticket for weekly task

7/7/2000

8.67

10.4

Planned

Check oil seals and for leaks - annual ticket for weekly task

7/7/2001

8.67

10.4

Planned

Check oil seals and for leaks - annual ticket for weekly task

7/7/2002

8.67

10.4

Planned

Again the time taken was longer, however the maintenance was according to the life plan.

For the vibration monitor gearbox and checking of the motor bearing, the data for year 1996 and 2002 is as shown in the table below;

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

2/10/1996

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

3/10/1996

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

4/10/1996

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

5/10/1996

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

6/10/1996

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

7/10/1996

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

8/10/1996

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

9/10/1996

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

10/10/1996

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

11/10/1996

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

12/10/1996

1

2

Planned

For the 2002 data

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

1/10/2002

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

2/10/2002

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

3/10/2002

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

4/10/2002

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

5/10/2002

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

6/10/2002

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

7/10/2002

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

8/10/2002

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

9/10/2002

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

10/10/2002

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

11/10/2002

1

2

Planned

Vibration monitor gearbox & motor bearings

12/10/2002

1

2

Planned

Again the life plan was strictly followed and all maintenance activities planned were carried out every month.

For the pressure test (SV2), again the maintenance activities followed the life plan

Pressure test and inspect

9/6/1996

2

3

Planned

Pressure test and inspect

9/6/1997

2

3

Planned

Pressure test and inspect

9/6/1998

2

3

Planned

Pressure test and inspect

9/6/1999

2

3

Planned

Pressure test and inspect

9/6/2000

2

3

Planned

Pressure test and inspect

9/6/2001

2

3

Planned

Pressure test and inspect

9/6/2002

2

3

Planned

For the pressure test and inspection to determine if reconditioning was required, the maintenance was as scheduled and took place after 6 years as shown in the table below; however the time for the activity was longer than it was expected.

Pressure test and inspect

3/3/1996

2

3

Planned

Pressure test and inspect

3/4/2002

2

3

Planned

For the steam jacket, the life plan was followed but again the allocated time was short.

Despite the carefully planned maintenance activities, there were some reactive maintenance activities these resulted from detection of anomalies in the system. Some of these activities are shown in the table below.

Component

Item

Activity

Date

Standard time

Actual time

Type of job

Reactor

P1

Replace leaking mechanical seal

7/2/1996

4

4

Reactive

Centrifuge

P2

Replace mechanical seal

1/18/1997

2

3

Reactive

Reactor

T1

Re-calibrate temperature sensor

9/1/1998

2

3

Reactive

Raw Material Storage

P3

Replace seal

11/16/1998

5

5

Reactive

Centrifuge

P2

Replace mechanical seal

3/29/1999

2

4

Reactive

Centrifuge

P2

Replace mechanical seal

5/18/1999

2

2

Reactive

Raw Material Storage

P3

Repair plinth - impact damage

10/1/1999

4

4

Reactive

Raw Material Storage

P3

Repair seized pump

10/3/2000

12

12

Reactive

Reactor

T1

Re-calibrate temperature sensor

4/17/2001

2

2

Reactive

Centrifuge

T3

Replace temperature sensor

6/25/2002

2

2

Reactive

From this analysis it can be seen that maintenance operations were done as scheduled and planned. However, most of the activities took a longer time than was scheduled. The planned maintenance operations were not wholly effective as reactive maintenance operation were performed.

h) Use your experience in conjunction with Figures 1 & 2, the plant description and the data from the CMMS to analyze the unit into its maintenance causing items

From the diagrams 1 and 2, the main areas that are likely to fail include

The major maintenance causing units are;

(i)The steam unit

The unit comprises of the safety valves, the steam jacket, the steam jacket safety valve, the

Globe control valve etc. these units are bound to fail and cause critical damage to the equipment as well as the manpower manning the plant. Their maintenance is critical.

(ii)The agitator unit:

Comprises of the agitator, the agitator motor, the motor gearbox and coupling. The gearbox and the drive mechanism are bound to fail due continuous use as well as the forces acting on the agitator. Bearing wear are also likely to cause vibration on the shaft.

(iii)The reactor unit

The reactor unit, the reactor safety valve SV2, the safety valve discharge pipe work is also likely to cause plant failure and should be checked regularly.

(iv)The centrifuge

The centrifuge system is also critical in the operation of this plant and is likely to cause major maintenance problems. Some of the maintenance checks include; testing the motor bearing, checking the vibration on the machine, checking the wear on the seals of the centrifuge, physical check of the centrifuge as well as checking its drive motor and the valves leading to the pump and out of the pump.

The minor units likely to cause maintenance problems are:

(v)Temperature sensor calibration

The failure of the temperature alarm to detect increase in temperature beyond 125 degrees. This is due to a faulty temperature sensor. This calls for regular temperature sensor control, calibration and testing if the system works according to the set parameters.

(vi)Checking the pipes

Checking of the pipe work for any leakage should also be done. Checks should be done regularly.

(vii)Checking the pump for proper workability

Pump delivering materials to the centrifugal unit should be checked. Some checks include the driving motor vibration tests, the motor starter tests as well as the functioning of the motor tests. Tests should be performed every month through physical checking of the motor. The agitator motor should also be checked to determine if it's working at its rated torque and speed.

(viii)Checking the steam trap

The steam trap and the heat exchanger should also be regularly checked, this is because it cools the steam efficiently. The condenser should be checked for any leakages, blockages, wear, temperature and heat dissipation as well as its performance and efficiency. Tests involve both the physical checks as well as specialized tests using thermometers and thermocouple sensors to detect if the heat loss in the steam trap is sufficient enough.

Checking the raw materials storage

The warehouse used to store the raw materials should be regularly inspected to ensure that the materials are not contaminated. Presence of excess water, humidity, temperature and pests may damage the raw materials resulting to inferior products.

Checking the raw materials feed mechanism

The raw material feed mechanism should be checked to ensure delivery of materials to the batch reactor with ease. The motor used to run the feedstock should be checked, the physical leakages should also be checked and other component of the feed mechanism. The test should be done every month.

Checking the paint coating

Involves the Physical inspection of the plant to ensure that all the parts are not rusted or the paint has not been scourged. These tests are obligatory to ensure conformity with the pharmaceutical inspector's rules and regulation. The inspection can be done every year.

i) Develop your own life plan for these maintenance causing items using the task selection logic for Reliability Centered Maintenance

For the implementation of RCM the following main tasks are carried out;

  • Selection of the equipment to perform analysis
  • Identification of potential failures
  • Identification and evaluation of the effects of the started failures
  • Identification of the causes of failure
  • Selecting the maintenance tasks
  • Maintenance packaging

1) Selection of equipment to perform analysis on;

The main equipments to perform analysis on are;

· The batch reactor

· The centrifuge

· The steam jacket

· The centrifuge motor

· The raw materials handling equipment

The identification of potential failures and the causes of failure

The potential problems that are likely to occur are

BATCH REACTOR

The agitator

· The agitator motor failure

· The agitator gearbox failure

· The agitator coupling failure

The centrifuge

· Centrifuge discharge pipe failure

· The centrifuge pump may fail

· The pump motor failure

· The piping system may fail

The steam jacket

· Failure of the reactor safety valve

· Failure of the safety valve

· The temperature alarm system failure

· The failure of the pressurized steam pipe network.

Sensors and alarms

· Failure of the temperature controller

· The globe control valve failure

· The steam trap

Raw materials feed system

· Failure of the inlet pipe work

· Failure of the motors conveying the raw materials

The table below shows the maintenance strategy developed after conducting a RCM analysis.

Table 1: RCM analysis

Item

Causes of failure

Maintenance activity

Frequency of maintenance

Time for maintenance

The agitator

The motor

(1)Brush wear

(2)Winding may overheat

(3)The motor starters may fail

Checking the motor

3 months

2 hours

The gearbox

(oil gearbox )

(1)The viscosity of oil may reduce lubricity

Testing the oil viscosity

3 months

30 minutes

The gearbox

(oil seals )

(1)Leaking oil

(2)Hardened oil seals lead to leaks

Checking the seals

Weekly

30 minutes

Vibration monitor on gearbox

Vibration due to imbalanced rotating shafts

Vibration analysis

After two weeks

1 hour

The agitator coupling

(i)Coupling may wear out.

(ii)Friction may lead to the coupling cracking

Checking

Weekly

10 minutes

Reactor

Checking the physical condition of the reactor

Checks for leaks and paint wear

Visual inspect on

Every month

10 minutes

Reactor piping

Check for leaks

Visual inspection

After 6 months

2 hours

Reactor safety valve

Perform pressure tests

Test if it opens when a given pressure is exceeded

After 3 years

3 hours

Steam jacket

Jacket safety valve SV2

Leakage

Pressure test

Yearly

6 hours

Globe control valve

leakage

Visual check

Yearly

3 hours

Steam trap

Leakages

Inspection

6 months

2 hours

Piping

Leakages and painting wear

Inspection

6 months

30 minutes

Temperature controls

Thermocouple

Calibration

Malfunction

Testing and calibration

3 months

2 hours

Temperature alarm

Malfunction

Testing it response

3 months

2 hours

Temperature controller

Malfunction

Testing

6 months

2 hours

Centrifuge system

Discharge pump

Leakages and vibrations on pump bearings

Vibration testing and leakages

Monthly

2 hours

Piping

Leakages

Visual inspection

Monthly

30 minutes

Centrifuge motor

Vibration and the wear on bearings

Inspection and vibration analysis

Monthly

1 hour

Raw materials storage

Warehouse

temperature, humidity and other condition

Testing of temperature, humidity and other parameters

Monthly

1 hour

Piping or conveyor belts

Motor failure and leakages

Vibration testing and visual inspection

3 months

2 hours

Table 2: continuation of table 1

Item

Maintenance person

Methods of performing the activity

Action taken

The agitator

Online

Window

Shutdown

The motor

Fitter

Y

Tighten any loose couplings

The gearbox

(oil gearbox )

Operator

Y

Replace oil

The gearbox

(oil seals )

Operator

Y

Replace if worn out

Vibration monitor on gearbox

Fitter

Y

Swap and repair the broken unit

The agitator coupling

Fitter

Y

Tighten

Reactor

Checking the physical condition of the reactor

Operator

Y

Paint/ repair leaking area

Reactor piping

Operator

Y

repair leaking pipes

Reactor safety valve

Plant Inspector

Y

Repair if required

Steam jacket

Jacket safety valve SV2

Plant inspector

Y

Replace if worn out or malfunctioning

Globe control valve

Plant/boiler inspector

Y

Replace if worn out

Steam trap

Plant/boiler inspector

Y

Repair any malfunctioning parts

Piping

Operator

Y

Repair leakages

Temperature controls

Thermocouple

Calibration

Fitter

Y

Adjust the sensors

Temperature alarm

fitter

Y

Repair if not working

Temperature controller

Fitter

Y

Replace if malfunctioning

Centrifuge system

Discharge pump

Operator

Y

Swap and repair

Piping

Operator

Y

Repair leaking pipes

Centrifuge motor

Fitter

Y

Swap and repair broken unit

Raw materials storage

Warehouse

Fitter

Y

Repair when the batch reactor is processing for 10 hours

Piping or conveyor belts

Y

Repair when the batch reactor is processing for 10 hours

Compare and contrast your life plan with the one you described in f). Comment on any similarities and differences.

When compared to the strategy in table 1, the reliability centered maintenance developed is more detailed and identifies all the functional areas of the plant as well as stipulates method of solving the main maintenance problems. By conducting a reliability analysis using RCM, it is possible to identify the major areas of machine failure as well develop methods to curtail the effects caused by these breakdowns.

Part two

a) Describe the philosophy of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM).

Definition:total productive maintenance is a type of maintenance activity that is productive and is implemented by all the employees working within a given organization. TPM utilizes all the workers within a given organization raging from the machine operators to those in senor management levels. All the companies workforce participate in the process of improving the equipment. The main goal of TPM is to maximize on equipment productivity, availability, reliability, maximize on the manufactured product quality by minimizing defects, wastes and loses, engaging knowledge, skills and abilities of the people to the production process (Sondalini, 2009). Some of the department that are mostly concerned with TPM are maintenance, design engineering, project engineering, facilities, operations, construction engineering , finance and accounting, plant and site management, purchasing as well as inventory and stores.

Goals of TPM

The main goals of TPM are

· Improving the equipment effectiveness

This goal ensures that all the equipment work and performs according to the design specifications. This is the main area of TPM and the major goal. If the equipment does not perform according to the design specification, then all the other goals are valueless. The said equipment must operate according to the design speed, produce at the design rate, produce quality products and all the design parameters of performance must be strictly adhered to.

· Early equipment maintenance and management

It reduces the maintenance activities performed by the equipment. Early equipment maintenance reduces the cost of later maintenance activates. The time for maintenance is calculated by engineers through the evaluation of the data that is availed. For example, early cars had maintenance done after 3040,000 miles while the year 2000 cars have their maintenance done after 100,000 hours.

· Training to improve the skills of employees within a given organization

The employees must be trained to impact the necessary skills and knowledge on them. Proper training ensures that the employees maintain the equipment in the most effective manner. After training of the employees, there is need to train the managers to open their ears to employees and plant operator ideas, especially on maintenance strategies. This fosters corporation by the employees and the management in improving the maintenance operations (reliabilityweb.com, 2008).

· Involving plant operators when performing the routine plant maintenance

Plant operators play a pivotal role in maintaining most of the machines. 10% to 40% of the total maintenance operations are carried out by the plant operator in addition to the fact that they can easily identify and correct small faults occurring on the machines.

· Improving of the maintenance efficiency and effectiveness

This goal ensures that maintenance operations are carried out as per the planned maintenance schedule. This enables firms to archive low cost maintenance. This goal also ensures that there are no waste in the maintenance and ensures lean maintenance practices are adopted. The secondary goal is to ensure that maintenance activities have minimal impact on the uptime or unavailability of the equipment. Planning, scheduling and backlog control must be done to avoid downtime.

History of TPM

TPM originated in Japan and was designed to support the total Quality Management Strategy. The development of this strategy was in response to the Japanese realization that their industries would not produce effectively unless their equipments were properly maintained. TPM focused on preventive maintenance and was introduced in 1950. It resulted to the formulation of high quality products and the equipment suffered less breakdowns. In the 1960's TPM focused on productive maintenance and realization of the need for reliability, maintenance and efficiency in the design of the plant. In the 1970, the word “total” was added to the productive maintenance. The principle has also been applied by multinational companies such as Toyota Company.

Implementation of TPM

There are four stages that are mainly followed during the implementation of TPM. These are

(1)The preparation stage

Has several stages, these stages include:

  1. Announcement to the organization about the introduction of TPM in the said institution
  2. Conducting the initial education and training about TPM
  3. Setting up of TPM at departmental levels
  4. Establishing TPM targets and a working system
  5. Preparation of a master plan for TPM implementation.

(2) Introduction Stage:

All concerned parties are brought together; the suppliers are advocated to supply quality raw materials. Customers of the company products are also invited.

(3) Implementation stage

It involves the implementation of the 8 pillars of TPM these pillars are represented in the diagram shown below (Robinson and Ginder, 1995).

 (4) Institutional stage

At this stage, the TPM activities have reached maturity stage and the TPM organizational structure can be applied. The organizational stage for TPM is as shown in the figure below;

Advantages of using TPM

The main advantages of using TPM are

  • It leads to the overall reduction of the total production costs.
  • It leads to the production of high quality goods, good are also produced without loss of quality.
  • TPM helps reduce wastage especially in a stiff competitive economic environment.
  • It produces low batch quality within the shortest time possible.
  • The customers are assured of quality products and services leading to an increase in the overall profitability of the firm (Venkatesh, 2007).

Difficulties faced when implementing TPM

  • Strong resistance to change
  • People don't pay focus to the program and consider it to be just another program
  • Lack of enough resources to implement the program
  • It is hard to change the organizational culture of a company
  • Departmental barriers also hinder the development of TPM
  • Many people consider the program to add threats to the workers in an industry
  • Lack of proper training on the ideals of TPM leads to poor results they are implemented (Jack, 1997).

(b) Case Study for Total Productive Maintenance

Case study of TPM

Marshall institute, Inc

MRC Bearings ' TPM journey: from Totally Painted Machines to Taking Pride in Our Machines

Introduction and Maintenance problem

The MRC bearing, a leading supplier of aerospace industry detected a problem with their orders as their customers were pushing for shorter lead times and a reduction in the costs. 80% of their total maintenance hours were dedicated to pushing for emergency work orders. About 660 hours were spent on unplanned maintenance on one area only. After the application of TPM maintenance strategy, the number of unplanned/ emergency maintenance operation reduced to less than thirty hours.

Implementation

The MRC started with the identification of the critical areas that required changes. These were maintenance areas that were experiencing chronic problems. This was followed by introducing the TPM to the core management and the employees. At first, the employees were skeptical about TPM, but the core management supported the idea. Customers also supported the idea and also facilitated the initial meetings.

MRC began week long training on TPM principles. They began by cleaning, inspecting, lubricating and performing various corrective works. Machines were cleaned, painted and lubricated. The workers got anxious about the scheduling of the machines for TPM events

One of the workers, an electrician who was involved in the TPM said that after the first stages of implementation, the machines were more reliable and the physical changes were more readily identifiable. Maintenance activity that used to occur like ‘every day activities' now started taking longer, said, Rick Staples, an electrician with the firm. Also, the workers who were skeptical about the TPM maintenance started to accept the strategy and realized its beneficial aspects in curtailing maintenance activities.

The MRC formed teams called Equipment Improvement Teams (EIT) to work towards resolving issues related to maintenance. This was critical in the adoption of TPM. Equipment with chronic problems started to improve. Some equipment which used to breakdown on monthly basis and took like four days to fix and were very frustrating to see them break down after repairs now took long to break down. On application of TPM on aforementioned machine, the technician realized that the manufacturer of the machine had put a sub standard coupling and by upgrading this coupling, the machine efficiency increased by sixteen percent. After some years, the problem was completely eliminated. The success of reducing maintenance operation on this machine showed that TPM is an effective tool for reducing maintenance operations, said Forts.

Eight TPM activities followed, the MRC expanded their TPM efforts to the second facility. The company also created a TPM steering committee at the second facility and created a policy group to coordinate the efforts of both facilities. The company president was also involved in driving the TPM agenda forward (Maintenance Resources, 1999).

The success of TPM was greatly associated to the support from the management team and the personnel working at the firm. MRP trained ten TPM coordinators who were dedicated to check TPM activities one week of every month. The TPM strategy was very successful in correcting long standing maintenance problems. This helped in the reduction of scrap and realization of machine full utilization capabilities, improvement of quality of products developed, higher profits as well as reduction of maintenance costs (Maintenance Resources, 1999).

The main aspects that made this project successful was

· Ensuring that the predictive maintenance operations are put in place these include vibrations analysis

· Creating standards to aid in equipment cleaning, lubrication, daily inspection and checks.

· Cleaning the machines as well as continuous and timely inspections

· Collecting data for all downtimes

· Creating of equipment improvement teams

· Creating TPM area coordinators

(d) Describe how Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) is applied to a section of a plant.

Reliability Centered Maintenance

Definition

Reliability Centered Maintenance is a step by step instructional tool that aids in the analysis of a system into all its failure modes and this helps in the definition of the methods of preventing the failures before the occur(IDCON, 2009). Reliability Centered Maintenance provides a framework for analyzing the functions of various machines and the determination of potential failures that are likely to occur. The main aim of RCM is conservation of system functions rather than preservation of the equipment. RCM aids in the development of scheduled maintenance activities that aids in providing acceptable levels of operation and in maintaining acceptable levels of risk. Maintenance activities are performed efficiently and in a cost effective manner. Reliability Centered Maintenance can also be defined as the process used to establish the maintenance requirement of any physical asset in its operating conditions (Plant Maintenance Resource Center, 2009).

SAE JA1011 standards define seven areas that are necessary for the implementation of Reliability Centered Maintenance. These are;

  • The machine functional areas
  • The main functional failures of the machine
  • The experienced failure effects
  • The consequences of failure
  • Stipulating the predictive tasks that can be done to predict and prevent failure (defining proactive tasks and task intervals)
  • Stipulating what should be done if a suitable proactive solution is not found.

History of RCM

The first practical application of RCM was used by, Matteson, Stanley Nowlan and Howard Heap (Nowlan, 1978). They used the process to describe the optimum maintenance requirement for aircrafts. After the publication of this paper, the RCM concept became popular. The studies done on basis of RCM helped to prove that specific components of an aircraft had a specific lifetime and reliable service. After this life service, the component should be removed and replaced. The main paradigm shifts defined and inspired by RCM are;

  • Most of the asserts failures are not linked to the life of the asserts
  • Managing the failure process rather than trying to predict the life process of the machine
  • Understanding the routine maintenance task
  • Linking of the tolerable risk levels to maintenance strategy development
  • Understanding the need for maintaining asserts on condition

As the utilization of RCM developed, standards were defined; the most common standards used today include the SAE JA1011 used in the evaluation criteria for Reliable Centered Maintenance process. This software is currently used by organization to ensure that the software and services used to support RCM conform to those stipulated by RCM standards thereby ensuring the possibility of archiving major benefits from this program (SAE JA1011, 1999).

Implementation

The basic procedure followed during the implementation of RCM is as stipulated below

(1)Preparation for analysis

This involves the preparation for analysis, preparation of appropriate cross functional team; definition of failure, and definition of the scope of analysis. (Weibull.com, 2000).

(2) Selection of the equipment to be analyzed.

Time and resources are spent at this stage to determine the equipment on which RCM is going to be applied. The selection of the equipment is based on the safety requirement, legal and economic importance, usage and other parameters that may help in this critical evaluation. Two methods have been adopted for this selection; these are the use of selection questions where a set of YES/NO questions are designed to help in the identification of the equipment that requires RCM. The other method is the use of critical factors which involves the evaluation of equipments in terms of safety, operation, impact on the environment, quality control as well as its maintenance requirement.

(3) Identification of potential failure functions

The main goal of RCM is the preserving the functionality of the equipment. It is important to identify these functions so as to identify the functional failures that can occur around the stated functions. For example, if an equipment provides a given chemical at a given pressure. Then, if it does deliver less quantity at a lower or higher pressure, this will be a likely indication of a fault.

(4)Identification and evaluation of the effects of the started failures

The evaluation of the effects of failure helps in the choosing and prioritization of the appropriate maintenance strategy to be applied. Logic diagram can be used for this evaluation. The structure helps in the differentiating between the hidden and evident effects and the consequences of these effects on the environment, operation, economic as well as safety issues.

(5) Identification of the causes of failure

By determining the failure mode of given equipment, it is possible to determine the best maintenance strategy to use to curtail the failure. The SAE JA1011 guide provides details that help in this evaluation (Anthony, 2003).

(6)Selecting the maintenance tasks

This involves stipulating the maintenance strategy to follow to reduce the equipment failure. The strategy to employ is mainly determined by predefined logic diagrams, experience, costs, individual judgment or a combination of these and many more factors.

(7)Maintenance packaging

After scheduling the maintenance operations, the solution sets are usually packaged into a workable plan. Time intervals for the maintenance operation are stipulated so that these operations proceed efficiently and effectively.

Reliability Centered Maintenance: Case Study

Pudget sound power and light company

Pudget sound power and light company started to develop new ways to maintain their equipment after large budget cuts were introduced by the management. The company started RCM in 1991 and was applied to transformers, voltage regulators, circuit breakers, transmission and distribution lines maintenance as well as the substation equipments. After 4 years of using RCM, the company reported that planned maintenance on the equipment had reduced significantly. The drivers of the company transformers had changed from time to operation, loading and condition monitoring. The intervals for performing maintenance activities had reduced drastically after the implementation of RCM. More emphasis was placed on the operating mechanisms.

According to the company sources, liability due to equipment failure dropped significantly due to the application of RCM. The insurance company that viewed this as a risk management approach and were satisfied with the new maintenance plan (Michael, 2000)

Compare and contrast the TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) and RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance)

Machine maintenance issue revolve round four major groups, these are

Similarities between TPM and RCM

· Both Reliability Centered Maintenance and Total Productive Maintenance offer a long term continuous improvement rather than quick fix solutions.

· Both TPM and RCM are offer strategies that reduce the down time experienced by firms as well as improve maintenance operation of a given firm.

Differences between TPM and RCM

TPM is concerned on improving maintenance through changing the people as well as the organization structure while RCM is mainly concerned with identifying the machine functions and engineering property in order to bring the change.

TPM advocates for managerial changes as well as training the people on maintenance aspects while RCM mainly concentrates on the machine aspects.

RCM mainly focuses on the determining the maintenance requirement of the physical asserts within their operating conditions while TPM mainly focuses on meeting the maintenance requirements more cheaply and effectively.

RCM advocates for preventive maintenance strategies, that is, identifying factors, condition and effects of machine failure while TPM focuses on developing a strong maintenance management system.

RCM mainly concentrates on physical and engineering aspects of a machine and methods of improving such while TPM focuses on the people as in important tool in piloting the changes in machine maintenance.

TPM mainly concerns with the employees strengths and continuous improvement of the firm while RCM is mainly concerned with the machine aspects. RCM does not advocate for peoples strengths as a method of improving the maintenance operations

RCM is mainly used to identify maintenance resources, time of repair, spares, skills level and the reliability level. This is done by reliability study. TPM identifies the strengths of people as a means of piloting changes to the maintenance department.

TPM advocates for the rebuilding of the machines, through cleaning and repairing while RCM mainly identify the functional aspects of a machine parts and look for the possible solutions to minimize these effects.

TPM focuses on the preventive maintenance, periodic maintenance and rebuilding machinery, creating high certainty, enabling the machine run without failure till the next rebuilding. RCM presumes scheduled downtime and periodic maintenance outages are okay.

RCM is a maintenance improvement strategy while TPM recognizes that maintenance function cannot improve reliability and employees and the management staff must be employed to archive the maintenance objective in full.

References

IBM. 2009. Maintenance windows. Armonk, New York: IBM Corporation. [Online].

Available at: http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/db2luw/v9/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.db2.udb.admin.doc/doc/c0021760.htm. Accessed 30 October 2009

Reliabilityweb.com.2008. The History and Impact of Total Productive Maintenance.

[Online]. Available at http://www.reliabilityweb.com/art04/tpm_wireman_2.pdf. Accessed 28 October 2009.

Sondalini, M. 2009. Total Productive Maintenance Course: PowerPoint +

Workbook.Management workbook. British industrial network. [Online]. Available at: http://www.bin95.com/PPT-Powerpoints/TPM/Total-Productive-Maintenance-TPM.htm. Accessed 27 October 2009.

Steinbacher, R., Steinbacher, N.L.1995. TPM For America. Portland, Oregon: Productivity

Press.

Venkatesh, J. 2007. An Introduction to Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). Plant

Maintenance. [Online]. Available at:

http://www.plant-maintenance.com/articles/tpm_intro.pdf. Accessed 29 October 2009.

Robinson, C. J., Ginder, A. P.1995. Implementing TPM. Portland Oregon: Productivity Press.

Jack, R. 1997. TOTAL PRODUCTIVE MAINTENANCE (TPM). Department of Industrial

and Engineering Technology. Texas: Texas A&M University-Commerce.

Marshall Institute. 1999. MRC Bearings' TPM Journey: From Totally Painted Machines to

Taking Pride in Our Machines. Total Productive Maintenance Case Study: Maintenance resources. [Online]. Available at: http://www.maintenanceresources.com/referencelibrary/ezine/tpmcasestudy.htm .Accessed 29 October 2009.

IDCON. 2009. Reliability Tips: Reliability Centered Maintenance. [Online]. Available at

http://www.idcon.com/reliability-tips-610.html. Accessed 1 October 2009.

Plant Maintenance Resource Center. 2009. Plant Maintenance Resource Center: Introduction

To Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM). [Online]. Available at:

http://www.plant-maintenance.com/RCM-intro.shtml . Accessed 1 October 2009.

Moubray, J. 1997. Reliability-Centered Maintenance. New York: Industrial Press.

Nowlan, F.S. and Howard F.H. 1978. Reliability-Centered Maintenance. Washington, D.C:

Department of Defense. Report Number AD-A066579

SAE JA1011. 1999. Evaluation Criteria for Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM)

Processes. Chicago: Thomson Reuters

Anthony M. Smith.2003. Reliability Centered Maintenance: Gateway to World

Class Maintenance. Burlington MA: Butterwort and Heinemann publishers

Weibull.com. 2000. Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM): An Overview of the Basic

Concept Reliability engineering resources. [Online]. Available at: http://www.weibull.com/basics/rcm.htm. Accessed 1 November 2009.

Michale, W. U. 2000. Reliability Centered Maintenan



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