Avoiding production downtime

Lengthy downtime was recently avoided at an unnamed major cement manufacturer’s UK plant due to Siemens condition monitoring service. A year beforehand, the manufacturer had chosen to implement the condition monitoring service for the drive unit running the raw mill. The 2.5 x 1 m Siemens Combiflex DMGH unit, which included a flender girth gear, underwent routine inspections to check the bearings, as well as wear and vibration levels. During one such maintenance check, Service Engineer Steve Stratton noticed early indications of a possible bearing failure. As a result, a scheduled shutdown was planned. A spare gear unit was installed whilst the faulty unit was sent to Siemens Mechanical Drive unit, Leeds, to be serviced. Following a bearing and seal change, the unit was returned to the plant where it will be kept onsite as a spare. The cost of the service came in at £40 000, although the condition monitoring and swift handling of the situation prevented a full breakdown and subsequent lost production time costs.

Adapted from press release by Louise Fordham.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/23082012/cement_mill_siemens_drive_monitoring346/