Cross-training personnel in the cement industry – Part 2

Read part one here.

Inspection form

The first step in establishing an effective inspection programme is to develop an inspection form customised to the needs of the individual plants. The form should contain all the information required to prompt the individual to look at the components and mechanical conditions that are needed to evaluate the operating condition. It is strongly recommended that a log book of the inspection be kept in the control room for the equipment and the maintenance department. In this way, trends can be noted of the equipment that will provide a record for wear rates, temperatures, vibration and other operating conditions. The simplest way to do this today is to have the form on an iPad that can be submitted to digital record immediately upon making the inspection. The ability to enter data and take photos of unusual conditions that can be emailed directly to those responsible for maintenance and production will be very useful.

Daily inspections

A daily inspection should be short in duration and is more of a visual means of keeping track of the daily operation of the equipment. It should not take more than 15 minutes to perform a quick but effective overview of the equipment. Remember that there are many different types of rotary equipment, which means it is necessary to customise the inspection list to meet the needs of each individual plant.

Drive motor amperages

Industrial Kiln & Dryer Group strongly recommends that the inspector record drive motor amperages on a daily basis to keep track of the load conditions that may occur on a rotary unit. For example, if the unit is thrusting continuously on a thrust roller for an extended period of time, it would be expected that the increased loads would cause the motor drive amperages to increase. Likewise, if the support rollers are excessively skewed by over adjustment or incorrect adjustment, this would also cause the motor drive amperages to increase. Once the adjustments are made to the support rollers to relieve unit thrust and individual roller skew, the amperages will noticeably decrease. Trending drive motor amperages is a great tool in determining when to make corrective support roller adjustments. An added benefit will be that it decreases wear and power consumption.

Support roller bearings, pinion gear and drive reducer temperatures

It is recommended that the inspector record the temperature of the support roller bearings, the face of the pinion gear and the drive reducer and motor to trend operating conditions. If bearings heat up, this can result in an overload condition and/or lubrication failure. A daily record will provide for a warning system to perform maintenance prior to failure. Scanning the pinion gear face will provide a record of the girth gear to pinion gear alignment and/or lack of lubrication. Many gears have been severely damaged simply due to a lack of lubrication. Again, there are thermal cameras now available to the industry that can be used to capture images and email them immediately into a data file or send them to responsible maintenance/production personnel. When checking drive components it is also beneficial to feel the pinion bearings for any signs of vibration that were not there previously.

Read part three here.

Written by John H. Ross, Industrial Kiln & Dryer Group, USA and edited by Katherine Guenioui. To read the full version of this article, please download a copy of the May issue of World Cement.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/12052014/cross_training_personnel_part_two_171/