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 Best
practice: RBM
by John Malone
Oil industry experts estimate that downtime caused by
lubricant-related failures costs upwards of $4 billion every year,
and that over 50 percent of those failures are the result of
particulate contamination. If for no other reason, this should be
sufficient cause for taking a long, hard look at reliability-based
maintenance (RBM).
Reliability-based maintenance is a proactive strategy based on the
concept of utilizing all the tools at a company’s disposal to minimize
unscheduled equipment downtime, lost production/revenue and increased
labor costs. RBM incorporates lubricant-related tools and services,
including oil analysis, fluid conditioning, filtration systems, storage
containers and desiccant breathers designed to drive equipment
reliability.
Adopted by the nuclear power and aerospace industries, RBM is catching
on in many industries. Early adopters discovered the key to plant
operations was allowing industrial facilities to achieve the maximum
return on equipment and lubricant investments, resulting in increased
uptime and profits.
Even though RBM’s advantages are widely understood, over one-half of all
maintenance performed today remains reactive.
RBM tools and services
Each critical piece of production machinery should be involved in
the oil analysis program. Analysis ranges from viscosity and additive
levels to oxidation stability and particle count. This low-cost method
of assessing the life-blood of critical machinery is the first step in
improving your lubrication program.
Preventing oil contamination utilizes tools designed to inhibit water
and particulate ingression. Special containers that minimize the
introduction of contaminants into oil systems can greatly reduce the
chance of adding dirty oil to healthy equipment.
Desiccant breathers are too often overlooked. This low-cost apparatus
filters the air entering an oil system between repetitive cycles. Air in
plant environments can be moist and dirty, so applying properly sized
desiccant breathers to hydraulic and circulating systems can greatly
minimize unwanted contaminants from harming pumps, valves, bearings and
gear sets.
Assisted-filtration may be the best option if your system is already
contaminated. Services such as ISOCLEAN Fluid Conditioning can assess
the required work, complete it, and provide proof-of-cleanliness with
portable particle counters. This keeps oil on-site and minimizes the
risk of contamination by refilling the reservoir.
Roadblocks to reliability
Unfortunately, because a plant’s maintenance budget is typically four
percent or less of the overall operating budget, its value is often
ignored until too late. When this occurs, shrinking workforces are
forced to put out fires rather than contribute to profits. Maintenance
budgets are often cut when finances are tight, resulting in a reactive
environment. Without an investment in proactive maintenance, there is a
greater chance for equipment failure and increased costs. This results
in greater losses and downtime that can potentially drive a company out
of business. Companies often make half-hearted attempts to implement RBM
programs but fail to recognize the commitment they require. Over time,
maintenance reverts to being reactive by nature and the company
gradually loses its ability to compete.
Moving forward
For RBM to become the new methodology, all functions in a plant must
work together and look at the business as a whole. Finance, operations,
purchasing, accounting and maintenance teams all benefit from
understanding the key role RBM plays in overall productivity.
John Malone is the Reliability Solutions Manager
for
Chevron Products Company. If you have lubrication
questions,
contact Coach Malone: Phone: 713-752-4812
E-mail, jvma@chevron.com.
This article appeared in the
April/May 2006 issue of MRO Today magazine. Copyright 2006.
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