ULTRASOUND RESOURCE LIBRARY

• Revolutionizing Reliability – How Ultrasound Technology Transformed Rich Products’ Maintenance Strategy
• The Ultraprobe 15,000 and Ultraprobe 401 Grease Caddy Enabled Biokyowa, Inc to Shift to Predictive Maintenance, Saving Them Over $261,901 Annually
• How Mars Wrigley Improved Efficiency, Saved Time, and Increased Revenue Using the Ultraprobe 15,000
• Rousselot Dubuque’s Ultrasound Programs Have Contributed to Nearly $2,000,000 in Cost Avoidance in 5 Years
• How A Notorious Power Company Used Ultrasound to Expand the Life of their High-Speed Bearings by Nearly Two Years
• This Utility and Telecom Company Located and Quantifified Over $100,000 in Gas Leaks Alone After Purchasing 2 Ultraprobe 15,000 Hand-Held Instruments from UE Systems
• Attindas Hygienic Partners Identifies Bearing Defect and Uses Remote Condition-Based Lubrication to Avoid Catastrophic Failure
• How Ultrasound Technology Helped Holland Board of Public Works Electric Production Facility Avoid $30K in Unplanned Downtime
• How the OnTrak System and Condition-Based Lubrication Helped Arch Resources, Inc. Save Time, Money, and Resources on Their Conveyor Bearings
• Constellium Saved $25,000 in Two Weeks from Argon Gas Leaks Alone
• How Ultrasound Technology Improved Bearing Lubrication for Constellium
• Using Ultrasound and Infrared to Identify High-Voltage Issues
• Ultrasound is More than a Leak Detector
• Finding Vacuum Leaks Under Insulation
• Going Green in Colorado: Water Treatment Plant Management
• Component Identification and Repair Management Using Ultrasound Technology
• Monthly Bearing Maintenance Equals Big Savings
• Improving Machine Availability in Cranes at Panama Ports
• Ultrasound Case Study on a 13800/4160V Plant Main Substation
• “Something For Nothing” Hits Pay Dirt!
• Small Compressed Air Leaks Mean Big Problems
• Setting Up A Compressed Air Leak Program for Phelps Dodge
• An Emergency Request for a Steam Trap Testing Audit
• Finding Low Level Leaks in Heat Exchangers

Note: Some Case Histories are modifications of presentations from past Ultrasound World Conferences.

Inverted Bucket Steam Traps

Steam Cost @ $6/1000
Due to the many different orifice sizes in the many different models of inverted bucket traps the guide below is a really “rough” estimate of the potential steam loss.

For example: one model listed as 3/4″ bucket trap made for 15 psig steam will utilize a 1/2″ orifice for high condensate capacity applications; whereas another model listed at 3/4″ bucket trap for 15 psig steam will utilize a 1/4″ orifice.

The differences in potential steam loss between the two are significant. Therefore, we have tried to be very conservative when assigning the orifice size in the table below. The actual dollar loss may be significantly different depending upon the specific model of the trap.

The orifice sizes in the table below are referenced from one manufacturer and are listed only as examples to consider the cost of steam leaking through a steam trap.

Failed Steam Trap Dollar Loss Table for Radiator Traps

Steam Cost @ $6.00/1000 lbs.

Pressure balanced thermostatic radiator traps are most commonly found on low pressure (25 psig and under) steam heating systems. Located on radiators, convectors and other radiant heat units, there may be literally hundreds of these scattered throughout larger facilities.

The operating unit within the trap, a pressure-balanced disc or bellows, is filled with a distilled liquid to respond to the changes in temperature (i.e. pressure) within the trap. The disc or bellows will generally “fail open” after three to five years of hard work (after five years it has opened and closed hundreds of thousands of times).

The orifice sizes (*) shown, for all the steam traps, are conservative estimates of the average size found in these traps. Actual dollar loss may be more or less than shown.

Dollar Loss Table for Float and Thermostatic Traps

Steam cost @ $6.00/1000 lbs.

Float & Thermostatic (F&T) traps are found where higher levels of condensate are produced (Unit heaters, end-of-mains, heat exchangers, etc.).

The modulating control provided by the float allows for continuous discharge of condensate when necessary. The air vent in this trap will generally “fail open” after three to five years of hard work.

The mechanism and float assembly, which allows the condensate to discharge, may operate efficiently for eight to ten years, and will normally “fail closed” after this time. However, sludge and debris accumulation may cause the assembly to fail open and waste “big bucks” as shown. Actual dollar loss may be more or less than shown.

Steam Leaks

At Sun Co.’s Toledo, Ohio refinery, the Ultraprobe identified 188 malfunctioning steam traps.

Savings from replacing these traps have been in the range of $56,000 per year based on reducing 450 p.s.i. steam consumption by about 1,000 lb./hr.

Chevron USA, Perth Amboy NJ has six to eight thousand steam traps throughout the plant. The plant generates close to 500,000 lb./hr. of steam.

A steam trap audit with the Ultraprobe revealed the trap failure rate was up to 28%. The refinery has increased its steam trap reliability by 15% within two years after the Ultraprobe was put into use. The reduction in steam losses is savings at least $50,000 a month.

Indiana University-Perdue University campus at Indianapolis has three to four thousand steam traps. Technicians using the Ultraprobe to monitor steam traps and bypass valves estimate they are saving $300,000 per year.

Compressed Air Leaks

In a 75 p.s.i. system with a production cost of $0.14/m cu. ft., a number of leaks totaling 1/4″ will cost $5,734.15 in a year. Double that to 1/2″ and the cost of wasted air will be $22,940.25.

In a 100 p.s.i. system, based on nozzle coefficient of .65, and a production cost of $0.10 per thousand cubic feet, a number of leaks totaling 1/8″ will result in the loss of 740,210 cubic feet of air per month, at a cost of $74.01 per month. Triple that to 3/8″ and the waste will be 6,671,090 cu. ft. per month and $667.19.

Bearings

A bearing on one of our client’s two 500 H.P. motors froze up and did $2,500 damage. Using the stethoscope (contact) module, they picked up a bad bearing noise on the second motor . . . resulting in immediate repair and avoiding a complete shutdown in one area of the plant.

Related to another client, on a Saturday, when the shop was shut down, maintenance personnel used a regular stethoscope and picked up a bearing noise with the machine running at low speed.

The housing they listened to contained two bearings at a cost of $1,500 each. Their stethoscope could not determine which bearing was going bad. With the plant back in operation on Monday, and all other machinery running the Ultraprobe was brought in to check the machine in question, while running at top speed.

The Ultraprobe identified the front bearing as being the culprit while the back bearing was okay. They immediately replaced only the front bearing at a cost of $1,500, and were back into production much sooner than would have been the case had they replaced both bearings.

And again another client, one of the largest construction companies in the Southwest USA uses an Ultraprobe to check the hydraulic systems on earth moving equipment, tower cranes, etc.

In a recent case, ten minutes of PM prevented the destruction of two pumps worth $2,000 each, two or three days down time in the midst of a project with operators and other worker standing idly by; the cost of eight hours maintenance time (at overtime rates); air freight charges to fly in new pumps; and even the possibility of a penalty for the delay in completing the project.

To establish the approximate dollar loss, take the lb./hr. figure X 24 hours (for a year X 8760) and multiply by your cost of steam. Ex: 1/8″ orifice @ 50 psi = 29.8 X 8760 = 261,048. At a cost of $5.00/1000 lb.: 261,048 X .005 = $1305.24.

• Academy of Infrared Thermography
• American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT)
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
• American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME)
• Association for Facilities Engineering (AFE)
• British Fluid Power Association (BFPA)
• British Institute of Non-DestructiveTesting (BINDT)
• Canadian Fluid Power Association (CFPA)
• Canadian Machinery Vibration Association (CMVA)
• Canadian Society for Nondestructive Testing (CSNDT)
• Equipment Reliability Institute (ERI)
• Infraspection Institute
• Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE)
• International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI)
• International Maintenance Institute (IMI)
• Machinery Information Management Open Systems Alliance (MIMOSA)
• Maintenance Engineering Society of Australia (MESA)
• National Aviation and Space Administration (NASA)
• NASA Langley Research Center Structural Dynamics Branch
• National Fluid Power Association (NFPA)
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• National Petroleum Refiners Association (NPRA)
• Non Profit org. to promote TPM & other Best Manufacturing Practices (TPMonline.com)
• Noria (Oil Analysis)
• Oak Ridge Centers for Manufacturing Technology (ORCMT)
• Oklahoma Predictive Maintenance Users Group
• Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA)
• Sandia National Laboratories
• Snell Infrared
• Society for Machinery Failure Prevention Technology (MFPT)
• Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP)
• Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
• The Instrument Society for Measurement and Control (ISA)
• Vibration Institute

COMPRESSED AIR

Atlas Copco – Compressor Manufacturer and related equipment
Energy Information Administration
Gardner Denver – Compressor Manufacturer and related equipment
Ingersoll-Rand – Compressor Manufacturer: Compressed Air Safety Nets: A Guide To Predictive Maintenance Programs
Kaeser Compressors – A Leading Innovator in Air System Technologies
Sullair – Compressor Manufacturer and related equipment
United States Department of Energy – Best Practices for Compressed Air

STEAM

Armstrong International, Inc. – Manufacturer of Steam Traps and related equipment. Training classes.
Enercheck Systems, Inc. – Steam and Steam Trap Audits
Energy Information Administration
Spence Engineering Company, Inc. – Manufacturer of Steam Traps and related equipment. Training classes.
Spirax Sarco – Manufacturer of Steam Traps and related equipment
Swagelok – Manufacturer of Steam Traps and related equipment
United States Department of Energy – Best Practices for Steam
Yarway – Manufacturer of Steam Traps and related equipment

LEAK SEALING

Colt Atlantic Services – High Temperature Leak Sealants
InduMar Products, Inc. – Leak Sealing Systems
Loctite – Leak Prevention, Sealants, Adhesives & Coatings and Training Courses

INFRARED

FLIR Infrared Camera Systems – FLIR is the global leader in infrared cameras, IR software, thermography training and support.
Infraspection Institute – Training Courses for Certification in Infrared
MSA – Thermal Imaging Camera
Snell Infrared – Training Courses for Certification in Infrared
Fluke Infrared Cameras

VIBRATION

Comtest
Fluke
SKF Condition Monitoring – Vibration Analysis Instrumentation & Software

LASER ALIGNMENT

Fluke
SKF
Vibralign

MOTOR CURRENT ANALYSIS

Commtest
PdMA

• Asset Management and Maintenance Journal
• Canadian Industrial Equipment News (CIEN)
• Compressed Air Best Practices Magazine
• Con Mantenimiento Productivo (Mexico)
• EC&M Magazine (electrical design, construction and maintenance)
• Electricity Forum
• Energy-Tech Magazine
• Fluid Power Journal
• Industrial Equipment News (IEN)
• Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation (IMPO)
• InterNational Electrical Testing Association (NETA)
• International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management
• IR Info Magazine
• Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering
• Journal of Sound and Vibration
• Machinery and Equipment MRO (Canada)
• Machinery Lubrication Magazine
• MaintenanceWorld.com
• New Equipment Digest (NED)
• Nuclear Plant Journal
• Oil Analysis (Practicing Oil Analysis)
• Plant Engineering
• Plant Engineering and Maintenance (Canada)
• Plant Maintenance Resource Center
• Plant Services
• Pumps & Systems Magazine
• Reliable Plant Magazine
• Reportero Industrial (RI) ( Latin America)
• Reportero Industrial Mexicano (RIM)
• Sensors Magazine
• Strategic Work Systems
• World Industrial Reporter (WIR)