PLANT MANAGEMENT
In the fi rst implementation year of an on-site OCM programme that only tracked one parameter of oil quality, a US- headquartered industrial manufacturer of animal feed cut its unplanned maintenance downtime by 50%. Furthermore, the company saved almost US$1 million (~£810,000) in lost production time and gear failures. It’s true that the short-term investment costs of in-house OCM can deter facility managers from pursuing this as a cost- saving avenue. Additionally, it’s natural for engineers and machine operators without a chemical background to feel unprepared to take on the role of oil analyser. Although understandable, these concerns can easily be assuaged. OCM instruments are often sold as modules, each responsible for analysing diff erent properties of the classic oil condition tri-vector; wear, contamination, and chemistry & viscosity. T is is true of the Minilab series from Spectro Scientifi c, a central docking station with multiple portable analysers. Maintenance managers can select the instrument most relevant to their business without investing in the whole selection.
One helpful device in this endeavour is a common software feature that allows the operator to schedule tests, collate and trend results, set alarm/action limits and track how much money has been saved on lubricant purchases, unplanned downtime and labour costs. Indeed, the benefi t to maintenance budgets is something worth highlighting. Although the initial cost of investment might appear signifi cant, the savings produced from predictive oil condition monitoring can be lucrative. An American city saved US$2 million (~£1.62 million) in one year by extending the interval periods between oil changes in a large municipal fl eet of city vehicles. Uncertainty about the rapidity of oil degradation had pressured the city into spending millions on a preventative maintenance strategy and servicing their vehicles before it was necessary. T e popularity of on-site oil condition monitoring is set to sky-rocket in the coming years, as maintenance managers across the globe seek to optimise processes to protect their businesses against rising costs and increasingly drastic consequences for inadequate instrumentation management.
The Minilab system
Dr Tom Knott is with SciMed.
www.scimed.co.uk
NEW HEAT EXCHANGER FOR HYGIENIC APPLICATIONS new hygienic line, designed specifi cally
A
mid forecasts that UK manufacturing output will shrink in 2023, Alfa Laval has launched
its new hygienic line of gasketed plate heat exchangers (GPHE), to help food and beverage and pharmaceutical manufacturers maximise productivity and maintain exemplary standards of hygiene. Published in association with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), Make UK’s Executive Survey 2023 indicates that UK manufacturing output is expected to suffer a reduction of 3.2% in 2023 compared to the previous year, against a backdrop of rising energy costs. In response to this
challenging landscape, Alfa Laval has launched its
to maximise uptime for operators while maintaining compliance with the exacting hygiene standards required of the industry. Colin Morgan at Alfa Laval said: “It goes without saying that hygiene has always been top priority for food and beverage and pharmaceutical manufacturers, as cross contamination between product batches has the potential to cause serious harm to end customers if left unchecked.
“However, this
must now be balanced against productivity, as rising energy costs are beginning to eat
into the margin for many manufacturers. Our new hygienic line aims to tackle both of these challenges
head on – increasing the amount of time that equipment can be active without compromising on hygiene.”
The range of GPHEs currently comes in two sizes, H4 and the larger H8. Building upon the platform of Alfa Laval’s earlier heat exchanger technology, the hygienic line features an enhanced transfer area for more uniform heat distribution and best- in-class effi ciency, and a new cleaning-in- place channel for improved cleanability. Together, these features combine for longer operating times, while the GPHE’s bespoke plate pattern ensures gentle treatment of delicate products. The unit is also fully confi gurable, allowing it to be customised to the needs of the operation rather than necessitating the purchase of new exchangers. ●
For more information visit
www.alfalaval.co.uk
www.engineerlive.com 23
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