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Articles: Ultrasonics

2009 PdM Program of the Year Award Winners

Primetime Programs receive award from Uptime Magazine

A Better Black Liquor Process

Finding Vacuum Leaks in a Multi Effect Evaporator

by Karl Hoffower and Allan Rienstra

So many industrial processes depend on creating a stable vacuum, but system leaks impair process efficiency and, if left unchecked, will shut it down.  Finding these leaks can be challenging in noisy plant environments and reliability engineers must weigh the balance between the costs of downtime versus the cost of continuing production with a leaky, inefficient system.

Elevate the Expectations for an Ultrasound Program

by James Hall

For many years and for many companies, Airborne Ultrasound was the beginning, or the Alpha, of their Predictive Maintenance (PdM) program.

 

Finding Vacuum Leaks Under Insulation

How ultrasound inspection saved hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Getting (dis)Charged Up

Detecting Corona and Corona Discharge

by Jim Hall with Chuck Humphrey

Don't let corona steal your productivity.

Getting Up Close with Ultrasound

Get Started with Vacuum Leaks

 by Jim Hall

Here we are in the 21st Century and some of you are still wondering if ultrasound is the only way to find in-leakage or vacuum leaks.  Well, the answer is no, because employing helium is another method widely used to locate leaks throughout a power plant.

Goin’ Mobile with Ultrasound

by Gustavo Velasquez and Allan Rienstra

Ultrasound as a predictive maintenance tool is used successfully for many applications in industries of all kinds.  Ultrasound is useful as an inspection tool for detecting positive and negative pressure leaks, which are commonly found in compressed air and vacuum systems.  Some industrial processes use ultrasound to identify failed steam traps, and all facilities derive safety benefits from its ability to find electrical faults.

Making Ultrasound More Dynamic

The use of contact and airborne ultrasound as a predictive maintenance tool has grown steadily over the course of the last two decades. It has its supporters - people who admire the simplicity of the technique. It also has its detractors - people who say that the technology lacks the discipline of vibration in terms of a route-based structure and diagnostic capabilities.

Pick It Up and Use It

Savings Are Just Waiting for You With Ultrasound

by James Hall

It’s not rocket science, it doesn’t require extensive training and you don’t need a $10k dollar instrument to perform ultrasonic inspections in your plant.  In other words, the low hanging-fruit can be found by almost anyone.  However, you may want to gain an understanding of the technology to routinely find leaks, diagnose bearings, inspect steam traps and perform electrical inspections.  But with most of today’s instruments, virtually anyone can simply pick it up and scan for air leaks, or use an accompanying sensor to listen to motor bearings, gearboxes or steam traps.

Sustainability Through Ultrasonic Energy Conservation

by Allan Rienstra

In 2008, there arose a broad selection of solution providers specializing in helping the community of maintenance and reliability professionals to 'Go Green'. It is unlikely that the original mandate of most of these companies was to "help save the environment", but it does show how nimble entrepreneurialism adjusts to accommodate the demands of corporate social responsibility.

 

The Many Uses of Contact Ultrasound

by Thomas J. Murphy, Eng.

The use of ultrasound as a predictive tool has been with us for over 35 years.  Yet, despite its vintage, the use – and, indeed the understanding – of this technology is still not widespread.  This article continues an exploration of airborne ultrasound applications that we started in the June/July issue.  In this article, I will explain how, just by changing from an airborne sensor to a contact probe, we can use ultrasonic inspection in a myriad of mechanical applications.

The Synergy of Ultrasound and Vibration Analysis

by Liane Harris

Today's airborne ultrasound is a far more versatile technology than most people think. We can use ultrasound, together with vibration analysis and infrared thermography, to deepen our understanding of our machinery's condition. This article, which touches upon the use of airborne ultrasound and vibration, is the second of a three part series, in which we look at ultrasound, ultrasound/vibration and ultrasound/infrared.

 

The Ultimate in Bearing Maintenance Programs

By Chuck Petersen

Greasing bearings with Ultrasound Detection is very fast becoming the way to go. We can actually tell by Ultrasound Detection when bearings need greased and then when they have enough grease. We listen to the bearing and when it sounds smooth like air escaping then it is properly lubricated. When it sounds like popcorn popping or gravel in a bucket it needs greased. We then have the maintenance man grease the bearing ½ stroke at a time while we listen to the bearing with the Ultraprobe 10000, we can actually hear the grease enter the bearing and the sound quickly goes to the smooth air escaping sound. At that point we stop the greasing.

 

Ultrasonic Condition Monitoring

In today's environment, generating revenues for any industry is important. Profit margins are shrinking and often the difference between a profit and a loss can be as simple as preventing loss and improving efficiencies. Locating sources of energy waste, identifying failure conditions in electrical and mechanical systems all contribute to helping improve the bottom line.

This is why many industries around the world have incorporated some form of condition monitoring.  As opposed to the other forms of maintenance such as reactive in which a failure condition has occurred and maintenance personnel must “react” to the problem; or preventive where maintenance activities are performed on a set schedule, condition monitoring is used to check the health or “condition” of operating equipment.  Any change in monitored fields can alert maintenance personnel of potential failure and allow the repair to be performed on a scheduled, controlled, basis.

Ultrasonic Inspections on Ball Screws, Gearboxes, and Transfers

In the Automotive Manufacturing environment maintenance is faced with many challenges in completing PM's. We are often expected to check equipment that is running 24/7, which means the machine must be shutdown to do the necessary maintenance. As costs increase and sales decrease in the automotive industry, downtime is no longer acceptable under any circumstance.

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