Cement plant
Reconditioning and predictive programs in cement: what the numbers look like
Reconditioning is cheaper than new, and a consistent program catches failures early. What each one needs to work.
Reconditioning
| Item | Typical figure |
|---|---|
| Cost compared with new | Up to about 60% less |
| Life after recondition | Up to about three times the previous life, when the root cause is also fixed |
| Size range | Bearings up to about 2 metres outside diameter can be repaired |
| Types | Tapered, cylindrical and spherical roller bearings, shafts and housings |
When reconditioning makes sense
- The bearing is large, expensive or has a long delivery.
- The damage is on one surface and can be refinished.
- The cause of the damage is known and corrected, otherwise the repair fails again.
A consistent program
One cement maker found its predictive programs were different at every plant: some used vibration analysis, some infrared thermography and some oil analysis, run by staff or by contractors. A common program was set up on all machines over about 1,000 horsepower (750 kW). In the first 10 months it found 10 occasions where equipment was starting to fail, and each was fixed in a planned stop.
What a good program has
- The same methods, alarm levels and report format at every site.
- Vibration, temperature and oil or grease analysis combined, not used alone.
- A named owner for each machine and a rule for who acts on an alarm.
- Review of the first few alarms against what is found at teardown, to build trust in the data.
Takeaway. A common program and a clear repair route are worth more than any single clever measurement.
Put it to work in the tool