Tube and pipe inspections are simplified with today’s video inspection technology. Conco Services Corp. uses video probes in its condenser and heat exchanger tubing inspection services.
Flexible video probes are used in verifying tube cleanliness prior to NDE inspections and to confirm indications found during tube examinations, says Chris Vinkler, general manager of NDE testing at Conco Services. “Flexible video probes can access and record areas in a tube that are not accessible to more-rigid probes as well as perform hard-to-access shell-side tube inspections,” Vinkler says. “They are also used to diagnose the cause of restricted or blocked tubes.”
Refined corrosion monitoring technologies enable more-strategic maintenance. Ultracorr 2, Cosasco’s noninvasive corrosion and erosion monitoring system, improves safety by reducing the need for inspection personnel to perform routine maintenance in hazardous areas. It uses high-resolution measurement technology to acquire metal-loss data quickly so that pre-emptive measures can be taken to ensure safe operations.
Meticulous maintenance execution
Poor lubrication practices are a major cause of premature bearing failures. The Ultraprobe 401 Digital Grease Caddy from UE Systems makes lubricating bearings more precise.
“The Digital Grease Caddy allows for data collection, trending, report generation and the establishment of baselines and equipment condition alarm levels, even to the point of being able to track and trend how much grease is applied by trending the number of pumps of grease and the amount of grease,” says Adrian Messer, U.S. operations manager at UE Systems. “It is a move towards true condition-based lubrication.”
Incorrect alignments caused by imprecise alignment tools can lead to problems with vibration, noise, temperature, coupling, and premature wear. The B.A.T. Laser Belt Alignment Tool System from Alignment Supplies is designed to be more accurate and faster than traditional dot and single laser line methods. The B.A.T. uses dual lasers with GlowLine green laser technology and large TruView targets that make the offset and angularity of the entire sheave face visible. With this tool, users can check the offset and angularity of both sheaves at the same time.
“One company tried the B.A.T. and discovered they needed a 1/4-inch shim on a motor,” says Michael Olszewski, president of Alignment Supplies. “Their dot line method had been showing the alignment was good, so they had been looking elsewhere for the cause of their problems. With the root cause finally detected, they were able to apply the necessary solution.”
To allow astronauts to complete multiple important tasks “with comfort and ease,” Robert Hillan designed a multipurpose precision maintenance tool. NASA and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Foundation chose Hillan as the teen-group winner of the Future Engineers 3-D Printing in Space Tool Challenge, and his winning design was 3D-printed on the International Space Station.
[sidebar id="4"]
