Fans - Work Execution

Fans - Work Execution
A Best Practice Approach

Summary
A key aspect of any world-class asset management program is a
proactive, efficient work management process, designed to
ensure the effective performance of maintenance on critical
assets. To achieve maximum return on investment and maintain
the greatest degree of productivity, it is pivotal that organizations
have a process that effectively translates asset information to
knowledge, and ultimately gain value from that knowledge.
Work execution is where identified, planned and scheduled work
is performed. Once work is completed, feedback from the field
plays a key role in measuring the overall effectiveness of the
AEO process and making refinements for even greater efficiency
in the future.

AoM04005_fan_WE
Rob Bretz
24 pages
October 2004

SKF Reliability Systems
@ptitudeXchange
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San Diego, CA 92123
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AoM04005_fan_WE - Fans - Work Execution
Table of Contents
Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................2
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Installation........................................................................................................................................5
Balancing .........................................................................................................................................6
Precision Alignment.........................................................................................................................7
Shaft Alignment........................................................................................................................7
Belt or Pulley Alignment ..........................................................................................................8
Bearings & Lubrication....................................................................................................................9
Bearing Arrangement................................................................................................................9
Bearing Selection....................................................................................................................10
Lubrication Guidelines ...........................................................................................................10
Example: Small and Medium Size Cement Industry Fans .....................................................11
Refurbishment & Repair ................................................................................................................12
When to Recondition? ............................................................................................................12
Benefits...................................................................................................................................12
Fan Repair...............................................................................................................................13
Rebuild ("Design Out") ..........................................................................................................15
Post Maintenance Testing..............................................................................................................17
Mechanical Testing.................................................................................................................17
Acceptance Testing.................................................................................................................17
Feedback / Living Program............................................................................................................18
Root Cause Analysis...............................................................................................................18
Importance of RCA.................................................................................................................19
Job Plan Validation and Update .............................................................................................20
Audit Trail ..............................................................................................................................20
Towards a Living Program.....................................................................................................20
2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved 2

Conclusions....................................................................................................................................20
References......................................................................................................................................21
Resources .......................................................................................................................................21
Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................22
Appendix A....................................................................................................................................23

Introduction
A key aspect of any world-class asset
management program is a proactive, efficient
work management process, designed to ensure
the effective performance of maintenance on
critical assets. To achieve maximum return on
investment and maintain the greatest degree of
productivity, it is pivotal that organizations
have a process that effectively translates asset
information to knowledge, and ultimately gain
value from that knowledge.
In order to put into perspective what work
execution means in the overall scope, one
must first understand a little about asset
efficiency. To help organizations achieve
these goals, SKF offers Asset Efficiency
Optimization (AEO), a management process
designed to achieve maximum efficiency and
effectiveness from work management
activities focused on business goals for the
facility.
The AEO process encompasses four key
elements [1]:
Strategy
Identification
Control
Execution.
Maintenance Strategy involves the
evaluation of work activities in relationship to
a facilitys business objectives, a procedure
that creates the documented basis for the
maintenance program. Maintenance strategy
related to Fans is presented in Maintenance
Strategy for Fans[2].
Work Identification is where work is
identified from the evaluation of a
comprehensive flow of data in conjunction
with an integrated decision-making process.
Key to the success of Identification is a
comprehensive computerized maintenance
program. Work Identification related to Fans
is worked-out in Work Identification for
Fans[3].
Work Control involves establishing
procedures for planning and scheduling the
work identified by the CMMS. Tasks are
organized based on several parameters,
including time and condition; job plans or
procedures; man-hours required; data
feedback; special requirements; and many
other factors. Work Control related to Fans is
outlined in Work Control for Fans[4].
Work Execution is where identified, planned
and scheduled work is performed. Once work
is completed, feedback from the field plays a
key role in measuring the overall effectiveness
of the AEO process and making refinements
for even greater efficiency in the future.
The AEO process transforms conceptual asset
management into a tangible competitive edge.
Each of the elements listed above contributes
to the success of the AEO process. No matter
how well defined and documented the
maintenance strategy may be, it cannot
achieve optimum effectiveness if badly
implemented. Similarly good control and
implementation practices are wasted if they
are expended in performing the wrong tasks.
This article focuses on the "work execution"
element of the process. Within this article we
will make the transition from the inputs from
the work control process (see Work Control
for Fans) into work execution [4].


Check hold down bolts are hardened up
with nuts and washers.

Check other remaining hold down
positions were shimmed to provide full
support to the pedestal.
Check foundation block is smooth (except
in the area where the hold down bolts had
been grouted).
The key element when installing a machine is
to provide a foundation, which will provide
sufficient support and stiffness to maintain
alignment between components under
dynamic conditions. In the case of a pedestal
being grouted to a foundation and held in
place with anchor bolts, the foundation should
be prepared in a manner that will ensure the
support and alignment of the components over
an extended period of time.
Figure 1 Work Execution Process - Principal Inputs &
Outputs
Along with work control, work execution
includes precision practices such as fan
installation, alignment, balancing, vibration,
lubrication, repair, and redesign. Post
maintenance testing is followed up with work
order procedures.
The resultant output is what is referred to as a
living program, which provides the
feedback for a continual improvement
process.
SKF Service recommends that grout be
floated in rather than troweled. Floating the
grout in place provides a more uniform
support to the pedestal and if done correctly
ensures that air pockets beneath the supporting
areas do not occur.
Installation
Like any piece of equipment, fans require a
sturdy foundation from which they can
operate without problem. According to Frank
Bleier, cement is the preferred foundation
material. The foundation should be level,
rigid, and of sufficient massequal to three or
four times the fan weight. [6].

The foundation needs to be cleaned and
roughened to a depth of at least one inch in the
area where the grout will be poured in contact
with the foundation. This is done to ensure a
contiguous structure beneath the pedestal
supporting the fan components. Leveling
screws should also be in place on the pedestal
and the levelness checked and fan correctly
positioned prior to connecting ductwork. The
grout should then be poured and allowed to
cure prior to carrying out the precision
alignment.

Even with the successful installation of a fan,
regular foundation inspection is suggested.
General visual inspection of the
foundation (e.g., suitable support to the
pedestal to maintain the alignment of the
fan components).
Resilient mounting of fans is done either to
isolate the machine vibrations from the
structure or isolate structurally born vibrations
from the machine. In the first case fans used in
office buildings are typically mounted on
resilient mounts to reduce the vibrations being
transmitted into the building and contributing
Check fan and pedestal in position and
connected to the ductwork.
Hold down bolts and shims in place.

to an uncomfortable environment. In the
second case stand-by equipment, or equipment
which operates periodically, is mounted on
resilient mounts when placed in areas where
other machines may be operating and
structurally borne vibration is present.
Bearings in machines resting idle under these
conditions will prematurely deteriorate. In
either case the number one consideration is
maintaining the machine component
alignment under dynamic conditions by
providing a rigid base support connected to
the resilient mounts.
For further reading on machine installation,
the reader is referred to [7].
Balancing
Fan rotors must be balanced; otherwise,
vibrations that could damage the bearings or
other parts will be produced. Balancing is
accomplished by redistributing the mass so
that the principal inertia axis more nearly
coincides with the axis of rotation. Because
perfect balance is never achieved,
specifications usually list the permissible
unbalance. This can be stated in terms such as
ounce-inches, which reflect the size and radius
of a balancing mass that would bring the rotor
into balance. Also, eccentricity, the distance
between the principal inertia axis and the axis
of rotation, can be specified. Specific
unbalance, or unbalance divided by rotor
mass, can be specified, too. However, the
most common specifications deal with the
vibratory effects of unbalance. That is, a limit
is placed on the displacement, velocity, or
acceleration that can be measured on a
vibrating part.[5]
Balancing will reduce only those vibrations
caused by unbalance. Vibrations caused by
looseness between parts, coupling
misalignment, mismatched belts, or other
external sources must first be corrected before
balancing is attempted. The effects of a bent
shaft can sometimes be balanced out but only
if the bend is slight.[5]
Most fans are balanced before shipping. In
the field, fans are usually balanced with the
aid of a portable, electronic balancing
machine. Such machines can indicate the
vibration amplitudes in terms of displacement,
velocity, or acceleration. They can also
indicate frequency and, with the aid of a
strobe light, phase angle, too. Most use a
seismic-type velocity probe and can filter out
all frequencies outside the narrow band of
interest.[5]
An example includes an equipment cooling
fan, running at 1760 RPM.

Figure 2: Cooling Fan. The Arrow indicates the Fan
Impellor where Measurement is taken.
The overall vibration levels were about 0.6 ips
(inches per second) before the balance was
performed. The vibration spectrum shows a
high peak of 0.52 ips at fan RPM (Figure 3).
An out of balance condition will generate a
frequency equal to that of the shaft RMP. Care
should be taken as several other conditions
will exhibit similar symptoms. Taking phase
readings and examining the phase relationship
of the one times RPM component will assist in
determining if the major problem is indeed an
out of balance condition. As the phase
measuring equipment is necessary for the
balancing, and readings can be taken before
the equipment is dismantled, this relatively

quick check could determine if balancing is
actually required.
In this case, the out of balance diagnosis was
confirmed. The fan shroud was removed
consequently, and the fan was cleaned and
balanced appropriately. After balancing, the
peak value dropped from 0.52 ips to 0.04 ips.

Figure 3: Peak at Fan RPM, indicating Unbalance.
For further reading on balancing principles,
the reader is referred to [8,9].
Precision Alignment
Shaft Alignment
Shaft misalignment induces abnormal loads,
which causes a fan to run improperly and
eventually leads to a decreased life
expectancy. Fundamentals on shaft alignment
can be found in [10,11].
An example of precision shaft alignment of
the rotating components of a fan are carried
out with soft foot checks to all components
and confirmation of the inducers central
location to the impeller. Alignment targets are
for example zero at all feet in all directions.
The acceptable limits, unless specified by
machine manufacturer or coupling
manufacturer are less than 0.002 at all feet in
all directions. Soft foot targets are also zero
with the acceptable limits being less than
0.002 under all feet unless otherwise
specified by the machine manufacturer.
Inducers are located as centrally as the
components will allow, based on the levels of
precision used in their manufacture.


Figure 4 Example Motor Fan Alignment (Horizontal) (*) Represents quantity of shims under each foot. (**)
Represents soft foot measured under each foot with laser.

Figure 5 Example Motor Fan Alignment (Vertical).
Belt or Pulley Alignment
Belt alignment or pulley alignment is an
important maintenance task. When carried out
correctly, it can prevent breakdowns and save
considerable costs. Belt alignment and pulley
alignment are synonymous, as the process of
belt alignment hinges on the correct alignment
of the pulleys on which the belt runs. For the
sake of clarity, we speak of belt alignment.
Belt alignment concerns aligning the belts in a
way that results in the least wear on the belts
and lowest energy loss for the machine or
driver unit. This means that the grooves of the
pulleys are in line with each other in practice.

Figure 6. The grooves of the pulleys are in line.


Figure 7: Belt-driven fan.
For further reading on belt alignment, the
reader is referred to [12,13].
Bearings & Lubrication
Bearing Arrangement
Figure 8 and Figure 9 show two principle
different fan mounting configurations:
overhung load, and straddle. The overhung
load configuration is identified by the
placement of the bearings, on the shaft as
compared to the fan position on the shaft. As
can be seen in the left configuration in Figure
8, the motor and coupling are on one side of
the bearing set, and the fan is on the other
side. The same configuration can be seen on
the right, only a multi-grooved sheave
replaces the motor and coupling.

Figure 8 Overhung Load Configuration
Figure 9 illustrates the straddle
configuration of a fan assembly. The
configuration on the left demonstrates the
motor coupling assembly, then the first
bearing. In the straddle configuration, the
fan is then located between the two bearings.
Similarly, the configuration on the right is
the same, only with the motor coupling
assembly replaced with a multi-grooved
sheave.



Figure 9 Straddle Configuration
Bearing Selection
In the design or rebuild of the fan bearing
arrangement, the following configurations are
generally considered by SKF:
Application - heavy duty (process fans),
light duty (e.g. ventilation fans)
Fan Type - centrifugal, axial
Mount Type straddle, overhung
Drive Method belt/pulley, direct drive
Shaft Orientation vertical, horizontal
Inlet Type (for centrifugal fans) single,
double
Blade Pitch (for axial fans) fixed,
variable
Radial Loads high, medium, and low
Axial Loads high, medium, and low
Speed High, medium, and low
Bearing Temperature High, medium and
low
Bearings normally used are SRB, SABB ,
CARB but also DGBB and ACBB. Most
bearings in fans are sleeve mounted. Today
there are new concentric offers available for
the whole shaft. Labyrinth seals are normally
used due to high speed.
Lubrication Guidelines
The lubrication of a fan generally means
lubricating the bearings of the fan shaft. If
rolling element bearings are to operate reliably
they must be adequately lubricated to prevent
direct metal-to-metal contact between the
rolling elements, raceways and cages. The
lubricant also inhibits wear and protects the
bearing surfaces against corrosion. The choice
of a suitable lubricant and method of
lubrication for each individual bearing
application is therefore important, as is correct
maintenance.
A wide selection of greases and oils is
available for the lubrication of rolling bearings
and there are also solid lubricants, e.g., for
extreme temperature conditions such as hot
gas fans. The actual choice of a lubricant
depends primarily on the operating conditions,
i.e., the temperature range and speeds as well
as the influence of the surroundings.
The majority of fan bearings are grease
lubricated with regreasing possibility. The
following SKF guidelines apply:

- Initial fill for grease lubrication at start up:
Generally, when greasing split pillow blocks
containing SRBs and SABBs fill the bearing
100% full (CARB fill bearing full), housing
1/3 full, and labyrinth seals grooves 100%.
Note that the temperature at start up generally
goes up well above steady state temperature
after running a while.
Oil in grease is typically an ISO VG 100
to 220 C (depending on operating temp.)

Grease stiffness recommended is NLG1
grade2
For grease lubrication the following
general guidelines are recommended:
o Mineral oil based grease can be
used up to 80 C or 212 F
o Synthetic oil based grease can
be used up to 100 C or 176 F
Above 100 C or earlier (above 80 C) go
for oil bath lubrication. At oil bath
lubrication the normal running
temperature is substantially lowered in
same application. Oil bath lubrication can
be used up to 100 C.
For oil bath applications above 100 C go
for circulating oil. The oil flow can be set
so the bearing temperature is 50 to 80 C.
Most common oil viscosity grades are 100
to 220 cSt.
The (base) oil viscosity ratio at operating
temperature Kappa needs to be in an
appropriate range [16]. Lubrication
guidelines using the Kappa value are:

o For oil lubrication Kappa shall
be over 1 and between 2 and 5
is good.
o For grease lubrication Kappa
can be up to 7

The lubricant in a bearing arrangement
gradually loses its lubricating properties as a
result of mechanical work, ageing and the
build-up of contamination. It is therefore
necessary for grease to be replenished or
renewed and for oil to be filtered and changed
at regular intervals [16]. For this purpose,
automatic grease supply systems could be
applied, single or multiple-point [16].
Example: Small and Medium Size
Cement Industry Fans
A spherical roller bearing (SRB) on the
locating side and CARB on the non-locating
side with tapered bore are recommended for
smaller and medium size cement industry
fans. (For very small fans, SABB may be used
as the locating bearing). The bearings are
typically mounted on adapter sleeves, but the
SNL housings are also available for mounting
directly on cylindrical seating.
Figure 10 shows bearings mounted on
withdrawal sleeves in SNL grease lubricated
housings with labyrinth seals. Note that the
locating and non-locating bearing positions
are optimized due to the pulley belt load. The
opposite arrangement of locating + non-
locating bearing is also common. Concerning
the locating and non-locating position, we
generally recommend the locating position
shall be on the drive side. Using the CARB
and SRB arrangement, please note that both
bearings/housings shall have locating rings
mounted. For very dusty / wet conditions, it is
advised to shield the housings and the shaft,
e.g., by a "roof".
The bearings are grease lubricated. Note; the
CARB bearing must be lubricated from either
side, through the bearing.


Figure 10 Overhung centrifugal fan, pulley driven, plummer block housings.
Refurbishment & Repair
When to Recondition?
Reconditioning can save money by
significantly extending the operational life of
bearings and bearing assemblies. For bearings,
the process can range from simple re-
polishing, to regrinding raceways and
replacing components. In the case of units or
assemblies, measurements are also taken to
increase the service life of the unit as a whole.
Bearing reconditioning is generally viable for:
Expensive, large size and/or obsolete
bearings (bearings with outside diameter
larger than 200 mm)
Bearings with short service lives
Bearings with light damage (for instance,
when potential problems have been
detected at an early stage by condition
monitoring)
Bearing reconditioning tends not to be
economically viable for:
Small, low-price bearings (generally, it is
not worth reworking bearings with an
outside diameter less than 200 mm)
Bearings that cannot be readily
disassembled (e.g. those with special metal
cages)
Heavily damaged bearings showing
excessive wear, broken rings, heavy
material fatigue, etc.
Typical applications where reconditioning has
shown to offer significant savings include
large size bearings for various industries,
including paper and steel making, cement
production, etc. As a result of regular
vibration inspections, wear of large size
bearings is often detected in time before the
bearings are too heavily damaged.
Benefits
Due to the variety of reconditioning processes,
an indication of prices vary between 10 - 15%
of the new bearing net price, and up to 50 -
65%. Considering the bearing price and the
service life extensions, a decision for
reconditioning can be made.

Apart from the direct benefits, insight into
bearing damage and its root causes can help
the bearing user take proactive measures.
Further, in certain situations, reconditioning
may prevent production loss in case of
delivery time of new bearings [17].

Figure 11 Example of Bearing Reconditioning
Fan Repair
Fan and component repair does not need to be
difficult or present additional costs as opposed
to complete replacement. As an illustration,
we will look at a cooling tower fan coupling
problem. This example case deals with the
problem of a defective coupling on a cooling
tower fan drive shaft.
In the application, a large increase in the
overall vibration level signaled that a problem
had developed. Spectral analysis indicated that
the problem was not occurring at the
accessible measurement point, but was
associated with the drive components. A loose
coupling was discovered, repaired and the
vibration returned to previous levels.
Figure 12 provides a basic rendering of the
cooling tower fan and components.

Figure 12 Cooling Tower Fan Coupling illustration
General observations demonstrated that the
cooling tower fan had been operating
smoothly for several months and there were
no clues in the vibration history to suggest that
any trouble was imminent. The fan was
monitored on a monthly basis, however
measurements were confined to the motor
because the remainder of the drive was
inaccessible.
The overall vibration levels that had remained
at approximately 0.1 IPS for several months
suddenly jumped to 0.74 IPS. The upper alarm
had been set at 0.2 IPS. The vibration peak at
one times motor RPM dominated the spectrum
collected in the vertical plan, with a peak that
had grown from less than 0.1 IPS to almost
0.7 IPS in a month (see Figure). In addition,
5x and 10x RPM peaks could be found in the
spectrum.

Theoretically, the coupling problems can
generate a one times RPM signal, multiples of
frequency related to the number of bolts, teeth
or grids. Cooling tower fans pose a unique
problem to vibration analysts because gear
components are not accessible during tower
operation. Diagnosis must be based on
information collected from the drive motor of
the fan only, unless a transducer is mounted
strategically, on the fan drive gearbox inside
the cooling tower.

Figure 13 Single Spectrum Plot (Loose Coupling)
Preliminary findings indicated that the high
frequency signal was being generated by a
loose coupling half. Vibration readings taken
since the repair indicate that levels have
returned to normal and the one times RPM
peak in the vertical spectrum has dropped
from 0.68 IPS to 0.022 IPS.
Corrective action consisted of a physical
inspection. The inspection of the fan drive was
conducted, and the motor coupling half was
very loose on the shaft. The coupling was
repaired and the unit was returned to service.
The example shows that coupling problems
can generate a once per rev signal as well as a
frequencies related to the meshing
components of the connector.


Figure 14 Overall Value vs. Time Trend (post repair)
Rebuild ("Design Out")
When the fan system is doing its job but not
doing it as efficiently as possible, the plant can
rebuild the system using components that
match the originals. Before rebuilding a fan
system, the plant should take precautions that
can contribute to a successful project. These
preventive strategies include carefully storing
and handling replacement components -
bearings, seals, etc. - to minimize
contamination, oxidation and physical
damage; double-checking new components to
ensure they are direct replacements for the
originals; and measuring all shafts and bores
for size, roundness and profile.
At one chemical plant, the maintenance crew
had to temporarily fix a key induced-draft fan
on a critical emissions system. The quick fix
was required because a fire had occurred in
the fan impeller casing. Plant management had
two goals: to curtail the use of the backup fan,
which costs an additional $3,000 per day, and
to see the operation through to a scheduled
shutdown three months down the road.
Although the fan had performed acceptably
over the years, improvements were needed.
The system required a complete overhaul
during the upcoming scheduled shutdown.
Prior to the shutdown, the plant reliability
team called on experts to perform a failure
analysis on the bearing removed during the
emergency fix. The company also authorized a
team to perform a reliability analysis on the
entire fan system to recommend changes to
enhance the system's performance and reduce
the total life-cycle costs for the system.
The service team discovered thermal changes
created by varying hot gas temperatures had
the greatest effect on fan performance. These
changes caused the shaft to expand and
contract, impacting bearing life - in this case,
spherical roller bearings commonly used on
industrial fans.
The service team recommended a change to a
CARB toroidal roller bearing that cannot carry
axial loads. However, it accommodates axial
displacement and angular misalignment as it
"floats" inside itself, allowing frictionless
thermal expansion. The same team installed
an automatic lubrication system on the fan and
analyzed a possible resonance problem in the

system. Several techniques were used,
including operation deflection shape (ODS)
analysis [18], a technique that produces an
animated pictorial rendering of the relative
movement between surfaces. The analyses
confirmed that a switch to flexible inlet/outlet
expansion joints installed during the earlier
quick fix had alleviated vibration problems in
the system. The analyses also pinpointed other
changes to the system's support structure that
would increase system life. These changes
were made during the shutdown.
In general, any change made to a fan system
without reviewing all of its ramifications
could adversely affect system life.
A fan system with a recurring problem is
something no operation should have to live
with, but, in many cases, plant personnel do
just that. A chronic fan-system problem
requires an MRA, performed with an eye
toward finding the root cause of the problem.
Experienced technicians with the right set of
diagnostic tools can get to the root of
problems and recommend a fix to make the
system more reliable. This kind of asset
management can pay big dividends in terms of
increased productivity and better risk
management.
At another chemical plant, failures of the
solvent-recovery fan had occurred erratically
over the 30-plus years the fan had been in use.
A reliability analysis and implementation of
its recommendations eliminated the causes of
the system's failures. The company estimates
these reliability improvements save
approximately $80,000 annually.
The root cause of the problems had little to do
with the bearings, shafts, seals or any other
component of the fan itself. Although
evidence showed that some bearings were
installed incorrectly, the lubrication might
have been inadequate for the application, and
both the motor and fan sheaves were
incorrectly specified, an ODS analysis found
the principal problems to be structural. The
fan base was not correctly designed for the
application, allowing excessive movement.
Also, the fan pedestal under the bearing
housings had a right-to-left crown and a front-
to-back sag.
Experts replaced the sheaves with the correct
ones, trained plant personnel in bearing
installation procedures and upgraded the
bearings and lubrication. However, their "fix"
for the solvent-recovery fan consisted
primarily of creating a new base for the fan,
stress-relieving the fan, properly grouting it in
place and flattening the pedestal base.
The reliability analysis report notes that
technicians discovered vibration to be a
significant contributor to bearing problems,
but goes on to say: "While it would seem that
balancing the fan would alleviate the problem,
this is not true. Structure issues are not
allowing enough system stiffness - for the
system - to function properly."


Figure 15 Shown here are excerpts from an ODS animation performed on a solvent-recovery fan to evaluate the
relative movement of the structural components. The ODS revealed excessive movement of the fan base.
Figure 15 shows excerpts from an ODS
animation performed on a solvent-recovery
fan to evaluate the relative movement of the
structural components. The ODS revealed
excessive movement of the fan base.

Post Maintenance Testing
Mechanical Testing
Various mechanical tests can be performed
on a fan or its parts, either to provide a basis
for design calculations or to verify them.
Although destructive tests are occasionally
useful, most fan testing is nondestructive.[5]
Spin tests may be performed to determine the
buckling speed of a blade, the yielding speed
of a shroud, or the bursting speed of an
impeller. Nondestructive spin testing may be
used simply to prove that an impeller will be
able to operate at a certain speed. That speed
can be the expected operating speed or some
higher speed. Over speed testing demonstrates
that there is a margin of safety at the normal
speed. Over speeding may also beneficially
redistribute static stresses.[5]
Acceptance Testing
Most industrial assets from complex
manufacturing plants to remote and mobile
capital equipment experience a peak system
availability of 85% to 95%. The downtime
associated with these assets represents a
significant, and often hidden, cost to
corporations. Prior to reaching peak system
availability there are abundant cases of infant
mortality of equipment upon commissioning,
which will prevent manufacturing plants from
even reaching this kind of availability without
significant setbacks.
Although equipment warranty is desired as a
means to protect the user from incurred costs
associated with infant mortality of the

equipment. The larger pervasive costs that
will drag down the ROA are unplanned
equipment and manufacturing process
downtime. For many operations executives,
95% uptime is accepted as the norm.
Unfortunately, the acceptance of this ceiling
masks the true costs associated with
unplanned downtime, which can amount to
1%-3% of asset value per year for large
capital equipment.
For example, as a solution, SKF Reliability
Systems in conjunction with a power cooling
company, has developed a number of risk
management solutions. There are two very
strong recommendations to foster availability
of assets.
1. Acceptance Testing
2. Proactive Reliability Maintenance - Fan
Management Program
Many manufacturers will provide some level
of minimum specifications as acceptance
criteria to commission equipment. However,
the specification is just that: a minimum. A
part of the core competencies within SKF
utilizes a variety of technologies to verify that
the machines are within this criterion to avoid
a high incidence of infant mortality and move
the facility much quicker to meeting peak
system availability. These technologies
include:
Inspection of Foundation
Lubrication Review (type, quantity, re-
lubrication frequency, and analysis)
Precision Alignment of machine train
components
Precision Dynamic Balancing of system.
Baseline Vibration Analysis Survey of
machine train
Motor Current Spectral Analysis Baseline
Machine Reliability Assessment of bad
actors.
Secondly, each fan program uses monitoring,
data analysis and component upgrades to
reduce life cycle costs. Fan reliability and
maintenance issues are frequently complex,
and solutions require special tools and
expertise that are normally not available on-
site. SKF offers service packages designed to
help keep this critical element of production
running more efficiently.
The elements of each fan management
program depend on the results of monitoring
and manual inspections. Some of the
components of an SKF fan management
program include:
Lubrication Analysis
Advanced Vibration Analysis
Vibration Monitoring
Precision dynamic balancing
Bearing System design upgrades
Lubrication recommendations
Precision Alignment
Bearing installation
Seal application review
Trouble-Free Supply
Feedback / Living Program
Root Cause Analysis
A problem is often the result of multiple
causes at different levels. The root cause is
the evil at the bottom" that sets in motion the
cause-and-effect chain and creates the
problem.
In fact, RCA is a collective term used to
describe a wide range of approaches, tools,
and techniques used to uncover and model

causes to problems. RCA is a method that
helps professionals determine what happened,
how it happened, and why it happened. It
allows learning from past problems, failures,
and accidents. RCA can be applied to any
organizational, production, and administrative
(etc.) problem [19].
Importance of RCA
Why perform a RCA? If achievements from
eliminating the problem and its consequences
are larger than the efforts put into a RCA, this
seems obvious. Although eliminating risk of
recurrence of similar situations looks
admirable, it could be perceived as the
"program of the month." Resolving
emergencies when they occur, while RCA
aims to eliminate root causes and reduce the
maintenance persons responsibilities, may
recognize a maintenance person.
Therefore, it is extremely important to align
everyone in the same direction, both at the
management level and production and
maintenance personnel. Creating the right,
open environment for learning from failures is
essential [20]. Lets look at an example:
Symptom: A cement plant has eight overhung
fans running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The fan shafts are supported by spherical
roller bearings in split pillow block housings.
The fans have been in service for over fifteen
years, and share a common support platform.
Within the last year, the bearing failure rate
has been accelerating rapidly, and
replacements are now occurring monthly.
Operators have noted a marked increase in
vibration in the area over the same timeframe.
Investigation: The failed bearings show two
sets of symptoms: failed bearings from two of
the fans show excessive polish wear on their
outside diameters, and evidence of a 360
degree load zone on the outer ring raceway.
The other fans show bearing failure with
grayish, washboard wear in a 120 degree load
zone at the bottom of the outer ring. What's
happening?
Answer: If you guessed the bearing rings
were spinning in the housing due to
imbalance, you're halfway there: But what's
driving this behavior? There are several
possible root causes, such as wear of fan
wheels, shrouds, missing components (half-
keys, for example) or simply improper initial
balancing. Excessive imbalance can induce
outer ring creep, which is why the high polish
in the OD surfaces was observed. The 360
load zone is also from the imbalance.
Find and correct the imbalance: did
anything happen a year ago (process change,
maintenance or operations personnel change,
etc.) that might be contributory? After startup,
measure vibration signatures to comply with
local or ISO standards to verify the imbalance
has been corrected.
What about the other bearings? These are
showing signs of secondary damage. High
vibration from the two bad machines is
transmitted to the other fans sharing the
support. Mix this ambient vibration with a bit
of cement dust and you have a perfect recipe
for "washboard" abrasive wear.
Moral: Examining failed bearings inside and
out is a key best practice for uncovering root
causes of failure. But we must also learn to
couple the postmortem with a sound
knowledge of machine history, operating
conditions, and current diagnostic and
performance data to get a complete picture of
the failure cause. Otherwise, we risk an
incomplete conclusion, which could lead to
the application of improper (and often
ineffective) corrective actions. Another key
practice is to verify the effectiveness of the
corrective action. Did our change work? Using
a minimum of two condition monitoring
measurements (vibration, temperature, oil
analysis, etc.) to verify results is a good idea.

Job Plan Validation and Update
Standard job plans should be subject to a
regular review and update procedure. The job
plan should make provision for feedback on
completion of the work to validate the efficacy
of the plan, and to prompt any revision that
may be necessary. In [4], an example includes
basic fan data for reference, such as a
description for record keeping. The standard
job plan then outlines the specifics of the fan
asset such as:
Part number(s)
Special tools and test equipment required
Personnel qualifications required to do the
work
Preparation(s) required (drawings, permits,
lockouts, documentation, etc.)
Implementation (step by step work
instructions, etc.)
Follow-up (post maintenance testing, clean
tools, etc)
A disciplined and effective approach to task
close-out is important for a number of reasons.
Appendix A, Work Control Task Close-Out
Template, provides guidelines regarding the
data that should be collected at closure of each
job to support this process.
Audit Trail
An effective close-out procedure provides a
good level of integrity for the audit trail and is
a requirement of many regulatory bodies.
The purpose of an audit trail is to identify
errors in information, to explain
inconsistencies in the information, and to
properly manage the information. The key in
ensuring ability to audit is providing
information that was used to update each
record.
Towards a Living Program
The Maintenance Strategy review (MSR)
dictates what maintenance should be done,
based (usually) on detailed study of the cost of
undertaking that work versus the risk of not
doing so. The MSR must be a reiterative
process in order to ensure that the
maintenance activities remain aligned to the
business needs.[1] Where real-world
experience dictates the need to change
standard maintenance plans, this can be
valuable input to the MSR review process,
since it may have some effect on the "cost"
side of this equation.
It is therefore essential that the maintenance
management system make provisions for
collection and storage of this valuable
information, and for efficient retrieval and
analysis to support the update process.
For further information on world-class
maintenance management work process, have
a look at an article by Mel Barratt called,
Optimising Your Maintenance Strategy[21].
Conclusions
The fan-system problems described illustrate
two major points: A fan system is just that
a system. Not only does it include the
components one usually associates with a fan
bearings, shafts, seals and lubrication
systems it also includes physical and
operational support structures. These often-
ignored system parts should be included in
assessments of a system's performance.
Improving fan-system reliability requires
diagnostic techniques adequate for
determining the root causes of problems. If
bearings or seals are failing and the root cause
is structural, environmental or operational, no
amount of assessment on the bearings and
seals to the exclusion of the rest of the system
will pinpoint the root cause of persistent
problems. Ultimately, fan-system management

requires plant personnel to monitor, control
and maintain elements that can reside well
beyond the fan itself.
References
[1] McKenna, T., and Oliverson, R. Glossary
of Reliability and Maintenance Terms. Gulf
Publishing Company, 1997, ISBN 0-88415-
360-6
[2] Barratt, Mel. Maintenance Strategy for
Fans. AoM04002_fan_MS.
http://www.aptitudexchange.com
[3] Bretz, Rob. Work Identification for
Fans. AoM04003_fan_WI.
[4] Barratt, Mel. Work Control for Fans.
AoM04004_fan_WC.
[5] Jorgensen, Robert. An Engineers
Handbook on Fans and Their Applications.
Howden Buffalo, Inc. 1999.
[6] Bleier, Frank P. Fan Handbook: Selection,
Application, and Design. New York, New
York. McGraw Hill. 1998.
[7] de Vlaam, Geoffrey. Machinery Mounting.
GS02011, http://www.aptitudexchange.com
[8] Barratt. Mel. Balancing. MB02004,
[9] Swansen, Doug. Machinery Balancing
Fundamentals. DS03001,
[10] Fixturlaser. Shaft Alignment:
Introduction. Fixturlaser_01,
[11] Barratt, Mel. Introduction To Shaft
Alignment. MB03018,
[12] SKF Maintenance Products, Belt
Alignment. GS04007,
[13] Bretz, Rob. V-Belts. RB02006,
[14] SKF, Bearings for Fans. SKF_3213_E,
[15] SKF, Self-Aligning Bearing Systems,
SKF_4417E,
[16] SKF, Bearing Lubrication. JM02006,
[17] Braunegger, Hubert. Reconditioning
Bearings and Units. GS02012,
[18] David Kadushin and Jason M Mais,
Operating Deflection Shape Analysis.
JM02024, http://www.aptitudexchange.com
[19] Schram, G. Root Cause Analysis.
GS02003, http://www.aptitudexchange.com
[20] Latino, R.J., "Creating the environment
for RCA to succeed", Maintenance
Technology Magazine, April: 2001.
[21] Barratt, Mel. Optimising Your
Maintenance Strategy. MB04009.
Resources
Air Movement and Control Association
(AMCA) http://www.amca.org
American Society for Mechanical Engineering
(ASME) http://www.asme.org
Fans for Hazardous Applications. Suffolk,
England. Mechanical Engineering
Publications Limited. 1994

Higgins, Lindley R., Mobley, R. Keith, and
Smith, Ricky. Maintenance Engineering
Handbook; Sixth Edition. New York, New
York. McGraw-Hill. 2002
Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IME)
http://imeche.org.uk/
New Standards for Fans. London, UK.
IMechE Seminar Publications, Professional
Engineering Publishing. 2000.
PTC 11-1984, Fans; Performance Test Codes.
New York, New York. The American Society
of Mechanical Engineers. Reaffirmed 1995.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Steve Kelly, SKF, for his
contribution on rebuilding fans; to Hans Lindh
for his contribution on fan configurations; and
to Eytan Dor for the cooling tower fan
coupling example.

Appendix A
Work Control Task Close-out Template
20. Task Procedure No. Task Duration.
22. Planned. 23. Actual.
21. Task Descriptor
24. When Actual Is > +/- 25% Of Planned.
The Reason/s Are:
25. Scheduled Start Date. 26. Actual Start Date.
27 Remedial Work Required.
27a. Is Remedial/Follow-On Work Required? Yes Or No

27b. When Yes Must This Work Be Done By A Certain Date? Yes Or No

27c. When Yes State The Date <..>
27d. What Is The Work That Needs To Be Done?
<.>
28. Actual Equipment Performance
At Conclusion Of Work.

29. Was A Test Run/Performance Validation
Conducted? Yes Or No

30. Is The Test Sheet/Calibration Record Attached
To This Closing Work? Yes Or No

31. Structured Work Closeout/Feedback (Learning).

Is The Equipment Returned To Service In Its Original Fit, Form & Function? Yes Or No

When No How Is The Equipment Different & Why & What Does This Mean To The Owner/Operator?
<..>
Has A Permanent Modification Been Done? Yes Or No
When Yes Attach The Authority To Change/Modify Per Management Of Change
<>
Has A Temporary Modification Been Done? Yes Or No

When Yes When Does The Temporary Modification Need To Be Actioned By <Date>
Were You Able To Work Safely? Were The Mandatory/Optional Material Sufficient? Yes Or No

When No What Was Absent/Insufficient?
Did You Have All The Necessary Known Spare Parts? Yes Or No

Did You Have All The Special Equipment/Test Equipment That You Needed? Yes Or No


Did You Have All Necessary Data, Documentation, Drawings, Vendor Manuals, QA/QC Forms? Yes Or
No
Do You Think The Frequency Of This Task Needs Changing? Yes Or No

When Yes To What Frequency & Why?
Do You Think That The Content (What You Did) Needs Changing? Yes Or No

When Yes What Needs Adding, Deleting, Amending & Why?
Figure 16. Template For Structured Task Close-Out


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