Page 213 - Boiler_Operators_Handbook,_Second_Edition

198 Boiler Operator’s Handbook

are the two principle preventive maintenance activities a good job planning and executing the maintenance plan
in a boiler plant. Those activities prevent failures by you shouldn’t have any failures.
maintaining conditions that do not allow corrosion, Every piece of equipment that requires preventive
scale, or friction to occur. Proper operation of some sys- or predictive maintenance should have that mainte-
tems can also be called preventive maintenance when nance scheduled. You have to generate the maintenance
they prevent erosion by ensuring velocities do not get schedule for your plant because your plant is unique.
too high. The best place to start working on that schedule is the
Water treatment, properly performed, can prevent operating and maintenance manuals, doing what the
very expensive and catastrophic failure and the prob- manufacturer recommends until you get some track
ability of such a failure if water treatment is avoided or record to find what you have to add and what require-
ignored makes it the principle concern in all plants. It ments you can extend beyond the recommendations.
is so important that it deserves its own chapter in this Be certain you got everything because failing to
book so we’ll cover it later. maintain something can be hazardous. I was called
Predictive maintenance consists of monitoring, in to investigate the third boiler explosion in as many
examinations and tests to reveal problems that will, if al- months at one plant and found they had never bothered
lowed to continue, result in failure. Annual inspections to replace the tubes in their ultraviolet flame scanners
of steam boilers and less frequent inspections of other despite the manufacturer’s recommending they be re-
pieces of equipment are conducted to detect formation placed annually. Three boilers had extensive damage all
of scale, corrosion, vibration, wear, cracks, overheating because nobody replaced some three dollar electronic
and other problems that can be corrected to prevent tubes. By the way, those were “self-checking” flame
eventual failure. scanners.
Of course there’s that one instrument in the plant
that is the best investment in predictive maintenance,
the operator’s ear. An operator can detect many prob- CLEANING
lems indicating imminent failure and react to prevent
the failure. An operator can detect changes in sound, If there’s any distinct impression you get when
vibration, temperature (by simply resting a hand on the walking into a boiler plant for the first time it is the
equipment) that would require a considerable invest- cleanliness of the plant, or lack thereof. I have customers
ment in test and monitoring equipment. Constant at- with plants that contain flowers in the control room and
tendance by a boiler plant operator is one investment in you believe you could safely eat off the floor. There are
predictive maintenance that helps ensure no surprises others that are so dirty it’s hard to see anything because
consisting of major equipment or system failures. It’s the entire plant is black with soot. Which one do you
normally the boiler operator that provides the principle think is better maintained?
maintenance of water treatment as well. Don’t get me wrong, cleanliness isn’t a sure sign
Since you’re at the forefront of the maintenance of a quality plant. Lack of it, however, is almost always
program, and in many plants you’re the one that will indicative of nothing but trouble. A boiler operator has
catch hell if it breaks down, having a sound mainte- the ability to make the difference in the appearance of
nance program is an essential part of your job. Repeat- the plant and it should be part of the preventive main-
ing what I said in the section on documentation, if your tenance program. Many an operator claims he or she is
program isn’t documented then you have no proof that too busy to sweep and mop floors, dust, etc. to keep the
you did everything that’s prudent and reasonable to plant clean. They’re usually the ones I can see holding
prevent a failure. down a chair for twenty minutes or more after I first
You may have changed the oil in that compressor enter the plant. I always had time to do some cleaning
the week before it failed but without a document indicat- and you will too. Like any other activity it makes the
ing you did it… well, it will be very difficult to convince shift seem shorter. You don’t have to polish the brass like
anyone you did. It’s also very difficult to remember ev- I did but the extent of work you do is up to you. Every
erything so a documented maintenance schedule serves time you leave the plant you should look around and
as an excellent reminder of when something should be ask yourself a simple question, “would I be proud to
done. A schedule and a record of the work being done is have anyone come into this plant and look at it?”
the best evidence that you are doing your job and a fail- Certain cleaning functions are, by their very na-
ure will not reflect on your performance. If you’ve done ture, considered to be part of the operating function.