Page 398 - Intro Predictive Maintenance

17

MAINTAINING THE PROGRAM

The labor-intensive part of predictive maintenance management is complete. A
viable program has been established, the database is complete, and you have
begun to monitor the operating condition of your critical plant equipment. Now
what?

Most programs stop right here. The predictive maintenance team does not continue
its efforts to get the maximum benefits that predictive maintenance can provide.
Instead it relies on trending, comparative analysis, or—in the case of vibration-based
programs—simplified signature analysis to maintain the operating condition of the
plant. This is not enough to gain the maximum benefits from a predictive maintenance
program. In this chapter, we discuss the methods that can be used to ensure that you
gain the maximum benefits from your program and improve the probability that the
program will continue.

17.1 TRENDING TECHNIQUES
The database that was established in Chapter 5 included broadband, narrowband, and
full-signature vibration data. It also included process parameters, bearing cap
temperatures, lubricating oil analysis, thermal imaging, and other critical monitoring
parameters. What do we do with this data?

The first method required to monitor the operating condition of plant equipment is to
trend the relative condition over time. Most of the microprocessor-based systems
provide the means of automatically storing and recalling vibration and process para-
meters trend data for analysis or hard copies for reports. They will also automatically
prepare and print numerous reports that quantify the operating condition at a specific
point. A few will automatically print trend reports that quantify the change over a
selected time frame. All of this is great, but what does it mean?

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