Page 23 - Practical Machinery Management for Process Plants Major Process Equipment Maintenance and Repair

8 Major Process Equipment Maintenance and Repair

A good preinstallation program should accomplish the following:

1. Inspect all equipment upon arrival for any shipping damage.
2. Ensure good lifting practices are followed when transporting all
equipment; a pressure gauge makes a vulnerable spot to place a lift-
ing strap while off-loading a pump.
3. All nozzles and openings should be kept covered or plugged until
piping is attached. Besides keeping out the elements, this will pre-
vent foreign material such as welding rods, rags, waste paper, etc.,
from getting in the machine and causing damage. Disassembling a
pump during a unit start-up to remove debris can be quite expen-
sive.
4. If more than six months will pass before the equipment is expected
to run, consideration should be given to respraying the pump inter-
nals with a suitable rust preventive. Better yet, the pump could be
preserved by the application of oil mist. Ensure that whatever is
used is compatible with any elastomers it may come in contact with,
is easily removable, and is applied according to manufacturer’s in-
structions.
5. Fill all oil-lubricated bearings with the proper lube oil as soon as
possible. If the bearing is to be oil mist lubricated, consider attach-
ing and using the oil mist generator during the construction phase of
the project. If not, fill those bearings with oil also. Greased bear-
ings present a different problem. All greased bearings should be re-
packed with the correct grease as soon as possible. Follow manu-
facturer’s instructions; however, ensure that all the old grease is
displaced by the new grease. Different greases have different addi-
tives that normally are not compatible with each other. Mixing two
noncompatible greases will reduce the beneficial properties of ei-
ther grease.
6. Coat all exposed machined surfaces with either a rust preventive or
grease to protect them from the environment.
7. In order to prevent corrosion of the shaft sleeve, packed pumps re-
ceived with the packing installed should have the packing com-
pletely removed immediately on arrival and the shaft sleeve and
gland greased. Normally, packed pumps are shipped with an extra
set of packing. Of course, just before starting, this packaging
should be installed in the pump.
8. Likewise, steam turbines received with the carbon rings installed
should have the rings removed immediately on arrival and the shaft
greased. The rings should then be reinstalled just prior to start-up.
Caution should be taken when removing and installing rings. Axial
ring orientation and location as well as the direction of shaft rota-