Fans - Maintenance Strategy

Fans - Maintenance
Strategy
A Best Practice Approach
Summary
Maximizing the efficiency of a plant and its machine assets
requires a shift from discrete maintenance activities to a strategic
process that is embraced company-wide. A well-founded
maintenance strategy will have a sound financial and technical
justification. This is derived from a proper understanding of all
of the functions that the machine is required to perform, and their
impact upon the business in economic terms, and health / safety /
environment (HSE) consequences.
AoM04002_Fan_S
Mel Barratt
14 pages
January 2005

SKF Reliability Systems
@ptitudeXchange
5271 Viewridge Court
San Diego, CA 92123
United States
tel. +1 858 496 3554
fax +1 858 496 3555
email: info@aptitudexchange.com
Internet: www.aptitudexchange.com

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AoM04002_Fan_S - Fans - Maintenance Strategy
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Formulation of Maintenance Strategy .............................................................................................3
Identify System.........................................................................................................................4
Identify Functions.....................................................................................................................4
Failure Modes & Effects Analysis (FMEA).............................................................................5
Criticality Analysis ...................................................................................................................7
Maintenance Strategy Methods........................................................................................................7
Maintenance Strategy Templates.....................................................................................................9
The Role of Maintenance templates .........................................................................................9
Generic Templates..................................................................................................................13
Output from the Strategy Process ..................................................................................................13
Suggested Further Reading............................................................................................................14
2005 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved 2

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.
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.
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.
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
management system.
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 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 to 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 can not 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
"strategy" element of the process.

Figure 1. Maintenance Strategy Process - Principal
Inputs and Outputs.
Formulation of Maintenance
Strategy
Maximizing the efficiency of a plant and its
machine assets requires a shift from discrete
maintenance activities to a strategic process
that is embraced company-wide [2]. A well-
founded maintenance strategy will have a
sound financial and technical justification.
This is derived from a proper understanding
of all of the functions that the machine is

required to perform, and their impact upon
the business in economic terms, and health /
safety / environment (HSE) consequences.
Properly structured and implemented, a well
thought-out maintenance strategy transforms
maintenance from a cost to a profit center. A
comprehensive maintenance strategy is
likely to employ a number of techniques
working to support each other. Choosing the
right technology tool, or combination of
tools, requires a sound understanding of the
plant and the relative data that may or may
not be available. A well defined
maintenance strategy process will:
Identify what is truly needed (i.e.
justified commercially and technically)
Create a maintenance strategy that most
effectively combines the right
technologies to meet those needs.
In deriving maintenance strategy for a
machine a number of steps should be
followed.
Identify System
First stage is the unambiguous definition of
the system under study. In some cases the
"system" may be a process line or plant,
comprising a number of individual plant
items. In other cases the study may be
restricted to an individual plant item, or to a
specified group of items.
It is important to clearly define the boundary
of the item under study.
For example some might decide that a fan
should be considered to comprise the fan
itself, plus its coupling (or belt drive) and
drive motor. Others may decide to consider
the drive motor as a separate item. Clear
definitions are important to avoid
duplications of effort, or more importantly
the possibility of important components
being overlooked. In the case of a fan being
studied independently of its drive motor, for
example, is the coupling (or belt drive)
considered to be part of the fan, or part of
the motor / drive system?
The manner in which such boundaries are
defined should be consistent with the
structure of the asset register that will
typically identify individual plant items and
the various sub-components that they
comprise [3].
Identify Functions
The second step is to properly understand all
of the functions that the subject machine is
intended to fulfill.
Primary Functions
In the case of a fan these will typically
include:
Ventilation or pressurization of enclosed
modules.
Air circulation / dilution in open process
areas.
Secondary Functions
It is important that secondary functions
served by a machine (sometimes called
hidden or tacit functions) are not ignored
when devising the maintenance regime.
In the case of a fan these might include (for
example) forming an integral part of the
containment boundary for a corrosive or
toxic gas or vapor. In such a case a
developing fault (leak) on the fan casing
might have little impact upon the primary
function, but the failure to perform the
secondary function might well have
profound consequences.



Figure 2 A typical maintenance strategy process
Failure Modes & Effects Analysis
(FMEA)
The FMEA process identifies failures,
effects, and risks within a product or
process, and then eliminates or reduces them
[4]. The process begins by investigating the
ways a product or process can fail, or a
product or process failure modes. Each
failure mode has a potential effect, and some
are more likely to occur than others.

The relative risk of a failure and its effects
are determined by three factors:
1. Severity: The consequence of the
failure, should it occur.
2. Occurrence: The probability or
frequency of the failure.
3. Detection: The probability of detecting a
failure before its impact is realized.
Each potential failure mode and effect is
rated on a scale of 1 to 10 (low to high). By
multiplying the rating for the three factors, a
Risk Priority Number or RPN is determined.
The RPN can range between 1 and 1000,
and is used to rank the need for corrective or
preventive action. Once actions are taken, a
new RPN can be determined by re-
evaluating the severity, occurrence, and
detection ratings.
The FMEA process consists of these 10
steps:
1. Define the system and sub-systems.
2. Define/Analyze all system functions
3. List potential failure modes.
4. List potential effects for each failure
mode.
5. List the failure causes
6. List the current controls
7. Express Occurrence, Severity, and
Detection of failure modes.
8. Calculate the risk priority number.
9. Take action to eliminate or reduce high-
risk priority number failure modes.
Implement and review the results
FMEA Worksheet
A FMEA worksheet starts with general
information regarding:
Product (product FMEA), process
(process FMEA), or manufacturing
equipment / component (maintenance
FMEA)
FMEA team and team leader
FMEA number
FMEA date (original and revised)
Page number(s)
The main part of the FMEA worksheet is
depicted in Figure 3 below. The item
(product, process, or equipment), failure
modes, effects, and causes are investigated
first. The FMEA worksheet table is often
extended with action results: Actions taken,
Severity, Occurrence, Detection, and RPN
calculation. Then, current actions and
controls are listed. Severity, occurrence, and
detection ratings are assigned, which
determine the RPN.

An example of the failure modes listing for a
typical fan is given at Figure 4 below.
Item or
function
Failure
Mode
Failure
Effect
S Potential Failure
Cause /
Mechanism
O Current
controls or
predictive
methods
D RPN
(=SxOxD)
Recomm
ended
actions
Responsi
ble
person
+ date

Figure 3 Typical FMEA Worksheet headers.


Figure 4 Failure Modes for a typical fan [From the
Asset Knowledge Science (AKS) in SKF @ptitude
View Decision Support System.
Criticality Analysis
This part of the exercise concerns itself with
the consequences of loss of function. The
various ways in which function may be lost
are referred to as "failure modes".
Criticality assessment may take a number of
forms ranging from a quantitative
assessment of risks in financial terms, to a
simpler quantitative assessment such as that
depicted at Figure 5 in appendix A of this
document [5]. Examples of Critical Criteria
include:
Personnel injury
Reduction in load/output > X units
Delay in startup > X hours
Unit trip
Violation of regulatory requirements
Equipment damage > $X
Another commonly used method to evaluate
various criteria is construction of a matrix
such as that shown in figure 4 below. Each
failure mode is evaluated against the three
"impact" columns and the "worst case"
determines the criticality level.
Maintenance Strategy Methods
A number of tools are available that
incorporate the various steps outlined above
into a formal, documented process [6].
These include:
RCM Reliability-Centered Maintenance
This is often recommended for equipment
where criticality is high and confidence in
existing maintenance is low [7]. The role of
RCM in most cases is to provide a
defensible base for specific equipment
where there is limited knowledge and
history. While RCM can be quite effective
for reliability improvements in specific
areas, in general it is inappropriate for the
rest of the plant. This aspect of RCM has led
to the development of other similar
maintenance techniques, which are more
appropriate on a plant-wide basis.

IMPACT CRITICALITY
Health / Safety Financial Environmental
Extremely High
S-1
Fatalities
Long-term health
impact on public
F-1
Greater than 1M$
E-1
Major plant-wide
emergency response
Major clean-up for months /
years
Potential widespread, long-
term significant adverse
effects on the environment
(including soil and
groundwater) or a small
community.
High
S-2
Disabling Injury
Lost-time injury
F-2
0.5M$ to 1M$
E-2
Unit emergency response
Significant clean-up for
weeks / months
Potential localized,
medium-term significant
adverse effects on the
environment (including soil
and groundwater) or a small
community.
Medium
S-3
Medical aid
injury
Restricted work
F-3
100K$ to 0.5M$
E-3
Local emergency response
Cleanup for days / weeks
Potential short-term minor
adverse effects on the
environment (including soil
and groundwater) or a few
members of the public
Low
S-4
First aid
F-4
Less than 100K$
E-4
Confined to close proximity
Inconsequential or no
adverse effects

Figure 5 Example of a criticality matrix
SRCM Streamlined Reliability-
Centered Maintenance
This enhanced version of RCM focuses
on the dominant failure modes of
equipment and the significant effects of
those failures such as production losses,
personnel safety, environmental releases,
etc. A key benefit of an SRCM program
is developing the understanding of plant
personnel on the value of a modern-
based maintenance strategy. As such,
SRCM is particularly appropriate where
a major change in the maintenance
culture within the enterprise needs to be
made, which also makes it a good option
for new builds [8].
RBM Risk-Based Maintenance
This is a financially based analysis
technique, which focuses on establishing
the relative worth of maintenance. It was
originally developed as a means of

reviewing existing maintenance
programs, and in this mode it works well
as a continuous improvement tool [9].
RBM defines opportunities for
incremental improvement through the
elimination of tasks of low value and the
introduction of tasks that address high
commercial risk areas. As such, RBM is
also valuable in transferring knowledge
from existing installations to provide a
baseline for new builds.
Maintenance Strategy
Templates
The Role of Maintenance
templates
Fans used within a process may vary in
size, speed, configuration and function
etc. but may nevertheless be prone to the
same failure modes. Failure effects may
vary, depending upon the process
context.
"Maintenance strategy templates"
provide a means of recording the data
used in a strategy revision for a machine,
and details of the maintenance regime
that was derived from the study.
Details derived from numerous studies
may be presented in the form of
"generic" information, which can then be
selectively used, with modification and
supplementary considerations as
appropriate to the individual application.
Note, however, that it would be wrong to
assume that because a particular
maintenance regime is shown to be
appropriate for one machine then it is the
right approach for all similar machines.
Similar machines can, of course, serve
different functions within the process.
Failure effects may therefore vary. Use
of strategy templates can therefore save
a lot of time in devising the maintenance
regime for a machine (or group of
machines), but it is important that each
machine be fully considered in its proper
process context. An example of a
maintenance template for a typical fan is
offered below. This is generic
information as a guide only, and the list
of typical failure modes presented is not
intended to be either definitive or
complete. Nevertheless this template
illustrates a number of key points.
Note that the starting point for the
analysis of the fan is identification of
the functions that it serves within the
process. In this example one single
primary function is identified. When
using the template in a real study the
term "within prescribed limits"
would be expanded to identify the
specific tolerances imposed by the
process context for the subject
machine.
The various failure modes are then
considered. Note the detailed thought
process here. Within a process
context a machines failure to start
can have very different effects to
those that would result from an "in
service" failure, and therefore,
although the root causes of failure
may be similar, these situations need
to be considered separately.
The "failure effect" column is
deliberately blank on the template,
since this data is most likely to be
application specific.
The "S" number represents the
severity of the failure effect under
consideration.

Function Failure Mode Failure Effect S
Potential failure Cause /
Mechanism O
Current
Controls D
RPN
(=SxOxD)
Recommended
Controls
Maintain pressure / flow within
prescribed limits Fails to Run Electrical:
Power switched off
Fuses Blown
Drive System
Broken Belts / Pulleys
Coupling Failure
Fan

Impeller fouled on
housing
Total In-service Failure Electrical:

Overload protector
tripped
Fuses Blown
Drive System
Broken Belts / Pulleys
Coupling Failure
Fan
Shaft failure

Mechanism O
Current
Controls D
RPN
(=SxOxD)
Recommended
Controls
prescribed limits (Ctd)
Total In-service Failure
(Ctd) Bearing failure
Lubrication fault
Misalignment
Unbalance
Looseness
Reduced flow / Pressure Ducting
Closed dampers
Duct blockage
Leaks
Filters
Dirty / clogged
Incorrect filters fitted


Mechanism O
Current
Controls D
RPN
(=SxOxD)
Recommended
Controls
prescribed limits (Ctd) Reduced flow / Pressure Fan
Speed too low
Inlet vanes set wrong
Blocked inlet
Dirty / distorted impeller

Improper running
clearance
Running backwards

Excessive flow /
Pressure Ducting
Dampers set wrong
Grills not installed
Access door open
Filters
Filters not in place
Fan
Speed too high
Improper blade angle setting
Inlet vanes set wrong

Maintenance strategy templates used by
consultants may include figures for:
The various failure mechanisms that
relate to the failure mode are then
considered. Against each mechanism
is listed the likelihood of occurrence
(denoted by the "O" number) and
any existing controls or practices that
are in place to minimize the risk,
either in terms of reducing its
probability or its effect). The number
in the "D" column represents the
degree of mitigation afforded by the
control.
Mean Time Between Failure
(MTBF)
Mean Time to Prepare (MTTP)
Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)
This information is of value in accurate
assessment of failure effects and
probabilities. However, such data is
usually reserved by them for use in
client studies, and is not typically made
available for general publication.
Maintenance strategy templates will
typically identify the various failure
modes to which a machine may be
subject, and also suggest appropriate
preventive / predictive measures for
each, based on the consultancies
experience in adoption of "best
practices" across a range of client
organizations.
The Risk Priority Number (RPN) is
then calculated as the product of the
three numbers, S x O x D. This
number gives an indication of the
relative risk posed by each of the
potential failure mechanisms, and
thereby prioritizes the need for
appropriate maintenance response.
The "Recommended controls"
column represents the output from
the study. It lists the appropriate
maintenance activities for the
machine, which have thus been
identified as being technically and
financially justified.
Generic templates may of course be
modified to suit more specific machine
configurations, derivatives and
applications The revised data so
developed may then be itself used as a
template for other similar machines /
applications.
Generic Templates
Some maintenance consultancies have
developed, through long and wide
experience of dealing with many client
organizations, their own libraries of
templates which include not only such
generic information, but also more
specific templates relating to (for
example) specific machine types, fitted
with individual ancillary equipment, and
configured for a particular application.
They thus provide a way for the
consultant to record and re-use his
experience and successes.
Output from the Strategy
Process
A "strategy" is a plan to achieve a goal,
and the term can also be applied to the
process by means of which that plan is
derived. So the strategy is the output
from the strategy process.
This strategy (i.e. output) is essentially a
list of maintenance tasks that can be
shown to have a sound technical and
financial justification.

As such it provides a primary input to
the "Work Identification" element of the
AEO process. This output can be
considered to comprise two streams.
Some of the tasks will likely be
preventive in nature, and some portion
of these will inherently be high priority
activities (e.g. Regulatory compliance or
Safety critical tasks). These "pre-
defined" priorities feed directly to the
work order generation system in the
work control process.
The remaining PM tasks comprise the
main input stream to the work
identification process, along with other
tasks (typically those relating to PdM or
ODR activities) that entail a degree of
data collection and analysis which must
first be undertaken in order to identify
specific work order requests.
Suggested Further Reading
[1] Toomey G, "Asset Efficiency
Optimization Work Management
Process" Document GS02010
http://www.aptitudexchange.com
[2] Reed W, " Introduction to Asset
Efficiency Optimization" Document
MB04003
[3] Barratt M "Asset Register"
Document MB03011
[4] Schram G, "FMEA, An Introduction
to Failure Mode and Effects Analysis"
Document GS02002
[5] Barratt M & Schram G, "Criticality
Analysis In Perspective" Document
MB02029
[6] Barratt M, " Maintenance Strategy
Review (MSR) Methods" Document
MB03006
[7] Barratt M, " Reliability Centered
Maintenance" Document MB02008
[8] Creecy Michael E, "SRCM
R

Methodology" Document MB03017
[9] Barratt M, "Risk Based
Maintenance", Document MB02017

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