MECHANICAL MAINTENANCE OF ALUMINA REFINERY PLANT

EQUIPMENTS

Introduction
Nalco’s Alumina refinery is a complex chemical process plant with a wide variety of
equipments. The maintenance of these equipments is imperative to meet the production
targets and sustain the profitability of the Organization.

What is meant by the term “maintenance”?

Maintenance encompasses all those activities that maintain facilities & equipments in
good working order so that a system can perform as intended. Maintenance can also be
termed as asset management system, which keeps them in optimum operating condition.
The product of maintenance is the capacity or uptime to make the ultimate product.
Thus, production makes products and maintenance makes capacity to make.

The Concept of Maintenance

The goal of maintenance is to keep the production system (equipments) in good working
order (available) at minimal cost.

The primary objective of maintenance is to maximize the equipment availability.

Availability (A): It can be defined as ratio of the actual time the equipment was in
operation to the planned time. It is expressed in %.
A = (Planned time - Downtime)/ Planned time * 100
= Operating time/ Planned time * 100

Production = Capacity X Availability.

The costs associated with maintenance are best represented by the iceberg model given
below.

The Maintenance Cost Iceberg

For any successful maintenance program, the following three elements are essential.
 Equipment Control
 Inventory Management & Budgetary Control
 Labour Management
 Contract Management
Equipment Control
Equipment Control is through maintenance activities- planned and unplanned
maintenance.

Planned Maintenance: This can further be sub-divided into time based, condition based
and corrective maintenance.

Time based maintenance: In our Refinery Plant, the annual production targets and plans
are drawn as per the marketing plans prepared by the Top Management. In line with the
annual production plan, time spared for maintenance activities are fixed and an annual
maintenance plan for overhauling/ servicing of the major equipments are drawn, so that
the planned production targets are achieved.

In addition, periodic checkups and inspections of the equipments are planned for early
detection of abnormalities and timely corrective action. The period may be daily, weekly,
fort-nightly, monthly, quarterly or annual, followed by TLC (tighten, lube and clean)
activities. This maintenance program helps avoid the costly unwanted and unplanned
production downtime.
 Maintenance

Planned Time based Unplanned

(Breakdown)
Preventive

Periodic Checks Periodic Service

(Overhauling)

Condition based

Visual Instrument
Corrective

Types of Maintenance

In our refinery plant, as a part of preventive maintenance program, computerized

maintenance management system (CMMS) is implemented (through a package
developed by M/s NIIT and M/s RAMCO Systems). Maintenance schedules have been
pre-defined in the system and Preventive maintenance Work orders are generated as per
defined schedules. The data after the execution of the jobs are fed to the system for online
record keeping. Jobs not executed are rescheduled till completion.

Corrective maintenance is any repair activity done on equipments after a periodic

checkup or inspection. There is a provision for generating Corrective maintenance work
orders in CMMS.

All the above activities are duly recorded online or in the equipment history books.

Condition based maintenance: Condition Based Maintenance or Predictive maintenance

(CBM) differs from time-based maintenance by basing maintenance need on the actual
condition of the machine rather than on some preset schedule. Condition based
Maintenance or predictive maintenance, uses primarily non-destructive testing
techniques, visual inspection, and performance data to assess machinery condition. A
comprehensive predictive maintenance management program utilizes a combination of
the most cost-effective tools, i.e. thermal imaging, vibration monitoring, tribology, and
other nondestructive testing methods, to obtain the actual operating condition of critical
plant systems and based on this factual data all maintenance activities on an as-needed
basis are scheduled.
In our Refinery Plant, the Shock pulse method (SPM) for assessing the condition of anti-
friction bearings, vibration measurement of rotating equipments through Spectral/
vibration signature analysis & lube oil analysis are in practice.

Advantages Of Planned Maintenance

 Releases front-line foremen from major planning duties and allows them more
time to supervise their crews.
 Provides procedures to plan, execute, monitor and control maintenance resources.
 Reduces delays in waiting for men, material, tools after a job is in progress.
 Provides for systematic collection of materials prior to planned jobs.
 Provides procedures to implement and continue a PM program.
 Provides a communication link between maintenance and operations.
 Provides a daily plan for front-line supervisors.
 Helps field repairs coordinate work with shop and construction forces.
 Performance reporting allows upper management to judge maintenance progress.
 Reduces the time required for critical shutdowns or overhauls.
 Reduces maintenance costs.
 Provides a tool for operations to assign priorities.
 Reduces emergency breakdowns.

Unplanned Maintenance: The breakdown of equipments due to faulty operation, poor

maintenance, poor design, manufacturing defects and random causes always result in
costly emergency repairs along with lost production. The aim of maintenance
engineers is to keep this unplanned maintenance close to zero. Breakdown analysis
for finding the root cause of the failure, taking action to eliminate the cause &
accordingly reviewing the preventive maintenance program for the particular &
related equipments is the major job of the maintenance engineer. Use of problem-
solving techniques comes handy in the breakdown analysis.

Other Requirements Of Maintenance

 Calibration: Calibration is a special form of preventive maintenance whose
objective is to keep measurement and control instruments within specified limits.
Also, use of calibrated mechanical measurement tools during maintenance
activities is a requirement under the Quality management system.
 Wastes Disposal: The soiled cotton wastes, used oils, metallic & non-metallic
scraps generated are to be properly segregated and handed over to Sanitation/
Central Stores for suitable disposal. This activity is a requirement under
Environmental Management System (EMS).
 Recovery of Used Oil: Recovery of the lubricant oils & grease is a requirement
under EMS.
 Periodic Load Testing of Overhead Cranes, Mobile Cranes, Forklift Trucks
& lifting tools and tackles and hydraulic testing of Pressure vessels like air
receiver tanks of the Compressors are a requirement under the Factory Act,
1948 and the Orissa Factory Rules, 1955.
Inventory Management & Budgetary Control
The goal of inventory management is to have the right part available in time to support
essential maintenance activity while using the least organizational resources.
Included in the goals are
 Give the spare parts needed quickly to maintenance staff.
 Know where everything is.
 Keep track of quantities so that optimum quantities are held.
 Protect parts from spoilage.
 Report facts to management.
 Manage order points.(ROL)
 Place orders or issue requisitions.
 Receive and store parts.
 Manage storeroom

Budgetary Control: The budget for spares & consumables are allocated every year
based on the last years’ consumption and is called revenue budget. Also, an additional
budget is allocated for modular spares under five-year replacement plan. These spares
are accounted against the current year’s consumption. The consumption of spares should
be within this allocated budgets for profitable maintenance.

Any addition of new equipments or replacement of existing equipments is allocated a

Capital – addition/ replacement budget. These equipments once received and
commissioned would be capitalized for its life term and depreciation on such cumulative
equipments would be calculated every year, and accounted in the Profit & Loss Statement
of the Company.

Labour Management
 The maintenance activities are mostly carried out by departmental technicians.
For effective maintenance program, skilled and competent workforce is a
necessity. Identifying the competence gaps and getting the workforce trained in
the requisite skills becomes imperative.
 Adhering to the provisions of the Factory Act, 1948, in the allotment of
maintenance jobs is a statutory requirement.

Contract Management
Some of the maintenance activities have been outsourced. As such, control of these
outsourced activities is a must for achieving the desired production targets.

Identifying the activities to be outsourced, estimating the costs of services to be availed,

moving contract proposals, after the Contracts are awarded by the Tender & Contract
Cell to Service Providers- Work measurement, preparing the running account bills for the
services rendered by the Contractors, monitoring the quality of service rendered, etc.
come under the Contract management activities.

Major Equipments Of Alumina Refinery

  Material Handling Equipments: Stackers, Reclaimers, Belt Conveyors,
Crushers, Bucket elevator, Heavy earth moving equipments like Wheel Loaders,
dozers, Mobile Cranes, Overhead Cranes, Air slides.
 Rotating Equipments: Ball Mills, Centrifugal (liquid & slurry) pumps, vacuum
pumps & air blowers, agitators, clariflocculators & Axial Compressors, Disc &
drum filters, gearboxes & couplings.
 Positive Displacement Equipments: GEHO Pumps, Reciprocating Compressors.
 Heat Exchangers: Evaporation Batteries, Plate Heat Exchangers, Interstage
coolers, Cooler bundles in Calciners.
 Tanks: Pre-desilication, post desilication, digestion, dilution, Mud,
Causticization, Settlers, Washers, Precipitation & other tanks.
 Pipelines – Slurry, Steam, Water & air - lines and the control & safety valves.
 Dust suppression systems in Bauxite & Alumina Handling Areas.

Major Maintenance Activities In Refinery Plant

 Scheduled overhauling of above mentioned major equipments as per Annual
Maintenance Plan.
 Lubrication of all open gears as in Stackers & Reclaimers & chains as in Bucket
Elevator, servicing of the hydraulic system of Stackers, Reclaimers, Kelly filters.
Replacement of Belt, skirt rubber, idlers, scrapers, etc. in Conveyor belt systems.
Replacement of hammers, grate bars, periodic servicing of Mobile Anvil Drives (MAD)
of the Crushers and replacement of rods in the Vibrating screens.
 Replacement of rubber/ poly urethane/ manganese steel liners in discharge
Chutes.
 Replacement of shell & head liners (manganese steel) & bolts of the Ball Mills,
ceramic/ manganese steel liners in the hydro cyclones in the grinding and
classifying circuits, etc.
 Servicing of Rake drive mechanism in the Settlers & Washers & Clariflocculators
in the Water Treatment Plant.
 Servicing, repair/ replacement of the blades of agitators of the various process
tanks.
 Regasketing of plate heat exchangers.
 Replacement of corroded parts of the tanks and choked tubes in the evaporator
batteries.
Replacement of V-belt drives on condition based assessment through visual inspection.
Periodic replacements of oil seals, lube oils in the gearboxes, hydro-couplings, hydraulic
cylinders and bearings of all the rotating equipments in line with the overhauling
schedules.
 Periodic overhauling of pumps, gearboxes, hydro-couplings, valves at
Mechanical Repair Shop (MRS).
 Periodic replacement of engine oil, hydraulic oil, transmission oil in the Heavy
Earth moving equipment, mobile cranes, Forklift trucks, etc in Mobile Equipment
& Vehicle Repair Shop (MEVRS).
 Pipeline cracks repair by padding & welding works & replacement of corroded &
choked pipelines.
  Periodic replacement of brake liners and /or adjustment of air gap in the brake
system of the manic / auxiliary hoists, cross-travel and long travel mechanism,
replacement of lube oil of the gearbox, couplings and its bolts, replacement of the
Wire ropes of the Overhead.
 Replacement of filter bags in the dust suppression systems.

Roles Of A Maintenance Engineer

 To maintain Inventory of All Machines under Maintenance Control with their
History Books.
 To keep the Manufacturer’s manuals and catalogues in identified locations.
 Planning of Critical jobs and Deployment of Trained and Competent Personnel
for all critical jobs.
 Prepare, implement & follow-up Preventive & Corrective maintenance plans.
 Breakdown Analysis of Equipments for elimination of root cause.
 To be conversant with the terminology on Safety, lubrication, bearings, chain
drives, belt drives, hydraulics and couplings.
 Spares Planning & Inventory Control.
 Taking up Continual Improvement Projects for enhancing profitable maintenance.
 Testing of Equipments by Competent Persons and Review / Maintenance Of
Statutory Records.
 Maintenance of Statutory Registers. Evaluation of Legal & Other Requirements.
 Testing and Examination Of Machines.
 Ensuring the availability of All Types Of Guards.
 Maintenance, Approval and Inspection of All Power and Hand Tools.
 Hazards and Risk Assessment in Maintenance and Operation of Plant and
Machinery and compliance of defined Controls.
 Environmental Aspect / Impact Identification and Controls covering Legal
requirements.
 Compliance of Best Practices.
 To establish and Implement ISO 9001: 2008 QMS, ISO 14001: 2004 EMS and
OHSAS 18001: 2007.
 Coordination with Safety and Environment Departments in meeting the
Regulatory requirements, Zero Accidents, Zero Losses, Zero Injuries and Zero
Failures.
 Contract Management.
 Internal Communication with Other departments for smooth conduct of
maintenance activities.
 Ensuring issue of Safety Permits, equipments shutdown, Control panels locked up
before starting any work on hazardous equipments. Returning the permit once the
work is over and ensuring the machine runs as desired.

Finally,
The degree of success of a plant maintenance engineer will be measured not by his or her
ability to recite design equations, balance budgets, complete overhauling schedules, or
maintain equipment, but by the ability to lead others in the face of crisis like insufficient
personnel, resources, and time to do the job comfortably.
People on the shop floor want leadership by example, not leadership lip service. The
people in the front office (Top management) want acceptable returns on investment, not
cost overruns.

The people under your charge, want a caring, consistent, enabling leader who can create a
sense of urgency when needed, understand and share concerns, communicate up and
down the line, energize people for broad-based action, focus on short- and long-term
results, and never lose his or her sense of humor. Remember the following six attributes
for your success:
 Work is interesting and challenging.
 People, not events, make the decisions.
 Paradigms are allowed and encouraged to shift.
 Success is a shared responsibility.
 Confidence, not comfort, is sought.
Where will you be when margins are close? The challenge is real, and the choice is
yours.