Blowing away faulty fan problems

Whether in a chemical plant, food factory, or any other application, faulty fans can be a costly problem. The temptation might be to go for a quick fix but according to SKF Reliability Systems, only expert assistance can find and solve the root cause of the problem.

In one case, management in a chemical plant had been experiencing significant fan failure for years, costing an average of $80,000 a year in plant downtime, high maintenance cost for overtime labour and replacement parts. The management brought in SKF Reliability Systems for assistance in solving the problem. SKF carried out a complete Machine Reliability Assessment (MRA) on the fan system involving: • Assessing the complete fan system, including bearings, lubrication, motor, fan base, structure and ducting • Assessing maintenance practices • Using advanced technology, such as Operating Deflection Shape analysis, to gather and analyse multi-parameter data • Analysing bearings to confirm analyses • Making improvement recommendations for bearing and lubrication areas incorporating new technology • Making recommendations on structural improvements • Performing precision installation and training the customer on the procedures used. As a result, fan vibration was reduced while increased reliability led to increased productivity and lower costs. Five fans of similar design were used in a food manufacturing plant, and while four of them were trouble-free during the five years they were in place, the fifth experienced repeated unexpected failures, each causing 1.5 hours of downtime requiring that airflow was diverted. In addition to lost production time, the additional maintenance increased plant operations costs. Losses were as high as $120,000 for just one unexpected failure. Again SKF Reliability Systems recommended a complete Machine Reliability Assessment (MRA), which reduced fan vibration, leading to improved fan reliability, increased productivity and lower costs.