Process Plant and Equipment Up-time

The basic engineering tradesmen and operators need to keep plant reliability up and operating costs down.
From Trade-School.Education – Maintenance & reliability article for students and employees.
A SIMPLE FAULT FINDING TECHNIQUE
ABSTRACT flow meters, sample points, ammeters, voltmeters, light
A simple fault finding technique. Fixing plant and emitting diodes, etc. Their purpose is to indicate the
equipment about which you know little is daunting. Here function is present during normal operation. If necessary
is a simple way to help you successfully fault find failed get them installed. As each sub system is proven move to
equipment. Keywords: system fault, repair, specialist, the next until the faulty subsystem is found.
trace, investigate, telltale.
With the faulty sub system isolated, you need to locate the
WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW THE EQUIPMENT WELL faulty component (maybe more) and replace it. If the fault
Your aim is to understand what you are trying to repair is not obvious it becomes necessary to trace the system
so you can make considered decisions as to what has gone through from beginning to end looking for loss of
wrong and what has to be done to fix it. function. Prove that each component in the system
operates, as it should. Again it may be necessary to install
You will need to educate yourself in its function and or locate ‘telltales’ for each component.
construction. Read and understand the operating and
maintenance manuals. Get hold of drawings. Talk to the AN EXAMPLE OF THE METHODOLOGY
manufacturer and supplier. Talk to others who have such The best example of this approach that I have seen
equipment. Talk to the people who operate and maintain occurred in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales,
it. If you can’t do the above, find a machine or item that Australia. Our hire car stopped dead after cresting a rise.
does a similar function and learn how it operates. The hire firm sent out the local roadside service repairman.
Upon arrival he lifted the bonnet and began his
THE RIGHT PERSON TO DO THE REPAIR investigation.
If you do not have the know-how or equipment to perform
the maintenance it is faster and cheaper to get someone First he checked the electrical system by removing a spark
with the necessary specialist knowledge. plug and turning the ignition key. The car cranked over
and the spark plug fired. This test proved the electrical
Here is an example of a car repair gone wrong. The car system functioned properly because a spark was evident at
was a 1993 Jeep Cherokee. It had lost ignition and would the spark plug.
not start. The owner followed the repair manual
instructions and spent an entire day striping out the He then checked the fuel supply. Here he removed the
ignition system, component by component, only to give up rubber fuel line into the carburetor and cranked over the
in disgust and visit the local dealership the following engine. However fuel was ejected. Moving back along
morning. The mechanic listened to the tale and advised of the fuel system, he removed the connection to the fuel
an ignition timer trigged from the flywheel rotation that pump outlet and cranked the motor. Again no fuel was
occasionally caused a fault. The owner had not even evident. He checked the fuel level in the fuel tank and it
known of its existence! Sure enough when he followed was plentiful. Removing the fuel line into the fuel pump
the mechanic’s advice the car started first time. resulted in fuel spilling out on the ground. He had just
proven that the fuel pump was broken because the fuel at
There are two morals here. First - only attempt a repair the inlet was not discharged from the outlet.
if you understand the equipment you are working on.
Second – when you can go no further, get expert help. RECOMMENDED APPROACH TO FAULT FINDING
The table below lists the recommended approach.
WHEN YOU KNOW THE EQUIPMENT 1 Divide the equipment into logical systems.
When you cannot locate a fault in plant or equipment of 2 Test each system functions to specification.
which you are familiar, you need to progressively trace
3 Test each component in the failed system operates as
the failure. Commence by becoming familiarised with the
it ought.
designed operation of each sub system of the larger item.
4 Use ‘telltale’ methods to prove the presence of the
Access to documentation is critical. Get all the
function at various parts of the system.
information available from manuals, process and
instrumentation diagrams, assembly and component FAULT FINDING PRACTICE
drawings and the like. In the drawing below of a reticulated lawn, one portion has
died due to a fault. How could this have occurred? How
Test each sub-system functions as it ought. Use ‘telltale’ could your suggestions be tested?
indicators at selected points in the system to confirm its
operation. ‘Telltales’ are such devices as pressure gauges,

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© 2019 Trade-School.Education All Rights Reserved
Because the authors and publisher do not know the context in which the information presented in the Newsletter is to be
used they accept no responsibility for the consequences of using the information contained or implied in any articles
Mike Sondalini - Maintenance Engineer

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© 2019 Trade-School.Education All Rights Reserved
Because the authors and publisher do not know the context in which the information presented in the Newsletter is to be
used they accept no responsibility for the consequences of using the information contained or implied in any articles