ElectricalPreventiveMaintenancePaysOff!

Acasestudyoncontrollingriskstoplant&profits

JoeGierlach~Director,TechnicalTrainingandSupport
TEGGCorporation~Pittsburgh,PA

ABSTRACT:

Electricalpowerhasbecomethelifebloodofoureverydayneeds.Inamanufacturing
environmentwheretodaysleanmanufacturingandjustintimedeliveryphilosophiesare
makingreliabilityandplantuptimemorecriticalthaneverbefore,dependableelectrical
distributionisnotanoptionitiscriticaltocorporatefiscalhealth.

Whatwouldbetheimpactonyourcompanyifamajorcomponentinyourfacilityselectrical
distributionsystemexperiencedacatastrophicfailure?Whatwouldhappentoyourplants
productionline,datacenterordistributioncenter?Wouldthelostopportunityrevenue,addedto
therepairorreplacementcostsforcriticalequipment,bemoreorlessthanthedollarssavedby
nothavingaproactiveElectricalPreventiveMaintenance(EPM)programinplace?Whatifthe
costofdamagedcustomerloyaltyandsatisfactionaretakenintoconsideration?Letstakealook
atarecentreallifeexamplewhereacostlydisasterwasavertedbecauseofaneffectiveEPM
program.

INTRODUCTION:

Globalcompetitionhasforcedproductionquotasinmanycompaniesandindustriestoincrease.
Atthesametime,manyofthesecompanieshaveexperiencedareductionintheirlaborforceand
maintenancebudgetsasorganizationsattempttoimprovetheirbottomlines,increase
productivity,improvecashflow,andloweroperatingcosts.Nowconsiderthatthetypicaluseful
servicelifeofelectricalequipmentisgenerally2530yearsdependingonmaintenanceand
upkeep,andmuchofouraginginfrastructureequipmenthasbeeninservicefor20yearsormore
whilereceivinglessthantherecommendedannualserviceregimen.

Ultimately,companiesarefindingthatcatastrophicfailureistheunintendedconsequenceof
exposingtheirelectricaldistributionequipmenttoextendedstresses,moreextreme
environmentaloperatingconditions,andadditionalloaddemandsfromfacilityupgrades.
Dependingonthecriticalityoftheequipment,anarcflashorotherdestructiveelectricalfailure
canliterallydevastateaplannedmaintenancebudgetwhiletheassociateddowntimeand
resultinginterruptionstoprocessescanaffectrevenue,profits,andultimatelystockpricesin
somecases.

ProductionandReliabilityManagersfaceaveryrealchallengeastheytrytobalancethedemands
andgoalsofmanagement,customers,andequipmentreliability.ResourcessuchasNFPA70Bcan
givethesemanagersacleardirectionintheirefforttoenlistthesupportofotherstoreducethe
riskofcatastrophicfailuresthroughanEPMprogram,therebysafeguardingandenhancing
profitability.

TheNFPA(NationalFireProtectionAssociation)hasdevelopedsomeoftheworldsmost
referencedandrespectedcodesforfireandelectricalsafetybyenlistingabroadconsensusof
experts.NFPA70B(4.1)clearlyoutlinesthebenefitsanddetailsofaneffectiveEPMprogram
statingthatdependabilitycanbeengineeredandbuiltintoequipment,buteffective
maintenanceisrequiredtokeepitdependable.Experienceshowsthatequipmentlastslonger
andperformsbetterwhencoveredbyanEPM(ElectricalPreventativeMaintenance)program.
TheNFPA70BgoesontostatethatInfraredinspectionsofelectricalsystemsarebeneficialto
reducethenumberofcostlyandcatastrophicequipmentfailuresandunscheduledplant
shutdowns.Thestandardrecommendsthatroutineinfraredinspectionsofenergizedelectrical
systemsshouldbeperformedannuallypriortoshutdown.Morefrequentinfraredinspections,
forexample,quarterlyorsemiannually,shouldbeperformedwherewarrantedbyloss
experience,installationofnewelectricalequipment,orchangesinenvironmental,operational,or
loadconditions.Infraredsurveysshouldbeperformedduringperiodsofmaximumpossible
loadingbutnotlessthan40percentofratedloadoftheelectricalequipmentbeinginspected.

AkeytoenablingmanagerstoaccomplishthegoalsofNFPA70Bandsafeguardingplantassetsby
reducingoreliminatingriskstoplantandpersonnel,istodesignanEPMprogramwhichis
minimallydisruptivetooperationssothattheyarealsoabletomeetthedemandsofincreased
productionandprofitability.ThisiswheretheexpertiseoftheprofessionalsatTEGGServices
paysdividendsprovidingtangiblevaluewithservicestailoredforspecificobjectivesand
implementedwithoutinterruptiontooperations.

CaseStudy

FeyenZylstra,LLC,alargeelectricalcontractorlocatedinGrandRapids,Michigan,securedan
ElectricalPreventiveMaintenance(EPM)programwithanewcustomerlocatedinMiddleville,
Michigan.Themaintenanceagreementincluded
avalueaddedproductandservicethatwas
comprisedoftheinstallationof40IRISSinfrared
windows(orIRviewingpanes)onthecritical
8.3KVequipmentthroughoutthefacility.

BradfordWhiteCorporation,anemployee
ownedorganization,hasbeenmanufacturing
productsrangingfromtubstowaterheaters
since1881.Productionruns24hoursperday,
6daysperweekwithapproximately1600
employees.CraigPotter,FacilityElectrical
Engineer,hasbeenwiththeorganizationfor
thepast18yearsandinhiscurrentposition
forthepast12years.Therearetraditionally
twoweeksperyear(inJulyandNovember)thatareearmarkedformaintenanceshutdowninthe
facility.

Reliabilityandminimaldowntimetoppedthelistofthefacilitysplanningpriorities.Thetwo
scheduledmaintenanceweekscauseproductiontocease,whichinturnimpactsthe
organizationsprofitability.Withtheseconcernsinmind,Mr.Potterquicklyrecognizedthe
benefitofprotectingthefacilitysprofitabilitybyminimizingtheriskofelectricfailureswhich
couldcauseunscheduledoutages.However,itwasalsoimportantthatanysuchsolutionscould
notinterferewiththeirproductionandprocesses.

FeyenZylstraandTEGGwereabletodemonstratetoMr.Potter
howanEPMprogramcouldbeimplementedtoensurethehealth
ofhispowerdistributionwhilebeingtotallytransparenttohis
productionscheduleandprocesseswhileeliminatingaddedarc
flashrisksduringsurveys.Mr.Potterworkedwiththe
maintenancesalesprofessionalsatFeyenZylstratoidentifythe
operationsmostcriticalequipmentandprocesses.Theresultwas
adetailed,customroadmaptohelpensureuptimeand
profitabilitybyreducingrisktothefacilityscoreprocessesthrough
theimplementationofanEPM.Executionoftheserviceplan
startedwithinweeks.

IRISS VPFR IR Window Thefirstphaseofimplementingtheprogramwastoinstallthe40
Figure #1 IRISSVPFRinfraredwindows(asseeninFigure#1)duringthe
scheduledmaintenanceshutdownonJulyfirstat
BradfordWhite.Acrewof11technicianscompletedthe
installationsandperformedcleaningandhousekeeping
tasksonthehighvoltageequipmentatthattime.

Oncethistaskwascompletedovertheholidayweekend,
FeyenZylstrascertifiedtechnicians,MarkDenHartigh
andBruceBoer(Figure#2),begantoconductthe
energizedmaintenanceservices.
Mark DenHartigh & Bruce Boer

Figure #2


DenHartighhasbeenapplyingtheTEGGServicesforFeyenZylstrasincethecompletionofhis
initialtechnicaltraininginPittsburgh,PA,inJuly2005,andBoercompletedhisinitialtrainingin
June2006.ThetechniciansreceivedtrainingonTEGGTaskmaintenancetaskingsoftware,
ultrasonictesting,TEGG/ASNTLevelIinfraredcertification,powerquality,andNFPA70E
electricalsafeworkpracticetraining.

AnAnomalyisDiscovered:Duringthesecondweekoftheservice,thetechniciansidentifieda
thermalexceptionononeofthe8.3KVCutlerHammerLoadInterrupterSwitches.These
switchesareacriticalpartofthefacilityspowerdistributionsystem,feedinga2000KVA
transformerwhichreducesthevoltageto480voltsfordistributiontomuchoftheproduction
equipment.Duetothecriticalityofthisswitchandtheprocessitisinvolvedwith,itwasoneof
thepiecesofequipmentwhichhadreceivedtheinstallationofaninfraredwindow.Becausethe
IRwindowsgavethethermographersaccesstothermographicdataofenergizedcomponents
whilethepanelcoversremainedclosed,thesurveyscouldbeperformedsafelyandefficiently
withoutdisruptiontoprocessesandwithouttheaddedriskofarcflashassociatedwithopen
panelinspections.

DenHartighidentifiedthelinesideoftheBPhase14.4KV,200ampfuseastheareaofinterest.
Atthistime(secondweekofservice),thespottemperatureofthefusedisplayed64C(147F)on
theinfraredcamera.Thesourceofthetemperaturewasoxidizedaluminum,anditisimportant
tonotethattheinitialtemperaturecalculationwasuncompensatedanddidnotcorrectforthe
lowEmissivityofthetarget.Emissivityrepresentstheefficiencyatwhichanobjectemitsinfrared
radiation;infraredradiationiswhataninfraredimagerorcameradetectsandusestocalculate
temperatures.Thelessefficientlyanobjectemitsradiation,thelowerthetemperaturewould
appeartothecamera(iftheobjectisatahighertemperaturethanthereflectedbackground
radiation).

Althoughanobjectmaybe
experiencingasignificanttemperature,
thecamerasinterpretationofthe
temperatureofthislowEmissivity
targetwouldbedramaticallylower
sincetheamountofemittedradiation
issignificantlylessthanifthetarget
wasmadeofahigherEmissivity
material(ie.amoreefficientemitterof
infraredradiation).RefertoStefan
BoltzmannlawofW=T4.

Theareaofconcernonthetopofthe Figure #3
fuseisclearlyvisibleinFigure#3.ThisimagewastakenthroughaVPFR
infraredwindowwiththecamerasparametersproperlyconfiguredtocompensateforthe
externaloptics(includingTransmissivepropertiesofthewindowandwindowtemperature).The
problemtemperature(Probonthescreenshot)isindicating64C(147F)withtheEmissivity
setat.96whichischaracterizedasuncompensated.Theanomalywasidentifiedand
documentedasanareaofconcerntobemonitoredforsignsofdeterioration.

Thetrainingandcertificationprogram,alongwiththeintimateknowledgethatelectricians
possessabouttheequipmenttheymaintain,iscriticaltomakingsoundjudgmentcallsonissues
suchasthis.Totheuntrainedeye,thetemperatureiswithinacceptableoperatingparameters.
WiththeTEGG/ASNTCertificationprogram,theexecutionofthistechnologyisdesignedto
eliminateanyuncertaintiesonsuchissues.

KnowingthatthisclampismanufacturedwithamaterialthatisNOTefficientatemitting
radiation(onlyabouta.5efficiency),thetechnicianswereawarethatacameraadjustmentwas
necessaryinordertoobtainmoreaccuratetemperatureinformation.Oncethisadjustmentwas
made,the64C(147F)temperaturewascorrectedtoreflectamoreaccuratetemperatureto
107C(224.6F),illustratinganerrorofover40C(104F).Thesefindingspromptedtheservice
providertomorecloselymonitorthefuseclamp;monitoringintervalsforthisswitchwere
changedtoweeklysurveys.

ThetechnicianscontinuedtheirserviceroutineoverthenexttendaysatwhichtimeTEGG
CorporationwasscheduledtopayatrainingandsupportvisittoBradfordWhite.Uponthearrival
oftheTEGGTechnicalSupport,DenHartighadvisedtheinstructoroftheissue(ashewasseeking
asecondopinion)andaskedtheinstructortoaccompanyhimtoviewthefuseclampaspartof
theagreeduponmonitoringcycle.

AsFigure#4demonstrates,theresult
ofthissurveyprovedtobefarmore
alarmingthantheinitialsurvey:
Theproblemtemperaturehad
increasedto252C(486F)injustten
dayssincefirstidentified.Thenew
temperaturerepresentedanincrease
over300%,indicatingasignificant
andaccelerateddeteriorationofthe
assembly.

Figure #4
WhenproperEmissivitywas
compensatedfor(Figure#5)
theresultsweremore
alarming.
Theextentofthefuse
deteriorationbecamecrystal
clear.Theactualtemperature
wasnotsimply252C(486F);
itwasinfactalmost508C
(946F).Alsonoteworthyisthe
factthattheangleofviewfrom
theIRwindowdidnotallowfor
adirectlinetothesourceof
theheat,whichwasonthetop
portion.Thetemperature Figure #5
observedwasvisiblethrough
conductionfromthetop.Tomakemattersevenmorepressing,thePlexiglaswindowabove
allowedforavisualinspectionthatrevealedtheconnectionwasinfactluminescentatthispoint
(asseeninadigitalphotoinFigure#6).Basedonthematerialandcolorvisible,theactual
temperaturewascalculatedatnearly850C!

Thisdiscoverypromptedanimmediate
consultationwiththecustomer.Mr.Potter,the
FacilityElectricalEngineeratBradfordWhite,was
briefedonthesituation,andwasquicklyescorted
totheswitchsothathecouldassessthesituation
personally.

Catastrophicfailurewasaveryrealpossibility
basedontheevidenceandwouldhaveresultedin
Figure #6 daysofdowntime.Thiswasnotaprospectthat
Mr.PotterorBradfordWhiteCorporationwelcomed.Mr.Potterimmediatelymetwithupper
managementtoadviseothersofthesituationandtobeginassemblinganactionplan.

ALessonLearned:AfterMr.Potterreportedtheseriousnatureoftheoverheatingfuseclip,Eric
Lannes,VicePresidentofBradfordWhite,sharedastorywithhim.Mr.Lannespreviouslyworked
atafacilityinReno,Nevada;thatfacilityhadhadasimilarincident.Asimilartypeofswitchhad
failed,whichresultedinboththeswitchsandthetransformersdestruction.Italsoresultedina
totaloffourdaysofdowntimetomaketherepairs.Aftersharingthisstory,Mr.Lannes
instructedMr.Pottertodowhateverittakestogettherepairsinplace.

Withthatdirective,thewheelsweresetinmotiontoimmediatelyrepairtheequipmentand
restorethefacilitysmajorsupplyofelectricalpowertopremiumoperatingcondition.

TheSolution:TEGGandFeyenZylstrapersonnelreviewedthreepossiblecoursesofactionto
addressthissituationathand:

1. Immediatelyshuttheplantdownandinspectanddisassemblethefuseassemblyto
determinewhichpartswouldbeneededforrepair.(Thiswastheleastdesirableoption,as
theavailabilityofthenecessarypartswasnotcertainatthispointanddowntimecouldbe
significant.)
2. Deenergizetheinterrupterswitchandconfigureabypassofthethree,200ampfuses,
therebyrelyingonutilityprotectivedevicesforovercurrentandfaultprotection.(This
alsomademaintenanceandrepairimpossibleuntiltheNovembershutdown.)
3. Secureaportablegeneratortosupplytemporarypowertotheswitchgearlineupwhich
wouldallowproductiontocontinue,minimizetheinterruption,andaffordthe
opportunitytoapplyproperandpermanentrepairstotheswitch.

3:45pm:Mr.Potterelectedoptionnumberthreeandissuedtheauthorizationtoinitiatetheplan
andcorrecttheproblem.Phonecallsimmediatelybegantocompaniesinthelocalareathat
couldsupplyaportablegeneratorandwiringlargeenoughtosupporttheproductiondemand.A
2MWgeneratorwasneededbasedonthecapacityofthefacility.Additionally,18runsofcable
200feetlongwereneededtotemporarilyrunpowerfromthegeneratortotheswitchgear
lineup.

8:45pm:The
generatorand
cablingwereonsite,
andwithacrewof
eighttechnicians
fromFeyenZylstra,
theprocessof
stringingthecable
runshadbegun.

10:30pm:Thecableswereinplace,andthetaskofconnecting
allthecablesonbothendswasinitiated.

Thetechniciansfeverishlyworkedtohavethegeneratoronlinebythe12:00AMtimeframe
outlinedbyMr.Pottertoensurethatthemidnightshiftworkerswouldbeabletocompleteafull
productioneffort.

11:45pm:WiththeEquipmentinplace,thegeneratortechnicianwasinstructedtostarttheunit.

12:15am:ThegeneratorrampeduptospeedandstabilizedinitsoperatingRPM.Theoutput
breakerwasthenclosed,supplyingpowertothegearlineup.Afteraphaserotationcheckofthe
supply,usingtheresultsfromabaselinecheckperformedpriortoshutdown,theclearancewas
issuedtobeginthestartupprocessoftheplantproductionequipment.

1:15am:Fullcapacitywasonlineand
producing.

Mr.Potterthenbreathedasighofrelief:the
switchoverwasaccomplishedin8.5hours
withoutincidentandtheimmediateelectrical
needsforproductionweresatisfied.
Investigatingtheextentofdamagetothe
switchandfuseassemblycouldbeginfirst
thinginthemorning.

CraigPotter,
BradfordWhiteFacilityElectricalEngineer
TheAutopsy:Itwas
evidentuponinspection
thattheoriginal
suspicionsandanalysis
wereonthemark.The
resultsoftheextreme
temperaturesthatthese
componentswere
exposedtoareclearly
visible.Thefuseitself
wasvisuallydiscolored
fromtheheatdamage
(Figure#7),andthe
clampassemblywas
Figure #7 Figure #8
burntandgaulded.Theplastictightening
knobwasmeltedoffitsmount(Figure#8)
andwasfoundlyingonthebottomofthe
enclosure.

AllsWellThatEndsWell:Within2.5
days,operationswerereturningto
normal,andtherewaslittleevidencethat
anythingatallhadtakenplace.The
generator,withseveralskidsandbinsof
temporarycabling,hadbeenrecovered
andreturnedtoitsstagingarea.Theonly
thinglefttodonowwastoverifythatthe
repaireffortsweresuccessful. Overheated Fuse clip clearly evident
Figure #9
Letscomparethebeforeandafter
images(bothcompensatedforEmissivity).
Figure#9clearlyshowstheoverheatingof
thefuseclip.

AsubsequentIRscan(Figure#10)through
thenewlyinstalledwindowrevealed
evenlydistributedoperating
temperaturesofapproximately49C
(120F)onallthreefusesrepresentative
ofwhatonewouldexpecttoviewonthis
typeofequipmentandloaddemand
After repairs were made the temperatures are moderated
conditionsinanormalstate. Figure #10

TheValueofEPM:InasubsequentletterfromMr.Potter,hesaid,Iwanttorecognizethe
effortsofallofthepersonnelfromFeyenZylstra.Thespeedoftheresponsetothiscriticalissue
andtheprofessionalismdemonstratedbyeveryoneinvolvedhasnotonlybeentomydelight,but
amostimpressiveexhibition.Whenthescheduledmaintenancetookplace,thetechnicians
involvedwiththeIRwindowinstallationresembledaswarmofbees.

Icannotdivulgeactualcostsassociatedwithanoutageandlossofproductionsimilartothe
fourdayoccurrenceEricLanneswasinvolvedwithinReno,butIcansaythatthebusiness
interruptioncosttoBradfordWhitewouldhavebeenextremeifasimilarscenarioweretohave
takenplaceonthisissue,likelymillionsofdollarsinlostproductionrevenue.

SUMMARY:

ThedecisiontoincludetheinstallationofIRISSinfraredwindowsinconjunctionwiththis
maintenanceagreementprovedtobepriceless.DuetothenominalVoltage(8.3KV),accessto
surveythisswitchusingtraditionalopenpanelprocedureswouldnothavebeenpossiblewithout
disruptiontotheplantsprocesses.WiththeIRwindowsinplace,inspectionswereperformed
efficientlyandsafelyunderfullload(asprescribedbyNFPA70B)withoutdisruptingnormal
operationsandwithoutincreasingthelevelarcflashriskforplantandpersonnel.

Hadthewindowsnotbeeninstalled,thiscriticalissuewouldlikelyhavegoneundetecteduntila
catastrophiceventbroughttheplanttoitsknees.Theresultingcoststolostproductionwould
likelyhavebeeninthemillionsofdollars.Additionalcostsoflostcustomerloyalty,hardware
replacementcosts,andthemonthsofdistractiontopersonnelatalllevelsoftheorganization,
wouldhavemadetheactualcostsevenhigher.

Asyourmotherprobablytoldyou,younevergetasecondchancetomakeafirstimpression.
Thisisespeciallytrueintodayscompetitivebusinessclimatewhereonemisstepmayleadto
consequencesthatcouldhaveanegativeimpactforyearstocome.Consequently,itisimperative
thatourbusinessplanningandexecutionstrategieseliminateriskofcatastrophicconsequences
whereverpossible.

AlthoughthefinalcostsoftheeventsatBradfordWhitearenotdisclosed,thereisnodoubt
amongmanagementthatwhateverthefinalcost,itwasafractionofwhatitcouldhavebeenhad
theissuenotbeendetectedandresolved.Inshort,theproactiveapproachofBradfordWhites
managementinimplementinganEPMprogrampaiddividends.

Doespreventivemaintenancepay?Withoutadoubt.Infact,thecostassociatedwithtakinga
proactivepostureisnotreallyacostatallwhenoneconsidersthealternativecostsassociated
withfailingtodetectanelectricalfaultwhichcouldresultinacatastrophicfailure.Therealcost
comesfrominactionandacomplacentoutlooktowardmaintenancethatsometimesmaysound
like,Ivebeenherefor20yearsandtherehasneverbeenafailureinthattime.

Althoughthiscasestudyrevolvedaroundathermalexception,therearemanyother
considerationsinelectricalsystemsthatmakeupacomprehensiveandcosteffectiveelectrical
preventivemaintenanceprogram.Thevalueofutilizingtrained,licensed,andcertifiedpersonnel,
whoarefamiliarwiththeequipmentconstruction,manufacturersmaintenance
recommendations,andhazardsinvolvedwithservicingthem,cannotbeoverstated.

Itemssuchassafetyhazards,nationalelectriccodeviolations,ultrasonicexceptions(high
frequencyemissionsrelatedtoarcing,tracking,corona,andmechanicalvibrations),visual
inspections,powerqualityconsiderations,andofcoursethescienceofinfrared,arebestserved
bythetechnicianstrainedandcertifiedtoperformthesefunctionsinthisapplication.

Perhapstheclockmaybetickingandthetimerunningoutontheluckyourfacilityhasbeen
experiencing.Areyouwillingtotakethechancethatluckwillremainonyoursideandthat
failurewillnotoccur?Orareyourorganizationspocketsdeepenoughandyourcustomerbase
strongenoughtoweatherthecatastrophethatmaybejustbeyondyoursight?Choosewisely
andinvestinwhatmattersmosttoyou.