06-04-2017, 10:56 AM
Predictive maintenance techniques (PdM) are designed to help determine the condition of the equipment in service to predict when maintenance should be performed. This approach promises cost savings over routine or time-based preventive maintenance, because tasks are performed only when warranted.
The main promise of predictive maintenance is to allow adequate scheduling of corrective maintenance and avoid unexpected failures in the equipment. The key is "the right information at the right time". Knowing that the equipment needs maintenance, the maintenance work can be better planned (spare parts, people, etc.) and what would have been "unplanned stops" will be transformed into shorter and less planned stops, thus increasing the availability of plant. Other potential benefits are increased equipment life, increased plant safety, fewer accidents with a negative impact on the environment and optimized handling of spare parts. Predictive maintenance differs from its preventive maintenance of prime because it is based on the actual condition of the equipment, rather than the average or expected life statistics, to predict when maintenance will be necessary.
The goal of predictive maintenance is to first predict when the equipment failure could occur, and second, to prevent the occurrence of the failure by performing maintenance. Monitoring for future faults allows for maintenance planning before the failure occurs. Ideally, predictive maintenance allows the maintenance frequency to be as low as possible to avoid unplanned reactive maintenance, without incurring costs associated with preventive maintenance. Predicting failure can be done with one of many techniques. The technique chosen should be effective in predicting failure and also provide sufficient warning time for upcoming maintenance. Some techniques include vibration analysis, oil analysis, thermal imaging and equipment observation. These are described in detail in the conditions-based maintenance page. Choosing the right technique to perform condition monitoring is an important consideration that is best done in consultation with equipment manufacturers and condition monitoring experts.
The main promise of predictive maintenance is to allow adequate scheduling of corrective maintenance and avoid unexpected failures in the equipment. The key is "the right information at the right time". Knowing that the equipment needs maintenance, the maintenance work can be better planned (spare parts, people, etc.) and what would have been "unplanned stops" will be transformed into shorter and less planned stops, thus increasing the availability of plant. Other potential benefits are increased equipment life, increased plant safety, fewer accidents with a negative impact on the environment and optimized handling of spare parts. Predictive maintenance differs from its preventive maintenance of prime because it is based on the actual condition of the equipment, rather than the average or expected life statistics, to predict when maintenance will be necessary.
The goal of predictive maintenance is to first predict when the equipment failure could occur, and second, to prevent the occurrence of the failure by performing maintenance. Monitoring for future faults allows for maintenance planning before the failure occurs. Ideally, predictive maintenance allows the maintenance frequency to be as low as possible to avoid unplanned reactive maintenance, without incurring costs associated with preventive maintenance. Predicting failure can be done with one of many techniques. The technique chosen should be effective in predicting failure and also provide sufficient warning time for upcoming maintenance. Some techniques include vibration analysis, oil analysis, thermal imaging and equipment observation. These are described in detail in the conditions-based maintenance page. Choosing the right technique to perform condition monitoring is an important consideration that is best done in consultation with equipment manufacturers and condition monitoring experts.