At the end of September, the Processing team spent several days in the Big Easy for the Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC).
During this time, optimism for the process industries was high, and we met with many people looking forward to promoting their new technologies and learning more about how energy efficiency, reuse and the Industrial Internet of Things are revolutionizing how we do business and how we process and manufacture products.
With cloud-based systems beginning to dominate many facets of our lives, the use of online systems to monitor assets and processes continues to be a hot topic among process engineers, operators and equipment manufacturers. In this issue, asset management using a cloud-based computerized maintenance management system is featured with information about the types of facilities that the systems benefit (see page 26).
In some situations, more than remote and cloud-based technology is required to keep a facility up and running at full capacity. Sometimes, plant operations have to be shutdown to be thoroughly maintained, especially if the facility is a refinery that operates almost 24 hours per day, seven days per week. On page 22, a large-scale Dow Chemical plant turnaround project that required a shutdown and took about six weeks to complete is detailed. System and equipment safety and other inspections, maintenance, repairs, and equipment replacements were carried out during this project.
In Part 1 of a two-part series (Part 2 will be featured in the December issue), how to troubleshoot noises in a pumping system is explained (see page 16). Problems arose when the backup pumps in a waste treatment plant in State College, Pennsylvania, were operated. Discovering the problem and its cause revealed that the usual suspect is not always the true culprit. Analyzing an entire system is often required…the pump is sometimes not the problem.
As we head to Chicago for PACK EXPO this month, we look forward to sharing our journeys with you. Follow me, @LoriDitoro, and Processing, @ProcessingMag, to keep up with all the happenings and new technology at this show.
Sincerely,
E-mail: [email protected]
Twitter: @LoriDitoro
