Maintenance approach

Maintenance

General
principles

Guidelines

General principles

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Maintenance
the whole of actions allowing the
conservation or the rehabilitation of the
plant equipment in the specified status in
order to assume the service for which they
were designed.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Difficulty of choice
one case where the maintenance level kept under a
bare minimum will shorten dramatically the plant
life;
the other case where a supplementary level of
maintenance will extend the plant life with an
excessive production cost.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Post-investment
investment done during the plant life to maintain its
proper operation and therefore the expected production
results.
includes the expenses of the real maintenance but also
those related to the technical improvement brought to
the plant.
the order of magnitude of this yearly postinvestment
cost represents about 5% to 10% of the initial capital
invested for the plant.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Maintenance level
measure of the activity of maintenance
between 0 (= no maintenance) and 1 (=ideal
maintenance)

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Effects of maintenance level

Failure cost

Maintenance
direct cost

(*)

(*)

Maintenance level

(*) yearly costs for manpower, machinery

spare parts, etc

Maintenance level

(*) yearly costs of no-production, noquality of products, production delays,

etc

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Effects of maintenance level

Yearly
production

Yearly
amortisation
cost

Profit loss

(*)

(*)

Maintenance level

(*) better is the maintenance, longer will

be the equipment life and therefore
their amortisation

Maintenance level

(*) more frequent are the maintenance on

production equipment, more shutdown and less production, therefore
less benefice.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Effects of maintenance level

Spare parts
cost

(*)

Maintenance level

(*) spare parts stored in the workshop

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Effects of maintenance level

(3)
Resulting
maintenance
cost "A"

(2)
(1) : Maintenance direct cost
(2) : Failure cost
(3) : Resulting maintenance cost "A"
(1)

Maintenance level

there is an optimum maintenance level

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Effects of maintenance level

(3)
Resulting
maintenance
cost "B"

(2)
(1) : Amortisation cost
(2) : Maintenance cost "A"
(3) : Resulting maintenance cost "B"

(1)

Maintenance level

taking into account the amortisation cost,

the optimum maintenance level is now
slightly higher

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Effects of maintenance level

Resulting
maintenance
cost "C"

(4)

(3)

(2)
(1)

Maintenance level

(1) :
(2) :
(3) :
(4) :

Non production cost

Spare part cost
Maintenance cost "B"
Total resulting maintenance cost "C"

this is the largest synthesis of all factors determining the

optimum maintenance level to apply in the plant to
achieve the best profit.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Maintenance planning
the above analysis presupposes that we
know the time split between the production
time and the maintenance time, but a new
problem appears about maintenance
planning because there are scheduled and
unscheduled shut-downs.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Availibility level
(BD)1

(GO)1

(BD)2

(BD)n-1

(GO)2

(BD)n

(GO)n-1

(R)1

(GO)n

(R)2

(R)n-1

(R)n

T
T = time considered for a given equipment
GO)i = good operation periods
(BD)i = break-downs
(R)i = repairs periods

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Availibility level
(BD)1

(GO)1

(BD)2

(BD)n-1

(GO)2

(GO)n-1

(R)1

(R)2

(BD)n

(GO)n
(R)n-1

(R)n

T
In these conditions the availability level A of this equipment is:

A=

n
i =1

(GO ) i
T

n
i =1

n
i =1

(GO ) i
n

(GO ) i + i =1 ( R ) i

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Availibility level
We can determine the MTBF (Mean time before failure):

MTBF =

1 n
(GO) i
n i =1

We can also determine the MTTR (Mean time to repair):

MT TR =

1 n
(R) i
n i =1

Finally the availability A becomes :

A=

n
i =1

n
i =1

(GO ) i
n

(GO) i + i =1 ( R ) i

1 n
(GO) i
MTBF
n i =1
=
1 n
1 n
MTBF + MT TR
(GO) i + n i =1 ( R) i
n i =1

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Maintenance planning
On long term these MTBF and MTTR factors for the related
equipment (studied during its operation) help the maintenance
engineers to follow the different equipments by statistics and to
determine with a fair precision their availability level A.
Therefore they have an efficient tool to organise the Preventive
maintenance (independently from the break-downs) for inspection
visits or other works suggested by the conditional maintenance. Of
course the MTTR must now include the down-time for these visits and
the systematic or conditional maintenance.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Equipment classification

first class: the equipments the break-down of which will stop the plant
production. They must be followed in priority by the maintenance
section and their MTBF and MTTR should be known with best
precision.

second class: the equipments the break-down of which will reduce the
production rate or the product quality: their status must be followed
regularly by the maintenance section and their MTBF & MTTR will
help their maintenance schedule.

third class: the equipments the break-down of which has no influence at

short term on the production : the maintenance section can organise
their repair in consequence.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Deterioration

10

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Deterioration
The causes of the deterioration can be of three
types:
from physical origin (mostly mechanical)
from chemical origin (corrosion, etc ... )
from combined physical + chemical origin (abrasion +
corrosion, etc...)

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Deterioration
Damage, failure, break-down can most often be
foreseen because they can very seldom occur
suddenly.
The methodology to help to foresee the problems
with equipment is to establish three types of file:
one identification file: technical and design data
one production file: operating data
one historical file: operating hours between checks,
break-downs, repairs; causes of damage;modifications;
problems encountered; etc...

11

Guidelines

GUIDELINES

Maintenance
There are 2 types of maintenance:
a) The weekly routine maintenance, gathering a set of operations which must be
done to maintain the nominal operating conditions of the plant, during the coming
week.
b) A preventive maintenance on a monthly, quarterly, half-yearly basis which tends to
minimise non scheduled shut downs.

12

GUIDELINES

Maintenance
Typical maintenance program
First six month

Maintenance
First 3 month
Weeks n

Second 3 month

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Weekly (W)

Monthly (M)

M1 M2 M3 M4 M1 M2 M3 M4 M1 M2 M3 M4 M1 M2 M3 M4 M1 M2 M3 M4 M1 M2 M3 M4 M1 M2

Three monthly (T) T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T10 T11 T12 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T10 T11 T12

Six monthly (S)

S1 S2

Yearly (Y)
Second six month

Maintenance
Third 3 month
Weeks n

Fourth 3 month

27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52

Weekly (W)

Monthly (M)

M3 M4 M1 M2 M3 M4 M1 M2 M3 M4 M1 M2 M3 M4 M1 M2 M3 M4 M1 M2 M3 M4 M1 M2 M3 M4

Three monthly (T) T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T10 T11 T12 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T10 T11 T12

Six monthly (S)

S1 S2

Yearly (Y)

GUIDELINES

Weekly maintenance (W)

Circuits washing
Flush the reaction, filtration and concentration circuits, as per the procedure
described in section 3.
Pumps

Following the reports on the stuffing boxes water consumption, verify

and replace leaky packings.

Verify and eventually adjust the oil level in lubricators.

Check, clean and verify the pumps externals: loosened bolts,

corrosion, maintain the protective anti-acid coating in good condition.

13

GUIDELINES

Weekly maintenance (W)

Gear boxes
Fill up the oil level if necessary.

Circulators, fan, vacuum pumps.

Verify, tighten or replace the driving belts.

Check oil level.

Prayon filter

Lift and clean the vacuum box

Clean the slurry and wash troughs

Check and clean the cloth and cloth wash sprayers, check their
orientation and position.

Refer to the maintenance instructions described in the Manufacturer's

technical file for other maintenance activities.

GUIDELINES

Weekly maintenance (W)

Instrumentation

Repair and recalibrate the measure and control devices which failed
during the week, if any.

Check the calibration of the conductivimeter.

Phosphate and additive feeding

Clean the weighting systems and check calibrations.

Check the densimeter calibration.

Wash the slurry pump and associated piping.

14

GUIDELINES

Weekly maintenance (W)

Miscellaneous

Fix the defects noted during the week which were impossible to repair
while producing.

Check the steam-traps.

Check and repair leaks (steam, acids, water...).

GUIDELINES

Monthly maintenance (M)

The following operations will be distributed over 4 weeks during the weekly maintenance.
st

1 week (M1)

Remove and mechanically clean the bubble tubes of level controllers,

density-meters...

Open, check and clean the concentration and fluorine droplets

separators.

2nd week (M2)

Check the gypsum conveying system.

Check and clean the gypsum hopper.

15

GUIDELINES

Monthly maintenance (M)

3rd week (M3)

Check and mechanically clean the dip mixing pipes H3P03/H2S04 on

the reaction tank.

4th week (M4)

Check and clean the pipes and fan of the reaction scrubbing systems,
mainly the gas outlet on the reaction and digestion tanks.

GUIDELINES

Tri-monthly maintenance (T)

1st week (TI)

Check the gypsum neutralization system.

Calibrate the rock phosphate slurry flowmeter.

2nd week(T2)

Disassemble and check control valves on H2SO4.

Check and clean the steam nozzles of the concentration vacuum

system.

16

GUIDELINES

Tri-monthly maintenance (T)

3rd week (T3)

Disassemble and clean electromagnetic flowmeters on slurry to filters

lines (electrodes mainly).

4th week (T4)

Check and clean concentration fluorine recovery systems: pumps,

pipes, valves, instruments, sprayers....

GUIDELINES

Tri-monthly maintenance (T)

5th week (T5)

Check and clean the lime preparation system.

6th week (T6)

Check and clean the Calcium Carbonate preparation system.

17

GUIDELINES

Tri-monthly maintenance (T)

7th week (T7)

Check the agitators in weak acid storage tank.

8th week (T8)

Check the agitators in concentrated storage tank.

GUIDELINES

Tri-monthly maintenance (T)

9th week (T9)

Check the acid and water pits (sumps). - Check concentration

circulator.

10th week (TIO)

Disassemble, check and clean slurry pump to filter.

18

GUIDELINES

Tri-monthly maintenance (T)

11th week(T11)
Check the flash cooler circulator.

12th week (T12)

Calibrate electromagnetic flowmeters.

GUIDELINES

Six-monthly maintenance (S)

25th and 51st weeks (SI)

Check vacuum pumps packing

Check and clean the export pump

Inspect the evaporator and interconnecting piping of concentration line

Inspect attack flash cooler, fluorine absorber, condensor sprayers.

26th and 52nd weeks (S2)

Inspect concentration heat exchangers.

19

GUIDELINES

Yearly maintenance (Y)

Drain, clean, inspect and if necessary repair the reaction and digestion
tanks.

Mechanically clean the flash coolers, the associated piping and the
circulators if necessary.

Clean and check the agitators in reaction, digestion filter seal tanks and
storage.

Clean and calibrate the thermocouples.

Inspect all the rubber lining in the vessels.

20