OISD-122

Amended edition
FOR RESTRICTED
CIRCULATION

No.

INSPECTION OF
FANS, BLOWERS, GEAR BOXES & AGITATORS

OISD STANDARD-122
First Edition, January 1990
Amended edition, August, 1999

Oil Industry Safety Directorate

Government of India
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
 OISD- STANDARD-122

First Edition, January, 1990

Amended edition,
August, 1999

FOR RESTRICTED
CIRCULATION

No.

INSPECTION OF
FANS, BLOWERS, GEAR BOXES & AGITATORS

Prepared by

COMMITTEE ON
INSPECTION OF ROTARY EQUIPMENT

OIL INDUSTRY SAFETY DIRECTORATE

2ND FLOOR, “KAILASH”
26, KASTURBA GANDHI MARG
NEW DELHI-110 001.
 NOTE

OISD publications are prepared for use in the oil and gas industry under
Ministry of Petroleum & Chemicals. These are the property of Ministry of
Petroleum & Chemicals and shall not be reproduced or copied and loaned
or exhibited to others without written consent from OISD.

Though every effort has been made to assure the accuracy and reliability
of the data contained in these documents, OISD hereby expressly disclaims
any liability or responsibility for loss or damage resulting from their use.

These documents are intended to supplement rather than replace the

prevailing statutory requirements.

Note 1 in superscript indicates the modification/changes/

addition based on the amendments approved in the 17th
Safety Council meeting held in July, 1999.
 FOREWARD

The Oil Industry in India is 100 years old. As such a variety of practices
are in vogue because of collaboration/ association with different foreign
companies and governments. Standardisation in design philosophies operating
and maintenance practices at a national level were hardly in existence. This,
coupled with feed back from some serious accidents that occurred in the recent
past in India and abroad, emphasised the need for the industry to review the
existing state of art in designing, operating and maintaining oil and gas
installations.

With this in view, the then Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in 1986
constituted a Safety Council assisted by Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD)
staffed from within the industry in formulating and implementing a serious of self-
regulatory measures aimed at removing obsolescence, standardising and
upgrading the existing standards to ensure safer operations. Accordingly OISD
constituted a number of functional committees comprising of experts nominated
from the industry to draw up standards and guidelines on various subjects.

The present standard on Inspection of Fans Blowers, Gear Boxes and

Agitators was prepared by the Functional Committee on Inspection of Rotary
Equipment". This document based on the accumulated knowledge and
experience of industry members and the various national and international codes
and practices, is meant to be used as a supplement and not as a replacement for
existing codes standards and manufacture's recommendations. It is hoped that
the provision of this standard, if implemented objectively, may go a long way to
improve the safety and reduce accidents in the Oil and Gas Industry. The users
of this document are cautioned that no standard can be a substitute for a
responsible and experienced engineer. Suggestions are invited from the users
after it is put into practice to improve the standard further. Suggestions for
amendment, if any, should be addressed to:

The Coordinator
Committee on
“Inspection of Rotary Equipment"
Oil Industry Safety Directorate
2nd Floor, “Kailash”
26, Kasturba Gandhi Marg
New Delhi-110 001.

This standard in no way supercedes the statutory regulations of CCE,

Factory Inspectorate or any other Statutory body which must be followed as
applicable.
 COMMITTEE ON
INSPECTION OF ROTARY EQUIPMENT

List of Members

_________________________________________________________________________
Name Designation & Status
Organisation
__________________________________________________________________________

1. Sh.K. Gopalakrishanan Sr.Maint.MGR-CRL Leader

2. Sh.B.P. Sinha Chief Project, MGR-MRL Member

3. Sh.Chotey Lal Chief Engineer - ONGC Member

4. Sh.R.C. Chaudhary Office Engg. MGR-BPCL Member.

5. Sh.K.M. Bansal Chief Maint. MGR-IOC Member.

6. Sh.Ehsanuddin Director-OISD Member

7. Sh.R.M.N. Marar Joint Director-OISD Member

Co-Ordinator.
__________________________________________________________________________

In addition to the above, several other experts from industry contributed in the
preparation, review and finalisation of this document.
 INSPECTION OF FANS, BLOWERS, GEAR BOXES &
AGITATORS

CONTENTS

SECTION

1.0 Introduction

2.0 Scope

3.0 Definitions

4.0 Fans and Blowers

5.0 Gear Boxes

6.0 Mechanical Agitators

7.0 Differing Schedules

8.0 References
 INSPECTION OF FANS, BLOWERS, GEAR BOXES &
AGITATORS

1.0 INTRODUCTION iii) Bearing cooling water flow and cooling

water temperature
The Rotary Equipment plays a vital role in
hydrocarbon processing industry. Clause (I), (ii), (iii) are deleted. Note 1

Timely inspection and maintenance of iv) Motor amperage

Rotary Equipment will go a long way in
ensuring safer operations of the installations v) Grease lubrication of bearings.
in Oil Industry.
vi) Bearing vibration
2.0 SCOPE vii) Grease lubrication for damper shaft
bearings.
This standard covers the minimum
requirements for inspection and
4.1.2 After every 1000 hours
maintenance of installed fans, blowers,
mechanical agitators and gear boxes of
rotary equipment. It does not intend to i) Repeat the checks given at 4.1.1
supercede API and other applicable
standards, technical specifications and ii) Foundation bolts for tightness
manufacturer’s recommendations.
iii) Freeness of dampers
3.0 DEFINITIONS
4.1.3 After every 2000 hours
i) FAN: The word ‘fan’ is used to i) Repeat the checks at 4.1.1 and 4.1.2
describe a machine with pressure rise
upto 1 psig.
ii) Condition and cleanliness of bearing
cooling water system
ii) BLOWER: The word ‘Blower’ is
used to designate a machine, which iii) Condition of bearing oil
raises pressure from 1 psig to 5 psig.
iv) Condition of lube oil filters
4.0 FANS AND BLOWERS
v) Cleanliness of suction strainers

vi) Suction/discharge damper bearings for

4.1 PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE
proper grease lubrication.
SCHEDULE
4.1.4 After every 4000 hours
Bearing Temperature, Bearing cooling
water flow & cooling water temperature and i) Repeat the checks at 4.1.3
motor amperage should be checked daily.
Note 1
ii) Alignment
The following checks shall be carried
out for fans and blowers, after specified iii) Bearing condition
hours of operation as given below:
iv) Lube oil filters (replaced or not)
4.1.1 After every 200 hours
v) Condition of vane control damper
i) Bearing oil for contamination and level (rollers to be checked and repaired, as
necessary).
ii) Bearing temperature
4.1.5 After every 8000 hours

i) Repeat the checks at 4.1.4
ii) Condition of bearings (change, if
needed)
iii) Alignment (repair coupling, if needed,
pins-bushes, toothed hub-cover/hubs
shall be changed, if needed)
iv) Condition of bearings of damper-
shafts (change if needed)
v) Condition of turbine bearings in case
of steam turbine and change, if
needed
vi)
Condition of shaft seals.
vii)
Check coupling guard & rectify if
necessary. Note 1
viii)
Check Belt guard and rectify, if
necessary. Note 1
4.1.6 After every 16000 hours
i) Repeat all checks at 4.1.5
ii) Replacement of bearings
iii) Condition of shafts, impeller
casing
iv) Condition of suction and discharge
dampers
v) Alignment
vi) Lubrication system
Complete overhauling shall be carried out,
which includes partwise inspection as
detailed in 4.2
4.2 PARTWISE INSPECTION
Partwise inspection shall be carried
out during complete overhaul and the
following items shall be checked/inspected:
4.2.1 Vane Control System
i) Vane control/variable inlet
should be checked for
functioning.
ii) Rollers shall be checked for proper
grease lubrication.
iii) Levers and other parts shall be
checked for proper movement.
iv) The ring shall be checked for
ovality/distortion of pins, (in case the
arms are operated by a ring).
Note:
The necessary repair of arm (levers),
actuating pneumatic cylinders, control
valves and flappers, should be carried
out.
4.2.2 Shafts
i) The bearing portion, lock nut
threading, key portion and coupling
portion shall be checked for wearing
out, corrosion/pitting (If the worn out
part is beyond fitment limit, repair/
change the shaft.
ii) The shaft shall be checked for
trueness before fitting with impeller
(Trueness limit is to be maintained as
per manufacturer’s recommendation.
However, run-out should not exceed
0.02 mm.)
and 4.2.3 Impellers
i) The impellers shall be cleaned by
compressed air/water blasts or can be
wire brushed and repaired.
ii) Blade thickness and casing cover
thickness should be checked for
assessment of corrosion. Critical
zones for examination are:
a) Leading edge of the blade
b) Trailing edge of blade
c) Cone sheet/flange/shround ring
Note:
If the thickness reduction is more than
10%, necessary repair shall be done.
Wherever possible, protective coating
like painting, epoxy coating, FRP
lining, etc. should be done. The
impeller, after major repair, should be
balanced along with shaft coupling.
control
proper 4.2.4 Casing
i) The casing shall be checked for wear
and tear (Repair wherever necessary).
 ii) The casing shall be cleaned and if
made of mild steel, remove old paint
and renew painting of internals. (If the
casing is split, renew packing at the
joints, If it is lined, renew/repair lining).
4.2.5 Bearing
i) The bearings shall be checked for
clearances and rectified as
recommended by manufacturer.
ii) The bearing housing internal diameter
shall be checked for possibility of
looseness of bearings. (Change, if
clearances have gone high. In case of
ball/roller bearings, it is a good
practice to change bearings.)
iii) Check for looseness of bearing over
the shaft sealing. (Rectify if required by
metal spraying or any other suitable
method to attain proper fit of the
bearing over the shaft as per the
bearing fitting standards).
4.2.6 Seals
Renew/repair the seals. (If it is a felt type
seal, renew the felt while checking bearings,
etc. If it is a labyrinth type, the worn out strips
should be changed or if wear is excessive
the set of seals shall be changed.)
4.2.7 Foundation
i) Check for tightness of bolts of casing
supports, bearing pedestals, motor
and base plate.
ii) Check alignment before start up after
tightening the motor and fan casing
foundation bolts.
4.2.8 Lubrication System
i) Check the system of lubrication for
proper functioning, (where lubricating
oil is used, same shall be changed.)
ii) Check oil pump with piping (in the
case of forcefeed lubrication system).
4.2.9 Suction and discharge dampers
i) Condition of damper plates, shaft,
bearings, pointer (indicator), ducting,
and ducting joints shall be checked.
ii) In case where the damper ducting is
having inside refractory lining, the
lining shall be checked and repaired
as necessary.
iii) Arms, main shaft bearings, pins,
bushed rollers and individual flappers
shall be checked and repaired as
required.
4.2.10 Instruments
All instruments (like pressure gauges,
temperature gauges, flow meters, vibration
monitors etc.) shall be calibrated.
5.0 GEAR BOXES:
5.1 PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE
SCHEDULE
The following schedule shall be
complied with after specified hours of
operation as noted below:
5.1.1 After every 2000 hours
Inspection (through window and end covers)
for:
i) Condition of the gear and bearings
ii) Coupling and alignment
iii) Oil level
5.1.2 After every 16000 hours
Complete overhauling of the Gear Box shall
be carried out.
Note: During overhaul, Partwise Inspection
as detailed in 5.2 and all the checks
covered in 5.1.1 shall be carried out.
5.2 PARTWISE INSPECTION
Partwise inspection as given below shall
be carried out during complete overhaul.
5.2.1 Pinions & Gears
a) Pinions and gears shall be inspected for
wear and cracks of teeth. (Cracks
should be inspected with the help of
magnifying glass on all teeth faces. In
cases of critical services, dye penetrant
test on all teeth should be conducted. In
case of cracked tooth, the gear/pinion
should be replaced.)
b) Tooth faces should be checked for the
wear on the tooth faces and determining
the backlash. (Double ended gear shaft
permit reversal of the gear to reduce the
backlash. Excessive backlash requires
replacement of the gear).
c) Meshing of the teeth shall be checked by
Blue matching to ensure 70% meshing.
(While dismantling the gear match
marks are put on the face of the gear to
ensure that after assembly, the meshing
of the teeth does not get disturbed).
5.2.2 Bearings
i) Anti friction bearings-Refer-OISD-RP-
123
(Inspection of Rotating Equipment
Components)
ii) Babbited bearings-The following shall
be checked:
a) Signs of wear, damage such as
spalling etc.
b) Clearances (restore if necessary)
c) Bearing seals (Ensure no leakage
can take place)
5.3 INSPECTION OF SPARES
Spares supplied by equipment
manufacturers shall be used. However,
where spares other than from original
supplier are required to be used due to
equipment being obsolete, it shall be
ensured that:
i) Heat treatment and hardening are
done prior to gear cutting and
finishing.
ii) Heat treatment and hardening are
carried out to an AGMA material
hardening factor of 1.97 or less.
iii) Gear material is selected equivalent to
original material used.
iv) Blue matching of gear meshing is
carried out to ensure 70% matching.
6.0 MECHANICAL AGITATORS
6.1 GENERAL
Mechanical agitators consist of speed
reduction unit and agitators of various
designs. These agitators are mounted on the
top, side or at the bottom of the vessel.
Agitation is achieved by using impellers,
marine propeller, paddle, gate, turbine
anchor or saw cutter depending on
specification of fluid to be agitated.
In the case of side entry or bottom
entry agitators the shafts are sealed by using
stuffing box or mechanical seals. In the case
of long shafts steady bearings may be used.
Therefore, agitators can be subdivided for
the purpose of preventive maintenance
schedule into Gear boxes and sealing
arrangements.
6.2 GEAR BOXES
The maintenance schedule mentioned for
gear boxes in 5.0 will be applicable to
mechanical agitators also.
6.3 SEALING
The maintenance schedule mentioned for
mechanical seals will be applicable to
sealing of shafts of mechanical agitators
also.
7.0 DIFFERING SCHEDULES
In case of differences between this
standard and the manufacturers'
recommendations, the instructions given by
the manufacturers shall govern. The
maintenance schedules given in this
standard are very broad based on present
experience and practices and may be
modified from time to time. The schedule
indicates the maximum interval of time
between two inspections. Organisations, on
the basis of historical records and analysis of
failures may alter the inspection interval
accordingly. All organisations shall maintain
records of history cards and specification
sheets, with respect to problems on
equipment in different services. Based on
the feed back so obtained, the committee iii) Fan Engineering-An Engineer's
will attempt to further sophisticate inspection Handbook edited by Robers
schedules and producers. Jorgensen, Buffalo Farge Co. USA.

iv) Balancing of fans- A Schenek

publication No. AB 1094, Germany.
8.0 REFERENCES
v) 'Fans and Blowers' by Robert Pollak,
The following codes, standards and Chemical Engineering, January 22,
publications have either been referred to or 1973.
used in the preparation of this standard, and
the same shall be read in conjunction with vi) Fans and Fan Systems by John E.
this standard: Thompson, C.J. Trickler, Chemical
Engineering-March 21, 1981.
i) API standard 512 High Speed special
purpose gear units for refinery service. vii) 'Fans' a special report power, March
1968.
ii) American Gear Manufacturers
Association (AGMA) standard 420 viii) 'Fans' and Blowers' - An Engineering
Helical & Herringbone gear speed reference from "The Oil and Gas
reducers. Journal".
NOTES
NOTES