Industries rely on a number of components and equipment for an efficient rate of production.
Industrial pumps are also included in such components. Sometimes the output flow of an industrial pump is directly proportional to the production of an industrial unit. However, maintenance and supervision teams of a number of industrial units tend to overlook the maintenance procedure of industrial pumps on a regular basis. What’s more, when the problems and failures start arising then they go for a reactive maintenance strategy that is the worst strategy to maintain the reliability of a pump or any other type of equipment. This will further lead to unexpected downtime, uncalled-for expenses, overtime, cost replacements, emergencies, and a number of other serious problems that can ultimately affect the performance of the entire industrial unit. In place of reactive maintenance, people either go for preventive or predictive maintenance strategies, however, neither of these strategies alone can work ideally. A thoughtful combination of both these strategies will work the best for any type of industrial equipment, including pumps. We have gathered details about predictive and preventive maintenance strategies to help you formulate an effective maintenance plan for the pumps that hold a pivotal role in efficient performance of any industrial unit. Further details are given below:
Preventive Maintenance:
Preventive maintenance is a variation of scheduled maintenance plan of a pump or any other type of equipment. It involves routine maintenance like oil change, greasing, calibration, and monitoring analysis. This procedure emphasizes keeping the equipment properly aligned and in balanced working condition. Major issues that lead to the failure of a pump are misalignment and unbalance. A technique called laser alignment can be employed to check whether the pump and other rotating equipment are perfectly aligned after installation. In the case that misalignment goes unnoticed over a long time, it may cause increased unusual vibration, early seal and bearing failures, and other unexpected problems. All these issues can be avoided with the help of a regular preventive maintenance plan.
Predictive Maintenance:
Predictive maintenance is another strategy of scheduled maintenance plan that involves monitoring the status and functioning of equipment from time to time. It also covers the analysis of vibrations produced by a pump over time to recognize any unusual activity in the performance of a pump.
A predictive maintenance routine should be included in the maintenance schedule of pumps and rotating equipment. This is so they stay in working condition at all times, as dealing with their failure is unbearable. The vibration analysis and other monitoring procedures allow technicians and maintenance staff to sense future failures and think of timely measures to avoid any kind of failure in such equipment.
Balanced Maintenance Schedule Involving Both Strategies:
While formulating a maintenance plan for pumps, it should be kept in mind that not all pumps are the same, some require frequent maintenance while others can survive with a regular maintenance routine after a specified duration. It is also necessary to plan the maintenance schedule according to the importance of a pump, there is no need to spend extra hours monitoring the output, vibrations, and performance of a pump that is not actually very important for the production of any industrial unit. Therefore, you should categorize pumps into different categories and plan their maintenance schedules. You can categorize pumps into three different categories; critical, essential, and non-essential to determine which pump needs more maintenance and supervision as compared to other pumps working in an industrial unit.
