Chemical Engineering September 2023 - 27

Part 2
Cover Story
Rotary Drum
Maintenance
Follow these nine recommendations to establish a strong program for preventive maintenance
of rotary drums in drying, cooling and other treatments of bulk solids
M
aximizing efficiency is increasingly
a critical priority for plant
managers, leading many to
move away from responsebased
maintenance programs to preventive,
and in some cases even predictive,
approaches to maintenance.
The same holds true when it comes to
rotary drums - an essential component of
many industrial
processing
facilities,
particularly
when it comes to drying bulk solids.
As many plant managers are discovering, a
robust preventive rotary-drum maintenance
program has the potential to not only maximize
efficiency, but also to minimize maintenance
costs and downtime.
What follows are the key components of
an effective preventive rotary-drum maintenance
program, whether the drum is serving
as a dryer, cooler, kiln or otherwise.
Inspections
Inspections are the foundation of any good
preventive maintenance program, ensuring
operators catch problems early, before they
have a chance to escalate.
Plant managers and maintenance supervisors
should work with their original equipment
manufacturer (OEM) to develop an
inspection schedule tailored to their specific
operating conditions. This is likely to include
daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual
inspections, with specific points to address
at each (Figure 1).
Making the most of inspections. Ideally,
plant managers should provide operators
and maintenance personnel with a checklist
for each inspection interval, keeping detailed
records of data points and any changes
made for maintenance planning purposes.
In addition to in-house inspections, plant
managers should also bring in the OEM or
a qualified service provider to conduct an
annual inspection on each unit. While this
type of inspection will differ across providers,
annual inspections generally provide
a more in-depth assessment of the unit's
mechanical condition, identifying any areas
of concern, or components that will require
future maintenance.
Streamlining
mainFIGURE
1. Regular inspections of drying equipment are a foundation of a good preventive
maintenance program
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tenance at multidrum
sites. Facilities
with four or more rotary
drums on site can
benefit from monthly
or quarterly dynamic
inspections, in which
one unit is shut down
for a thorough, static
inspection, while the
remaining drums receive
a dynamic inspection
while they
remain in operation.
Each inspection visit
focuses on a different
unit, while also
identifying issues to
address at upcoming
visits. This systematic
SEPTEMBER 2023
Craig Peppin
FEECO International
IN BRIEF
INSPECTIONS
TIRE AND TRUNNION
GRINDING
ALIGNMENT
TRAINING FOR PROPER
DRUM FLOAT
MINIMIZING BUILDUP
MAINTENANCE AND
LUBRICATION
SPARE WEAR-CRITICAL
PARTS
TRAINING FOR DRUM
OPERATORS
LEVERAGE AUTOMATION
TECHNOLOGY
EQUIPMENT DESIGN
27

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Chemical Engineering September 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering September 2023