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Preventative Maintenance Management
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1) INTRODUCTION TO PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT (PM)
Electrical components have a long lifespan – IF operated under ideal conditions.
Regular maintenance enhance these conditions.
Two perspectives on maintenance management programs exist;-
- One group calls for routine inspections periodic testing and servicing programs,
all done according to a proper schedule Maintenance Management Program.
- With regular inspection and simultaneous basic testing early warning signs of failure
on equipment and components can be detected and rectified in time before failure
occurs.
- The second group hopes for extended operation with no maintenance, until malfunction
occur, usually with subsequently damages and huge repair bills.
- Commercial installations make use of PM extensively.
- Most Private residential complexes have NO maintenance program in place.
- Developers make use of Professional teams to design and construct infrastructure.
When HOA and BC’s take control of the networks and less knowledgeable staff are
tasked to maintain their asset. Often failure of equipment is awaited instead of
prevented
Lack of maintenance on local Government infrastructure are common knowledge by now
and all of us already experienced inconvenience and financial losses due to:-
- Power failures – some up to 2 weeks,
- Water shortages,
- Sewer overflows,
- Destruction of public roads,
- Destruction of the environment,
- Destruction of rivers.
2) MAINTENANCE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
The moment a guarantee period expire on a newly commissioned network a proper maintenance
plan should be implemented.
The key function of such a plan should:
- Be focused on specific identified equipment,
- Actions must be preventative and corrective,
- M Managed on a regular schedule and program,
- Managed by qualified and knowledgeable persons,
- Work on the components by qualified and capable controls,
- Management cost and fees must be affordable and efficient,
- Upgrading required due to load growth must not be postponed,
- Energy efficient and energy saving equipment to be:-
- Considered continuously for feasibility in retrofit,
- Considered as addition to the system.
3) ADDITIONAL SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED WITH THE MAGAGEMENT PROGRAM
- Energy audits to monitor efficiency of building installations,
- Implementation of feasible energy saving installations,
- Specific electrical testing and recording when required,
- Remote metering and load management of installations,
- Standby power generation – installation,
- Alternative energy installations.
4) ECONOMIC JUSTIFICATION OF A PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM
Equipment and network components that fail cause huge financial losses which, if
damages are due to neglect of maintenance will never be covered by insurance.
Direct and indirect costs are incurred.
- Direct cost as a result of equipment failure:
- Emergency repair contractors time and labor cost,
- Specialist, testing contractors to verify faulty equipment,
- Repair or replacement cost of failed equipment,
- Rental cost for standby generator for breakdown period,
- Specialist testing before re-energizing and commissioning.
- The subsequently unscheduled power outage has a negative impact on:
- Estate/Complex,
- security,
- Safety,
- Convenience,
- Communication,
- Law enforcement,
- Loss of business income.
5) ESKOM LOAD-SHEDDING
Power failures places huge electrical and mechanical stresses on electrical equipment
when switched back onto the grid, and equipment need to be well maintained and serviced
to withstand these stresses without failure. This refer specifically to MV switchgear
and transformers operating in insulating oil.
- Most of the above nightmares and cost can be prevented, by implementation of only
a basic maintenance plan,
- The annual cost of maintenance plan will be minimal compared to potential damage
that will occur.
6) FINANCIAL LOSSES DUE TO EVER INCREASING ENERGY COSTS
At the current cost of electricity, electrical losses already cannot be afforded,
and we know that the cost of electricity will keep on escalating.
Losses can easily be up to 10% of the total consumption of an installation.
Electrical losses in equipment are caused by:
- Loose and overheating connections.
- Overloaded transformers, cables and equipment.
- Old and inefficient appliances.
- Old and outdated type of streetlighting and lamps used.
- Low power factor of equipment and installations.
Apart from addressing the above losses, wrong energy tariffs agreed with council
and lack of load control can have a costly impact on the energy consumption bill
from council.
Some losses can be minimized by improvement of
- Switch off lights not required,
- Remove bulk switching on banks of lights,
- Switch off aircon in unused areas,
- Use movement detectors for suitable loads,
- Filter installation oil instead of replace with new.
7) MAINTENANCE OF ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Types of Electrical Installations that benefit by an effective Preventative Maintenance
Program:
- Residential and recreational facilities load control on geysers, heating and cooling,
- Offices and industrial power and lighting installations,
- LV reticulation systems and components in Township and building networks,
- MV reticulation systems and components in Townships and building networks,
- HT transmission lines and switching stations and substations,
- Site and street lighting illumination levels and lamp efficiency,
- Power generating and standby plants,
- Alternative power supply installations operation and efficiency,
- Solar installations for area and water heating,
- Uninterrupted Power systems installations and batteries,
- Control and security room facilities.
8) MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
The following items are in general included in the Preventative Maintenance Management
Program, out of which a custom made schedule and program will be compiled, unique
to each network’s requirements:
- Conduct a site Audit and compile a network and equipment Data Base,
- Prioritize specific components in need of dedicated maintenance,
- Evaluate the risk of failure in specific types of components in the network,
- Develop a scheduled maintenance plan, customized for the network, (Generators &
UPS)
- Implement the scheduled plan and maintenance schedule,
- Monitor and record component operation history on the data base,
- Propose corrective and remedial measures required on the network,
- Constantly consider energy efficiency of components,
- Monitor energy consumption of certain sections to evaluate energy efficiency,
- Introduce / propose load control and Energy Management systems where possible,
- Unsafe electrical equipment where noted will be reported for repair.
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