BASF saves $12,800 in a single incident with Emerson's Machinery Health Monitor

July 26, 2006
Emerson
News

Summary

Emerson Process Management's Machinery Health Management technologies have enabled BASF Antwerp to maximize plant output and reduce costs through the introduction of a maintenance strategy based on predictive intelligence.

CSI Machinery Health Analyzers reduce costs by minimizing unexpected plant shutdowns and extending intervals between scheduled maintenance periods AUSTIN, TEXAS (July 26, 2006) -- Emerson Process Management's Machinery Health Management technologies have enabled BASF Antwerp to maximize plant output and reduce costs through the introduction of a maintenance strategy based on predictive intelligence. BASF monitors approximately 3,000 machines. An example of problems that were detected with the aid of Emerson's diagnostic technologies was a defective bearing cage in a fan that was used for drying chalk. Failure of the fan could have caused a production outage and two days of lost production worth approximately $12,800. There could also have been secondary damage to the machine, such as a bent shaft or failed bearing. However, the problem was found before a functional failure occurred, and the impact on production was significantly reduced. BASF has also been able to use vibration monitoring to extend the period between bearing replacements on fertilizer production machinery. BASF Antwerp implemented a predictive maintenance strategy ten years ago based on the collection and analysis of vibration data using Emerson's CSI Machinery Health Analyzers. Moving from a time-based regime to a predictive approach has resulted in significant cost savings and fewer equipment breakdowns. In the future, BASF will continue to practice predictive maintenance while undertaking Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) to enable a move towards proactive maintenance. "Using Emerson's Machinery Health Analyzers and AMST Suite: Machinery Health Manager software, has enabled us to detect critical problems that could not have been seen before," said Johan De Wever, rotating engineering specialist, BASF. "These problems include bearing cage problems and potential faults with slow speed machinery. Last year we were able to make significant savings as a result of our predictive maintenance program." "Emerson's technologies played an important role in preventing lost production due to an extended downtime in the incident with the chalk drying fan," continued Johan De Wever. "We feel confident that our relationship with Emerson plays a part in keeping our strong market position. These tools have allowed our team to grow our core competencies to include troubleshooting, multi-channel analysis, and ODS analysis. We have been able to use our own expertise, along with Emerson technologies, to watch over a broad scope of assets across this huge facility and to prevent problems before they occur." The latest machinery health analyzer from Emerson Process Management is the CSI 2130 which features a high resolution, backlit full color display, large internal memory, expandable memory and optional Ethernet communications. The CSI 2130 uploads collected data for analysis, trending and reporting to AMS Machinery Manager software, a key element of Emerson's PlantWebR digital plant architecture. These capabilities make the CSI 2130 the most versatile and comprehensive unit available for maintaining the health of rotating machinery. About BASF BASF, a leading global producer of styrenes, engineering plastics and polyurethanes, operates the largest chemical production facility in Belgium and the second largest for BASF worldwide. BASF Antwerp, located near the Scheldt River, has 53 production facilities and 3,400 employees. About Emerson Process Management Emerson Process Management, an Emerson business, is a leader in helpingbusinesses automate their production, processing and distribution in the chemical, oil and gas, refining, pulp and paper, power, water and wastewater treatment, food and beverage, pharmaceutical and other industries. Asset Optimization, a division of Emerson Process Management, is a leading worldwide supplier of services and technologies to increase the availability and performance of production assets for improved bottom line results. Asset Optimization plays a key role in Emerson's mission of combining superior products and technology with industry-specific engineering, consulting, project management and maintenance services to help customers achieve the potential of their operations. Emerson brands include PlantWeb, Fisher, Micro Motion, Rosemount, Mobrey, Daniel, DeltaV, Ovation, AMS Suite, and CSI. About Emerson Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions to customers through its network power, process management, industrial automation, climate technologies, and appliance and tools businesses. Sales in fiscal 2005 were $17.3 billion. Learn More

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