Pipeline and Gas Reliability
These articles are written by Fred K Geitner, a highly experienced and well-regarded machinery engineer and author. His career in the Oil and Gas Industry in refining, petrochemicals and transmission pipelines. He has some 8 books that he has co-authored with Heinz P Bloch and numerous columns published in “Pipeline and Gas Technology”. Many of those articles are as relevant today as when first published. With Fred’s permission, we are including them here for the use of our readers.
If you are interested in his books on Equipment Reliability, Process Plant Equipment Maintenance, Compressors and Failure Analysis, then you can find them on Amazon: Fred Geitner’s Books
Click on the article number for the PDF article:
Turnaround (shutdown) Quality Assessment: PL&G0009
How should you treat your spare machinery? PL&G0012
Turbo-compressor Gas Seals: PL&G0103. Experience with dry running gas seals in high-speed critical turbo-machinery.
We want it right away: PL&G0109R This article is about the risks of waiting to do a repair on redundant systems.
A Machinery Maintenance Strategy: PL&G0203
No news is good news: PL&G0206R Do you always need the OEM representative on-site?
Machinery Operators: PL&G0209 About not overlooking operator training to ensure reliable operations.
How to track machinery availability: PL&G0303
Rod load monitoring for reciprocating compressors: PL&G0306
Try statistical failure analysis: PL&G0309
Inspection Frequencies: PL&G0412 Determining inspection frequencies for age-related and random failures.
ODR and PdM: PL&G0512 Operator driven reliability and its relationship with Predictive Maintenance.
Not so “auxiliary” systems: PL&G0603 Buffer gas systems are critical to success with gas seals – some lessons.
Evaluation of machinery alternatives using Life Cycle Costing – part 1: PL&G0605
Gas Engines: PL&G0612. A bit of interesting history of these major industrial contributors.
Compressors and process equipment: PL&G0706. Storage and preservation – some handy tips.
Maximizing uptime: PL&G0712. Compressor train reliability audits.
Evaluation of machinery alternatives using Life Cycle Costing – part 2: PL&G0709
Operation and maintenance of turbocompressors: PL&G0803
Reciprocating compressor condition monitoring: PL&G0806
How to achieve quality compressor Maintenance – a synopsis: PL&G0809
Lubrication and reliability: PL&G0902
Understanding drive couplings: PL&G0905
Compressor drivers and cost of ownership: PL&G0909
Improving reciprocating compressor reliability: PL&G1003
Compression for the mid-stream petrochemicals market: PL&G1005
Root cause failure analysis for machinery: PL&G1010
Why permanently installed torque meters make economic sense: PL&G1011
Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) is method for determining the most appropriate failure and consequence management strategies. It deals with your physical assets in your current operating context. The first four questions in the RCM method, are defined in standard, SAE JA-1011, “Evaluation Criteria for Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) Processes.” They utilize the time proven engineering method, Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA). 
Reliability Centered Maintenance has been around since the 1970’s and it has proven to achieve amazing results wherever it has been used properly. As a reliability method, it guides decision making based on available evidence about past, and expected future, failures. It makes sense that failure data be part of that evidence. But do you need a lot of data?
Reliability is a key to successful risk management in any industry. It is particularly important in electrical utilities where the service must be “always on”. Failures can result in power outages and major disruptions to many customers, some of whom are providing critical services like hospitals, banks, stock exchange computers, traffic signals, mass public transit, and so on. 
