Home Industries Case Studies

Cracked Fan Blade Poses Imminent Risk Problem: A cracked fan blade posed an imminent safety risk, but stopping the fan would result in a 50% loss in production for a major U.S paper mill. Solution: Azima's remote monitoring system eliminated the safety risk by automating data collection. An Azima analyst studied the data and determined that the mill's automated control system was over-speeding the fan when the paper machine moved into stock off mode. Switching to manual control enabled the mill to avoid the over-speeding and reduce the stress on the fan wheel, enabling it to run until the mill's scheduled outage. Result: Safety was not compromised, and the mill avoided loss in production worth up to $5 million. The Story: A major U.S. paper manufacturer faced a critical situation when one of its two Through Air Dryer fans lost a section of blade. At any moment, the fan could self destruct, resulting in severe equipment damage and extensive downtime. No spare fan was available. However, taking the fan down for repairs would cripple the mill, reducing its production by 50% for up to six weeks. "It was a no-win situation," said Nelson Baxter, Azima's VP of Diagnostic Services. "In order to find a way to run the fan until its scheduled outage, vibration readings had to be taken many times a day. That was expensive, and posed a safety risk to personnel." The mill hired Azima to monitor the fan remotely using its Web-based diagnostic system. "A single day's lost production is worth up to $150,000," said the mill's manager, "but as always, safety comes first. Azima's remote monitoring system meant we could maintain an intensive focus on our critical equipment without putting someone in harm's way. Plus, we needed Azima's expertise to analyze the data and tell us at once if we did need to shut down." Azima quickly deployed its wireless, remote monitoring system and began collecting vibration data every 10 minutes. In less than one day, the Azima analyst assigned to the mill determined that the automated control system was over-speeding the fan by about 10 percent when the paper machine moved into "stock off" mode. The mill switched the fan to manual control to avoid the over-speeding and continued running it in an effort to make it to the mill's scheduled outage six weeks away. "Avoiding the over-speeding minimized the stress on the fan wheel and extended its life," said Mr. Baxter. "We continued to monitor vibration every 10 minutes so we'd know if the situation got worse as we neared the outage." The fan remained intact and in operation, with no loss of production, until the outage. "Azima's remote monitoring system and expert analysis turned a dire situation into a win-win situation," the mill manager said. "We were able to ensure everyone's safety and we avoided as much as $5 million in potential lost production."