First online assessment tool for critical drivetrain couplings

Emerson’s Power Transmission Solutions has introduced the industry’s first tool for tracking the location, life history and latest revision drawings and installation instructions for all critical drivetrain couplings owned by customers, whether installed or in spares inventory.

The web-based tool was developed by Emerson’s Kop-Flex business unit, known as the asset management program (AMP) for couplings.  The tool accurately identifies couplings, graphically displays the location in a specific drive, identifies parts/couplings at the site that are interchangeable, makes assembly drawings and gives a detailed service history and action to be taken during service intervals.

Parimal Deshpande, Senior Industry Specialist for Kop-Flex, commented: “Plant engineers plan shutdown maintenance with tight timeframes, yet they struggle to identify coulplings by make, model, serial number, stock code, manufacturer’s part number, .etc.

“Adding to this disorganization are emergencies. Engineers may take parts from new or old couplings and use them in repairs. This is not only bad practice because of balancing issues, but it makes its almost impossible to track where these parts went, a nd what’s been stripped from old or new couplings. In a couple of years, they have no idea what’s happening. Moreover, it’s very difficult to track the service history of couplings. Customers told us there’s no commercially available software designed with a friendly , useful system to organize the needed information the way they’d like to access it. Coupling AMP address this void”.

Coupling AMP has been designed to categorise, display and log information in the same way that plant engineers already visualize it: “Engineers sometimes identify couplings by serial number, assembly drawing number or their own stock code”, explained Joe Corcoran, Manager, Global Services and Training for Kop-Flex. “For them, we have a search function. More commonly, rotating equipment engineers know the exact location of a coupling be heart, and for these cases there is an ‘Equipment Overview’ which is the first stage after login”.

Custom AMP’s custom graphics display specific drive configurations for rotating equipment. By clicking on a coupling, AMP opens a ‘coupling card’ with all the related information. The system also maintains records on customer training, troubleshooting analyses, service reports in a history associated with a specific serial number. The information is available 24/7 via the internet.

Adapted from a press release by Emma McAleavey.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/product-news/15072014/emerson_asset_management_921/