Bishop, Damon Thomas (2010) Pump gland improvement project. [USQ Project]
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Abstract
[Abstract]: The need for this research project has arisen principally due to the economic cost incurred from poor reliability of a pump group within the Rio Tinto Alcan Gove Alumina refinery. This poor reliability issue concerns the glands on a pump group whose reliable operation is critical to the success of the business. This research project has identified the root cause of the problem and in turn provided a solution.
The Alumina industry relies heavily on slurry pumps to transport liquids and solids throughout the refining process. The failure of these pumps can significantly impact on a refineries ability to produce and consequently the reliability of the equipment is a major focus. Slurry pumps often utilise tradition stuffing box style glands to seal the wet end of the pump from the atmospheric and
are usually the first part of a pump to fail. At the Rio Tinto Alcan Gove alumina refinery the mill injection pump group have been experiencing repetitive gland failures which have been costing the operation approx $12,000 per day. It is these pumps that the project has concentrated on.
The critical objectives of this research project include
• Identification of the reliability project
• Identification of the root cause
• Proposal of a solution to mitigate the effect of the root cause.
• Implementation of the solution.
To achieve these objectives several methodologies have been employed.
• Comprehensive review of production and maintenance cost associated with these pumps.
• Literary review to examine past works involving pump gland on site and globally.
• Detailed failure investigation.
• Conducting of an Apollo root cause analysis to identify the root cause and provide the best solution to mitigate it.
• Implementation and validation of the solution.
With all objectives achieved the completed project has obtained it desired results. Since the solution has been implemented there has been a significant reduction in gland failures with no recorded production losses. The time and capital expedited on this project has returned many times its value.
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| Item Type: | USQ Project |
|---|---|
| Refereed: | No |
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Page 101 removed at request of author. |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Engineering and Surveying - Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
| Supervisors: | Snook, Chris |
| Date Deposited: | 15 Apr 2011 04:17 |
| Last Modified: | 17 Aug 2012 05:59 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | refinery; slurry pump; pump gland malfunction; operational works; operational risk; Rio Tinto Alcan Gove Alumina; Northern Territory |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 09 Engineering > 0913 Mechanical Engineering > 091309 Tribology |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 40 ENGINEERING > 4017 Mechanical engineering > 401708 Tribology |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/18929 |
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