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Gears & drives feeling the pulse

Published

7 years ago

October 31, 2017

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Gears and drives are the most critical part of machines in any manufacturing plant. Failure of a gear box either of the kiln or that of a vertical mill can bring the plant to a standstill. The techniques to get information on the condition of any vital equipment so as to avoid breakdown are covered in this story.

A mechanism consisting of toothed wheels that engage and transmit rotary motion, usually transforming angular velocity and torques. Gear drives are classified according to the relationship of the axes to the drives.

Gear drives are the most practical and widespread type of mechanical transmission. They are used to transmit power – from negligibly small values to tens of thousands of kilowatts-and to transmit circumferential forces of fractions of a gram to 10 mega newtons (1,000 tonnes-force). The main advantages of gear drives are their significantly smaller dimensions, high efficiency (losses in precision-made, well-lubricated drives are 1-2 percent, and, under especially favourable conditions, 0.5 per cent), longer life and greater dependability, lack of slippage, and small shaft loads. The disadvantages of gear drives include noisy operation and the need for precision manufacture. Shipping industry, power generating plants are the ones that deploy high to very high powered gear box and drives.

Gear drives are used in the form of simple single-stage drives and of various combinations of several drives built into machines or made as separate units. Gear drives are widely used to reduce angular velocities and increase the torque in reduction gears. Reduction gears usually operate in independent units of one, two, and three stages and with gear ratios of 1.6-6.3:1, 8-40:1, and 45-200:1, respectively. Two-stage reduction gears are the most common type (about 95 percent). Transmissions are used to produce various speeds of rotation of the final shaft while maintaining a constant speed of rotation of the drive motor.

There are typical three to four applications in cement industry where gear box and drives are commonly used. Those being kiln, ball mills and vertical roller mills. Just providing a good design of a gear box and drive is not sufficient. During operations it is necessary to monitor the health of the gear box and drive from time to time. Therefore condition monitoring of a gear box is extremely important specifically in large horse power gear boxes. Especially in the case of applications like VRM where DALOG is playing a significant role. Readers can refer to an article published by DALOG in the same issue elsewhere. There are good numbers of ways to know the condition of the machine but vibration analysis is the most popular and dependable.

Vibration analysis (VA)
As applied in an industrial or maintenance environment aims to reduce maintenance costs and equipment downtime by detecting equipment faults. VA is a key component of a Condition Monitoring (CM) programme, and is often referred to as Predictive Maintenance (PdM).

Just as the doctor examines his patient, the vibration specialist also checks out the machine when its condition worsens. The first signs appear with excessive vibration values, which are recorded during condition monitoring. The specialist uses high-performance analysers and suitable methods to find the root-cause of the increased vibrations in order to remedy the problem as soon as possible.

Vibration analysis consists in listening inside the machine. Each component vibrates differently and generates a characteristic noise that leaves a typical fingerprint in the spectrum in the form of a linear pattern. If damage is present, the pattern stands out from the noise floor. This allows the specialist to recognise, for example, whether the problem comes from unbalance, misalignment or bearing damage. In addition to an accurate diagnosis, it is generally also possible to determine whether urgent action is necessary or whether it can wait until the next scheduled servicing.

Benefits of VA
The bottom line is that VA benefits both the operator and the maintenance technician:

Enables the identification of machine faults
Provides information on root causes
Localises the affected components
Optimises spare parts logistics
Allows early planning of maintenance measures.
Vibration data analysis

The features in vibration spectra can be separated into steady-state signals, which repeat continuously and transient signals, which occur as a result of specific events. Signal characteristics can be further subdivided into synchronous, asynchronous, and sub synchronous features.

Benefits of continuous vibration monitoring
The tools and methods of vibration analysis can be applied to quantitatively assess the condition and performance of equipment. Vibration data can reveal when equipment has broken welds or bolts, whether the rotor bars in a motor are intact, if the air gap between rotor and stator in the motor is non-concentric, etc. Vibration data can alert maintenance teams to structural or rotating looseness or the presence of resonance.

VA can be used to determine whether bearings have been properly installed. In a taper bearing, for example, the inner race has to be expanded to take up the clearance between the rotating element and the outer race. If that clearance is not removed, the bearing may wind up crooked or wobbling. This will introduce non-periodic features into the vibration signal. Phase analysis also can be used to check bearing concentricity.

VA also can be used to determine how well a machine is assembled. It can detect misalignment in a pump, for example, determining whether the rotating elements are binding, if the base is uneven, or if torsion exists between motor and pump.

24/7 online vibration monitoring: VA provides significant benefit for optimising the performance and maintenance of a wide range of industrial assets. The challenge is how to implement it effectively. Manual readings captured on a periodic basis can harvest useful information but machine condition continuously evolves. To monitor that condition, vibration analysis needs to take place continuously, as well. By leveraging smart components wireless connectivity, online condition monitoring systems make it possible to perform vibration analysis safely, continuously, and economically. In terms of use cases, online vibration monitoring is very effective when applied to the following.

Monitor critical assets: Vibration monitoring starts with critical assets, expensive equipment that would a represent substantial loss in the event of catastrophic failure. Historically, this type of equipment has been tracked using route-based vibration monitoring and, eventually, continuous online condition monitoring. Anomalies in the vibration spectrum can indicate issues such as lubrication breakdown and bearing defects sufficiently far in advance to permit timely repair, prolonging the lifetime of the asset.

Monitor troubled assets: Many plants operate around the clock, stopping once a month or once a quarter for scheduled maintenance. Unscheduled downtime reduces productivity and can cost from tens of thousands of dollars per hour to tens of thousands of dollars per minute. Online vibration monitoring provides a method for monitoring a troubled asset during the run-up to planned maintenance. If the condition of the equipment worsens, the line can be stopped before catastrophic failure occurs. With continuous online vibration monitoring, maintenance teams can receive immediate alerts when the condition of a troubled asset changes, enabling rapid response.

Monitor hard-to-reach assets: When it comes to maintenance, the most challenging assets are not necessarily the high-value ones but those located in hard-to-reach locations such as on rooftops, inside inaccessible cooling towers, high radiation or high-temperature environments, etc. Vibration monitoring makes it possible to understand how the various components of the system are working. Maintenance can detect problems early and take action when it is convenient to forestall unplanned downtime without putting personnel at risk unnecessarily.

In today’s industrial environment, man?agement, maintenance, and OEMs seek every tool possible to maximise availability. Online vibration monitoring is an essential tool for predictive maintenance, enabling asset owners to maximise productivity and minimise downtime while increasing worker safety. With economical online condition monitoring systems, organisations can take advantage of the benefits of online condition monitoring at a user-friendly price.

While many larger plants have excellent in-house VA capability, the answer for smaller plants, or those caught in the budget crunch, may be to out-source this highly technical function. Justification must consider the actual annual cost of downtime, the potential for savings in terms of lost productivity, as well as the cost of training and VA equipment. Before buying the equipment, make sure the management commitment is there to set up and train an effective preventive maintenance team.

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Price hikes, drop in input costs help cement industry to post positive margins: Care Ratings

Published

3 years ago

October 21, 2021

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Region-wise,the southern region comprises 35% of the total cement capacity, followed by thenorthern, eastern, western and central region comprising 20%, 18%, 14% and 13%of the capacity, respectively.

The cement industry is expected to post positive margins on decent price hikes over the months, falling raw material prices and marked drop in overall production costs, said an analysis of Care Ratings.

Wholesale and retail prices of cement have increased 11.9% and 12.4%, respectively, in the current financial year. As whole prices have remained elevated in most of the markets in the months of FY20, against the corresponding period of the previous year.

Similarly, electricity and fuel cost have declined 11.9% during 9M FY20 due to drop in crude oil prices. Logistics costs, the biggest cost for cement industry, has also dropped 7.7% (selling and distribution) as the Railways extended the benefit of exemption from busy season surcharge. Moreover, the cost of raw materials, too, declined 5.1% given the price of limestone had fallen 11.3% in the same aforementioned period, the analysis said.

According to Care Ratings, though the overall sales revenue has increased only 1.3%, against 16% growth in the year-ago period, the overall expenditure has declined 3.2% which has benefited the industry largely given the moderation in sales.

Even though FY20 has been subdued in terms of production and demand, the fall in cost of production has still supported the cement industry by clocking in positive margins, the rating agency said.

Cement demand is closely linked to the overall economic growth, particularly the housing and infrastructure sector. The cement sector will be seeing a sharp growth in volumes mainly due to increasing demand from affordable housing and other government infrastructure projects like roads, metros, airports, irrigation.

The government’s newly introduced National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), with its target of becoming a $5-trillion economy by 2025, is a detailed road map focused on economic revival through infrastructure development.

The NIP covers a gamut of sectors; rural and urban infrastructure and entails investments of Rs.102 lakh crore to be undertaken by the central government, state governments and the private sector. Of the total projects of the NIP, 42% are under implementation while 19% are under development, 31% are at the conceptual stage and 8% are yet to be classified.

The sectors that will be of focus will be roads, railways, power (renewable and conventional), irrigation and urban infrastructure. These sectors together account for 79% of the proposed investments in six years to 2025. Given the government’s thrust on infrastructure creation, it is likely to benefit the cement industry going forward.

Similarly, the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana, aimed at providing affordable housing, will be a strong driver to lift cement demand. Prices have started correcting Q4 FY20 onwards due to revival in demand of the commodity, the agency said in its analysis.

Industry’s sales revenue has grown at a CAGR of 7.3% during FY15-19 but has grown only 1.3% in the current financial year. Tepid demand throughout the country in the first half of the year has led to the contraction of sales revenue. Fall in the total expenditure of cement firms had aided in improving the operating profit and net profit margins of the industry (OPM was 15.2 during 9M FY19 and NPM was 3.1 during 9M FY19). Interest coverage ratio, too, has improved on an overall basis (ICR was 3.3 during 9M FY19).

According to Cement Manufacturers Association, India accounts for over 8% of the overall global installed capacity. Region-wise, the southern region comprises 35% of the total cement capacity, followed by the northern, eastern, western and central region comprising 20%, 18%, 14% and 13% of the capacity, respectively.

Installed capacity of domestic cement makers has increased at a CAGR of 4.9% during FY16-20. Manufacturers have been able to maintain a capacity utilisation rate above 65% in the past quinquennium. In the current financial year due to the prolonged rains in many parts of the country, the capacity utilisation rate has fallen from 70% during FY19 to 66% currently (YTD).

Source:moneycontrol.com

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Wonder Cement shows journey of cement with new campaign

Published

3 years ago

October 21, 2021

admin

The campaign also marks Wonder Cement being the first ever cement brand to enter the world of IGTV…

ETBrandEquity

Cement manufacturing company Wonder Cement, has announced the launch of a digital campaign ‘Har Raah Mein Wonder Hai’. The campaign has been designed specifically to run on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

#HarRaahMeinWonderHai is a one-minute video, designed and conceptualised by its digital media partner Triature Digital Marketing and Technologies Pvt Ltd. The entire journey of the cement brand from leaving the factory, going through various weather conditions and witnessing the beauty of nature and wonders through the way until it reaches the destination i.e., to the consumer is very intriguing and the brand has tried to showcase the same with the film.

Sanjay Joshi, executive director, Wonder Cement, said, "Cement as a product poses a unique marketing challenge. Most consumers will build their homes once and therefore buy cement once in a lifetime. It is critical for a cement company to connect with their consumers emotionally. As a part of our communication strategy, it is our endeavor to reach out to a large audience of this country through digital. Wonder Cement always a pioneer in digital, with the launch of our IGTV campaign #HarRahMeinWonderHai, is the first brand in the cement category to venture into this space. Through this campaign, we have captured the emotional journey of a cement bag through its own perspective and depicted what it takes to lay the foundation of one’s dreams and turn them into reality."

The story begins with a family performing the bhoomi poojan of their new plot. It is the place where they are investing their life-long earnings; and planning to build a dream house for the family and children. The family believes in the tradition of having a ‘perfect shuruaat’ (perfect beginning) for their future dream house. The video later highlights the process of construction and in sequence it is emphasising the value of ‘Perfect Shuruaat’ through the eyes of a cement bag.

Tarun Singh Chauhan, management advisor and brand consultant, Wonder Cement, said, "Our objective with this campaign was to show that the cement produced at the Wonder Cement plant speaks for itself, its quality, trust and most of all perfection. The only way this was possible was to take the perspective of a cement bag and showing its journey of perfection from beginning till the end."

According to the company, the campaign also marks Wonder Cement being the first ever cement brand to enter the world of IGTV. No other brand in this category has created content specific to the platform.

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In spite of company’s optimism, demand weakness in cement is seen in the 4% y-o-y drop in sales volume. (Reuters)

Published

3 years ago

October 21, 2021

admin

Cost cuts and better realizations save? the ?day ?for ?UltraTech Cement, Updated: 27 Jan 2020, Vatsala Kamat from Live Mint

Lower cost of energy and logistics helped Ebitda per tonne rise by about 29% in Q3
Premiumization of acquired brands, synergistic?operations hold promise for future profit growth Topics

UltraTech Cement
India’s largest cement producer UltraTech Cement Ltd turned out a bittersweet show in the December quarter. A sharp drop in fuel costs and higher realizations helped drive profit growth. But the inherent demand weakness was evident in the sales volumes drop during the quarter.

Better realizations during the December quarter, in spite of the 4% year-on-year volume decline, minimized the pain. Net stand-alone revenue fell by 2.6% to ?9,981.8 crore.

But as pointed out earlier, lower costs on most fronts helped profitability. The chart alongside shows the sharp drop in energy costs led by lower petcoke prices, lower fuel consumption and higher use of green power. Logistics costs, too, fell due to lower railway freight charges and synergies from the acquired assets. These savings helped offset the increase in raw material costs.

The upshot: Q3 Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) of about ?990 per tonne was 29% higher from a year ago. The jump in profit on a per tonne basis was more or less along expected lines, given the increase in realizations. "Besides, the reduction in net debt by about ?2,000 crore is a key positive," said Binod Modi, analyst at Reliance Securities Ltd.

Graphic by Santosh Sharma/Mint
What also impressed analysts is the nimble-footed integration of the recently merged cement assets of Nathdwara and Century, which was a concern on the Street.

Kunal Shah, analyst (institutional equities) at Yes Securities (India) Ltd, said: "The company has proved its ability of asset integration. Century’s cement assets were ramped up to 79% capacity utilization in December, even as they operated Nathdwara generating an Ebitda of ?1,500 per tonne."

Looks like the demand weakness mirrored in weak sales during the quarter was masked by the deft integration and synergies derived from these acquired assets. This drove UltraTech’s stock up by 2.6% to ?4,643 after the Q3 results were declared on Friday.

Brand transition from Century to UltraTech, which is 55% complete, is likely to touch 80% by September 2020. A report by Jefferies India Pvt. Ltd highlights that the Ebitda per tonne for premium brands is about ?5-10 higher per bag than the average (A cement bag weighs 50kg). Of course, with competition increasing in the arena, it remains to be seen how brand premiumization in the cement industry will pan out. UltraTech Cement scores well among peers here.

However, there are road bumps ahead for the cement sector and for UltraTech. Falling gross domestic product growth, fiscal slippages and lower budgetary allocation to infrastructure sector are making industry houses jittery on growth. Although UltraTech’s management is confident that cement demand is looking up, sustainability and pricing power remains a worry for the near term.