Technical Tuesday

Technical Tuesday: Tight, but not too tight.

March 21, 2023

When the job calls for a torque wrench, but the 1” impact is handy… This photo shows failed threads on a bolt caused by over-tightening which can — and usually does — lead to a failure with varying degrees of damage based on what the fastener was fastening. Want to learn more about proper torquing techniques, bolt stretch, material capabilities, tooling, etc.? Come see us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 2-4, 2023 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

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Technical Tuesday: Electric Gremlins

March 7, 2023

Do you have an electric gremlin residing in one of your units? The problems are often traced back to grounding. These photos show arcing between the crankshaft and bearing. Want to know what to look for and where to find it? Join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 2-4, 2023 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh to learn more.

Have a tip? Do you have a technical tip to share? Submit your tip, along with an associated image and we may include it in our Technical Tuesday social media posts, blog posts and emails.

Technical Tuesday: Reworked Parts

February 28, 2023

Reworked parts are a less expensive route to go when money is tight, but not addressing the root cause of the failure can prove even more costly. Torsional issues and improper repair practices can result in even more issues down the road. These photos show a failed crankshaft that became embrittled after a weld repair that failed again due to torsional issues. Come see us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 2-4, 2023 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

Have a tip? Do you have a technical tip to share? Submit your tip, along with an associated image and we may include it in our Technical Tuesday social media posts, blog posts and emails.

Technical Tuesday: Taking a Slug

February 21, 2023

Taking a slug doesn’t mean what it once did… Trying to compress liquids in reciprocating compressors can cause catastrophic damage to the equipment. Want to learn more about how to prevent this from happening? Come see us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 2-4, 2023 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

Have a tip? Do you have a technical tip to share? Submit your tip, along with an associated image and we may include it in our Technical Tuesday social media posts, blog posts and emails.

Technical Tuesday: Tips to reduce fluid-system safety incidents

August 23, 2022

Up to 42% of fluid-system safety incidents are due to preventable errors. We have some tips on how to lower risks for your workers, facilities, and valuable assets: 1. Never bleed system pressure by loosening a fitting nut or lug; 2. Never make up and/or tighten fittings when a system is pressurized; 3. Never mix tube fitting and tubing materials or leakage/galvanic corrosion could occur; 4. Never force tubing into a fitting. Learn more at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable, May 2-4, 2023 in Pittsburgh.

Thank you to Rudy Frank from Swagelok Pittsburgh | Tri-State Area for this Technical Tuesday tip.

Have a tip? Do you have a technical tip to share? Submit your tip, along with an associated image and we may include it in our Technical Tuesday social media posts, blog posts and emails.

Technical Tuesday: Monitoring Health Status of Gas Turbine Bearings

August 16, 2022

Oil Debris Monitors (ODM) enable gas turbine operators to maximize equipment availability by providing the earliest advance warning of potential damage. As shown in this image, the full flow, online ODM sensor was the only sensor to detect the issue and the early warning allowed the engine operator to schedule the engine shutdown while monitoring. The damage on the #1 bearing correlated with the ODM damage alarm indicator. Learn more at the EGCR, May 2-4, 2023 in Pittsburgh.

Thank you to Manuel Aboud from Gastops for this Technical Tuesday tip.

Have a tip? Do you have a technical tip to share? Submit your tip, along with an associated image and we may include it in our Technical Tuesday social media posts, blog posts and emails.

Technical Tuesday: Ring Grooves

March 1, 2022

“It’s Groovy Baby…”

Measuring ring grooves and piston rings prior to installation is critical to a quality job. These measurements serve as a baseline for future inspections and are critical in a failure investigation. Whether it’s your favorite British spy parody or ring groove specs, we can quote lines with the best of them. To learn more, plan to attend the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

Have a tip? Do you have a technical tip to share? Submit your tip, along with an associated image and we may include it in our Technical Tuesday social media posts, blog posts and emails.

Technical Tuesday: Measuring Bearing Temps

February 22, 2022

There are a lot of different strategies for measuring bearing temps. In this picture, the operator chose to install 2 rtd’s that touch the back of the bearing. The thinking is that the oil channel in the bearing could delay heat transfer on a failure if it occurred on the opposite side of the channel from the temperature sensor. What do you think? For more tips and tricks, join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

Have a tip? Do you have a technical tip to share? Submit your tip, along with an associated image and we may include it in our Technical Tuesday social media posts, blog posts and emails.

Technical Tuesday: Flywheel Seals

February 15, 2022

People often complain about their flywheel seals leaking. But, when they lasted 50 years…. what were you expecting? Here’s a view of the seal — in this application, they are white felt. The challenge with replacing this seal is the sheer volume of work and the risk to get to the seal to repair. The weight of the flywheel is always challenging, and there could be fretting that might require on-site machine work to the flywheel and crankshaft, etc. To learn some tips and tricks, join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

Technical Tuesday: Hinges

February 8, 2022

“Just a Swinging…”

An engineer fresh out of school came up with this idea, and several vendors are installing them now. These hinges allow the heavy crankcase doors to swing open, and they’ve been very helpful in speeding up time/heat sensitive tasks such as web deflections, as well as reducing awkward lifting of the doors, etc. For more tips and tricks, join us at the Eastern Gas Compression Roundtable on May 3-5, 2022 at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

Have a tip? Do you have a technical tip to share? Submit your tip, along with an associated image and we may include it in our Technical Tuesday social media posts, blog posts and emails.