MechChem Africa May-June 2022

⎪ Maintenance and asset management ⎪

and analysed – and we use a satellite-based setup, which is really good because GPRS mo dems on remote sites in Africa are notoriously unreliable,” Abelho continues. Metso Metrics uses advanced sensors to collect data frommachines in operation, some of which are relatively standard, such as flow, level, pressure, and temperature sensors com ingdirectly fromthe instrumentation, but each machine also has a set of customised sensor systems to monitor specific health and perfor mance issues, fuel consumptionrates, idletime, leak detection, wear rates, load characteristics andthroughputefficiency. “Bymonitoringevery aspect of a machine in operation, we can take proactive and preventive action as soon as a sensor identifies a problem,” notes Abelho. MetsoMetricsprovides four levelsof insighton equipment and operations: • Analytics on the machine and processes, which uses the data collected to analyse the real machine performance against daily,weeklyandmonthlyKPIs forvarious aspects of the machine, from vibration to throughput efficiency. This is aimed at helping operators to make the right deci sion at the right time. • Condition monitoring to increase visibil ity: In monitoring machine health Metso experts have determined thresholds for every piece of data, as well as how each part should optimally interact with the other. • Predictivemaintenance throughartificial intelligence (AI): Machine learning algo rithms and AI are used to detect and pre dictmachine failures. This helps toensure that machine uptime and availability are maximised, while crushing and screening processes are optimised. • Process engineering to maximise overall efficiency: Preventing unplanned down time is key, as is maximising usage when equipment is up-and-running, while Metso’s continuous OEM support helps drive down to the real roots of reliability. Metso‘s IC controller and interface on every machinelogsfaultsforeachparameter,enabling onsite maintenance technicians and manag ers to see if something has changed or been changed. “If an operator changes the setup on the machine, it records who made the change and when, so a full operational record is easily available. “And what I really like about Metrics is that Metsohasgone thenext level.Whenamineor ders amachine, it isusuallycustomised tomeet the ore and throughput needs, and customer preferences; a customer can ask for a certain electricmode anda cavityprofile, whichmakes everymachine slightly different. “Eachunithas itsownserialnumber, though, linkedto itsownpartsmanual.Metrics ties that into its database so, when the machine is due

Pilot Crushtec’s expert personnel are on hand to service and repair all crushing, screening and materials handling products.

The Lokotrack ® LT220D™ mobile cone crusher combines a cone crusher and a screen on the same chassis. When used for secondary or tertiary crushing, this machine can produce up to three calibrated end products.

for service, all the filters and service parts for that customised machine can easily be listed and supplied to the service technician. This is awesome!” he exclaims. In addition, he continues, especially dur ing the warranty period, the OEM will want specific checks tobedone and records of these must be kept to validate the warranty. Metso Metrics maintains an electronic logbook, so themaintenancetechniciansimply logs intothe Metricssystemonthemachinewhenit’sduefor a service. He can see the error codes and then, after completing the service, fill in the report page summarising themaintenancedone. “And the full history can be quickly accessed at any time to see what else needs to be looked at to ensuremachine availability,” Abelho explains. Pilot Crushtec Equipment Protection Services (EPS) “Our Equipment Protection Services (EPS) of fering is an additional layer of protection that reliesontheexpertiseofPilotCrushtec’shighly trained service personnel to help operators to better manage their equipment. “Thesemachines all havewear components that will need replacing, and components will eventually suffer from end-of-life fatigue. At Pilot Crushtec, we now have five Certified Inspectors (CIs), who have been trained by our Metso specialists colleagues in Finland. These

inspectorsarecritical toensureMetricsandthe processingmachinearebeingoptimallyusedto deliverreliabilityandperformance.Theyarethe peoplewhocatchproblems early,”Abelho says. “Theywill typically travel to site once a year orevery1000hours tocheckhowthemachine is being used and to look for any early signs of wearorfatigue.Thesevisitscoincidewithmajor services on themachines and we find they add a lot of value,” he adds. As anexample, he says that aPilotCrushtec Metso Certified Inspector on a 2 000 hour service visit recently found a leak on one of the vibrating motors of the screen. “Although it was just the leak, he proactively scheduled a change out on the unit and, when it was pulled off, careful examination indicted the vibrator was on the verge of a catastrophic failure that would have caused unscheduled and extended downtime. Rico inspections regularlyhelpus to avert issues such as these,” he says. “While many OEMs operating in South Africa will charge a monthly fee for remote monitoringandprotectionservices,Metsoma chines come with Metrics built into every unit and, to ensure operators realise the full value, we are also looking at embedding the cost of our Pilot Crushtec EPS services into the initial contract, at least for the full warranty period,” Jorge Abelho concludes. www.pilotcrushtec.com

May-June 2022 • MechChem Africa ¦ 7