The Power of Knowledge Engineering

Optimize performance and maximize profitabilitywith SKF solutions for the hydrocarbon processing industry

Intense processes involving high temperatures and pressures, corrosion...

Those were the days.Things were simpler when the biggest threats to your

productivity were the severe operating conditions you

deal with every day. Today, you also have to deal with the

challenges posed by growing market demands, tougher

environmental regulations, safety issues, and a

dwindling supply of skilled, experienced

workers.

The good news is that your operation is

probably already very efficient – most

hydrocarbon processing facilities are

achieving 95 % + plant availability.

But global demand continues to outpace

capacity, so you need to extend plant

equipment run lengths. Not easy when

your maintenance budget is shrinking and some

of your most experienced people are retiring.

Add in demands for reduced emissions and environmental

impact, and you may find yourself in need of a partner that

can help you improve your processes, cut costs, and

maximize productivity.

Meet your challenges with SKFBacked by over 100 years of rotating machinery expertise,

SKF has been supporting the productivity and reliability

goals of hydrocarbon processing facilities for more than two

decades. To help hydrocarbon processors reach such goals

for years to come, SKF has also been acquiring

several specialized companies with related

expertise and decades of their own industry

experience.

Our investment in acquiring this knowledge has

enabled SKF to develop five areas of competence

and application-specific expertise. These include

bearings and units, seals, lubrication systems,

mechatronics, and a range of advanced services

such as asset management.

Combining these areas with over 25 years of working with

refineries worldwide, SKF is able to offer you something

unsurpassed in the hydrocarbon processing industry: a

single source for a range of integrated solutions designed to

increase production and reduce the need for maintenance.

“Not only does SKF have a robust asset management strategy, they actually practice what they offer in their own production facilities. This aspect sets SKF apart from its competitors.”Representative from a major North American refinery that selected SKF as a strategic partner for reliability improvement

n n n n

n n n n

n n n n

SKF solutions: boosting productivity, reliability and profitability

n Asset management servicesSKF asset management services can help optimize overall equipment effectiveness and reduce downtime, the need for maintenance and lifecycle costs. These services include computer-ized maintenance management systems population, maintenance strategy review, and spare parts inventory optimization.

n Condition monitoring SKF offers a complete range of condition monitoring hardware, software, and related services to enable increased reliability through the early detection and diagnosis of potential failures. The solutions include intrinsically safe and non-incendive portable devices and on-line and protection systems for monitoring temperature, pressure, vibration, and other operating parameters.

n Automatic lubrication systems and lubricantsSKF automatic lubrication systems and appropriate lubricants keep hard-to-reach fans and blowers properly lubricated, which in turn helps optimize their lifecycle and extend their mean time between failures.

n Magnetic bearings and systems As more facilities move from hydraulic to electromechanical systems, SKF magnetic bearings are making the transition a smooth one. SKF magnetic bearings enable high-performance turbo machinery to run oil- and virtually maintenance-free in even the harshest operating environments. These bearings provide a cleaner, more environmentally friendly solution that reduces the risk of process contamination.

n Shaft and belt laser alignment toolsThe extra stress that a misaligned shaft exerts on equipment contributes to shorter bearing service life. SKF laser alignment tools enable faster, safer, more precise alignment of motors and drives, and can help guard against future equipment failures.

n Mounting and dismounting tools Facilities have reduced rework due to improper mounting of bearings, as well as reduced mounting and dismounting times for bearings, couplings and other components by 80 % using SKF oil injection methods and other innovative SKF mounting and dismounting techniques.

n n Bearings, seals and housings SKF Explorer bearings, which include CARB toroidal roller bearings, last longer and run at cooler temperatures than conventional bearings and can double the service life of turbines, pumps, motors, fans, and other equipment critical to your operation. Advanced seals keep contaminants out and lubricants in, while specialized housing units guard against shaft damage.

Illustration at right indicates (via colour coding with text above) various SKF solutions for a typical gear motor/fan arrangement.

A single source for an array of tools, technologies and servicesFrom basic bearing upgrades to highly advanced asset management approaches, SKF solutions can help you extend service life and improve performance of turbines, pumps, motors, fans, and other equipment critical to your operation.

Prepare for workforce turnoverFacing a 50 to 70 % employee turnover over the next few years, a North American refinery turned to SKF for help. Using SKF’s

proprietary SRCM mainten-ance strategy review process, SKF captured the equipment operation and maintenance knowledge of the facility’s senior staff. Their collective experience formed the documented basis for a

facility-wide maintenance strategy that the plant now employs. SKF personnel are also helping the refinery staff accomplish daily asset management tasks, enabling the redeployment of skilled personnel to capital projects and other value-added activities.

Protect workers and the environment While all hydrocarbon processing plants want to operate safely with minimal environmental impact, those that don’t are subject to substantial fines and possible shut-downs. SKF is helping a

major North American refiner meet these challenges by implementing a range of SKF on-line condition monitoring and protection systems. SKF is also training the plant’s operations and maintenance staff on the SKF Operator Driven

Reliability process. Both approaches can enable plant staff to detect pending failures and prevent them before catastrophic events can occur.

Cut maintenance costs and increase availability A major European refiner that processes 60 million tonnes of crude annually, across multiple plants, asked SKF to help it improve performance at one site. As part of a comprehensive reliability improve-ment project, SKF helped the plant redefine its maintenance strategy for mechanical, electrical, and static equipment. As a result, the site cut maintenance costs by four million euros per year, and achieved a 2 % increase in availability. The company plans on working with SKF to repeat this success across its remaining plants.

Maximize profits A major refiner in Asia with over 30 000 employees is working with SKF on a comprehensive, five-year performance improvement plan to increase profits. Leveraging SKF technology, services, and knowledge, the plan will be implemented across the company’s entire operations, and will include competency development, asset management process development, and technology infrastructure recommendations and integration.

SKF solutions: boosting productivity, reliability and profitabilityHelping facilities worldwide achieve a range of goalsIf your plant is among the many facilities achieving world-class availability, you may wonder how you’ll ever boost throughput. If your maintenance budget is too high, you may wonder how you’ll ever bring it down. SKF is helping plants around the globe do both, as well as meet the industry’s most pressing challenges. Here are just a few examples:

Trends and challengesWhether a project involves retrofitting systems in an existing refinery or bringing an entirely new facility on-line, today’s hydrocarbon processing original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) companies face a constant challenge: satisfying customer demand for more reliable, productive equipment that requires less maintenance and consumes less energy.

SKF solutionsWith more than two decades of experience in the hydrocarbon processing industry, SKF brings a unique understanding of the application challenges that plants face on a daily basis. Our expertise in bearings and units, seals, and lubrication systems enables SKF to take a systems approach to design complete solutions that improve equipment reliability.

Using advanced, proprietary simulation software, SKF engineers enable consultancy and OEM designers to optimize equipment designs while still in the prototype stage, and explore the merits of various design options with a virtual test rig that simulates component performance under a variety of conditions. Benefits include:

Reduced total cost•

Reduced machinery development time•

Greater flexibility•

Faster delivery times•

Improved reliability•

Reduced need for maintenance•

Designing equipment for the future

See inserts for more details about SKF solutions for the hydrocarbon processing industry.

The Power of Knowledge Engineering

The Power of Knowledge EngineeringDrawing on five areas of competence and application-specific expertise amassed over 100 years, SKF brings innovative solu-tions to OEMs and production facilities in every major industry worldwide. These five competence areas include bearings and units; seals, lubrication systems, mechatronics (combining mechanical and electronics into intelligent systems), and a wide range of services, from 3-D computer modelling to advanced condition monitoring and reliability and asset management services. A global presence provides SKF customers uniform quality standards and universal product availability.

® SKF, CARB and SRCM are registered trademarks of the SKF Group.

© SKF Group 2008The contents of this publication are the copyright of the publisher and may not be reproduced (even extracts) unless permission is granted. Every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication but no liability can be accepted for any loss or damage whether direct, indirect or consequential arising out of the use of the information contained herein.

Publication 6599 EN · March 2008

Printed in Sweden on environmentally friendly paper.

Bearings and unitsSeals Lubrication

systems

Mechatronics Services