In a Middle Eastern refinery, a newly commissioned fire water pump, crucial for emergency services, experienced repeated high temperatures at the non-drive end (NDE) bearing during periodic test runs. Over time, these temperature spikes eventually led to a premature bearing failure, sparking a detailed investigation that revealed a lubrication issue.
The root cause? Oil starvation, despite the constant level oiler showing a seemingly adequate oil level.
Uncovering the Lubrication Problem
The investigation raised a critical question: Why did the bearing lack lubrication even when the sight glass of the constant level oiler indicated the correct oil level? The answer pointed to a fundamental issue – incorrect orientation of the piping connected to the constant level oiler during the construction phase.
Understanding Constant Level Oilers and Installation Errors
Constant level oilers are designed to automatically maintain the correct oil level in the bearings to prevent both over and under-lubrication. Their effectiveness, however, relies entirely on precise installation. In this case, despite the oiler indicating a full level, the incorrect orientation of the piping prevented oil from reaching the bearing, ultimately causing overheating and failure.
The Importance of Proper Installation
Any failure can have catastrophic consequences for critical equipment like fire water pumps, which serve an emergency function. If this issue had gone unnoticed, the fire water pump could have failed during an actual emergency, putting the entire refinery at risk of a major fire.
The root cause investigation clearly highlighted that the construction contractor did not follow the vendor’s recommendation regarding the orientation of the constant level oiler piping. Manufacturers provide precise instructions for a reason – deviations from these instructions can result in operational issues and critical equipment failure in cases like this.
Once the constant level oiler piping was corrected and aligned per the manufacturer’s drawings, the pump operated smoothly without further bearing temperature issues. The problem was resolved, but it emphasized the importance of attention to detail during critical equipment’s construction and commissioning phases, which is often overlooked.
Constant level oiler orientation before making correction (Source: a Middle East refinery)
Failed Bearing showing signs of overheating due to lack of lubrication
Constant level oiler orientation, after making correction (Source: a Middle East refinery)
Correct orientation of constant level oiler (Source: vendor fire pump drawing)
Lessons Learned
This incident highlighted several key lessons to improve reliability and avoid similar failures in the future:
- Strict Adherence to Vendor Guidelines: Construction contractors must follow detailed instructions from equipment manufacturers for correctly installing equipment and associated piping. This attention to detail ensures the equipment performs as intended without introducing avoidable risks. Deviations from these guidelines can lead to operational failures and increased risks
- Peer Review and Construction Audits: Conduct peer reviews and audits during installation to ensure all equipment and piping are installed correctly according to the vendor’s recommendations. Construction audits, focusing on equipment and piping per these vendor guidelines, can catch mistakes early and prevent costly failures later.
- Proactive Inspections: After this incident, the refinery proactively inspected all the fire water pumps to verify the correct installation of their oilers. This proactive approach is necessary to avoid similar failures and ensure emergency equipment is ready to perform when needed.
This case is a reminder that even minor oversights in equipment installation can lead to major consequences in high-stakes environments. The incorrect piping orientation might seem like a small error, but it can seriously affect critical systems. Ensuring that every component is correctly installed is essential to maintaining reliability and safety.
The lessons learned emphasize the importance of precision, strict adherence to standards, and thorough inspections, particularly during the early phases of the project, to ensure long-term reliable operation – principles that every engineer should practice in the field of lubrication and reliability.
