The Rongxin Chemical Instrumentation Workshop integrates autonomous improvement with cost reduction and efficiency enhancement

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Integrated Autonomous Improvement, Cost Reduction, and Efficiency Enhancement in Rongxin Chemical’s Instrumentation Workshop / Author/Source: Rongxin Chemical / Date: 2022-01-18 / Clicks: 12. The instrumentation workshop adheres to a approach of mutual promotion and combined improvement. Propose improvement measures for the potential risks, inefficiencies, and wastes existing in various aspects such as existing work processes, the workplace, equipment, and safety, in order to achieve improvement. Due to the harsh operating conditions, the electrical contact thermometer of Furnace 1# and Coal Feeder 2# became damaged as a result of working in a high-temperature environment, even though it was located indoors. The newly arrived spare parts are of φ6 size, while the old parts in use were of φ10 size; therefore, they cannot be replaced properly. The team members took proactive action, expanded their thinking, and made improvements on their own: they used a drill press to re-expand the φ6 socket joint, then welded it to the original connector. Once installed, the proper functioning of the thermometer ensured the proper operation of the coal feeder, providing a solid foundation for the stable operation of the boiler. There was also no need to request new materials due to differences in interfaces, saving around 5,000 yuan in costs. The secondary gauge for the lubricating oil pressure of fan A in Reactor No. 2 is damaged, and an alarm indicating low oil pressure at the outlet of the hydraulic coupler appears on the control room display. The personnel from the instrument maintenance team disconnected the secondary instruments and rewired them; they also contacted the DCS to change the configuration from passive to active, allowing the pressure signals to be connected directly to the DCS, thereby reducing the number of potential failure points in the circuit. This autonomous improvement saved approximately 2,000 yuan in costs related to the oil pressure gauge and its accessories, reduced the number of failure points in one circuit, and lowered the risk of the exhaust fan shutting down unexpectedly. The second-stage purification PSA system is equipped with a total of 108 programmable valves. Air filters for the valve air supply are installed at the main air supply pipeline in the inlet area. During operation of the valves, it was found that water accumulated inside some of the pneumatically controlled valves and solenoid valves, resulting in issues such as corrosion and failure of the reset springs in the pneumatically controlled valves, as well as sticking of the solenoid valves. Among these devices, the pneumatically controlled valves in the G-set units presented the most severe problems. To address such issues, the personnel from the glycol team modified the main air pipeline of the programmable control valve in Tower G on their own; they welded an air filter to this main air pipeline, and also designed check valves and backup lines before and after the air filter to facilitate its maintenance and replacement in the future. This autonomous improvement not only ensures the stable and safe operation of the manufacturing process as well as enhances quality control in that process, but it also reduces the incidence of instrument failures, saves costs associated with equipment maintenance and renovation, increases the utilization rate of equipment. As a result, it saves time for instrument operators, shortens maintenance cycles, improves the quality of fault detection, and boosts work efficiency.