For the want of a hose…

The topic of hose maintenance in the process plant is one that is unlikely, at first sight, to leap into the psyche of engineers. Unless, of course, they have already run foul of a catastrophic failure! Hose specialist FlexRite Chemgiene, voices their concern for the need for diligence and planned maintenance in the process plant, and how FlexRite Chemgiene can provide cost effective solutions to hose management.

Too little attention is paid by processors to fundamental, yet simple equipment that holds the key to plant safety, efficiency and avoidance of lost opportunity costs. Indeed, in some cases the children’s proverbial rhyme “for the want of nail …the kingdom was lost” is wholly appropriate. So it is where hoses, tubes and couplings are concerned. Where safety and hygiene is concerned, a manufacturing plant’s hoses and couplings present possibilities for ingress and contamination when improperly maintained.

In most cases, hoses form the arterial nub of the system. But, because hoses are passive components in any system it is often assumed that they suffer no fatigue and hence, are unlikely to wear out. It is overlooked that they may carry aggressive and corrosive fluids, or that they might be subjected externally to harsh environments, or that they may undergo caustic washdowns, let alone that they can be accidentally damaged.

Many fail to realise that the health of hoses can be measured, recorded and even monitored. Even in the worst case scenarios, where there are inadequate surveying techniques, then mean time between failure estimations can be applied to avoid failures and resultant costly downtime.

Moreover, even the thriftiest of industry’s financial managers can correlate the initiative of an inexpensive survey when faced with the costs in potentially tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of lost production. Confronted by a nightmare downtime situation - or worse a product recall - every plant manager in the land would reach for the telephone to get their sites surveyed.

Further savings can be made with services such as FlexRite Chemgiene’s new hose reclamation service which is much more economic than replacing entire hose assemblies. By reworking existing end fittings and supplying a new length of hose between them, considerable cost savings may be made. This service is of particular relevance to users in food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries, where contamination or hygiene considerations mean that special purpose hoses are often specified.

When a hose becomes damaged or shows excessive signs of wear, prompt replacement is needed both from a safety and hygiene point of view. Due to the nature of flexible hose assemblies however, it is usually the hose rather than the stainless steel end fittings that causes the assembly to need replacement. In many cases the cost of the end fittings is as great or greater than the flexible hose part of the assemblies.

In such cases the considerable operational advantages gained by using permanently swaged stainless steel fittings are offset by the cost of replacing the complete assembly.

By designing a coupling system with the potential to be reclaimed, and using production methods that do not distort the coupling insert during swaging, FlexRite Chemgiene are able to reclaim end fittings which are returned by the customer. The end fittings are simply "re-hosed" with new ferrules, pressure tested and records updated accordingly before the reclaimed assembly is returned to site

The service utilises the unique identification number (permanently marked on the ferrule) of every hose assembly produced. This number allows FlexRite Chemgiene to identify the exact specification of the original assembly, and track its history. Recent upgrades to the company’s web site (at www.flexritechemgiene.com) now allow relevant hose registers to be viewed by registered customers through a secure area of the site.

In the food and drink and pharmaceutical industries there are more considerations than merely plant uptime however. Compliance with safety laws, coupled with traceability and GMP or FDA standards, manufacturers must be especially diligent when it comes to maintenance. Fitting inappropriate hose materials, or ensuring the correct hose is refitted to the right machine after removal for dump cleaning in caustic are common errors encountered within the industry.

The answer to the question as to why more plant engineers don’t consult equipment suppliers for assistance in hose maintenance is, in most cases, simply ignorance or the lack of support provided by the industry’s current suppliers. People often fail to realise the full potential for failure in their equipment. While it is easy to understand that a plant control system (and any of its moving parts) may be subject to routine maintenance or replacement, it is far less apparent with hoses.

REF: FLEX041

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