OPERATIONAL AND MECHANICAL AUDIT OF DUST COLLECTORS IN A LEAD FOUNDRY (GA1)

ISSUE

A lead smelter operates a fleet of 88 dust collectors to capture the lead dust emitted by the different processes of the plant.

STS Canada was commissioned to perform an operation & mechanical audit of the 88 dust collectors of the plant to determine the level of compliance of each equipment and identify actions to be implemented to improve operation and maintenance.

TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGE

This project required careful planification of the interventions on each of the 79 dust collectors in order to minimize the downtime of the audited equipment and its impact on operation and the need of assistance from the plant’s maintenance personnel.

RECOMMENDED SOLUTION

The evaluation tools developed by STS Canada were used to identify which were the most critical dust collectors requiring immediate attention. In addition, using a proprietary software tool, STS Canada prioritized the various maintenance and optimization activities identified during the audit. The purpose of this ranking was to provide plant personnel with clear and precise information to define the priorities of intervention for the 79 dust collectors.

This approach, based on STS Canada's own methodology and auditing tools, has totally met our client's objectives while minimizing the disruption of plant operations and his staff schedules.

RESULTS

The results of the audit enabled our client to set up a program to upgrade his dust collector fleet based on the degree of criticality of each activity to be implemented. This program also allowed the plant to optimize the operation and maintenance of its 79 dust collectors and to meet air emissions governmental requirements at all times.