NESTEC’s Remote RTO/RCO Observation and Maintenance Program

Decreasing RTO/RCO operating expenses is a priority for every plant manager. NESTEC offers several solutions to assist in reducing RTO/RCO operating and maintenance (O&M) costs. NESTEC’s remote assistance program is the best way to find savings while avoiding risks to RTO/RCO performance and longevity. Maintenance strategies and technologies change, but when consistency is critical, you can rely on remote monitoring and performance engineering.

Additionally, some minimum physical maintenance should always be on a regular preventive maintenance (PM) schedule, such as action items required to uphold equipment warranties and operation.

NESTEC’s periodic remote analysis can detect potential problems and minimize energy consumption with online program changes to the equipment.

Daily

• “Walk around” the RTO at least once a day, preferably once a shift, to observe the normal operation of the system and attempt to spot any potential problems before they cause the unit to be taken offline for emergency repairs.
  • By listening to the unit’s operation, especially at the diverter valves and the main fan, problems involving lubrication or alignment can be identified well before damage occurs.

Weekly

• All lubrication points should be checked weekly.

Monthly

• All safety related controls should be verified on a regular basis to comply with NFPA guidelines.  
  • All pipe lines should be inspected to ensure there are no leaks.
    • Check the combustion blower inlet filter to ensure it is not blocked or clogged.
    • Check all air lines to ensure there is no moisture or dirt present which could disrupt proper operation.

Quarterly

• The access doors at the diverter valves should be opened while the unit is offline (with all appropriate procedures being followed).
  • Valve seating areas should be inspected for any wear or buildup from process stream contaminants.
  • Valve operation should be observed to ensure total closure is occurring when valves are in both extended and retracted positions.
  • Regarding the main fan, bearings should be observed while the unit is online to ensure there is no excessive heat or vibration. Records should be kept of all observations.

Annually

• The RTO should be taken offline and allowed to cool down sufficiently to allow vessel entry to occur. All standard plant safety procedures for vessel entry are to be fully complied with. Appropriate respiratory protection for personnel performing vessel entry shall be mandatory.
• The burner/combustion chamber should be inspected internally to ensure that all refractory modules are in good shape and that the ceramic media shows no signs of degradation.
• The main fan access hatch shall be removed, and the wheel examined for signs of particulate deposition or corrosion.
• The main fan coupling should be examined to ensure proper alignment is being maintained.
• The combustion blower internals should be examined as well.
• All instrumentation calibration should be verified.

Other physical maintenance items and operating costs can often be identified from RTO/RCO performance data, which requires monitoring of key functions, changes, and/or trends. Review of RTO/RCO data and performance trends by an experienced NESTEC engineer can reveal potential problems and provide corrective changes to reduce the operating cost and/or improve RTO/RCO performance. For example, a change in the exhaust process flow due to winter-summer conditions and/or RTO/RCO mass balance can lead to a reduction in thermal energy recovery (TER) efficiency, which will cause an increase in fuel operation costs. 

A one-percent (1%) reduction in the RTO/RCO thermal energy recovery efficiency results in a 20%+ increase in fuel consumption for a 95% TER unit. In addition to remote monitoring, NESTEC can also provide PLC (programmable logic controller) programs to automatically correct for mass flow balance, thus minimizing changes in TER.

NESTEC’s remote monitoring system includes an industrial router (DIN rail mounted, 24VDC), which is built to fit within the automation panel and can communicate via both Ethernet and serial devices. For remote accessibility, the router features an outbound connection via UDP or HTTPS to our cloud-based VPN servers. NESTEC-authorized service engineers and technicians can log in and connect to the customer’s routers anywhere in the world. The server functions as a secure broker and completes the encrypted VPN tunnel between a NESTEC service remote user and the equipment connected to the router.

If a problem occurs, the customer can contact NESTEC’s service. An engineer or technician will connect to the equipment through a secure connection, while keeping your corporate network integrity secure, and immediately analyze and resolve the issue remotely. Our system significantly limits costly downtime and travel expenses while providing rapid assistance.

NESTEC’s periodic remote analysis can detect potential problems and minimize energy consumption with online program changes to the equipment.

After RTO/RCO data has been organized, a reporting analysis can be provided. Proper evaluation can help management decide which reasons and/or sub-reasons they should target when determining how to allocate capital.

NESTEC’s remote system analysis program offers invaluable insight into potential problems, reveals performance trends, and recommends corrective actions.  

For assistance from our extensive experience, call or e-mail NESTEC Inc. for a free evaluation for remote monitoring of your RTO/RCO’s maintenance and performance.

Office: 610.323.7670

Jim Nester, CEO: jnester@nestecinc.com

Rick Reimlinger, Vice President: rick.reimlinger@nestecinc.com

Rodney L. Pennington, PE, Vice President of Key Accounts: rpennington@nestecinc.com

William Holden, Aftermarket & Services Manager: wholden@nestecinc.com