Being at the right place at the right time does happen. One Thursday afternoon a phone call received at CEL Tempe engineering test cell unit put us to the test. A few passionate questions were posed.
"We know of your test cell engineering expertise and developments with probes, rakes and strain gages. We are interested in your non-turbine engine engineering services. Our company designed and recently installed a Stacker for crushed ore in a nearby copper mine. We are experiencing structural fatigue and cracking so we believe strain data gathered during its operation could enable us to remedy either the equipment or installation failure. Could your company supply this data and could it be next week?"
CEL Assessment
CEL engineers love challenges - particularly those other companies declined. We reviewed the stated problem and quickly deduced our turbine engine test cell strain gages were not the solution. We then determined that our CEL fiber optic strain gage research and products created for bridges and airframes would work. Within 12 hours, early Friday morning, we called the customer to say we would be on site the following Wednesday - prepared to gather the data.
CEL Design Solution
Over that weekend and until late Monday night, two CEL research partners and our Tempe engineering team developed the fiber optic sensors and monitoring electronics to enable us to monitor the conditions being experienced during the equipment’s material handling operations.
Outcome
Early Wednesday morning fiber optic strain gages were installed on the first loader. The data collected was acquired in such volume and so rapidly a second loader was monitored on the same day. As a result of the data from the strain equipment TCI installed the customer was able to calibrate their models and make modifications to resolve these issues.
Customer Problem
A long standing Cleveland Electric Labs customer acquired a regional forging plant. That plant purchased competitors thermocouples through in integrated supplier for many years due to a long-standing relationship. The plant’s shop was fabricating beaded 14 gauge Type “K” elements from stabilized wire supplied to them by another CEL competitor. The customer was using three elements of various lengths that were being bundled together and installed in inconel protection tubes. A high rate of failure precipitated a call to CEL from the new owners of forge plant.
CEL Assessment
Cel’s success with other forge plant locations gave CEL an opportunity to assess the newly acquired forge shops use of TC’s. CEL faced considerable resistance from the local purchasing agent, the plant TC laborers and the furnace engineer, yet, the assessment took place over their objections.
CEL Design Solution
The in plant CEL engineering assessment led to a vastly improved design. CEL resolved the problem with four part solution. The first step was an MgO style TC. The second was a “triplex bundle. The third was an improved protection tube. The fourth was a washer designed to prevent contamination and to make the TC immersion consistent every time. CEL historied applications experience was the reason for the innovative solution. Lack of experience was the reason these resolutions had never been proposed. The integrated supplier with little TC applications understanding could not trouble-shoot the problem. The in-plant fabricators, the local buyer and the furnace engineer were not well versed in TC construction and were unable to resolve the problem and realize the cost savings.
Outcome
After six months, the CEL solution had saved the corporation so much time and money in one plant that the same CEL solution was activated in nearly 100% of that corporations forging operations.
