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Category Archives: General Information
RAGAGEP: Just what is it?
RAGAGEP stands for Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practice. OSHA: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.119 (D)(3)(ii): “The employer shall document that equipment complies with recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices.” EPA: EPA 40 CFR 68.73 (d)(2): “Inspection and testing … Continue reading
Posted in Compliance, General Information, Good Engineering Practices
Tagged EPA, OSHA, PSM, RAGAGEP, RMP
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Stop Fantasizing about your Dream Team and get to work!
I’m continually amazed how often I come across underperforming organizations that don’t try to improve because they feel the caliber of their employees is inadequate to achieve higher performance. It may well be true that your team is suboptimal in … Continue reading
Posted in General Information, Standardization, System Optimization
Tagged Efficiency, Operator Training, Standardization
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Three kinds of Ammonia Operator
Over the past few years I have had the opportunity to work with quite a few Ammonia Operators. Recently I chose to oversee the training of a new operator who had no previous refrigeration experience. In preperation I talked with … Continue reading
Ammonia PSM Coordinator? Go Gemba!
“Gemba” is a Japanese term for “where the real work is done.” In manufacturing, one of the best things your Kaizen or Process Improvement team can do is spend some time on the shop floor. There you see the problems … Continue reading
Posted in General Information, Operator Training, Standardization, System Optimization
Tagged Operator Training, PSM, RMP, Standardization
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National Emphasis Program targeting Chemicals to Continue
“OSHA’s scrutiny of the refinery industry and of chemical facilities covered by the Process Safety Management standard will increase, Jordan Barab, deputy assistant secretary of OSHA said in an Oct. 27 speech at the 2010 Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center … Continue reading
Posted in Compliance, General Information
Tagged OSHA, PSM
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VFD Savings Calculator
Here’s a simple spreadsheet I made up a while ago to calculate the possible savings using Variable Frequency Drives. Download VFD Fan Savings Calculator
Posted in General Information, Good Engineering Practices, System Optimization
Tagged Efficiency, OSHA
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A Reporters guide to Ammonia – Some Basic Information
One thing you can usually count on when you see a news article about an ammonia release is that the reporter is unfamiliar with ammonia refrigeration. That’s not surprising – they can’t be expected to know everything! This article is … Continue reading
Compromised Insulation
How serious is compromised insulation? One way of answering that is with an infrared camera. Take a look at the picture below: The saturated temperature on that LTRL line is about 0F and the LTRS line is about -40F. Obviously … Continue reading
Posted in General Information, Mechanical Integrity, Thermography
Tagged Mechanical Integrity, Thermography
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Planning for Future Expansions
It’s always a good idea to plan for additions to your refrigeration system when you install it or improve it. Loads always seem to increase as new production capacity or storage areas are brought on line. Here’s an example of … Continue reading
Posted in General Information, Good Engineering Practices
Tagged General, RAGAGEP
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Benefits of a Trained Professional Ammonia Operator
“Without Standardization, there can be no improvement” That’s one of my favorite phrases from Lean/Six Sigma. Is the person who is in charge of your ammonia system someone who genuinely cares about how your system is running? Are they the … Continue reading
