BASIC TROUBLE SHOOTING PRINCIPLES

PUMP SYSTEM FLOW

ELECTRICAL SUPPLY SYSTEM

SITE CONTROLLERS (ON SITE AND

REMOTELY)

ELECTRICAL SUPPLY SYSTEM

SITE CONTROLLERS (ON SITE AND

REMOTELY)
PUMP SYSTEM FLOW ARCHITECTURE
A modern fuel dispenser is divided into two main parts, including
An electronic head
Electronic head contains an embedded computer, which controls the action of the pump, drives the pump’s displays, and communicates
with an indoor sales system.
A mechanical section.
The mechanical section, which is in a self-contained unit, has an electric motor, pumping unit, meters, pulsers, and valves to physically
pump and control the fuel flow.
There are many different variations of fuel dispensers in use today. The term “gas pump” is usually used as an informal way to refer to a fuel
dispenser.
In order to maintain functionality of a gas station, all equipment has to be maintained by preventive maintenance at scheduled times or
repairs when failures occur.
Every fuel dispenser is a combination of various small components and it is essential to ensure the appropriate performance of each
component for profitable and high quality service in a gas station. Typical maintenance activities in a gas station include
1. Mechanical pumps, meters, and lubrication equipment repair,
2. Electronic dispenser and electronic control console repair,
3. Automated system repair including automatic tank gauging, release detection systems, and Point-of-Sale systems,
4. (POS), price scanners, card readers, and communication links,
5. Tank system repair including: tanks, pumps, leak detectors, piping, hoses, and nozzles,
6. Car wash system and ancillary equipment maintenance and repairs.
 TROUBLE SHOOTING AND MAINTENAICE PRINCIPLES
Analysis and Scheduling of Maintenance Operations for a Chain of Gas Stations
Abstract
Maintenance is one of the central issues in operational activities, which involve any type of equipment.
In this paper we have considered analysis, modeling, and scheduling of preventive maintenance operations for fuel dispensers in a chain of gas stations. A gas station
company with more than 570 dispensers in more than 40 stations is considered and the maintenance problem is studied in detail. Operations research tools, including
maintenance models and linear programming, were used to establish optimum schedules for preventive maintenance operations
Introduction
Complex equipment and devices used in any system constitute majority of the capital invested in industry. Equipment is subject to deterioration with usage and time, and
deterioration is often reflected in higher operation costs and lower service quality. In order to keep operational costs down while maintaining good service quality,
preventive maintenance (PM) is often performed on a scheduled basis. The cost of maintenance-related activities in industrial facilities has been estimated by Mobley [1]
as 15–40% of total operation costs and the trend toward increased automation has forced managers to pay even more attention to maintain complex equipment and keep
them in available state.
If the equipment is maintained only when it fails, it is called corrective maintenance (CM), while preplanned maintenance is called preventive maintenance (PM).
Traditionally it is known that the probability of failure would increase as equipment is aged, and that it would sharply decrease after a planned preventive maintenance
(PM) is implemented. It is also desired to know the type and the rate at which a preventive maintenance should be scheduled or the maintenance policy to be
implemented.
A gas station includes several facilities and equipment that need to be maintained.
In particular, dispensers (gasoline pumps), storage tanks, car wash equipment, and other ancillary equipment need to be kept in operational condition for effective
performance and profitable service. The first gasoline pumps were developed in 1885 in Indiana by S. F. Bowser to be used for kerosene lamps and stoves. Later, when the
automobiles were invented, these pumps were improved and used by adding a hose and several other safety measures.
Preventive maintenance (PM) programs are implemented to reduce annual repair costs and costs associated with equipment downtime.
While preventive maintenance and repair instructions of major equipments at gas stations are specified by the manufacturers, it is difficult to
find specific studies related to maintenance analysis of such systems.
It is well known that equipment failures occur due to wear outs and random causes. Therefore, in the most general way, maintenance
operations are classified as corrective maintenance (CM) and preventive maintenance (PM). There are some other variations of these
maintenances. However, CM and PM are the most general procedures in industry. Causes of random failures, which result in CM, are known
when trouble shooting and can/cannot be predicted. These types of failures occur even in new systems. However, wear out failures occur by
the usage of the equipment and as the time passes. These failures can be predicted and mean time to failure can be estimated. PM operations
are carried out before the expected failures. For example, time to failure of a gear or a belt due to usage can be estimated and the time to
change the component can be specified.
Fault: It is a condition that causes the software/component/combination of components to fail to perform its required function. Deviation
from the desired output.
Error: Refers to difference between Actual Output and Expected output.
Failure: It is the inability of a system or component to perform required function according to its specification. ( ABSENCE OF
PERFORMANCE )
While random failures cannot be eliminated totally, wear out failures can be eliminated by PM operations and thus a reduction in CM can be
achieved. The exact effects of PM operations in reducing CM frequency are modeled and applied to various components in the selected
system. System down time and productivity are estimated before and after the introduction of PM.
Analysis of Preventive Maintenance Operations for Fuel Dispensers
It is well known that performing preventive maintenance at scheduled points in time before an asset loses optimum
performance can help in providing acceptable levels of operability in efficient and cost-effective manners. As the preventive
maintenance is increased, the need for corrective maintenance is reduced and subsequently, the down time of the equipment
will be reduced too. A study of rescheduling the preventive maintenance was performed by analyzing the effect of increasing
the preventive maintenance on the mean time between failures.
 
The study was applied on the dispenser area for the three categories of high-, medium-, and low-failure stations. The compound
mean time between maintenance activities, MTBMmt, must be obtained by combining the rates for corrective maintenance
(CM) and preventive maintenance (PM) activities. Assuming that the CM and PM activities are independent, the compound
maintenance rate for CM and PM activities is obtained by the adding the related rates. The following notations are used for the
calculations:
• Corrective maintenance rate,
• Preventive maintenance rate,
• Mean time between corrective maintenance (this is also referred to as MTBF),
• Mean time between preventive maintenance.
PREVENTIVE ACTIONS OF RETAIL OUTLETS EQUIPMENTS
Electronics head
What to eliminate:
 Dust : this should be done with blower or soft brush ( no solvent)
 Corrosion printed boards can be cleaned with recommended solvents
 Partial contacts physical checks and conscious formation of plugs and sockets
 States of cable materials physical thorough check
 Proper closure of doors check for door seals and locks. And close properly after maintenance.
Hydraulics cabinet
 Spilling
 Leakages
 Dust
 Loose bolts, screws and nuts
 Observe rotating parts
 Exposure of rubber material housing to weather and products
 All filters at every point
 Unit/system pressure and flow rates
 Electrical cable arrangement, supply parameters cable connectors.
Submerged Turbine Pumps
does not require a particular PM apart from checking around the fittings for leakages and checking the pressure
and flow rates
 TROUBLE SHOOTING ANALYSIS
Root cause analysis (RCA)
Root cause analysis (RCA) describes a wide range of approaches, tools, and techniques used to uncover causes of problems.
For engineers, this could be applied to failure analysis in engineering and maintenance
Within an organization, problem solving, incident investigation, and root cause analysis are all fundamentally connected by
three basic questions:
 What's the problem?
 Why did it happen?
 What will be done to prevent it from happening again, quality control problems, safety performance, and computer
systems or software analysis?
Useful Steps
Step 1: Identify Possible Causal Factors. During the situation analysis, the project team set the vision, identified the problem
and collected data needed to better understand the current situation. ...
Step 2: Identify the Root Cause. ...
Step 3: Identify Communication Challenges. ...
Step 4: Prioritize Communication Challenges.
 A scenario study
 
Complaint: pump not dispensing
Here are some steps to taking action based on Root Cause Analysis:
Define the problem. Narrow down the fault/failure until it becomes specific . Pump not dispensing can be
 Pump not powering up
 Pump not resetting
 Pump reset but motor not working
 Pump reset, motor working but no product delivery Etc.
.
Collect data. Depending on the definition of fault/failure gather information
 When did it happen
 Has it happen before
 What was notice before the fault/failure
 Electrical data
 Dynamic flow of system and product
 
Ask why.
 One can get lucky as to get the root cause from people on ground , but on no condition should assume its valid but should be a factor to assist your trouble shooting
Determine which factors are root causes and not just symptoms.
 Dig well with standard flow check and identify the defective component by simulation. Try to run the system and check parameters at stages
Identify corrective actions.
 Identify the degree of fault/failure and embark on either temporary or permanent actions
Identify solutions that will help the problem from recurring and do not cause other problems.
 Check for other affected components that have contributed or might fail latter due to this occurrence
Implement the solution.
 Execute repairs or replacement.
Test run: simulate the system flow and verify parameters at related points of check