Emergency motor repair boost

When a large, bespoke-framed fan motor failed at Rio Tinto Alcan the consequences could have been significant. Instead, thanks to quick intervention and significant rework by ERIKS, the motor was back in action six days earlier than anticipated.

The failure of vital equipment is an engineer's worst nightmare, especially if it plays a key role before subsequent downstream operations. Just such an issue was faced by Rio Tinto Alcan when the main 920kW 3.3kV motor used for unloading powdered alumina at the ship unloading facility failed; leaving the company temporarily unable to re-stock its UK smelting sites.

The company explains: “The primary issue faced by Rio Tinto Alcan was that it had no spare motor due to its size and a very long normal operating life expectancy. The unit in question was a special frame size and a replacement was only available from the USA with an unacceptable lead time attached. Luckily ERIKS was on hand and through its timely intervention was able to prevent an extremely costly situation unfolding.”

The ERIKS Killingworth workshop - one of many ERIKS centres of excellence across the UK - has a copper mill, coil manufacturing facility and repair facility all on the same site meaning that engineers were able to start manufacturing a new set of coils within 24 hours of receiving the motor, using materials from stock. ERIKS engineers then worked around the clock - with the coil and repair facilities working in tandem to reduce downtime to a minimum.

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