Bloch, Heinz P.
Heinz P. Bloch resides in Montgomery, Texas. He retired as Exxon Chemical’s Regional Machinery Specialist for the U.S. and has authored or co-written more than 780 publications, among them 23 comprehensive books on practical machinery management, failure analysis, failure avoidance, compressors, steam turbines, pumps, oil mist lubrication and optimized lubrication for industry. Mr. Bloch holds BS and MS degrees (cum laude) in mechanical engineering from the Newark College of Engineering (NCE). He is one of 10 inaugural inductees into NCE’s Hall of Fame, which honors its most distinguished alumni.
HP Reliability: Packing not best practice for firewater pumps
Statistics show that for every 1,000 pump failures in hydrocarbon processing plants, there will be a fire. Fig. 1 shows a typical visible outcome, and the final bill for remedying such disastrous resu..
HP Reliability: Finding answers to library and training dilemmas
We don’t mind receiving and answering an occasional question. Questions allow us to assess the state of knowledge in industry. Sometimes, though, these questions indicate that the questioners hav..
HP Reliability: Wire mesh vs. wire size for temporary strainers
Even an experienced reliability professional may find some customary terminology dealing with wire gauge and wire mesh to be confusing. Our HPIn Reliability column of April 2009 mentioned pump suction..
HP Reliability: Better equipment selection starts with understanding available upgrade options
It all started with a letter we received from a major multinational petrochemical company: A reliability manager related that he had recently asked each maintenance department within the corporation&#..
HP Reliability: Eccentric reducers and straight runs of pipe at pump suction
Questions relating to proper reducer application in centrifugal pump suction lines date back many decades. Until his death (at age 84, in 1995), world-renowned pump expert Igor Karassik frequently cor..
Prevent electric erosion in variable-frequency drive bearings
Here are the reasons and remedial actions
HP Reliability: Consider bearing protection for small steam turbines
In most small machines there is a need to limit both contaminant ingress and oil leakage. Inexpensive lip seals are sometimes used for sealing at the bearing housing, but lip seals typically last only..
HP Reliability: Not ready for 29-year-old pump packing
In 2009 we were informed about “a nuclear plant that was never commissioned after its original construction. This plant has been sitting idle for 29 years and is only now starting up.” The o..
HP Reliability: Repetitive pump seal failures can cause disasters
Release No. 2004-08-I-NM (http://www.csb.gov), issued in October 2005 by the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, addresses an incident at an oil refinery with a history of repeated pump..
HP Reliability: How flawed reward systems cost you dearly
In a US trade journal, someone recently observed that "successful lean implementation needs reliable equipment to prevent disastrous consequences. Together, they increase production capacity, decrease..
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