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.
Keep your partner supplier alert, cooperative
Relax, I'm only kidding. Call off the inquisition task force. This is only a hypothetical story and would never happen to you or your company, certainly not in America! But suppose, for the sake of ..
HP Reliability: Machinery reliability starts with clean lubricants
In their quest for improved machinery reliability, many companies have rightly turned their attention to such opportunities as synthetic hydrocarbon lubricants, dry sump oil-mist lubrication and autom..
HP Reliability: Use impact-echo techniques to determine foundation soundness
Major machinery foundations suffer from occasional cracks and other defects that detract from achieving industry's reliability goals. In a recent case, a petrochemical company in the Midwestern U.S. o..
HP Reliability: Just not getting the point
Earlier this year, I was teaching a course in "Reciprocating Compressor Reliability Optimization and Improvement" to a group of engineers and senior technicians at a U.S. oil production location. Reco..
HP Reliability: Enhance equipment reliability by applying engineering quality control
Much has been written about design details, operating guidelines, and maintenance procedures that focus on improving the reliability of individual types of equipment or systems. However, to minimize t..
HP Reliability: Melding preventive and predictive maintenance
An effective maintenance program places more emphasis on failure prevention than on correction. Using this approach, the net result is safer operations, stable production, higher service factor and lo..
HP Reliability: Use fifty ways to improve pump reliability
In the eight years that this column has been published, pump reliability improvements have been addressed on many occasions. A Brazilian maintenance consultant brought this fact to my attention. Also,..
HP Reliability: Insulation systems affect electric motor service life
Last month, we looked at realistic criteria to determine true value when purchasing an "high-efficiency" electric motor. High-efficiency motors must meet the following criteria to comply with the DOE ..
HP Reliability: Are electric motor efficiency improvements worth the price?
At Gulf Publishing's Fifth International Process Plant Reliability Conference in 1996, Lincoln Electric's Jean Revelt provided valuable insight on electric motor efficiency. Having spent 40+ years in ..
HP Reliability: Improve selecting valve unloaders for reciprocating compressors
In a recent investigation of serious compressor distress, it was alleged that finger-type unloaders had undergone 600 actuations per day. Since the service was corrosive and less-than-clean, the unloa..
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