Alan Ross, SDMyers' VP of reliability, and Chip Angus, SDMyers' reliability account manager, will present on "Removing the Barriers to Power System Reliability" at the IDCON Reliability & Maintenance Conference on Sept. 25, 2019, from 8:15 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the North Raleigh Hilton in Raleigh, N.C. 

This presentation will discuss the unique barriers that must be overcome in the  pulp and paper industry as electrical systems that support critical infrastructure age and as global pressures affect capacity and the reliability of facilities. It will require a cultural change, much like any system-wide improvement. In order to change the culture from one that accepts an unreliable power system to one that becomes an increasingly reliable power system, there are major barriers that must be overcome. Utilizing case examples, they will reveal the common barriers the industry faces that are unique to power system reliability.

The main barriers to overcome have been identified as:

• Lack of organizational recognition of the risks associated with unreliability
• Lack of common standards for testing and data management
• Inconsistent maintenance practices
• Poor use of contractors
• Reliance on “fix” versus prevent cultures
• From Boomers to Millennials: A changing workforce
• “TITWWHADI” culture (That is The Way We Have Always Done It)
• Data chaos from the IIot versus UIot (Useful Internet of Things) unique to the power system

Once a power system is viewed through the lens of these barriers to reliability, it is clear that practitioners need more than a program of the day but a complete culture change. The authors will present a proven process for creating a reliable electric power system, with case examples from the paper and pulp industry.