by Staff | Feb 1, 2013 | Control Systems, CSI, Motion Control, Programming
THE MYSTERY A barrel manufacturer called ACES with a problem: The heads that formed the beads of the barrels had started moving inconsistently and roughly enough that when they stopped the whole machine would jerk. Just two years earlier ACES had installed a brand new...
by Staff | Sep 9, 2012 | Aircraft, Control Systems, CSI, Oil and Gas
THE MYSTERY An aircraft manufacturer was experiencing intermittent problems with one of their fuel tank valves: It would work fine for a while and then randomly give a fail-to-close alarm. THE CLUES The first day the Control Systems Inspector (CSI) visited the plant,...
by Staff | Sep 1, 2011 | Aircraft, Control Systems, CSI, Oil and Gas
THE MYSTERY A local aircraft manufacturer has a fuel farm of ten large tanks, each storing 30,000 gallons of Jet A fuel. A valve on each tank opens to allow fuel to flow in and out to tank trucks or other tanks. When one of these valves failed, the customer called in...
by Staff | Feb 18, 2011 | Control Systems, CSI, Steam Generators
THE MYSTERY An ACES Control Systems Investigator was called to the scene of an oil-heating steam generator platform, in a processing plant for natural gas liquids (NGLs). The CSI had been called for routine biennial emissions testing, but he noticed the trend lines...
by Staff | Jul 30, 2010 | Control Systems, CSI, Furnaces and Ovens
THE MYSTERY A manufacturer of large metal extrusions for the aircraft industry called ACES to the scene of a 40’ drop bottom furnace. The furnace had failed its most recent NADCAP audit because the hot junctions of the thermocouples recording the high and low limits...