Case study: Flange Misalignment

Pain Point

Atlas Copco was recently involved in a case of analysing abnormal flange tensioning results together with a customer. The flange was tensioned with Smart Bolt Tensioners supplied from Atlas Copco so digital documentation was available.

The technicians on site were frustrated, the Tensioning tools did not allow them to continue to the next bolt. The Angle values measured when securing the nut after pressurization were below the specified limit, i.e. indicating that studs had not been sufficiently elongated. They tried everything at their disposal, including changing out bolts, but the tools continued to indicate low angle.

Solution

A thorough analysis, supported by the available recorded data taken from the smart tensioning tool, revealed flange misalignment to be the root cause.

As a direct result of the findings, pre-assembly instructions were changed and communicated in the organisation. It was also concluded that the technicians on site had followed given instructions and there was no bolt material or tooling issues.

In the end, hours of rework could be avoided and focus given to get the right actions in place.

The graph show angle values for First and Second pass. The First pass angle is too low for a section of the flange and was indicated as NOK to the operator.

The Second round show higher then expected rotation for the corresponding bolts that brings the total rotation up to the expected level. The second pass angle indicates flange settelments due to initial misalignment.

Smarter ways of working

The construction and maintenance of Wind turbines involves OEM’s, certifying bodies, contractors and service providers, regulators, and owners etc. Digital documentation gives transparency and a ‘right from me’ in every step of the way. With trusted documentation available, sub optimization can be avoided with cross industry cost savings as a result.

Digital bolting tools that provide pressure, torque and angle documentation is now making its way into the Wind industry. That enables digital documentation on a large scale, but the real value is unlocked when data is shared, analysed and improvements are implemented across the industry.

The wind industry is a tough business. Time pressure, cost, weather conditions and rough work environments pose a constant threat to projects and are cause for concerns:

•    Have technicians followed instructions?
•    Do instructions provide enough guidance?
•    Do technicians have the right tools for the job?
•    Are bolts and other components according to specification?

The benefits of digital documentation are clear

• Less time spent on paperwork as digital documentation simply replace the need for it.

• Tightening data is only a few clicks away. Instant access and sharing of data speeds up the resolution and approval time for flanges with issues.

• With transparent information focus is given to the right improvement actions.

• When a problem has been identified, finding the rest of them is a case of browsing through a database for similarities, not sending crews on missions up tower or out to sea to check bolts.

• Less service campaigns and checks are required and therefore significantly reduced service costs can be achieved when correct bolt status is secured a the time of initial assembly.

Automotive - an industry transformed…

The automotive industry can serve as a positive inspiration. That industry has come a long way since the introduction of the moving assembly line by Henry Ford in 1908.

Modern cars come in a vast variety of models to attract unique customer groups and they have never been more complex to build. On top of that there are increasing demands from government regulators around the world.

Despite these challenges, manufacturers have been able to push cost down and increase production volumes to reach almost 80 million cars in 2021. Bad quality is not accepted by the global consumer market and re-tightening nuts and bolts at the service station is a thing of the past.

A wide adoption of digital ways of working has been a key factor for

Industry leaders work together!

Successful digitalization requires technology providers and users working together to find the best practical solutions. As we have talked about in this article, The Wind industry is well positioned for change. Technology is readily available, and the benefits are clear.

Atlas Copco have experience in this transformation process, and are eager to support the Wind industry with new innovation, open standards and continuous improvement together with customers and industry peers.

Summary

The impact of poor documentation, the consequential quality and service costs is apparent. Intelligent bolting tools are entering the sector not only in the factory, but very specifically now in the field during installation and service, and we believe the future of wind will be a digitalized world with significantly improved quality control, faster feed-back loops and lowering of cost across the industry.

For companies that has taken the leap there is no turning back. Running any critical operation without the insights and support of digital documentation is simply unthinkable, so why should it be different when assembly critical bolted joint connections?

To conclude its worth to consider a very important question. What is the cost of bad joints in your operations, and for how much longer can you afford it?