Continuous operation of the sugar-energy industry in Colombia (322 days average for 2015) presents demanding technical challenges. CENICANA has an ongoing project on diagnosis for maintenance management for Colombian mills, looking for improvement opportunities. Cane reception and milling were confirmed as the most critical areas, using availability and maintainability indices. Equipment, including cane conveyors and preparation machines, were identified as critical in the reception area. In the crushing station, intermediate carriers and roller surface wear were the major determinants in the global performance index (OEE). Additionally, a monthly follow-up to the main performance indicators in a milling tandem showed how roller shell wear impacts negatively on pol losses in bagasse. Following a proactive approach (FMECA), intermediate carriers and preparation machines were redesigned. In order to increase roller shell mean time before failure (MTBF) and reduce tooth fractures, welding procedures were studied and heat transfer during solidification of welding deposits has been modeled using FEA. Experimental procedures have been used to validate results. This paper reports advances in the entire research project.
