[ End User Interview ]
[ End User Interview ]
Chemical plant maintenance : An interview with Charles Federle , Mechanical Maintenance Engineer , BASF
Chemical plants require crucial maintenance . Navigating repairs and scheduling turnarounds are some of the critical aspects involved in the world of mechanical maintenance . Stainless Steel World had the pleasure of speaking with Charles Federle , Mechanical Maintenance Engineer in the Acrylic Acid plants at BASF , about the dynamic work done in the world of mechanical maintenance , the importance of working as a team , as well as the potential consequences of asset failure .
By Charlie Evans , Stainless Steel World Americas
As a Mechanical Maintenance Engineer who works with hazardous chemicals in BASF ’ s Acrylic Acid plants , Federle rarely has a typical day . “ My job is very dynamic . My days often start with a morning update meeting with various personnel across the plant , such as operations engineers , millwrights , boilermakers , and others . Then it evolves from there , depending on where my input is required ,” explained Federle . Federle enjoys the diversity of his work and the challenges the position grants him . “ Initially , I thought of being a design engineer . However , in between my junior and senior years of study , I received an internship at BASF . I worked very closely with a mentor who introduced me to the role of maintenance and maintenance engineering . The hands-on education made a world of difference for my career and the path my life would eventually take .” Working in the chemical plant , Federle deals with a wide variety of equipment and assets such as pumps , compressors , heat exchangers , towers , reactors , and more . “ The two plants I oversee were constructed in the 1980s and 1990s respectively , and are therefore at the age where they require more TLC than more recently constructed plants ,” he continued . “ Unavoidable occurrences such as unexpected failures , happen , but we do everything we can to try and avoid those .” When there are instances of failure , a plan is prepared . However , the situation is often more complicated when the failure is unanticipated . “ A plan is usually in place for repairs or preventative maintenance . When the unexpected occurs , we must often be more creative with our solutions . We need to be able to figure out a way to mitigate the negative consequences on the fly , almost like playing Tetris ,” chuckled Federle . “ The schedule is faster , and you have to squeeze in all aspects to adequately complete the repair in a timeeffective manner .”
The maintenance process Certain processes are often followed when there is a breakdown in operations or other instances of malfunction . “ Prioritization is one of the first steps in the maintenance process when repairing an asset ,” relayed Federle . “ What went wrong ? What needs to be done to fix the situation and get production running ? Does it need to be perfect , or can it be a quick fix ?” Depending on the situation , plants will sometimes only require a temporary solution to get production to a certain point before being able to shut down for a longer period . “ Ideally , we want to have things repaired as quickly as possible ; however , that is not always possible .” After identifying the problem and determining the scope of the repair process , Federle becomes more heavily involved .
22 Stainless Steel World June 2024 www . stainless-steel-world . net