WorldWide Drilling Resource

37 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® DECEMBER 2013 Ronnie’s Real World R In life, each day has unex- pected changes; new challenges always exist - excitement is in the air - disap- pointment may be there as well. For me, in “my real world”, this seemed even more prevalent this year of 2013. If you are super- stitious, you may think it was the “13” in the year - I believe “stuff just happens”. This year I learned of several of my dear friends in the industry either getting laid off for a period of time; los- ing their jobs due to downsizing of companies; company owners having to close their doors after many, many years of hard work; major companies took over smaller ones and thus more were left struggling to find new positions. Perhaps the most disappointment to me person- ally is to hear a friend say, “I guess I just don’t play well with others...” I thought about that one a lot and deter- mined the pressure placed on compa- nies to cut costs, cut people, and replace them with computers, and have those remaining spend numerous hours on computers and new programs, “crossing those Ts and dotting those Is” over and over again to ensure “they” keep “their” jobs, may be causing distress to many employees, and companies may just be losing vital knowledge and dedication from employees no longer employed. These are invaluable qualities and can- not and should never be overlooked. While I certainly agree, crossing Ts and dotting Is is a valuable and imperative process - especially in the publishing field - perhaps the pressure placed on those employees should be a little relaxed so they in fact can do their jobs. This year was truly bittersweet for me - seeing friends leave - but then get- ting acknowledged myself with numer- ous thank-you’s for the tremendous job the WWDR Team does each month, and to receive the CGA Woman of the Year Award in Reno. You want to be happy - but yet sadness is still in the air. To all those friends wondering what their life’s forecast is - remember that song “Que Sera, Sera ~ Whatever will be, will be ~ The future’s not ours to see...” Jubilee 2013 photo taken by Ed Moranski. Hydraulic Training by J. Eric Freimuth Hydraulic Training Associates Troubleshooting Tips - Part 4 As we have been discussing in our past few articles, trouble in systems can manifest themselves in a number of areas. We have looked at the reservoir, inlet filter, pump, relief, and cylinder. We will complete our discussion by look- ing at the directional control valve. Please understand none of these tests are to be conclusive, but rather a starting point in helping to determine actual problem areas. If the cylinders were tested and found to have reasonably tight piston seals, the four-way directional control valve should be checked next. Although it does not happen often, an excessively worn control valve can slip enough oil to prevent buildup of maximum pressure. Symptoms of this condition would be a loss of cylinder speed together with the difficulty of building up full pressure, even with the relief valve adjusted to its highest setting. This condition would be more likely to occur with high-pressure pumps of low-volume output and would have developed gradually over a long period of time. Four-way valves may be tested using either air or hydraulics. It is necessary to obtain the exhaust or tank return port so the amount of leakage can be observed. To make the test, disconnect both cylinder lines and plug these ports on the valve. Start your system and shift the valve to one working position. Any flow out of the exhaust or tank return lines with the valve under pressure, would determine the amount of leakage. Repeat the test in all other working positions of the valve. In a sophisticated system, other components could be at fault and could require the service of an experienced technician. By following an organized step-by-step testing procedure in an orderly fashion, the problem can be traced to a general area. Then, if nec- essary, each component in the area can be tested or replaced. Before continuing, ask yourself this series of questions which may reduce time: j Is the model number correct? j Is the unit installed correctly? j Is the unit adjustable? j Does the unit have an external signal? j Does the unit exhibit abnormal (noise, heat, etc.) symptoms? If the answer to each of these ques- tions is no, then we can continue with our quest. Each failure will manifest itself in one of four ways - heat, noise, vibra- tion, or leaks - any one of which can be detected using your natural skills of deduction. In some cases, we need assistance in finding problems. Eric admin@ worldwidedrillingresource.com Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone... on the trail ...