Our Industry Person of the Week is Taylor Allen. Taylor is a Rotating Equipment Performance (REP) Engineer with SKF.
Q: How did you get started working in your field?
Taylor: I began working in this field during university as a manufacturing engineering co-op student at a company that produces hydraulic drilling rigs. Experiences there and in school led me to have the opportunity to join SKF as an Application Engineering trainee upon graduation. During my time with SKF I have mainly supported the general aftermarket and currently support customers in focused industries with performance contracts as a Rotating Equipment Performance Engineer.
Q: What do you love the most about your job? What are you most proud of?
Taylor: The ability to problem solve and improve overall rotating equipment reliability is what I love most about my job. Integrating SKF’s products and technology; from bearings, seals, and lubrication to condition monitoring products and maintenance tools, to create a complete solution. I am proud to be a female engineer who is empowered to both be hands on in the field and solve complex engineering problems in the office. From proactive engineering projects to completing RCFA’s after unplanned downtime, the ability to contribute and influence overall equipment reliability and availability in countless ways is the most interesting part of what I do.
Q: What advice would you give to someone considering this line of work or new to the field?
Taylor: To learn from every person you come in contact with. In my role, I have the opportunity to touch so many people internal to my company and at customers; all of whom have varied experiences and background which enrich my knowledge and help me grow as an engineer and individual. Be passionate, authentic, and always ask questions. Building a strong, diverse network and gaining practical knowledge will lead to the greatest success.
Q: Can you talk about a project you recently worked on?
Taylor: A customer had a catastrophic failure of a hot water high pressure pump which caused 11.5 hours of unplanned downtime at a paper manufacturing facility. Upon inspection of the equipment at the pump shop, the bearings were found to exhibit severe heat discoloration, plastic deformation of the rings, and adhesive wear. Inspection of pump components revealed a variation in width of oil rings used for lubrication and potential balance issues; overall, the inspection indicated a mechanical seal failure was most likely the root cause.
Following the inspection, review of the maintenance manual, and operating of the pump, several corrective actions were established including: using the correct bearing arrangement for a belt driven pump, reducing the mechanical seal flush fluid pressure, and establishing visual inspection of the seal drains to ODR or oiler rounds. The condition monitoring data was reviewed and audited to ensure the correct set-up and alarms for the application were set.
Connect with Taylor on LinkedIn.
THANK YOU, TAYLOR! WE LOOK FORWARD TO KEEPING UP WITH YOU THROUGH THE #PUMPTALK COMMUNITY!
KNOW AN AMAZING PERSON WHO IS MAKING VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS WITHIN INDUSTRY? NOMINATE THEM TO BE AN “INDUSTRY PERSON OF THE WEEK”!
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