In the operation of chemical plants, on-site measurement instruments—such as level gauges and temperature sensors—serve as the front-line terminals for acquiring process variables, continuously collecting and monitoring core parameters like temperature, liquid level, pressure and flow rate. The measurement accuracy and operational reliability of the instruments directly determine the level of safety control, product yield and overall production efficiency. Routine instrument maintenance is the fundamental guarantee for sustaining long-term, trouble-free operation. However, if maintenance practices fall into certain common misconceptions, the maintenance tasks may appear to be completed on the surface, yet fail to prevent failures proactively. In fact, such practices may accelerate instrument performance degradation, embedding greater operational risks deep within the system and ultimately driving up overall maintenance costs.
Improper maintenance procedures and reckless handling
Front-line personnel may have limited understanding of working principles and maintenance methods of the instruments. Failure to follow standard procedures during maintenance and carrying out haphazard dismantling and adjustments instead can result in damage to the instruments. For example, using highly corrosive cleaning agents to clean instruments damages the housing and internal components; applying excessive force when disassembling instruments leads to deformed connectors and broken wires; when calibrating instruments, arbitrarily adjusting parameters without considering actual production conditions results in data distortion.
Improvement approach: Standardize maintenance operation procedures and enhance the professional competence of workers. Strengthen training so that workers are familiar with the working principles, maintenance methods and operating standards of different types of instruments, and master the correct techniques for cleaning, disassembly and calibration. During maintenance, follow the operating procedures step by step, do not act blindly and promptly consult professionals when encountering problems to avoid damaging instruments through improper operation. Meanwhile, simple and easy-to-read maintenance manual ought to be developed for staff to consult at any time, helping to standardize operation.
Incomplete maintenance records and lack of summary analysis
After performing maintenance, personnel may fail to promptly record the maintenance details, including the maintenance time, content, problems found and corrective actions taken. As a result, when similar failures occur later, it is difficult to quickly identify the root cause, leading to repeated and ineffective work. Moreover, without summarizing maintenance experience, it is hardly possible to discover patterns in instrument failures or optimize maintenance strategies.
Improvement approach: Establish a comprehensive maintenance record system. Each time maintenance is performed, personnel should record relevant information in detail, building a complete maintenance archive. Enterprises should regularly organize personnel to analyze maintenance records, summarize the common types of instrument failures and occurrence patterns, and adjust maintenance plans and methods accordingly to improve efficiency. Through experience sharing and exchange, operators can learn from each other and raise the overall maintenance level.
Conducting thorough and meticulous daily maintenance of chemical process instruments not only reduces operational and maintenance costs throughout the equipment’s lifecycle but also lays a solid foundation for safe, stable and efficient production operations. As a manufacturer and supplier of instrumentation equipment with over two decades of industry experience, Shanghai Wangyuan has consistently been committed to delivering highly reliable products to our customers and providing professional, responsive technical support. If you have any needs or questions regarding instrumentation applications in the chemical industry, please feel free to contact us at any time.
Post time: May-22-2026