Resolving High Vibration On a Vertical Pump

Case StudyHigh vibration were observed on the motor, pump,structure for more than 2 years with 1X dominant motor vibration. Assuming that the issue is of complete structural issue even though this motor was running well in the past, some structural modifications have been carried out at site which includes a welding a mass of 100 Kg on the structure in addition to the installation of braces to the structure which did not yield any positive results. Structural measurement along with the ODS carried out at site did not reveal a significant issue with the structure itself except for the structural natural frequency slightly closer to the running frequency of the motor. The decision to carry out an onsite balancing on the motor which was intended to remove the excitation force yielded good results which exposed additionally a mistake in the balancing activities carried out by a local vendor at work shop

Resolving High Vibration On a Vertical Pump

Case StudiesThere is a single stage vertical pump installed in Acetic Acid area in a petrochemical plant. The unit is vertical high pressure (HP) reactor feed pump (High speed single stage, 230 kW, 12338 rpm & 3.444 gear ratio) driven by induction motor through a flexible shim pack coupling. High vibration levels were observed on the motor, pump and structure for more than 2 years with 1X dominant vibration (1X motor dominant frequency). Assuming that the issue is completely structural as this motor was running well in the past, there were some structural modifications have been carried out at site with inadequate engineering calculations. The modifications were welding a total mass of 100 kg onto the structure and the installation of braces to the structure which did not yield any positive results. A systematic structural measurement along with the Operating Deflection Shape carried out at site with the help of experts did not reveal a significant issue with the structure itself except for the structural natural frequency being slightly closer to the running frequency of the motor. The timely right decision by the experts to carry out an onsite balancing on the motor, which was intended to remove the excitation force, yielded good results which exposed a mistake in the balancing activities carried out by a local vendor at work shop. This case study is designed to outline how the high vibration issue was successfully diagnosed using various tests on site including the operating deflection shape, the root cause for the high vibration and finally how it was mitigated

Resolving High Vibration On a Vertical Pump

Case StudyHigh vibration were observed on the motor, pump,structure for more than 2 years with 1X dominant motor vibration. Assuming that the issue is of complete structural issue even though this motor was running well in the past, some structural modifications have been carried out at site which includes a welding a mass of 100 Kg on the structure in addition to the installation of braces to the structure which did not yield any positive results. Structural measurement along with the ODS carried out at site did not reveal a significant issue with the structure itself except for the structural natural frequency slightly closer to the running frequency of the motor. The decision to carry out an onsite balancing on the motor which was intended to remove the excitation force yielded good results which exposed additionally a mistake in the balancing activities carried out by a local vendor at work shop

Resolving High Vibration On a Vertical Pump

Case StudiesThere is a single stage vertical pump installed in Acetic Acid area in a petrochemical plant. The unit is vertical high pressure (HP) reactor feed pump (High speed single stage, 230 kW, 12338 rpm & 3.444 gear ratio) driven by induction motor through a flexible shim pack coupling. High vibration levels were observed on the motor, pump and structure for more than 2 years with 1X dominant vibration (1X motor dominant frequency). Assuming that the issue is completely structural as this motor was running well in the past, there were some structural modifications have been carried out at site with inadequate engineering calculations. The modifications were welding a total mass of 100 kg onto the structure and the installation of braces to the structure which did not yield any positive results. A systematic structural measurement along with the Operating Deflection Shape carried out at site with the help of experts did not reveal a significant issue with the structure itself except for the structural natural frequency being slightly closer to the running frequency of the motor. The timely right decision by the experts to carry out an onsite balancing on the motor, which was intended to remove the excitation force, yielded good results which exposed a mistake in the balancing activities carried out by a local vendor at work shop. This case study is designed to outline how the high vibration issue was successfully diagnosed using various tests on site including the operating deflection shape, the root cause for the high vibration and finally how it was mitigated

Occurrence and sources of natural and anthropogenic lipid tracers in surface soils from arid urban areas of Saudi Arabia

Soil particles contain a variety of natural and anthropogenic organic components, and in urban areas can be considered as local collectors of pollutants. Surface soil samples were taken from ten urban areas in Riyadh during early winter of 2007. They were extracted with dichloromethane-methanol mixture and the extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The major compounds were unresolved complex mixture (UCM), plasticizers, n-alkanes, carbohydrates, n-alkanoic acids, hopanes, n-alkanols, and sterols. Vegetation detritus was the major natural source of organic compounds (24.0 ± 15.7%) in samples from areas with less human activities and included n-alkanes, n-alkanoic acids, n-alkanols, sterols and carbohydrates. Vehicular emission products and discarded plastics were the major anthropogenic sources in the soil particles (53.3 ± 21.3% and 22.7 ± 10.7%, respectively). The anthropogenic tracers were UCM, plasticizers, n-alkanes, hopanes and traces of steranes. Vegetation and human activities control the occurrence and distribution of natural and anthropogenic extractable organic matter in this arid urban area.Keywords: Petroleum residues, Biomarkers, Soils, Lipids, Plasticizer

Adhesion characteristics of solution treated environmental dust

Environmental dust is modified towards self-cleaning applications under the gravitational influence. Dust particles are collected in the local area of Dammam in Saudi Arabia and they are treated with a dilute hydrofluoric acid solution. The changes in chemical and adhesion characteristics of the dust particles prior and after the solution treatment are analyzed. Force of adhesion and work required to remove dust from hydrophobic and hydrophilic glass surfaces are assessed, separately, for solution treated and collected dust. We show that aqueous hydrofluoric acid solution treatment modifies some dust components while causing the formation of submicron cracks and nano/submicron porous/pillars like textures on the dust particles. The texture generated on dust surfaces after the solution treatment has a great influence on dust adhesion characteristics. Hence, the solution treated dust particles result in lower adhesion on hydrophobic and hydrophilic glass surfaces as compared to that of untreated dust. The gravitational force enables to remove solution treated dust from inclined glass surfaces, which becomes more apparent for hydrophobic surfaces.The study was supported by King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) through Projects# IN171001 and King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A.CARE) to accomplish this work

Breast cancer awareness and breast self-examination among future female university graduates: comparison between medical and non-medical students

Background: Breast cancer is a common health problem among females in Saudi Arabia. The disease account for 27% of all female malignancies representing 25.1% of all newly diagnosed female cancers. The objectives of the current study were to assess the level of carcinoma breast awareness of female university students, Majmaah University in Saudi Arabia and to compare the level of awareness, breast self-examination and breast cancer screening between medical and non-medical students.Methods: The current study was a cross-sectional, conducted among female students in Majmaah University in Saudi Arabia. The stratified and the systematic sampling were employed to select the colleges and the students respectively. The sample size was calculated as 325. Data was collected by a pre tested questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS.Results: The university students who acquired good knowledge were 111 (34.2%). Students who acquired average and poor knowledge were 42.2% and 23.6% respectively. Medical students who had good knowledge were 37.6% compared to 26.9% of non-medical students.  The results showed that 94 (28.9%) of the participants practice breast self-examination and 25 (7.6%) performed a screening test.Conclusions: The study concluded that Majmaah University students’ awareness of carcinoma breast is low. There is no significant difference in the level of awareness between students of medical colleges and those of non-medical colleges. The level of practicing breast self-examination and performing screening test for carcinoma breast among female university students is low. There is a significant difference in performing carcinoma breast screening test between medical and non-medical students.

Islamism and the state after the Arab uprisings: Between people power and state power

The authors would like to thank the Arts and Humanities Research Council for facilitating the research for this article through their support of the research network People Power versus State Power of the Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World.This paper examines the trajectories of different Islamist trends in the light of the Arab uprisings. It proposes a distinction between statist and non-statist Islamism to help understand the multiplicity of interactions between Islamists and the state, particularly after 2011. It is outlined how statist Islamists (Islamist parties principally) can contribute to the stabilization and democratization of the state when their interactions with other social and political actors facilitate consensus building in national politics. By contrast when these interactions are conflictual, it has a detrimental impact on both the statist Islamists, and the possibility of democratic politics at the national level. Non statist-Islamists (from quietist salafi to armed jihadi) who prioritize the religious community over national politics are directly impacted by the interactions between statist Islamists and the state, and generally tend to benefit from the failure to build a consensus over democratic national politics. Far more than nationally-grounded statist Islamists, non-statist Islamists shape and are shaped by the regional dynamics on the Arab uprisings and the international and transnational relations between the different countries and conflict areas of the Middle East. The Arab uprisings and their aftermath reshaped pre-existing national and international dynamics of confrontation and collaboration between Islamists and the state, and between statist and non-statists Islamists, for better (Tunisia) and for worse (Egypt).PostprintPeer reviewe

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020