Tag Archives: Energy

A conversation with Matthias Richtig, Global Product Manager XperLUBE for HOERBIGER.

Matthias studied Industrial Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Vienna and holds a Master’s degree.

He has been with HOERBIGER since 2006 in different engineering and Product Management positions for rings and packings. Since 2015, he is the global product manager for the new XperLUBE lubrication system.

1. What do you hope the audience will learn from this webinar?

I will be happy if I can create awareness about what problems poorly functioning lubrication systems can cause. In conjunction with this awareness, I also want people to know what can be done with state of the art lubrication systems to avoid these problems and save money.
I will be happy if I can create awareness about what problems poorly functioning lubrication systems can cause. In conjunction with this awareness, I also want people to know what can be done with state of the art lubrication systems to avoid these problems and save money.

2. What discussions do you look forward to having with the audience?

I am very much looking forward to hearing about people’s experiences with their present lubrication systems.

3. What do you enjoy most about your role?

I truly enjoy the challenge of making a brand new innovation fit for the market.

4. How did you get into the industry?

During my Master’s Studies at university I had the opportunity to work for HOERBIGER. This is how I first got into contact with the compressor and oil & gas industry. I learned a lot about the basics about rings and packings in these years. After graduating university, I assumed the role as Engineering Manager with the task of chaperoning our newest innovation in the field of compressor lubrication into the market.

5. Where is your favourite place in the world and why?

Since a couple of months my favourite place is wherever my little daughter is.

Join Matthias Richtig on 1st June for a webinar entitled ‘Getting Compressor Cylinder Lubrication Just Right‘ at 3PM London/10AM New York.

What Problems Is Your Lubrication System Causing You?

May 9, 2017 Business Review Webinars Leave a comment

I often hear from our partners and customers that their lube systems are causing them problems. Issues range from oil stiction of valves – causing them to lose efficiency – to bad gas quality due to oil droplets, caused by over-lubrication. Good lubrication in itself can be challenging to get right, and many people are surprised what problems their lube systems can cause to parts such as valves, rings and packings. That is what drives me to perfect HOERBIGER’s newest innovation and bring it to the market. I want to revolutionize the lubrication of reciprocating compressors, a subject that has gone more or less untouched for decades.

Experience from over 1200 compressor performance audits performed by HOERBIGER tells us that approximately 30% of all lubricated compressors have problems with their lubrication systems. This in turn has potentially dramatic impacts on valves, rings and packings, and even capital parts.

Lubrication problems often cause losses in compressor efficiency and increase maintenance costs. These undesirable effects put your compressors’ availability and reliability at risk. In the long run, they may harm your processes and reduce your production output. I’m always curious to know more, so do please leave a comment below on the challenges you face when it comes to compressor lubrication.

HOERBIGER has developed a new and innovative compressor lubrication system that addresses many of the problems found in legacy systems. Our XperLUBE offers many advantages. Real-time performance monitoring, for instance, enables prompt adjustments of lube rates. This gives you a flexible lubrication system that adapts the lubrication to match the operating conditions. This will help you avoid over- or under-lubrication, increasing your compressor’s efficiency.

But XperLUBE is more than that. It is based on standardized components that are the same for all compressors. This lets you streamline systems engineering as well as supply chain costs – ultimately reducing inventory costs and saving money. The standardized components also include diagnostics that let you identify malfunctioning parts for rapid replacement, so there’s no need to inspect the system to find the problem before starting a repair. This saves valuable time and gets your compressor up and running faster.

My webinar on June 1st – Getting Compressor Cylinder Lubrication Just Right – will discuss this topic in depth. I’ll be offering you insights into the consequences of poor lubrication, as well as what can be done to avoid these problems. Even if your lubrication system is working just fine, I would like to invite you to join the webinar. I’m sure that in every compressor lubrication system there is something that can be optimized. There are efficiency gains to be made, and money to be saved!

Contributed by Matthias Richtig, Global Product Manager XperLUBE, Hoerbiger

Mayur Rao – Smart Grid Integration & Security Lead – Americas, OMNETRIC Group

May 8, 2017 Business Review Webinars Leave a comment

A conversation with Mayur Rao, the Smart Grid Integration & Security Lead for EMEA for OMNETRIC Group.

His aim is to help utilities asses the IT/OT convergence opportunity, create strategic integration roadmaps and implement solutions to improve their grid and business performance. His team is focussed on pushing the boundaries of innovation by leveraging collaborative partnerships, and developing best practices that optimize performance and enable utilities to fine-tune their control of an increasingly complex grid.

What is your presentation about?

At OMNETRIC Group we spend all of our time helping energy companies to bring operations technology (OT) and IT together to improve performance and get more from a digitized grid. While utilities get that they need to embrace IT/OT integration, they don’t always know how to move beyond the strategy phase. So this presentation will be about recognizing what you need to get right to make IT/OT integration happen, and how to go about it. We’ll share what we’re doing to make integration easier, and talk about how to get a roadmap in place to help integrate processes, technology and information.

What do utilities particularly need to focus on in IT/OT integration projects?

We see four critical success factors for TSOs and DSOs looking to master IT/OT integration and reap the rewards of a digital grid. These are architecture, standards, security and culture. Getting these four things right sets the foundation for operating the distribution business of tomorrow. The complexity of the new energy landscape demands an architecture that will accommodate complex, multi-directional, collaborative business processes.

Standards bring the interoperability that’s a pre-requisite for successful integration, and weighing up the risk of exposing OT systems to the IT world is critical to avoiding performance degradation, business losses and a damaged reputation. Then there’s the human angle: getting IT and OT organizational silos to move in the same direction.

How did you get into the industry and what do you most enjoy about your role?

I initially started out working with automated train control systems and then moved into the utility control systems space. I have since been working in the utility industry for around 17 years and have enjoyed being a part of its evolution, working across a span of many different areas including transmission, distribution, security and energy markets. I joined OMNETRIC Group from Siemens at its inception in 2014.

I enjoy having a hands-on, collaborative approach to shaping technologically innovative solutions for our customers. I really appreciate the opportunity to work in multi-disciplinary teams that bring engineers, IT experts, data scientists and cyber security specialists together to tackle customer challenges. Combining these disciplines in a single team and coming at IT/OT challenges with a deep understanding of the OT side of the equation means that we are disrupting how things have been done previously, and it’s exciting to be a part of that.

What are you hoping to achieve in the future in your professional life?

There’s a lot going on in the energy industry. Innovations such as social media and analytics, for example, continue to push the boundaries of the possible in terms of inclusiveness and iteratively extracting business value from IT/OT integration. Then there’s the movement towards distributed energy resources bringing dispersed and unpredictable energy flows into play that have to be harnessed. Helping clients navigate the energy landscape throws up new challenges every day, so there’s never a dull moment.

Working at OMNETRIC Group puts me at the heart of that dynamic environment and I look forward to continuing to help utilities navigate the ups and downs and transform for the digital age.

Where is your favorite place in the world?

I live in the San Francisco Bay area, which is quite geographically diverse and allows us to explore locally. Hawaii is one my favorite spots to unwind and is a hop away.

Join Mayur Rao on 24th May for a webinar entitled IT/OT Integration Approaches For North American Utilities at 12PM EDT/5PM London.