Original Date: 10/18/1999
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

Orenda Turbines’ capabilities include turbine engine repair and overhaul services for the commercial and government sectors of the aerospace industry. The CF-18 F404 turbine engines used by the DND CF require a Maintenance Management Support System and an Electronic Engine Logset. Since 1987, Orenda Turbines satisfied these requirements with a mini-computer based Engine Parts Life Tracking System which, in 1997, was migrated to the PC-based Equipment Condition Monitoring System. This life/maintenance tracking system captures and monitors the location, configuration, status, accumulated use, and service history of fielded turbine engines. The Equipment Condition Monitoring System employs relational database technology with a complete suite of graphic user interface software tools for data entry, processing, and report generation. The system operates on client/server local area networks (LANs) (Figure 2-2) and is interconnected by a wide area network.

The Equipment Condition Monitoring System’s applications consist of the Personal Computer Ground Station (PCGS); the Engine Condition Monitoring System; and the Engine Maintenance Reporting System (EMRS). The PCGS acts as the interface between the aircraft and the ground system in the field; creates an aircraft file; and provides aircraft data files back to Orenda Turbines. The Engine Condition Monitoring System captures, processes, and reduces the data so the company can easily monitor values, track trends, and forecast cost-effective engine removals from the field for repair and overhaul. Data is collected from the engines, the main modules, and the components. Life Used Index values (e.g., thermal cycles, time of engine use, speed excursions) are tracked, leading to low cycle fatigue counts. This system is updated daily, rather than just being a periodic snapshot. The EMRS captures data on items not tracked by the Engine Condition Monitoring System.

Orenda Turbines’ Equipment Condition Monitoring System team consists of five employees. Their daily operations support integrity of the engine logset by identifying and correcting data errors caused by software problems (regardless of source data), late entries of maintenance actions, or incorrect data entries. The team satisfies requests for inventory records from one operation site to another, and performs data entries for other third-line contractors as necessary. In addition, the team introduces tracking of new part numbers and/or life limit definitions into the system; introduces tracking of new items and/or changes to DND’s operational requirements; maintains the database; generates reports; and performs data analysis for forecasting and logistics planning by the engine managers. The LAN system engineering activities configure and maintain the servers and clients to current OS/2 standards; ensure daily Oracle database exports and system backups; implement software updates; change LANs to conform to DND’s network protocol; and configure systems for long-term deployments. The team generates procedures and utilities to work-around deficiencies in the Equipment Condition Monitoring System’s software, as well as reporting procedures to facilitate engine management and engineering support; electronic document interchange between Headquarters, Bases, and Orenda Turbines; and large electronic file transfers from Bases to Archiving Sites.

Prior to Orenda implementing the Equipment Condition Monitoring System, data management was less than optimal now all operations are characterized by rapid response and reliable data. The primary goal of contractual compliance with the Canadian Forces (CF) has been met. As a result, Orenda Turbines provides savings for its customer by optimizing the repair and overhaul operations through better control and better matching of the application with the actual requirement.

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