Nuclear maintenance strategy and first steps for preliminary maintenance plan of the EU HCLL & HCPB Test Blanket Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galabert, Jose; Hopper, Dave; Neviere, Jean-Cristophe; Nodwell, David; Pascal, Romain; Poitevin, Yves; Ricapito, Italo; White, Gareth

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Nuclear maintenance strategy for the two European (EU) Test Blanket Systems (TBS): i/. Helium Cooled Lead Lithium (HCLL) and ii/. Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB). • Preliminary identification of maintenance tasks for most relevant components of the EU HCLL & HCPB TBS. • Preliminary feasibility analysis for hands-on maintenance tasks of some relevant components of the European Test Blanket Systems. • Design recommendations for enhancement of the European Test Blanket Systems maintainability. - Abstract: This paper gives an overview of nuclear maintenance strategy to be followed for the European HCLL & HCPB Test Blanket Systems (TBS) to be installed in ITER. One of the several core documents to prepare in view of their licensing is their respective ‘Maintenance Plan’. This document is fundamental for ensuring sound performance and safety of the TBS during ITER’s operational phase and shall include, amongst others, relevant information on: maintenance organization, preventive and corrective maintenance task procedures, condition monitoring for key components, maintenance work planning, and a spare parts plan, just to mention some of the key topics. In compliance with the ITER Plant Maintenance policy, first steps have been taken aimed at defining nuclear maintenance strategy for some of the most relevant HCLL & HCPB TBS components, conducted by F4E in collaboration with industry. After a brief recall of maintenance strategy of the TBM Program (PBS-56), this paper analyses main features of EU HCLL & HCPB TBS maintainability and identifies, at their conceptual design phase, a preliminary list of maintenance tasks to be developed for their most representative components. In addition, the paper also presents the first nuclear maintenance studies conducted for replacement of the Q_2 Getter Beds, identifying some design recommendations for their sound maintainability.

Maintenance management sourcing strategies and the condition of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In the face of the deplorable state of buildings across the various tertiary institutions in Nigeria, the need to deploy appropriate maintenance management strategy cannot be overemphasized. However, sourcing decision for maintenance services remains a tough one for decision makers as different sourcing option suit ...

Hardware and software maintenance strategies for upgrading vintage computers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, B.C.; Buijs, W.J.; Banting, R.D.

1992-01-01

The paper focuses on the maintenance of the computer hardware and software for digital control computers (DCC). Specific design and problems related to various maintenance strategies are reviewed. A foundation was required for a reliable computer maintenance and upgrading program to provide operation of the DCC with high availability and reliability for 40 years. This involved a carefully planned and executed maintenance and upgrading program, involving complementary hardware and software strategies. The computer system was designed on a modular basis, with large sections easily replaceable, to facilitate maintenance and improve availability of the system. Advances in computer hardware have made it possible to replace DCC peripheral devices with reliable, inexpensive, and widely available components from PC-based systems (PC = personal computer). By providing a high speed link from the DCC to a PC, it is now possible to use many commercial software packages to process data from the plant. 1 fig

Optimal Inspection and Maintenance Strategies for Structural Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sommer, A. M.

The aim of this thesis is to give an overview of conventional and optimal reliability-based inspection and maintenance strategies and to examine for specific structures how the cost can be reduced and/or the safety can be improved by using optimal reliability-based inspection strategies....... For structures with several almost similar components it is suggested that individual inspection strategies should be determined for each component or a group of components based on the reliability of the actual component. The benefit of this procedure is assessed in connection with the structures considered....... Furthermore, in relation to the calculations performed the intention is to modify an existing program for determination of optimal inspection strategies. The main purpose of inspection and maintenance of structural systems is to prevent or delay damage or deterioration to protect people, environment...

Tools to support maintenance strategies under soft soil conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. W. M. Lambert

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Costs for maintenance of infrastructure in municipalities with soft soil underground conditions, are estimated to be almost 40 % higher than in others. As a result, these municipalities meet financial problems that cause overdue maintenance. In some cases municipalities are even afraid to be unable to offer a minimum service level in future. In common, traditional practice, roads and sewerage systems have been constructed in trenches that consist of sandy material that replaces the upper meters of the soft soil. Under influence of its weight, this causes accelerated settlements of the construction. A number of alternative constructions have been developed, e.g. using light-weight materials to limit settlement velocity. In order to limit future maintenance costs, improvement of maintenance strategies is desired. Tools have been and will be developed to support municipalities in improving their maintenance strategies and save money by doing that. A model (BALANS that weighs the attractiveness of alternative solutions under different soil, environmental and economic circumstances, will be presented.

Overview of progress on the European DEMO remote maintenance strategy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crofts, Oliver, E-mail: oliver.crofts@ccfe.ac.uk [RACE/UKAEA, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon OX14 3DB, Oxon (United Kingdom); Loving, Antony; Iglesias, Daniel [RACE/UKAEA, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon OX14 3DB, Oxon (United Kingdom); Coleman, Matti [EUROfusion Consortium, PPP& T Department, Boltzmannstraße 2, 85748 Garching (Germany); Siuko, Mikko [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, PO Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Espoo (Finland); Mittwollen, Martin [KIT Institut für Fördertechnik und Logistiksysteme, Gotthard-Franz-Straße 8, Geb.50.38, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Queral, Vicente [CIEMAT Laboratorio Nacional de Fusión, Edif. 66, Avenida Complutense 40, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Vale, Alberto [IST, Instituto Superior Técnico, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Villedieu, Eric [CEA, IRFM, 13108 St Paul lez Durance (France)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • The remote maintenance strategy is applicable to the range of tokamak and component options currently under consideration in Europe • The remote maintenance development work is concentrating on the application and limits of the immature technologies that pose the greatest risk to the feasibility of the maintenance strategy • Position control during the handling of the in-vessel components is one of the areas of high risk and a system is being developed and will be tested prior to concept design to demonstrate the feasibility and capability of a system capable of real time incorporation of changing kinematic data provided by a structural simulator running in parallel • In-vessel recovery and rescue and the pipe joining technology form two more of the high risk areas where developments are being concentrated - Abstract: The EU-DEMO remote maintenance strategy must be relevant for a range of in-vessel component design options. The remote maintenance project must provide an understanding of the limits of the strategy and technologies so as to inform the developing plant design of the maintenance constraints. A comprehensive set of maintenance requirements has been produced, in conjunction with the plant designers, against which design options can be assessed. The proposed maintenance solutions are based around a strategy that deploys casks above each of the vertical ports to exchange the blanket segments and at each of the divertor ports to exchange the divertor cassettes. The casks deploy remote handling equipment to open and close the vacuum vessel, remove and re-install pipework, and replace the in-vessel components. A technical design risk assessment has shown that the largest risks are common to all of the proposed solutions and that they are associated with two key issues, first; the ability to handle the large blanket and divertor components to the required positional accuracy with limited viewing and position feedback, and second; to

Overview of progress on the European DEMO remote maintenance strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crofts, Oliver; Loving, Antony; Iglesias, Daniel; Coleman, Matti; Siuko, Mikko; Mittwollen, Martin; Queral, Vicente; Vale, Alberto; Villedieu, Eric

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The remote maintenance strategy is applicable to the range of tokamak and component options currently under consideration in Europe • The remote maintenance development work is concentrating on the application and limits of the immature technologies that pose the greatest risk to the feasibility of the maintenance strategy • Position control during the handling of the in-vessel components is one of the areas of high risk and a system is being developed and will be tested prior to concept design to demonstrate the feasibility and capability of a system capable of real time incorporation of changing kinematic data provided by a structural simulator running in parallel • In-vessel recovery and rescue and the pipe joining technology form two more of the high risk areas where developments are being concentrated - Abstract: The EU-DEMO remote maintenance strategy must be relevant for a range of in-vessel component design options. The remote maintenance project must provide an understanding of the limits of the strategy and technologies so as to inform the developing plant design of the maintenance constraints. A comprehensive set of maintenance requirements has been produced, in conjunction with the plant designers, against which design options can be assessed. The proposed maintenance solutions are based around a strategy that deploys casks above each of the vertical ports to exchange the blanket segments and at each of the divertor ports to exchange the divertor cassettes. The casks deploy remote handling equipment to open and close the vacuum vessel, remove and re-install pipework, and replace the in-vessel components. A technical design risk assessment has shown that the largest risks are common to all of the proposed solutions and that they are associated with two key issues, first; the ability to handle the large blanket and divertor components to the required positional accuracy with limited viewing and position feedback, and second; to

Latent human error analysis and efficient improvement strategies by fuzzy TOPSIS in aviation maintenance tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Ming-Chuan; Hsieh, Min-Chih

2016-05-01

The purposes of this study were to develop a latent human error analysis process, to explore the factors of latent human error in aviation maintenance tasks, and to provide an efficient improvement strategy for addressing those errors. First, we used HFACS and RCA to define the error factors related to aviation maintenance tasks. Fuzzy TOPSIS with four criteria was applied to evaluate the error factors. Results show that 1) adverse physiological states, 2) physical/mental limitations, and 3) coordination, communication, and planning are the factors related to airline maintenance tasks that could be addressed easily and efficiently. This research establishes a new analytic process for investigating latent human error and provides a strategy for analyzing human error using fuzzy TOPSIS. Our analysis process complements shortages in existing methodologies by incorporating improvement efficiency, and it enhances the depth and broadness of human error analysis methodology. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Navy Ship Maintenance: Action Needed to Maximize New Contracting Strategys Potential Benefits

Science.gov (United States)

2016-11-01

implementation of the new strategy, the Navy conducted market research and pilot-tested attributes of the strategy with pilot maintenance periods for a...readiness strategy and, in 2015, introduction of a new contracting strategy for ship repair, referred to as MAC-MO. House Report 114-102 accompanying the...Maintenance Letter 1 Background 3 Market Research and Piloting Helped Inform Roll-out of MAC-MO Strategy, Which Offers Potential Benefits

Performance-based inspection and maintenance strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vesely, W.E.

1995-01-01

Performance-based inspection and maintenance strategies utilize measures of equipment performance to help guide inspection and maintenance activities. A relevant measure of performance for safety system components is component unavailability. The component unavailability can also be input into a plant risk model such as a Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) to determine the associated plant risk performance. Based on the present and projected unavailability performance, or the present and projected risk performance, the effectiveness of current maintenance activities can be evaluated and this information can be used to plan future maintenance activities. A significant amount of information other than downtimes or failure times is collected or can be collected when an inspection or maintenance is conducted which can be used to estimate the component unavailability. This information generally involves observations on the condition or state of the component or component piecepart. The information can be detailed such as the amount of corrosion buildup or can be general such as the general state of the component described as ' high degradation', ' moderate degradation', or ' low degradation'. Much of the information collected in maintenance logs is qualitative and fuzzy. As part of an NRC Research program on performance-based engineering modeling, approaches have been developed to apply Fuzzy Set Theory to information collected on the state of the component to determine the implied component or component piecepart unavailability. Demonstrations of the applications of Fuzzy Set Theory are presented utilizing information from plant maintenance logs. The demonstrations show the power of Fuzzy Set Theory in translating engineering information to reliability and risk implications

Progress with the national infrastructure maintenance strategy

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Wall, K

2008-07-01

Full Text Available infrastructure investment and maintenance that will result from this strategy will not only improve infrastructure performance and underpin services sustainability, but will also contribute significantly towards national and local economic growth and will add...

Industrial Maintenance Strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sajjad Akbar

2006-01-01

Industrial plants have become more complex due to technological advancement. This has made the task of maintenance more difficult. The maintenance costs in terms of resources and downtime loss are so high that maintenance function has become a critical factor in a plant's profitability. Industry should devote as much forethought to the management of maintenance function as to production. Maintenance has grown from an art to a precise, technical engineering science. Planning, organizing scheduling and control of maintenance using modern techniques pays dividends in the form of reduced costs and increased reliability. The magnitude and the dimension of maintenance have multiplied due to development in the engineering technologies. Production cost and capacities are directly affected by the breakdown time. Total operating cost including the maintenance cost plays an important role in replacement dimension. The integrated system approach would bring forth the desired results of high maintenance standards. The standards once achieved and sustained, would add to the reliability of the plan and relieve heavy stresses and strains on the engineering logistic support. (author)

Operation and maintenance strategies for wave energy converters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ambühl, Simon; Marquis, Laurent; Kofoed, Jens Peter

2015-01-01

costs including costs due to lost electricity production are minimized. The risk-based approach is compared with an approach where only boats are used and another approach where the target is to minimize the downtime of the device. This article presents a dynamic approach for total operation......Inspection and maintenance costs are a significant contributor to the cost of energy for wave energy converters. There are different operation and maintenance strategies for wave energy converters. Maintenance can be performed after failure (corrective) or before a breakdown (preventive) occurs....... Furthermore, a helicopter and boats can be used to transport equipment and personnel to the device, or the whole device can be towed to a harbour for operation and maintenance actions. This article describes, among others, a risk-based inspection and maintenance planning approach where the overall repair...

Development the conceptual design of Knowledge Based System for Integrated Maintenance Strategy and Operation

Science.gov (United States)

Milana; Khan, M. K.; Munive, J. E.

2014-07-01

The importance of maintenance has escalated significantly by the increasing of automation in manufacturing process. This condition switches traditional maintenance perspective of inevitable cost into the business competitive driver. Consequently, maintenance strategy and operation decision needs to be synchronized to business and manufacturing concerns. This paper shows the development of conceptual design of Knowledge Based System for Integrated Maintenance Strategy and Operation (KBIMSO). The framework of KBIMSO is elaborated to show the process of how the KBIMSO works to reach the maintenance decision. By considering the multi-criteria of maintenance decision making, the KB system embedded with GAP and AHP to support integrated maintenance strategy and operation which is novel in this area. The KBIMSO is useful to review the existing maintenance system and give reasonable recommendation of maintenance decisions in respect to business and manufacturing perspective.

Development the conceptual design of Knowledge Based System for Integrated Maintenance Strategy and Operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milana; Khan, M K; Munive, J E

2014-01-01

The importance of maintenance has escalated significantly by the increasing of automation in manufacturing process. This condition switches traditional maintenance perspective of inevitable cost into the business competitive driver. Consequently, maintenance strategy and operation decision needs to be synchronized to business and manufacturing concerns. This paper shows the development of conceptual design of Knowledge Based System for Integrated Maintenance Strategy and Operation (KBIMSO). The framework of KBIMSO is elaborated to show the process of how the KBIMSO works to reach the maintenance decision. By considering the multi-criteria of maintenance decision making, the KB system embedded with GAP and AHP to support integrated maintenance strategy and operation which is novel in this area. The KBIMSO is useful to review the existing maintenance system and give reasonable recommendation of maintenance decisions in respect to business and manufacturing perspective

An effective approach to reducing strategy space for maintenance optimisation of multistate series–parallel systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Yifan; Lin, Tian Ran; Sun, Yong; Bian, Yangqing; Ma, Lin

2015-01-01

Maintenance optimisation of series–parallel systems is a research topic of practical significance. Nevertheless, a cost-effective maintenance strategy is difficult to obtain due to the large strategy space for maintenance optimisation of such systems. The heuristic algorithm is often employed to deal with this problem. However, the solution obtained by the heuristic algorithm is not always the global optimum and the algorithm itself can be very time consuming. An alternative method based on linear programming is thus developed in this paper to overcome such difficulties by reducing strategy space of maintenance optimisation. A theoretical proof is provided in the paper to verify that the proposed method is at least as effective as the existing methods for strategy space reduction. Numerical examples for maintenance optimisation of series–parallel systems having multistate components and considering both economic dependence among components and multiple-level imperfect maintenance are also presented. The simulation results confirm that the proposed method is more effective than the existing methods in removing inappropriate maintenance strategies of multistate series–parallel systems. - Highlights: • A new method using linear programming is developed to reduce the strategy space. • The effectiveness of the new method for strategy reduction is theoretically proved. • Imperfect maintenance and economic dependence are considered during optimisation

Predictive maintenance strategy in the graphics departament of a tobacco company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guilherme Francez Toazza

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this article was to describe the implementation of a strategy for Predictive Maintenance in the graphics department of the company Souza Cruz SA after the techniques of Vibration Analysis, Thermography, Ferrography and Inspection Sensitive. The research method was the action-research. The proposed study is the application of a management Predictive Maintenance acting strategically within the context in which it is embedded. The article reviews the theoretical concepts and Predictive Maintenance techniques mentioned above. In the survey, were raised in the information system of the company, the rate of breakdown of equipment (downtime, waste energy costs, maintenance costs and availability of H / h (man / hour and availability of equipment for the production the period prior to the implementation of a predictive maintenance management and consistent compared with results after this deployment. From the results obtained, it was evident that only preventive maintenance, combined with a model predictive maintenance is not poor enough to maintain the desired reliability in a department of great importance to your company. So, it is possible to say that the implementation of a predictive maintenance strategy can make the Maintenance sector to work strategically with common goals to the company as a whole.

Development of high-immersive simulation system for designing maintenance strategy and its application to CLEAR-I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Zihui; He, Tao; Shang, Leiming; Long, Pengcheng; Hu, Liqin

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A system was self-developed to simulate and verify the maintenance strategy. • Large-scale 3D radiation scene can be rapidly built and rendered in real-time. • A high efficiency simulation way was provided by tracking 6-DOF body motion. • It has been applied to CLEAR-I and proved maintenance strategy was feasible. - Abstract: The maintenance strategy is imperative and important to be considered in the design process of advanced nuclear reactor as early as possible. The design and validation of the maintenance strategy are key challenges which remain to be resolved due to the complex mechanical structure, the expensive physical mockup, and the potential risk of radiation hazards. In this paper, a high-immersive interactive simulation system has been developed to simulate and verify maintenance strategy by using virtual reality. Main features include: (1) rapid modeling and real-time rendering of the large-scale three-dimensional radiation scene, (2) real-time interactive roaming by tracking the 6-DOF body motion, (3) the interactive disassembly simulation of the mechanism structure were controlled by the hand gestures. The system can provide designers with an intuitive experience environment, an efficient and flexible interactive way as well as the whole process simulation of maintenance strategy. It has been applied to simulate and verify the maintenance strategy of the spallation target proton beam window for China LEAd-based research Reactor (CLEAR-I). The simulation result proved the maintenance strategy of proton beam window was reasonable and feasible. The system was useful to verify maintenance strategy, optimize maintenance operation, reduce intervention time and exposure dose of workers. It provided a high efficiency and low cost way for simulating maintenance strategy to meet the requirements of ALARA rules and can be extended to other nuclear facilities

Probabilistic sensitivity analysis of optimised preventive maintenance strategies for deteriorating infrastructure assets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daneshkhah, A.; Stocks, N.G.; Jeffrey, P.

2017-01-01

Efficient life-cycle management of civil infrastructure systems under continuous deterioration can be improved by studying the sensitivity of optimised preventive maintenance decisions with respect to changes in model parameters. Sensitivity analysis in maintenance optimisation problems is important because if the calculation of the cost of preventive maintenance strategies is not sufficiently robust, the use of the maintenance model can generate optimised maintenances strategies that are not cost-effective. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis methods (particularly variance based ones), only partially respond to this issue and their use is limited to evaluating the extent to which uncertainty in each input contributes to the overall output's variance. These methods do not take account of the decision-making problem in a straightforward manner. To address this issue, we use the concept of the Expected Value of Perfect Information (EVPI) to perform decision-informed sensitivity analysis: to identify the key parameters of the problem and quantify the value of learning about certain aspects of the life-cycle management of civil infrastructure system. This approach allows us to quantify the benefits of the maintenance strategies in terms of expected costs and in the light of accumulated information about the model parameters and aspects of the system, such as the ageing process. We use a Gamma process model to represent the uncertainty associated with asset deterioration, illustrating the use of EVPI to perform sensitivity analysis on the optimisation problem for age-based and condition-based preventive maintenance strategies. The evaluation of EVPI indices is computationally demanding and Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques would not be helpful. To overcome this computational difficulty, we approximate the EVPI indices using Gaussian process emulators. The implications of the worked numerical examples discussed in the context of analytical efficiency and organisational

Formulation of price strategies in the software sector: outsourcing of development and maintenance software product case

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Cezar Bornia

2008-07-01

Full Text Available The main goal of this article is to discuss the formulation of price strategies in the software sector. In the intention of reaching the proposed goal, strategies models of prices are introduced along with the procedure to the formulation of price strategies, composed by five stages: external and internal analyses, consolidation, positioning, price strategy formalization and market attendance. As for the methodology, the study is classified as qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, documental, of field and case study, according to the approach of Vergara (1998. In the case study, the model to the formulation of price strategies is applied in a company’s software sector, being analyzed the outsourcing of development and maintenance software product. As main contributions, it is highlighted the price procedure application that emphasizes strategic price logic and prices strategies formulations, with base in the analysis of five main factors: quality, comparison with the competition, company life cycle, product life cycle and characteristics of the segment-objective. Based on the analyzed factors, a possible strategy to be adopted considering the characteristics of the product and the company is the price strategy and superior value. Key-words: Pricing Strategies. Price Formulation. Software Enterprises.

Development Of Optimum Maintenance amp Rehabilitation Strategies For Urban Bituminous Concrete Surfaced Roads

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr Pardeep Kumar Gupta

2015-02-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT In India the road traffic volume has increased manifolds during the post-independence period. The traffic axle loading may also in many cases be much heavier than the specified limit. As a result of which the existing road network has been subjected to severe deterioration leading to premature failure of the pavements.In such a scenario development of the effective pavement management strategies would furnish useful information to ensure the compatible and cost- effective decisions so as to keep the existing road network intact. The pavement deterioration models can prove to be an effective tool which can assist highway agencies to forecast economic and technical outcome of possible investment decisions regarding maintenance management of pavements. The optimum maintenance and rehabilitation strategies developed in this study would be useful in planning pavement maintenance strategies in a scientific manner and ensuring rational utilization of limited maintenance funds. Once this strategy for urban road network is implemented and made operational this would serve as window to the other urban road network of different regions.

Presenting a model of repair and preventing maintenance of Bushehr nuclear power plants analyzing the data of similar nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parikhan, Hammidreza

1997-01-01

Due to the increase application of nuclear energy for producing electricity, special attention must be paid to their maintenance activities in general and preventive maintenance in particular. It has been shown that a well established preventive maintenance programme will enhance the reliability and availability of nuclear power plants. A model of preventive maintenance for Buhehr nuclear power plant which is due to be completed by 2001 is developed. The prescribed model is based on past experiences of VVER nuclear power plants around the world. The utilized data is provided by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria. The data and past experiences reveal such important information as availability, energy loss, types of failures, duration of failure, etc. A strategy for designing a database is established. These data are then analyzed by statistical methods such as Pareto analysis, t-test, K-S test, analysis of variance, etc. The results of our analysis reveal important information in regard to establishment of a well-defined preventive maintenance programme in Buhshehr nuclear power plant. The results show that certain equipment such turbo-generator and control-rods play an important role in the maintenance of a VVER nuclear power plant. Other findings are discussed in great detail

A MAINTENANCE STRATEGY MODEL FOR STATIC EQUIPMENT USING INSPECTION METHODOLOGIES AND RISK MANAGEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.K. Visser

2012-01-01

Full Text Available

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Mechanical equipment used on process plants can be categorised into two main types, namely static and rotating equipment. A brief survey at a number of chemical process plants indicated that a number of maintenance strategies exist and are used for rotating equipment. However, some of these strategies are not directly applicable to static equipment, although the risk-based inspection (RBI methodology has been developed for pressure vessels. A generalised risk-based maintenance strategy for all types of static equipment does not currently exist. This paper describes the development of an optimised model of inspection methodologies, maintenance strategies, and risk management principles that are generically applicable for static equipment. It enables maintenance managers and engineers to select an applicable maintenance strategy and inspection methodology, based on the operational and business risks posed by the individual pieces of equipment.

AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Meganiese toerusting wat op prosesaanlegte gebruik word kan in twee kategorieë verdeel word, naamlik statiese en roterende toerusting. 'n Bondige ondersoek by 'n aantal chemiese prosesaanlegte het aangedui dat 'n aantal strategieë vir instandhouding van roterende toerusting gebruik word, terwyl die risikogebaseerde inspeksiemetodologie wel vir drukvate gebruik word. 'n Algemene risikogebaseerde instandhoudingstrategie vir alle tipes statiese toerusting is egter nie tans beskikbaar nie. Hierdie artikel beskryf die ontwikkeling van 'n geoptimeerde model van inspeksiemetodologieë, instandhoudingstrategieë, en risikobestuursbeginsels wat algemeen gebruik kan word vir statiese toerusting. Dit stel die instandhouding-bestuurders en -ingenieurs in staat om 'n instandhoudingstrategie en inspeksie-metodologie te kies, gebaseer op die operasionele en besigheidsrisiko's van die individuele toerusting.

A Novel Short-Term Maintenance Strategy for Power Transmission and Transformation Equipment Based on Risk-Cost-Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hang Yang

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Current studies on preventive condition-based maintenance of power transmission and transformation equipment mainly focus on mid-term or long-term maintenance, and cannot meet the requirements of short-term especially temporary maintenance. In order to solve the defects of the present preventive maintenance strategies, according to the engineering application and based on risk-cost analysis, a short-term maintenance strategy is proposed in this manuscript. For the equipment working in bad health condition, its active maintenance costs and operation risk costs are evaluated, respectively. Then the latest maintenance time is calculated in accordance with the principle that its operation risk costs are no higher than active maintenance costs. Utilizing the latest maintenance time, the best maintenance time is calculated by setting the maximum relative earnings of postponing maintenance as the target, which provides the operation staffs with comprehensive maintenance-decision support. In the end, different cases on the IEEE 24-bus system are simulated. The effectiveness and advantages of the proposed strategy are demonstrated by the simulation results.

Present Status and Future Growth of Advanced Maintenance Technology and Strategy in US Manufacturing.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Xiaoning; Weiss, Brian A; Siegel, David; Lee, Jay

2016-01-01

The goals of this paper are to 1) examine the current practices of diagnostics, prognostics, and maintenance employed by United States (U.S.) manufacturers to achieve productivity and quality targets and 2) to understand the present level of maintenance technologies and strategies that are being incorporated into these practices. A study is performed to contrast the impact of various industry-specific factors on the effectiveness and profitability of the implementation of prognostics and health management technologies, and maintenance strategies using both surveys and case studies on a sample of U.S. manufacturing firms ranging from small to mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) to large-sized manufacturing enterprises in various industries. The results obtained provide important insights on the different impacts of specific factors on the successful adoption of these technologies between SMEs and large manufacturing enterprises. The varying degrees of success with respect to current maintenance programs highlight the opportunity for larger manufacturers to improve maintenance practices and consider the use of advanced prognostics and health management (PHM) technology. This paper also provides the existing gaps, barriers, future trends, and roadmaps for manufacturing PHM technology and maintenance strategy.

Check and maintenance strategies and practice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buettner, W.E.

1982-01-01

There exists no uniform test and maintenance strategy for instrumentation and control in German nuclear power plants. The procedures vary according to the plant type (PWR or BWR), the utility and the licensing authority responsible for the plant, but there are common aspects and also requirements from regulatory guides. This common main aspects are treated and exemplified in this lecture. The lecture is confined to operational procedures and preoperational or commissioning tests will be not described in spite of the fact that commissioning procedures may look like operational procedures. (orig./RW)

Review on the Pavement-repairing Measures as a Condition for the Choice of Road-Maintenance Strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nedevska Ivana

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The road-maintenance strategies vary from one country to another, and even between the road management authorities within a one single country. It is not surprising, as there is not best maintenance method, nor a universal set of strategies that can be applied equally everywhere. Generally, there are strategies acceptable in certain conditions, but the factors influencing the selection process are diverse and very complex. This paper will present a review of the various measures that can be applied on the roads, which is certainly the basic condition of selection of an appropriate maintenance strategy.

Analiza efekata uvođenja savremenih strategija održavanja / Effects of introducing modern maintenance strategies and their analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petar Stanojević

2003-07-01

Full Text Available Često se postavlja pitanje opravdanosti investicija za unapređivanje sistema održavanja. Uvođenje strategija održavanja, kao što su RCM, TPM, održavanje prema stanju i sličnih, danas je svetski trend u usavršavanju sistema održavanja. Na primeru jednog modela taksi preduzeća, uz upotrebu metode simulacije, zasnovane na sistemskoj dinamici, izvršena je analiza efekata koje bi imalo uvođenje savremenih strategija održavanja u taj sistem. Došlo se do zaključaka koji su slični svetskim iskustvima. Najpre se mora izvršiti stabilizacija i pravilno dimenzioniranje sistema održavanja, da bi se zatim pristupilo usavršavanju sistema primenom odgovarajućih strategija. Uvođenje strategija održavanja odgovara prvenstveno sistemima kod kojih tehnička sredstva moraju neprestano da rade, odnosno imaju visok koeficijent eksploatacije. Prosečno, za svakih 10% smanjenja u broju otkaza, vremenu preventivnog održavanja i učestanosti preventivnih akcija, ukupan profit preduzeća raste oko 5%. Poboljšanja u domenu znanja održavaoca i kvaliteta rada donose narednih 5% povećanja profita. / Investments in the improvement of maintenance systems are often brought into question as to whether they are justified or not. Introducing maintenance strategies, eg. RCM, TPM, on-condition maintenance, etc., is nowadays a worldurde tendency in the improvement of maintenance systems. The simulation method based on system dynamics has been applied to a model of a taxi business in order to analyze the effects of introducing modern maintenance strategies into that system. The obtained results show good accordance with experiences wordurde. The stabilization and adequate dimensioning of the maintenance system should proceed the system improvement using adequate strategies. Bringing maintenance strategies into use predominantly suits the systems with a high duty factor, ie. the systems with continually operating elements. Every 10% of reduction in the number

National infrastructure maintenance strategy for South Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Wall, K

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Conference, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2009 WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND MULTISECTORAL APPROACHES A National Infrastructure Maintenance Strategy for South Africa Kevin Wall, South Africa [OFFICE USE ONLY: REVIEWED...; − effects on human health and economic growth; − lack of effective countermeasures in the event of failure of the service; and − the risk generally to government's growth objectives. Wastewater treatment works are often problematic, as are water...

Development of an evaluation method for optimization of maintenance strategy in commercial plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Satoshi; Shiraishi, Natsuki; Yuki, Kazuhisa; Hashizume, Hidetoshi

2006-01-01

In this study, a new simulation method is developed for optimization of maintenance strategy in NPP as a multiple-objective optimization problem (MOP). The result of operation is evaluated as the average of the following three measures in 3,000 trials: Cost of Electricity (COE) as economic risk, Frequency of unplanned shutdown as plant reliability, and Unavailability of Regular Service System (RSS) and Engineering Safety Features (ESF) as safety measures. The following maintenance parameters are considered to evaluate several risk in plant operation by changing maintenance strategy: planned outage cycle, surveillance cycle, major inspection cycle, and surveillance cycle depending on the value of Fussel-Vesely importance measure. By using the Decision-Making method based on AHP, there are individual tendencies depending on individual decision-maker. Therefore this study could be useful for resolving the problem of maintenance optimization as a MOP. (author)

Different genome maintenance strategies in human and tobacco cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Pelczar, Pawel; Kalck, Véronique; Kovalchuk, Igor

2003-08-22

In this work, genome maintenance strategies of organisms belonging to different kingdoms (animals versus plants) but of similar genome size were investigated using a novel, universal double-strand break (DSB) repair assay. Different plasmids linearised with KpnI, Acc65I or EcoRV yielding either 3' or 5' protruding or blunt DNA termini, respectively, were transfected into HeLa cells and Nicotiana plumbaginifolia protoplasts and assayed for the efficiency and fidelity of DSB repair. We show that the mechanism of break sealing is similar but that drastic differences are seen in the fidelity of repair: in HeLa cells, 50-55% DSBs were repaired precisely, compared to as little as 15-30% in tobacco cells. Moreover, the DSB repair in plants resulted in 30-40% longer deletions and significantly shorter insertions. Combined, these led to more than twofold larger net DNA loss in tobacco cells. Our observations point to possible differences in the strategies of DSB repair and genome maintenance in plants and animals.

Maintenance strategy based on reliability functions for an oil centrifugal pump

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denis Carlos Mengue

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this article was to define the most appropriate maintenance strategy for a centrifugal pump (preventive, predictive, corrective or emergency, based on reliability calculation. The research method was the quantitative modeling, applied in a petroleum plant. The study may contribute to the development of a strategic model for the management of the industrial plant maintenance. In the company's information system, records of eleven years have been gathered on times between failures and times for repair of the equipment. These times were modeled by probability distributions. From the results obtained were calculated Reliability and Maintainability functions R(t and M(t. By combining their expected values (MTBF and MTTR, Av availability was calculated. The figures for MTBF, MTTR and Av were respectively 3,936 hours, 133 hours and 96.73%. The most likely shape factor of the Weibull distribution which modeled the time between failures was 0.69. So, it was possible to affirm that the pump is in the infant mortality phase. The theoretical framework of RCM indicated corrective  maintenance as the strategy for the item. This strategy aims to eliminate the defects of equipment design, reinforce items that usually break and remove the causes of the failures.

Selecting the most appropriate maintenance strategies using fuzzy Analytic Network Process: A case study of Saipa vehicle industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mina Rahimi

2014-04-01

Full Text Available It is necessary for companies and industries to select the most appropriate maintenance strategy to increase the reliability and safety level with reasonable cost. The primary objective of this paper is to assess different maintenance strategies and to select the best and the most appropriate alternatives for Saipa vehicle industry in Tehran, Iran. For this purpose, we simultaneously consider numerous conflicting objectives and constraints. In this study to counter with this conflicting and to consider the dependency among the qualitative and quantitative criteria and sub-criteria, an integration of Analytic Network Process (ANP and fuzzy set theory are considered. Therefore, factors playing important role in selecting the best maintenance strategy are determined by reviewing the research literature and interviewing with the experts by Delphi technique. Considering the relations among different factors, a network with 4 criteria and 28 sub-criteria are proposed. In the next step, ANP technique is applied for ranking effective factors in evolution of appropriate maintenance strategy. Results reveal that the best maintenance strategy for fixture body of pride (setter is corrective maintenance.

Optimization of maintenance strategies in case of data uncertainties; Optimierung von Instandhaltungsstrategien bei unscharfen Eingangsdaten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aha, Ulrich

2013-07-01

Maintenance strategies are aimed to keep a technical facility functioning in spite of damaging processes (wear, corrosion, fatigue) with simultaneous control of these processes. The project optimization of maintenance strategies in case of data uncertainties is aimed to optimize maintenance measures like preventive measures (lubrication etc.), inspections and replacements to keep the facility/plant operating including the minimization of financial costs. The report covers the following topics: modeling assumptions, model development and optimization procedure, results for a conventional power plant and an oxyfuel plant.

The Convertible Arbitrage Strategy Analyzed

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Loncarski, I.; Ter Horst, J.R.; Veld, C.H.

2006-01-01

This paper analyzes convertible bond arbitrage on the Canadian market for the period 1998 to 2004.Convertible bond arbitrage is the combination of a long position in convertible bonds and a short position in the underlying stocks. Convertible arbitrage has been one of the most successful strategies

Investigating the Optimal Management Strategy for a Healthcare Facility Maintenance Program

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Gaillard, Daria

2004-01-01

...: strategic partnering with an equipment management firm. The objective of this study is to create a decision-model for selecting the optimal management strategy for a healthcare organization's facility maintenance program...

Cost modelling in maintenance strategy optimisation for infrastructure assets with limited data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Wenjuan; Wang, Wenbin

2014-01-01

Our paper reports on the use of cost modelling in maintenance strategy optimisation for infrastructure assets. We present an original approach: the possibility of modelling even when the data and information usually required are not sufficient in quantity and quality. Our method makes use of subjective expert knowledge, and requires information gathered for only a small sample of assets to start with. Bayes linear methods are adopted to combine the subjective expert knowledge with the sample data to estimate the unknown model parameters of the cost model. When new information becomes available, Bayes linear methods also prove useful in updating these estimates. We use a case study from the rail industry to demonstrate our methods. The optimal maintenance strategy is obtained via simulation based on the estimated model parameters and the strategy with the least unit time cost is identified. When the optimal strategy is not followed due to insufficient funding, the future costs of recovering the degraded asset condition are estimated

Maintenance strategies and safety on a deregulated market. Mapping of changes in maintenance strategies and their possible consequences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kecklund, Lena

2004-11-01

The overall purpose of the project was to make a survey of the changes in the Swedish nuclear power plants over the last five years. There is a risk that nuclear power companies after a deregulation will focus especially on reducing operation and maintenance costs and that the changes could have a negative effect on the reactor safety. The task has involved summarising the actual changes, describing the present situation, the need for future development and the differences between the plants as well as identifying possible reactor safety related risks. The survey has been carried out in a broad perspective, studying the changes in equipment, maintenance strategies and the work situation of the staff. Three case studies were carried out at the Swedish nuclear power plants. Documentation from the companies has been analysed and a selection of in total 27 'informed' employees in different positions have been interviewed in total. The project also included a fourth case study concerning railway traffic. This branch of business is interesting because of its longer experience on a deregulated and competitive market. Conclusions concerning the companies individually as well as similarities and differences between them are presented in this report. Results: There have been more changes both in strategy and organisation in the last five years than during the preceding 5-10-year-period and the pace has been relatively rapid. The deregulation of the electricity market was implemented January 1997 and became the main motive force for the changes. The staffing has been reduced or unchanged and the work demands have increased. The maintenance skills have been redistributed within the organisation. New methods and equipment, i.e. RCM, and programmable systems make increased demands for analytical and theoretical competence. In the short term, job satisfaction and motivation have in some cases been negatively influenced by the new organisation forms, according to several of the

Knowledge based maintenance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sturm, A [Hamburgische Electacitaets-Werke AG Hamburg (Germany)

1998-12-31

The establishment of maintenance strategies is of crucial significance for the reliability of a plant and the economic efficiency of maintenance measures. Knowledge about the condition of components and plants from the technical and business management point of view therefore becomes one of the fundamental questions and the key to efficient management and maintenance. A new way to determine the maintenance strategy can be called: Knowledge Based Maintenance. A simple method for determining strategies while taking the technical condition of the components of the production process into account to the greatest possible degree which can be shown. A software with an algorithm for Knowledge Based Maintenance leads the user during complex work to the determination of maintenance strategies for this complex plant components. (orig.)

Knowledge based maintenance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sturm, A. [Hamburgische Electacitaets-Werke AG Hamburg (Germany)

1997-12-31

The establishment of maintenance strategies is of crucial significance for the reliability of a plant and the economic efficiency of maintenance measures. Knowledge about the condition of components and plants from the technical and business management point of view therefore becomes one of the fundamental questions and the key to efficient management and maintenance. A new way to determine the maintenance strategy can be called: Knowledge Based Maintenance. A simple method for determining strategies while taking the technical condition of the components of the production process into account to the greatest possible degree which can be shown. A software with an algorithm for Knowledge Based Maintenance leads the user during complex work to the determination of maintenance strategies for this complex plant components. (orig.)

A multi-agent based intelligent configuration method for aircraft fleet maintenance personnel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feng Qiang

2014-04-01

Full Text Available A multi-agent based fleet maintenance personnel configuration method is proposed to solve the mission oriented aircraft fleet maintenance personnel configuration problem. The maintenance process of an aircraft fleet is analyzed first. In the process each aircraft contains multiple parts, and different parts are repaired by personnel with different majors and levels. The factors and their relationship involved in the process of maintenance are analyzed and discussed. Then the whole maintenance process is described as a 3-layer multi-agent system (MAS model. A communication and reasoning strategy among the agents is put forward. A fleet maintenance personnel configuration algorithm is proposed based on contract net protocol (CNP. Finally, a fleet of 10 aircraft is studied for verification purposes. A mission type with 3 waves of continuous dispatch is imaged. Compared with the traditional methods that can just provide configuration results, the proposed method can provide optimal maintenance strategies as well.

Short and long term maintenance strategy for reactor vessel head penetrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teissier, A.; Heuze, A.

1995-01-01

This paper presents elements based on : surveys, operating inspection, theoretical studies, safety analysis, laboratory results, that enabled to determine maintenance options and short and long term strategies for processing on reactor vessel head leaks. (TEC). 1 tab

Strategy to maximize maintenance operation

OpenAIRE

Espinoza, Michael

2005-01-01

This project presents a strategic analysis to maximize maintenance operations in Alcan Kitimat Works in British Columbia. The project studies the role of maintenance in improving its overall maintenance performance. It provides strategic alternatives and specific recommendations addressing Kitimat Works key strategic issues and problems. A comprehensive industry and competitive analysis identifies the industry structure and its competitive forces. In the mature aluminium industry, the bargain...

Weight loss maintenance: A review on dietary related strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatemeh Azizi Soeliman

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Weight regain after weight loss is a common problem for all those obese or overweight who have had a recent weight loss. Different cures such as diet therapy, behavioral therapy, exercise or a mixture of them have been advised as solutions. The purpose of this review is to find the best diet or eating pattern to maintain a recent weight loss. Materials and Methods: We searched in PubMed and SCOPUS by using the following key words: Overweight, obesity, weight maintenance, weight regain, and diet therapy. Finally, we assessed 26 articles in the present article. Results: Meal replacement, low carbohydrate-low glycemic index (GI diet, high protein intake, and moderate fat consumption have shown some positive effects on weight maintenance. However, the results are controversial. A Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH-type diet seems helpful for weight maintenance although the need for more study has remained. Some special behaviors were associated with less weight regain, such as, not being awake late at night, drinking lower amount of sugar-sweetened beverages, and following a healthy pattern. Some special foods have been suggested for weight maintenance. However, the roles of specific foods are not confirmed. Conclusion: Healthy diets recommend low carbohydrate, low GI, and moderate fat foods, but it is not clear whether they are useful in preventing weight gain. It seems that consuming fewer calories helps people to keep weight loss. Further research to find strategies in obesity management focusing on successful maintenance of weight loss is needed.

A cost effective degradation-based maintenance strategy under imperfect repair

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Fan; Niknam, Seyed A.; Kobza, John E.

2015-01-01

An optimization model is developed to minimize the total cost of imperfect degradation-based maintenance by determining an optimal interval of condition monitoring and the degradation level after imperfect preventive repairs. The decision model is based on a novel cost model that considers functional relationship between the expected degradation reduction and the cost of preventive repairs. The decision model is applied to simulated vibration signals with a variety of specifications of cost values and degradation model parameters. This study has initiated a new area for the research of cost effective maintenance strategies. The results clearly indicate the significance of the proposed model and the decision variables under the objective of minimal cost. For instance, the results indicate direct relationship between the optimal length of monitoring interval and the monitoring cost. However, longer monitoring interval increases the risk of failure, and therefore, more degradation reduction is needed. By increasing the slope of cumulative degradation, the cost effective strategy advocates taking more frequent monitoring. The optimal degradation level after each preventive repair is not so sensitive to the change in the degradation slope due to the uncertainty associated with degradation patterns. - Highlights: • Discuss the relationship of degradation reduction and maintenance cost. • Determine the optimal interval of condition monitoring with minimal cost. • Identify the optimal degradation level after imperfect preventive repairs. • Discuss the effects of change in the slope of cumulative degradation.

Opportune maintenance and predictive maintenance decision support

OpenAIRE

Thomas , Edouard; Levrat , Eric; Iung , Benoît; Cocheteux , Pierre

2009-01-01

International audience; Conventional maintenance strategies on a single component are being phased out in favour of more predictive maintenance actions. These new kinds of actions are performed in order to control the global performances of the whole industrial system. They are anticipative in nature, which allows a maintenance expert to consider non-already-planned maintenance actions. Two questions naturally emerge: when to perform a predictive maintenance action; how a maintenance expert c...

TECHNICAL MAINTENANCE EFFICIENCY OF THE AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE-FREE ON-BOARD SYSTEM BETWEEN SCHEDULED MAINTENANCES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. M. Bronnikov

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The avionics concept of the maintenance-free on-board equipment implies the absence of necessity to maintain onboard systems between scheduled maintenance, preserving the required operational and technical characteristics; it should be achieved by automatic diagnosis of the technical condition and the application of active means of ensuring a failsafe design, allowing to change the structure of the system to maintain its functions in case of failure. It is supposed that such equipment will reduce substantially and in the limit eliminate traditional maintenance of aircraft between scheduled maintenance, ensuring maximum readiness for use, along with improving safety. The paper proposes a methodology for evaluating the efficiency of maintenance-free between scheduled maintenance aircraft system with homogeneous redundancy. The excessive redundant elements allow the system to accumulate failures which are repaired during the routine maintenance. If the number of failures of any reserve is approaching a critical value, the recovery of the on-board system (elimination of all failures is carried out between scheduled maintenance by conducting rescue and recovery operations. It is believed that service work leads to the elimination of all failures and completely updates the on-board system. The process of system operational status changes is described with the discrete-continuous model in the flight time. The average losses in the sorties and the average cost of operation are used as integrated efficiency indicators of system operation. For example, the evaluation of the operation efficiency of formalized on-board system with homogeneous redundancy demonstrates the efficiency of the proposed methodology and the possibility of its use while analyzing the efficiency of the maintenance-free operation equipment between scheduled periods. As well as a comparative analysis of maintenance-free operation efficiency of the on-board system with excessive

Paranal maintenance and CMMS experience

Science.gov (United States)

Montano, Nelson

2004-10-01

During the last four years of operations, low technical downtime has been one of the relevant records of the Paranal Observatory. From the beginning of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) project, European Southern Observatory (ESO) has considered the implementation of a proper maintenance strategy a fundamental point in order to ensure low technical down time and preserve the Observatory's assets. The implementation of the maintenance strategy was based on the following aspects: - Strong maintenance sense during the design stage. Line Replacement Unit (LRU) concept, standardization and modularity of the Observatory equipment - Creation of a dedicated team for Maintenance - The implementation of a Computerized Maintenance Management System After four operational years, the result of these aspects has exceeded the expectations; the Observatory has been operating with high availability under a sustainable strategy. The strengths of the maintenance strategy have been based on modern maintenance concepts applied by regular production companies, where any minute of down time involves high cost. The operation of the actual Paranal Maintenance System is based mainly on proactive activities, such as regular inspections, preventive maintenance (PM) and predictive maintenance (PdM) plans. Nevertheless, it has been necessary to implement a strong plan for corrective maintenance (CM). The Spare Parts Strategy has also been an important point linked to the Maintenance Strategy and CMMS implementation. At present, almost 4,000 items related to the Observatory spare parts are loaded into the CMMS database. Currently, we are studying the implementation of a Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) project in one of our critical systems The following document presents the actual status of the Paranal Maintenance Strategy and which have been the motivations to implement the established strategy.

[STRATEGY OF USE AND MAINTENANCE OF CLINICAL HOSPITAL CENTER RIJEKA IN ACCORDANCE WITH KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR STRATEGIC HEALTHCARE FACILITIES MAINTENANCE].

Science.gov (United States)

Sjekavica, Mariela; Haller, Herman; Cerić, Anita

2015-01-01

Building usage is the phase in the building life cycle that is most time-consuming, most functional, most significant due to building purpose and often systematically ignored. Maintenance is the set of activities that ensure the planned duration of facility exploitation phase in accordance with the requirements for quality maintenance of a large number of important building features as well as other elements immanent to the nature of facilities' life. The aim of the study is to show the analysis of the current state of organized, planned and comprehensive managerial approach in hospital utilization and maintenance in the Republic of Croatia, given on the case study of Clinical hospital center in Rijeka. The methodology used consists of relevant literature section of theory of facility utilization, maintenance and management in general, hospital buildings especially, display of practice on case study, and comparison of key performance indicators values obtained through interview with those that author Igal M. Shohet defined in his study by field surveys and statistical analyses. Despite many positive indicators of Clinical hospital center Rijeka maintenance, an additional research is needed in order to define a more complete national hospital maintenance strategy.

A genetic algorithm solution for a nuclear power plant risk-cost maintenance model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tong Jiejuan; Mao Dingyuan; Xue Dazhi

2004-01-01

Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) is one of the popular maintenance optimization methods according to certain kinds of priorities. Traditional RCM usually analyzes and optimizes the maintenance strategy from the viewpoint of component instead of the whole maintenance program impact. Research presented in this paper is a pilot study using PSA techniques in RCM. How to reflect the effect on component unavailability by the maintenance activities such as surveillance testing and preventive maintenance in PSA model is discussed firstly. Based on the discussion, a maintenance risk-cost model is established for global maintenance optimization in a nuclear power plant, and a genetic algorithm (GA) is applied to solve such a model to get the global optimized maintenance strategy. Finally, the result got from a simple test case based on a risk-cost model consisting of 10 components is presented

A proactive condition-based maintenance strategy with both perfect and imperfect maintenance actions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Do, Phuc; Voisin, Alexandre; Levrat, Eric; Iung, Benoit

2015-01-01

This paper deals with a proactive condition-based maintenance (CBM) considering both perfect and imperfect maintenance actions for a deteriorating system. Perfect maintenance actions restore completely the system to the ‘as good as new’ state. Their related cost are however often high. The first objective of the paper is to investigate the impacts of imperfect maintenance actions. In fact, both positive and negative impacts are considered. Positive impact means that the imperfect maintenance cost is usually low. Negative impact implies that (i) the imperfect maintenance restores a system to a state between good-as-new and bad-as-old and (ii) each imperfect preventive action may accelerate the speed of the system's deterioration process. The second objective of the paper is to propose an adaptive maintenance policy which can help to select optimally maintenance actions (perfect or imperfect actions), if needed, at each inspection time. Moreover, the time interval between two successive inspection points is determined according to a remaining useful life (RUL) based-inspection policy. To illustrate the use of the proposed maintenance policy, a numerical example finally is introduced. - Highlights: • A new imperfect maintenance model for deterioration system is proposed. • Both positive and negative impacts of an imperfect maintenance action are investigated. • An adaptive condition-based maintenance policy is introduced. • The optimal number of useful imperfect maintenance actions for each life cycle is optimally provided

Planning and control of maintenance systems modelling and analysis

CERN Document Server

Duffuaa, Salih O

2015-01-01

Analyzing maintenance as an integrated system with objectives, strategies and processes that need to be planned, designed, engineered, and controlled using statistical and optimization techniques, the theme of this book is the strategic holistic system approach for maintenance. This approach enables maintenance decision makers to view maintenance as a provider of a competitive edge not a necessary evil. Encompassing maintenance systems; maintenance strategic and capacity planning, planned and preventive maintenance, work measurements and standards, material (spares) control, maintenance operations and control, planning and scheduling, maintenance quality, training, and others, this book gives readers an understanding of the relevant methodology and how to apply it to real-world problems in industry. Each chapter includes a number exercises and is suitable as a textbook or a reference for a professionals and practitioners whilst being of interest to industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical en...

Optimizing preventive maintenance with maintenance templates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dozier, I.J.

1996-01-01

Rising operating costs has caused maintenance professionals to rethink their strategy for preventive maintenance (PM) programs. Maintenance Templates are pre-engineered PM task recommendations for a component type based on application of the component. Development of the maintenance template considers the dominant failure cause of the component and the type of preventive maintenance that can predict or prevent the failure from occurring. Maintenance template development also attempts to replace fixed frequency tasks with condition monitoring tasks such as vibration analysis or thermography. For those components that have fixed frequency PM intervals, consideration is given to the maintenance drivers such as criticality, environment and usage. This helps to maximize the PM frequency intervals and maximize the component availability. Maintenance Templates have been used at PECO Energy's Limerick Generating Station during the Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) Process to optimize their PM program. This paper describes the development and uses of the maintenance templates

The Effects of Relationship Type, Partner Intent, and Gender on the Selection of Relationship Maintenance Strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Shea, B. Christine; Pearson, Judy C.

1986-01-01

Indicates that relationship type did not affect the maintenance strategies that partners chose; however, the partners' relationship intent and the sex-composition of the dyad had a significant impact on the selection of directness strategies. Suggests that individuals are not necessarily more likely to select directness strategies than balance or…

PRM-based patterns for knowledge formalisation of industrial systems to support maintenance strategies assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Medina-Oliva, G.; Weber, P.; Iung, B.

2013-01-01

The production system and its maintenance system must be now developed on “system thinking” paradigm in order to guarantee that Key Performance Indicators (KPI) will be optimized all along the production system (operation) life. In a recursive way, maintenance system engineering has to integrate also KPI considerations with regards to its own enabling systems. Thus this paper develops a system-based methodology wherein a set of KPIs is computed in order to verify if the objectives of the production and maintenance systems are satisfied. In order to help the decision-making process for maintenance managers, a “unified” generic model have been developed. This model integrates (a) the interactions of the maintenance system with its enabling systems, (b) the impact of the maintenance strategies through the computation of some key performance indicators, and (c) different kinds of knowledge regarding the maintenance system and the system of interest, including quantitative and qualitative knowledge. This methodology is based on an executable unified model built with Probabilistic Relational Model (PRM). PRM allows a modular representation and inferences computation of large size models. The methodology added-value is shown on a test-bench

An Optimal Number-Dependent Preventive Maintenance Strategy for Offshore Wind Turbine Blades Considering Logistics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahmood Shafiee

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In offshore wind turbines, the blades are among the most critical and expensive components that suffer from different types of damage due to the harsh maritime environment and high load. The blade damages can be categorized into two types: the minor damage, which only causes a loss in wind capture without resulting in any turbine stoppage, and the major (catastrophic damage, which stops the wind turbine and can only be corrected by replacement. In this paper, we propose an optimal number-dependent preventive maintenance (NDPM strategy, in which a maintenance team is transported with an ordinary or expedited lead time to the offshore platform at the occurrence of the Nth minor damage or the first major damage, whichever comes first. The long-run expected cost of the maintenance strategy is derived, and the necessary conditions for an optimal solution are obtained. Finally, the proposed model is tested on real data collected from an offshore wind farm database. Also, a sensitivity analysis is conducted in order to evaluate the effect of changes in the model parameters on the optimal solution.

Managing nuclear maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1990-01-01

For utilities operating nuclear powerplants, the rules of the game continue to change. Conflicting regulatory pressures and a tougher competitive environment will make management's job more complicated and difficult in the 1990s. Dealing with these pressures successfully requires greater attention to maintenance effectiveness. Utilities can help shape their future environment by developing a well-planned strategy to guide their actions. Parts of the strategy that are discussed include developing a sound maintenance philosophy, selecting a service company, radiation exposure, and managing spare parts. This article also addresses the Swedish experience in maintenance, German philosophy regarding maintenance and the current maintenance practices of the Electricite de France

E072/ST-HM - A dynamic maintenance strategie to meet the requirements of the LHC installation

OpenAIRE

Böttcher, O

2003-01-01

The new ST-HM contract E072 for the maintenance of transport and handling equipment is designed to obtain the high operating reliability as required for the LHC installation and to respect the situation of limited resources at CERN at the same time. The contract is based on a dynamic maintenance strategy. It contains a flexible maintenance contingent that is essential to prepare the equipment for extremely important and critical utilization phases that will come up during the LHC installation...

Analisis Penerapan Relationship Maintenance Strategy Melalui Penggunaan Media Sosial(Studi Pada Twitter Perbankan di Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rahmatul Jannatin Naimah

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, banks are actively using twitter in order to maintain relationships with customers. Unfortunately, the trend of using social media as Relationship Maintenance  Strategy  (RMS  for  the  banking  industry  is  not  supported  by adequate research in the realm of marketing public relation science. Positivity, openness, task sharing, networking, access, and assurance are six dimensions that can be used to measure the application of RMS through twitter. Thus, this research aims to analyze whether there are differences in the implementation of RMS in the Indonesia Banking Industry through content analysis of its offi cial twitter.  The  banks  that  will  be  further  investigated  are  the  three  top  banks belonging  to  Indonesia  Bank  Loyalty  Index  (IBLI  and  Most  Followed  Bank (MFB.  Research  fi ndings  resulted  Banks  belonging  to  IBLI  and  MFB  group  has  a different  level  implementation  of  RMS  through  twitter.  The  overall  level  of implementation were found in two groups are still very low, especially in the task sharing dimension. IBLI banks more implement the dimension of RMS than MFB bank group. Assurance was most widely used on the two banking groups.  Keywords : Relationship  Maintenance  Strategy,  Marketing  Public  Relation,  Banking, Twitter.

A new pulmonary rehabilitation maintenance strategy through home-visiting and phone contact in COPD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Y

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Yi Li,1,2 Jing Feng,3,4 Yuechuan Li,2 Wei Jia,2 Hongyu Qian2 1Graduate School, Tianjin Medical University, 2Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Tianjin Chest Hospital, 3Respiratory Department, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 4Neuropharmacology Section, Laboratory of Toxicology and Pharmacology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA Background: The benefit of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR for patients with COPD diminishes over time. We investigated a new strategy involving home-visit and phone contact and compared this to usual care in maintenance of PR benefits.Methods: A total of 172 stable COPD patients receiving 8-week PR program were recruited for this prospective study. Patients were allocated into usual care group (UC and PR maintenance group (PRMG randomly. Patients in PRMG participated in maintenance strategy at home under supervision through home-visit and phone contact. The 6-minute walking test (6MWT, COPD assessment test (CAT, and modified Medical Research Council scale (mMRC scores were evaluated every 3 months.Results: Of the total, 151 patients completed 8-week PR program with satisfactory PR results (p<0.001, and 104 patients finished the follow-up. The clinical improvements in 6MWT, CAT, and mMRC scores were maintained (p<0.001 in PRMG. In comparison, the benefit of PR diminished gradually in UC. The differences in 6MWT, CAT, and mMRC scores between groups were observed 6, 9, and 6 months after PR, respectively (p<0.05. Total frequency of exacerbations in PRMG was lower than UC (p=0.021.Conclusion: Maintenance strategy involving home-visit and phone contact is superior to usual care to preserve PR benefits, and reduces the acute COPD exacerbation rate. Keywords: COPD, pulmonary rehabilitation, 6-minute walking test, COPD assessment test, maintenance 

International expansion, market maintenance strategy used by French Winemaking Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oana BĂRBULESCU

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Starting from the theoretical concepts that define the maintenance strategies for the international market, this paper presents the results of a quantitative research survey conducted among Romanian consumers of wine. What is aimed at is to know their attitudes and opinions referring to wine imports in order to identify a strategy for the entrance on the Romanian market of the French wine producer Louis Latour, which is imposed by the need to maintain sales in the context of demand shrinking on the home market. The conclusion of the quantitative research conducted on a sample of 402 people from all country regions reveals the opportunity of entering the Romanian market by using indirect export as a way of entering the market.

The Comparison of Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy Based on Coping Skills and Methadone Maintenance Treatment in Improvement of Emotional Regulation Strategies and Relapse Prevention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tahereh Ghorbany

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This study compared the effectiveness of group cognitive-behavioral therapy based on coping skills (CBT and methadone maintenance therapy (MMT in improvement of emotional regulation strategies and prevention of relapse. Method: The method of the present study was semi-experimental research design (pre-test-post-test with witness group. For sampling 45 substance abuse people who had referred to addiction treatment centers were selected and assigned to three groups of cognitive behavior therapy, methadone maintenance treatment and witness group randomly. The participants in all three groups completed the emotional intelligence questionnaire before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed by covariance method. Results: The results showed that cognitive-behavior therapy in comparison to methadone maintenance therapy and witness group led to significant improvement of emotional regulation in substance abusers, but there was no significant difference between the methadone maintenance treatment group and control group. Also, the rate of relapse in individuals who assigned to cognitive-behavior therapy group in comparison to methadone maintenance therapy and the witness group was significantly lower, but there was no significant difference between methadone therapy and witness. Conclusion: Cognitive-behavior therapy was an effective treatment that can change the cognitive and behavioral variables related to substance abuse, such as emotional regulation strategies. Thus, results suggested that drug abuse treatment programs must target these mediator variables.

A proposed maintenance strategy for generator sets utilised in biogas applications

OpenAIRE

2012-01-01

M. Ing. The overall purpose of this research project was to develop a proposed maintenance strategy for generator sets utilised in biogas applications. One specific biogas application, involving the use of landfill gas (LFG) to generate electrical energy, was the focal point of the research project. This is due to the fact that the author’s organisation is extensively involved with landfills and power generation through the use of LFG.

Advanced maintenance strategies for power plant operators--introducing inter-plant life cycle management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graeber, Ulrich

2004-01-01

One of the most important goals of competing power plant operators is to ensure safe operation of their plants, characterized by maximum availability throughout the entire life cycle and minimized specific generating costs. One parameter crucial to the total price of electricity--and one that can be actively influenced by the power plant operators--is maintenance. Up to 30% of all electricity generating costs accrue from maintenance. In the past years maintenance measures have been optimized particularly by the application and continuing development of testing and diagnostic techniques, by the increased level of system and component automation as well as more efficient organization structures. Despite the considerable success of these efforts, the potential for further cost reductions is still far from exhausted. But the risks connected to reliability, availability and safety need to be analyzed in greater detail in order to ensure the sustainability of the savings already achieved as well as those yet to be realized. The systematic application of condition-based maintenance and the implementation of structured life cycle management are essential requirements. An inter-plant approach is recommended to make a quick implementation of maintenance optimization potentials possible. Plant-specific improvement potentials can be established with the help of a best-practice comparison, and measures and priorities can be defined for realizing them. Creating an inter-plant database will allow experience and findings to be analyzed quickly and efficiently by experts and made available to all participants on a neutral platform. Despite--or maybe owing to--the increasingly competitive marketplace, a sustained reduction in the maintenance costs of power plant operators can only be achieved through a structured, inter-plant exchange of experience. The ZES offers the industry a suitable platform for cooperation with its 'Condition-Based Maintenance' research focus. The introduction

Redundancy Maintenance and Garbage Collection Strategies in Peer-to-Peer Storage Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xin; Datta, Anwitaman

Maintaining redundancy in P2P storage systems is essential for reliability guarantees. Numerous P2P storage system maintenance algorithms have been proposed in the last years, each supposedly improving upon the previous approaches. We perform a systematic comparative study of the various strategies taking also into account the influence of different garbage collection mechanisms, an issue not studied so far. Our experiments show that while some strategies generally perform better than some others, there is no universally best strategy, and their relative superiority depends on various other design choices as well as the specific evaluation criterion. Our results can be used by P2P storage systems designers to make prudent design decisions, and our exploration of the various evaluation metrics also provides a more comprehensive framework to compare algorithms for P2P storage systems. While there are numerous network simulators specifically developed even to simulate peer-to-peer networks, there existed no P2P storage simulators - a byproduct of this work is a generic modular P2P storage system simulator which we provide as open-source. Different redundancy, maintenance, placement, garbage-collection policies, churn scenarios can be easily integrated to the simulator to try out new schemes in future, and provides a common framework to compare (future) p2p storage systems designs - something which has not been possible so far.

Outsourcing strategy and tendering methodology for the operation and maintenance of CERN’s cryogenic facilities

Science.gov (United States)

Serio, L.; Bremer, J.; Claudet, S.; Delikaris, D.; Ferlin, G.; Ferrand, F.; Pezzetti, M.; Pirotte, O.

2017-12-01

CERN operates and maintains the world largest cryogenic infrastructure ranging from ageing but well maintained installations feeding detectors, test facilities and general services, to the state-of-the-art cryogenic system serving the flagship LHC machine complex. A study was conducted and a methodology proposed to outsource to industry the operation and maintenance of the whole cryogenic infrastructure. The cryogenic installations coupled to non LHC-detectors, test facilities and general services infrastructure have been fully outsourced for operation and maintenance on the basis of performance obligations. The contractor is responsible for the operational performance of the installations based on a yearly operation schedule provided by CERN. The maintenance of the cryogenic system serving the LHC machine and its detectors has been outsourced on the basis of tasks oriented obligations, monitored by key performance indicators. CERN operation team, with the support of the contractor operation team, remains responsible for the operational strategy and performances. We report the analysis, strategy, definition of the requirements and technical specifications as well as the achieved technical and economic performances after one year of operation.

Total Productive Maintenance And Role Of Interpretive Structural Modeling And Structural Equation Modeling In Analyzing Barriers In Its Implementation A Literature Review

OpenAIRE

Prasanth S. Poduval; Dr. Jagathy Raj V. P.; Dr. V. R. Pramod

2015-01-01

Abstract - The aim of the authors is to present a review of literature of Total Productive Maintenance and the barriers in implementation of Total Productive Maintenance TPM. The paper begins with a brief description of TPM and the barriers in implementation of TPM. Interpretive Structural Modeling ISM and its role in analyzing the barriers in TPM implementation is explained in brief. Applications of ISM in analyzing issues in various fields are highlighted with special emphasis on TPM. T...

How additive manufacturing enables more sustainable end-user maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) strategies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wits, Wessel Willems; Reyes Garcia, José Roberto; Jauregui Becker, Juan Manuel

2016-01-01

This paper projects how Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) strategies can be optimized to the specific needs of end-users using Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies. AM can significantly reduce the design and production times for customized parts. This leads to key advantages for MRO

Forming a cohesive steam generator maintenance strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poudroux, G.

1991-01-01

In older nuclear plants, steam generator tube bundles are the most fragile part of the reactor coolant system. Steam generator tubes are subject to numerous types of loading, which can lead to severe degradation (corrosion and wear phenomena). Preventive actions, such as reactor coolant temperature reduction or increasing the plugging limit and their associated analyses, can increase steam generator service life. Beyond these preventive actions, the number of affected tubes and the different locations of the degradations that occur often make repair campaigns necessary. Framatome has developed and qualified a wide range of treatment and repair processes. They enable careful management of the repair campaigns, to avoid reaching the maximum steam generator tube plugging limit, while optimizing the costs. Most of the available repair techniques allow a large number of affected tubes to be treated. Here we look only at those techniques that should be taken into account when defining a maintenance strategy. (author)

The health maintenance organization strategy: a corporate takeover of health services delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Salmon, J W

1975-01-01

This paper presents a political economic framework for viewing the social organization of the delivery of health care servies and predicting a qualitatively different institutional configuration involving the health maintenance organization. The principal forces impacting American capitalism today are leading to a fundamental restructuring for increased social efficiency of the entire social welfare sector, including the health services industry. The method to achieve this restructuring involves health policy directed at raising the contribution to the social surplus from the delivery of health care services and eventual corporate domination. The health maintenance organization conceptualization is examined with suggestions as to how the HMO strategy promoted by the state leads to this corporate takeover. The mechanism and extent of the present corporate involvement are examined and implications of health services as a social control mechanism are presented.

Selective maintenance of multi-state systems with structural dependence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dao, Cuong D.; Zuo, Ming J.

2017-01-01

This paper studies the selective maintenance problem for multi-state systems with structural dependence. Each component can be in one of multiple working levels and several maintenance actions are possible to a component in a maintenance break. The components structurally form multiple hierarchical levels and dependence groups. A directed graph is used to represent the precedence relations of components in the system. A selective maintenance optimization model is developed to maximize the system reliability in the next mission under time and cost constraints. A backward search algorithm is used to determine the assembly sequence for a selective maintenance scenario. The maintenance model helps maintenance managers in determining the best combination of maintenance activities to maximize the probability of successfully completing the next mission. Examples showing the use of the proposed method are presented. - Highlights: • A selective maintenance model for multi-state systems is proposed considering both economic and structural dependence. • Structural dependence is modeled as precedence relationship when disassembling components for maintenance. • Resources for disassembly and maintenance are evaluated using a backward search algorithm. • Maintenance strategies with and without structural dependence are analyzed. • Ignoring structural dependence may lead to over-estimation of system reliability.

The Nordic Maintenance Care Program – An interview study on the use of maintenance care in a selected group of Danish chiropractors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leboeuf-Yde Charlotte

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Although maintenance care appears to be relatively commonly used among chiropractors, the indications for its use are incompletely understood. A questionnaire survey was recently carried out among Swedish chiropractors in order to identify their choice of various management strategies, including maintenance care. That study revealed a common pattern of choice of strategies. However, it would be necessary to verify these findings in another study population and to obtain some additional information best collected through an interview. Objectives The main aim of the present study was to attempt to reproduce the findings in the Swedish study and to obtain more information on the use of maintenance care. Method A group of 11 chiropractors were selected because they used maintenance care. They were interviewed using the questionnaire from the previous Swedish survey. The questionnaire consisted of a simple description of a hypothetical patient with low back pain and nine possible ways in which the case could develop ("scenarios". They could choose between six different management strategies for each scenario. In addition, the chiropractors were encouraged to provide their own definition of maintenance care in an open-ended question. Interviews were taped, transcribed and analyzed. For the open-ended question, statements were identified relating to six pre hoc defined topics on the inclusion criteria/rationale for maintenance care, the frequency of treatments, and the duration of the maintenance care program. Results The open-ended question revealed that in patients with low back pain, maintenance care appears to be offered to prevent new events. The rationale was to obtain optimal spinal function. There appears to be no common convention on the frequency of treatments and duration of the treatment program was not mentioned by any of the interviewees. Conclusion The results from the questionnaire in the Danish survey showed that

Key Performance Indicators for Maintenance Management Effectiveness of Public Hospital Building

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Farhana Omar Mardhiah

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Effectiveness of management in maintenance aspect holds the key element in influencing the performance of overall maintenance management. Similarly, public hospital building needs an effective maintenance management as this type of building in nature is one of the most complex issues in the field of maintenance. Improper building maintenance management adopted by the organization significantly will interrupt the overall operation of the building. Therefore, this paper is aim to identifying the key performance indicator (KPI of effectiveness of maintenance management for the public hospital building. A total of 32 set of questionnaires were distributed to the maintenance manager for each hospital in the northern region of peninsular Malaysia by using self-administration strategy. The survey answer was analyzed by performing descriptive analysis in SPSS. Overall, the result of descriptive analysis shows that all the ten factors of effectiveness of maintenance management are accepted as KPI since the mean value is at least 3.93 which classified as important and significant. The most significant factor of effectiveness of maintenance management is task planning and scheduling with the mean score of 4.35. While less significant factor is identify as maintenance approach with the value of mean score is 3.93. The both results indicates that the management need to have well-structured planning for the maintenance works and also need to embrace the exact strategy of maintenance approach in order to achieved better overall performance of maintenance management. This study may draw a standard practice for the government in assessing the performance of public facilities in terms of maintenance management.

Production and Maintenance Planning for a Deteriorating System with Operation-Dependent Defectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Héctor Rivera-Gómez

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper provides new insights to the area of sustainable manufacturing systems at analyzing the novel paradigm of integrated production logistics, quality, and maintenance design. For this purpose, we investigate the optimal production and repair/major maintenance switching strategy of an unreliable deteriorating manufacturing system. The effects of the deterioration process are mainly observed on the failure intensity and on the quality of the parts produced, where the rate of defectives depends on the production rate. When unplanned failures occur, either a minimal repair or a major maintenance could be conducted. The integration of availability and quality deterioration led us to propose a new stochastic dynamic programming model where optimality conditions are derived through the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equations. The model defined the joint production and repair/major maintenance switching strategies minimizing the total cost over an infinite planning horizon. In the results, the influence of the deterioration process were evident in both the production and maintenances control parameters. A numerical example and an extensive sensitivity analysis were conducted to illustrate the usefulness of the results. Finally, the proposed control policy was compared with alternative strategies based on common assumptions of the literature in order to illustrate its efficiency.

Total Productive Maintenance And Role Of Interpretive Structural Modeling And Structural Equation Modeling In Analyzing Barriers In Its Implementation A Literature Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prasanth S. Poduval

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract - The aim of the authors is to present a review of literature of Total Productive Maintenance and the barriers in implementation of Total Productive Maintenance TPM. The paper begins with a brief description of TPM and the barriers in implementation of TPM. Interpretive Structural Modeling ISM and its role in analyzing the barriers in TPM implementation is explained in brief. Applications of ISM in analyzing issues in various fields are highlighted with special emphasis on TPM. The paper moves on to introduction to Structural Equation Modeling SEM and its role in validating ISM in analyzing barriers in implementation of TPM. The paper concludes with a gap analysis from the current literature research that can be carried out and expected outcomes from the proposed research.

Strategies for the Management of Built Heritage Linked to Maintenance and Monitoring. Case Study of the San Roque Neighborhood, Cuenca, Ecuador

Science.gov (United States)

Achig-Balarezo, M. C.; Vázquez, L.; Barsallo, M. G.; Briones, J. C.; Amaya, J.

2017-10-01

The rehabilitation of heritage sites, as well as the implementation of monitoring and control strategies is fundamental for its conservation. In the case of Cuenca, a World Heritage City, a maintenance campaign in the traditional neighborhood of San Roque was carried out in 2014. The objective was to undertake maintenance actions on roofs and façades as well as on elements at risk. The campaign process was developed keeping in mind the cycle or phases of preventive conservation: anamnesis, diagnosis, therapy and control (ICOMOS, 2003). At the end of the maintenance campaign an impact assessment was undertaken and monitoring tools were handed out to the community in order to strengthen the citizen participation in the preservation of built heritage. The experience of the maintenance campaign unveiled a series of lessons that have been evaluated in the present investigation, being the main objective the strengthening of the processes of governance and documentation through the formulation of strategies inherent to the maintenance of heritage buildings. In this process it is shown that the participation of citizens is a strategic factor for the sustainable development of maintenance campaigns, which allow for the preservation of historical sites for future generations.

Advanced maintenance strategies for power plant operators - introducing inter-plant life cycle management. ZES research focus 'condition-based maintenance in power engineering'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graeber, U.

2003-01-01

The optimisation of maintenance activities observed in recent years can be attributed above all to the use and continuing development of testing and diagnostic techniques, to the increased level of system and component automation and to more efficient work organisation. Despite the considerable success of these efforts, the potential for further cost reductions is still far from exhausted. The risks connected to reliability, availability and safety need to be analysed in greater detail in order to ensure the sustainability of the savings already achieved as well as those yet to be realised. The systematic application of condition-based maintenance and the introduction of structured life cycle management are essential prerequisites. Within the framework of its ''Condition-Based Maintenance in Power Engineering'' research focus, the Energy Research Centre (ZES) has set up a specialist network in which experts from various institutes belonging to the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Faculty of Informatic, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology can develop interdisciplinary solutions for advanced maintenance strategies. The ZES offers the industry a platform for cooperating on current issues relating to the supply of energy and supports the movement towards sustainable improvements to competitiveness through research and consulting activities. It applies professional project and quality management procedures to ensure that contracts covering interdisciplinary topics and projects are handled in a coherent manner. (orig.)

Teachers' Awareness and Usage of Non-Violent Strategies for the Maintenance of Discipline in Nigerian Secondary Schools: A Situational Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Uzoechina, Gladys Oby; Oguegbu, Adaeze; Akachukwu, Esther; Nwasor, Victor Chekume

2015-01-01

This study sought to determine teachers' level of awareness and usage of non-violent strategies/interventions for the maintenance of discipline in secondary schools in Anambra State, Nigeria. Corporal punishment has become an unwritten sine qua non for the maintenance of school discipline--often the first thought that comes to the minds of…

Effects of Message Interactivity upon Relational Maintenance Strategy in Digital Communications between Organizations and the Public

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhan-Qing

2012-01-01

Digital communication between organizations and the public is strategically important in shaping mutual understanding and long term relationship. The primary focus of this project was to investigate the relationship between message interactivity and relational maintenance strategy in the email communication process on organization websites. At…

An optimal dynamic interval preventive maintenance scheduling for series systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao, Yicong; Feng, Yixiong; Zhang, Zixian; Tan, Jianrong

2015-01-01

This paper studies preventive maintenance (PM) with dynamic interval for a multi-component system. Instead of equal interval, the time of PM period in the proposed dynamic interval model is not a fixed constant, which varies from interval-down to interval-up. It is helpful to reduce the outage loss on frequent repair parts and avoid lack of maintenance of the equipment by controlling the equipment maintenance frequency, when compared to a periodic PM scheme. According to the definition of dynamic interval, the reliability of system is analyzed from the failure mechanisms of its components and the different effects of non-periodic PM actions on the reliability of the components. Following the proposed model of reliability, a novel framework for solving the non-periodical PM schedule with dynamic interval based on the multi-objective genetic algorithm is proposed. The framework denotes the strategies include updating strategy, deleting strategy, inserting strategy and moving strategy, which is set to correct the invalid population individuals of the algorithm. The values of the dynamic interval and the selections of PM action for the components on every PM stage are determined by achieving a certain level of system availability with the minimum total PM-related cost. Finally, a typical rotary table system of NC machine tool is used as an example to describe the proposed method. - Highlights: • A non-periodic preventive maintenance scheduling model is proposed. • A framework for solving the non-periodical PM schedule problem is developed. • The interval of non-periodic PM is flexible and schedule can be better adjusted. • Dynamic interval leads to more efficient solutions than fixed interval does

STRATEGIES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF BUILT HERITAGE LINKED TO MAINTENANCE AND MONITORING. CASE STUDY OF THE SAN ROQUE NEIGHBORHOOD, CUENCA, ECUADOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. C. Achig-Balarezo

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The rehabilitation of heritage sites, as well as the implementation of monitoring and control strategies is fundamental for its conservation. In the case of Cuenca, a World Heritage City, a maintenance campaign in the traditional neighborhood of San Roque was carried out in 2014. The objective was to undertake maintenance actions on roofs and façades as well as on elements at risk. The campaign process was developed keeping in mind the cycle or phases of preventive conservation: anamnesis, diagnosis, therapy and control (ICOMOS, 2003. At the end of the maintenance campaign an impact assessment was undertaken and monitoring tools were handed out to the community in order to strengthen the citizen participation in the preservation of built heritage. The experience of the maintenance campaign unveiled a series of lessons that have been evaluated in the present investigation, being the main objective the strengthening of the processes of governance and documentation through the formulation of strategies inherent to the maintenance of heritage buildings. In this process it is shown that the participation of citizens is a strategic factor for the sustainable development of maintenance campaigns, which allow for the preservation of historical sites for future generations.

Heuristic hybrid game approach for fleet condition-based maintenance planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Qiang; Bi, Xiong; Zhao, Xiujie; Chen, Yiran; Sun, Bo

2017-01-01

The condition-based maintenance (CBM) method is commonly used to select appropriate maintenance opportunities according to equipment status over a period of time. The CBM of aircraft fleets is a fleet maintenance planning problem. In this problem, mission requirements, resource constraints, and aircraft statuses are considered to find an optimal strategy set. Given that the maintenance strategies for each aircraft are finite, fleet CBM can be treated as a combinatorial optimization problem. In this study, the process of making a decision on the CBM of military fleets is analyzed. The fleet CBM problem is treated as a two-stage dynamic decision-making problem. Aircraft are divided into dispatch and standby sets; thus, the problem scale is significantly reduced. A heuristic hybrid game (HHG) approach comprising a competition game and a cooperative game is proposed on the basis of heuristic rule. In the dispatch set, a competition game approach is proposed to search for a local optimal strategy matrix. A cooperative game method for the two sets is also proposed to ensure global optimization. Finally, a case study regarding a fleet comprising 20 aircraft is conducted, with the results proving that the approach efficiently generates outcomes that meet the mission risk-oriented schedule requirement. - Highlights: • A new heuristic hybrid game method for fleet condition-based maintenance is proposed. • The problem is simplified by hierarchical solving based on dispatch and standby set. • The local optimal solution is got by competition game algorithm for dispatch set. • The global optimal solution is got by cooperative game algorithm between two sets.

EPR design for maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krugmann, U.

1998-01-01

Preventive maintenance is very important in achieving high plant availability. For the European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) preventive maintenance has been carefully addressed in the design stage. This is particularly necessary because of the traditionally different maintenance strategies employed in France and Germany. This paper emphasizes the following features introduced in the ERP design to minimize the duration of the refueling outage: (1) containment accessibility during power operation; (2) overall plant layout to facilitate inspections and maintenances within the containment; and (3) safety system design for enabling preventive maintenance during power operation. (author)

Applying Systems Engineering to Improve the Main Gas Turbine Exhaust System Maintenance Strategy for the CG-47 Ticonderoga Class Cruiser

Science.gov (United States)

2015-09-01

national security and prosperity (U.S. Navy 2014). In perspective, oceans are the lifeblood of the planet and its entire population . The National...maintenance strategy, reliability-centered maintenance, cost, schedule, performance, growth -work, new-work, optimal fleet response plan, time-directed...76 5. Main Gas Turbine Exhaust System Growth -Work ..................77 E. RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE THE MAIN GAS TURBINE EXHAUST SYSTEM

Pavement maintenance scheduling using genetic algorithms

OpenAIRE

Yang, Chao; Remenyte-Prescott, Rasa; Andrews, John D.

2015-01-01

This paper presents a new pavement management system (PMS) to achieve the optimal pavement maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) strategy for a highway network using genetic algorithms (GAs). Optimal M&R strategy is a set of pavement activities that both minimise the maintenance cost of a highway network and maximise the pavement condition of the road sections on the network during a certain planning period. NSGA-II, a multi-objective GA, is employed to perform pavement maintenance optimisatio...

Selection of optimum maintenance strategies based on a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aida Azizi

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an empirical investigation to rank different factors influencing on maintenance strategies on Iranian oil terminals’ company. The study determines four main factors, production quality, reliability, cost and safety. Using fuzzy analytical process, the study determines various factors associated with each main factor and ranks them by performing pair-wise comparisons. The results indicate that reliability ranks first (0.255, followed by production quality (0.252, cost (0.25 and safety (0.244. In terms of reliability, the best utilization of resources is number one priority followed by increase access to maintenance tools, reduction in production interruption are among the most important issues. In terms of production quality, reduction in system failure as well as reworks is the most important factors followed by customer satisfaction and defects. In terms of cost items, ease of access to accessories and consulting are important factors followed by necessary software, hardware and training programs. Finally, in terms of safety factors, external, internal and employee services are the most important issues, which are needed to be considered.

PORTFOLIO OF POTENTIAL STRATEGIES IN AERONAUTIC MAINTENANCE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rolet, S.

2010-01-01

EADS divisions aim more and more at developing services associated to their platforms. EADS divisions, like Airbus and Eurocopter, are investigating on services associated to their platforms in order to add them value. One possible service consists in structural maintenance operation assistance, especially for NDT operations performed by the customer. EADS Innovation Works envisages three different and complementary enhanced structural maintenance categories. Enhanced NDT improves standard NDT operation environment. This is made possible by the existence of 'smart' NDT tools that are computer based and therefore able to support other functions. These functions range from local smart data processing and display to remote expert assisted operation. Passive Sensor Network relies on sensors permanently installed on aircraft structure. Interrogation of sensors is performed on ground and off line (while structure is not loaded except by its own weight). It can be done at arbitrary times in order to determine structure health. The aim is to give easy access to some hidden ''hot spots,'' to reduce human factor in structure health assessment and optimize maintenance. Structural Health Monitoring goes a step beyond Passive Sensor Network, because interrogation units are on board the aircraft and may be connected to aircraft network. It allows to use on-line techniques such as adapted acoustic emission and to automatically raise an alarm when a defect appears in the structure. This paper presents these different ways of improving structural maintenance operations in service, with their respective advantages and limitations.

Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Strategies to Reduce the Cost of Offshore Wind Energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maples, B. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Saur, G. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Hand, M. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); van de Pietermen, R. [Energy Research Center of the Netherlands (Netherlands); Obdam, T. [Energy Research Center of the Netherlands (Netherlands)

2013-07-01

Currently, installation, operation, and maintenance (IO&M) costs contribute approximately 30% to the LCOE of offshore wind plants. To reduce LCOE while ensuring safety, this paper identifies principal cost drivers associated with IO&M and quantifies their impacts on LCOE. The paper identifies technology improvement opportunities and provides a basis for evaluating innovative engineering and scientific concepts developed subsequently to the study. Through the completion of a case study, an optimum IO&M strategy for a hypothetical offshore wind project is identified.

Maintenance Production Demand and Capacity Analysis of Third Maintenance Battalion

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-01

Delivery T/E Table of Equipment TFSMS Total Force Structure Management System TFSP Total Force Structure Process TM Technical Manual T/O Table of...exercises each year, both on Okinawa and throughout the Pacific theater. When equipment requires maintenance beyond the organizational -level...demand was analyzed based on customer cycle time (i.e., time that equipment was in Third Maintenance Battalion custody), maintenance cycle time during

Maintenance strategies to reduce downtime due to machine positional errors

OpenAIRE

Shagluf, Abubaker; Longstaff, A.P.; Fletcher, S.

2014-01-01

Proceedings of Maintenance Performance Measurement and Management (MPMM) Conference 2014 Manufacturing strives to reduce waste and increase Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). When managing machine tool maintenance a manufacturer must apply an appropriate decision technique in order to reveal hidden costs associated with production losses, reduce equipment downtime competentely and similiarly identify the machines performance. Total productive maintenance (TPM) is a maintenance progr...

New maintenance strategy of Tokyo Electric Power Company and Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant for effective ageing management and safe long-term operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inagaki, Takeyuki; Yamashita, Norimichi

2009-01-01

Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant is the oldest among three nuclear power plants owned and operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company, which consists of six boiling water reactor units. The commercial operation of Unit 1 was commenced in 1971 (37 years old) and Unit 6 in 1978 (29 years old). Currently ageing degradations of systems, structures and components are managed through maintenance programs, component replacement/refurbishment programs and long-term maintenance plans. The long-term maintenance plans are established through ageing management component replacement/refurbishment programs reviews performed before the 30th year of operation and they are for safe and reliable operation after 30 years (long-term operation). However the past maintenance actions and past component replacement/refurbishment programs were not always proactive and past operational experience and maintenance practices suggest that effective/proactive ageing management programs be introduced in earlier stage of the plant operation. In this circumstance, Tokyo Electric Power Company and Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant are setting up a new maintenance strategy that includes 1) improving the normal maintenance programs by using ageing degradation data, 2) effective use of information on internal/external operational experience and maintenance practices related to ageing, and 3) proactive component/equipment refurbishment programs during a refreshment outage for safe and reliable long-term operation. To accomplish the goal of this strategy, strengthening engineering capability of plant staff members is a crucial required for the plant. The objective of this paper is to briefly explain main results ageing management reviews, past and current significant ageing issues and management programs against them, and the new maintenance strategy established by Tokyo Electric Power Company and Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. (author)

Robustness evaluation of cutting tool maintenance planning for soft ground tunneling projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alena Conrads

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Tunnel boring machines require extensive maintenance and inspection effort to provide a high availability. The cutting tools of the cutting wheel must be changed timely upon reaching a critical condition. While one possible maintenance strategy is to change tools only when it is absolutely necessary, tools can also be changed preventively to avoid further damages. Such different maintenance strategies influence the maintenance duration and the overall project performance. However, determine downtime related to a particular maintenance strategy is still a challenging task. This paper shows an analysis of the robustness to achieve the planned project performance of a maintenance strategy considering uncertainties of wear behavior of the cutting tools. A simulation based analysis is presented, implementing an empirical wear prediction model. Different strategies of maintenance planning are compared by performing a parameter variation study including Monte-Carlo simulations. The maintenance costs are calculated and evaluated with respect to their robustness. Finally, an improved and robust maintenance strategy has been determined. Keywords: Mechanized tunneling, Maintenance, Wear of cutting tools, Process simulation, Robustness, Uncertainty modeling

An implementation of infrared thermography in maintenance plans within a world class manufacturing strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Todorović Petar M.

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of the paper is to show the implementation of infrared thermography within World Class Manufacturing (WCM maintenance strategy. The results from infrared thermography inspections in a food processing and packaging solutions company were presented. Applicability of the infrared thermography, during a two-year period, caused a substantial reduction the potential breakdown in the pilot area. Upon feasibility confirmation, the proposed method was spread to other production equipment of the company.

Advanced maintenance strategies for power plant operators - introducing inter-plant life cycle management. ZES research focus 'condition-based maintenance in power engineering'

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Graeber, U.

2003-07-01

The optimisation of maintenance activities observed in recent years can be attributed above all to the use and continuing development of testing and diagnostic techniques, to the increased level of system and component automation and to more efficient work organisation. Despite the considerable success of these efforts, the potential for further cost reductions is still far from exhausted. The risks connected to reliability, availability and safety need to be analysed in greater detail in order to ensure the sustainability of the savings already achieved as well as those yet to be realised. The systematic application of condition-based maintenance and the introduction of structured life cycle management are essential prerequisites. Within the framework of its ''Condition-Based Maintenance in Power Engineering'' research focus, the Energy Research Centre (ZES) has set up a specialist network in which experts from various institutes belonging to the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Faculty of Informatic, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology can develop interdisciplinary solutions for advanced maintenance strategies. The ZES offers the industry a platform for cooperating on current issues relating to the supply of energy and supports the movement towards sustainable improvements to competitiveness through research and consulting activities. It applies professional project and quality management procedures to ensure that contracts covering interdisciplinary topics and projects are handled in a coherent manner. (orig.)

Retendering of ST-CV maintenance contract

CERN Document Server

Battistin, M

2003-01-01

During the next three years, the ST/CV group will be deeply involved in the installation works for the LHC project. During this period the need for maintenance activity will decrease. The minimum level will be reached during the “long shutdown” of the PS and SPS machines in 2005. The budget for the maintenance will decrease accordingly, thus the CV group had to review its maintenance strategy. The new contract, which started on January 1st 2003, has been defined to cope with these workload variations during the next years and to guarantee the minimum maintenance activity on the existing equipment. A lump-sum contract based on a win-win strategy has been discarded. The contractor no longer has to guarantee the performance of the CERN cooling and ventilation systems. A new price list strategy based on performance indicators and penalties has been chosen. The contractor now has to guarantee the performance of every maintenance operation demanded by CERN. This modification obliged the Operation section of the...

Interval of Routine Maintenance and Maintenance Performance: A Literature Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Au-Yong Cheong Peng

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In high-rise residential buildings, the quality of facilities management services is significant to the normal operation of the facilities. Unfortunately, lack of concern towards building maintenance, especially preventive maintenance, happens in domestic housing industry in Malaysia. Majority of the maintenance operations of condominiums suffer from lack of planning, lack of proactive maintenance plan, and lack of proper implementation. Thus, this paper reviews the implementation of preventive maintenance strategy, routine maintenance in specific. An extensive review of literature published in 1987 to 2014 is performed for the purpose of this research. The publications are sourced from journal articles, conference proceedings and books. The literature analysis confirms that the routine maintenance of facilities and building services is vital and it can be influential towards the maintenance performance. Subsequently, a theoretical framework is developed, which shows the relationship between routine maintenance of building facilities & services and maintenance performance. The building facilities & services are divided into two categories. They are essential facilities & services that ensure the safety, health, habitability, and operability of buildings; while value-added facilities & services deal with property value, return on investment, and quality living of buildings. Based on the findings, a future research is proposed, which aims to identify the appropriate routine of maintenance for the facilities and services in high-rise residential buildings to improve the maintenance performance.

Reducing costs with optimized maintenance strategies. Energie AG Oberoesterreich's practical experience with computer-aided maintenance planning and order processing; Kostensenkung durch optimale Instandhaltungsstrategien. Einsatzerfahrungen der Energie AG Oberoesterreich mit EDV-gestuetzter IH-Planung und Auftragsabwicklung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lechner, K.D.; Raffelsberger, K.; Steininger, W. [Energie AG Oberoesterreich (Austria); Roeben, U. [Siemens Power Generation AG, Erlangen (Germany)

2004-07-01

With the increasing competition, application of the optimal maintenance strategy is gaining importance. Apart from optimizing direct maintenance costs, the effects on profit (e.g. due to loss of production), follow-up costs in plant operation as well as safety-related aspects and the environmental impact are important factors. Without state-of-the-art plant management and maintenance software, efficiently meeting the resulting requirements is quite impossible. (orig.)

Maintenance modeling and optimization integrating human and material resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martorell, S.; Villamizar, M.; Carlos, S.; Sanchez, A.

2010-01-01

Maintenance planning is a subject of concern to many industrial sectors as plant safety and business depend on it. Traditionally, the maintenance planning is formulated in terms of a multi-objective optimization (MOP) problem where reliability, availability, maintainability and cost (RAM+C) act as decision criteria and maintenance strategies (i.e. maintenance tasks intervals) act as the only decision variables. However the appropriate development of each maintenance strategy depends not only on the maintenance intervals but also on the resources (human and material) available to implement such strategies. Thus, the effect of the necessary resources on RAM+C needs to be modeled and accounted for in formulating the MOP affecting the set of objectives and constraints. In this paper RAM+C models to explicitly address the effect of human resources and material resources (spare parts) on RAM+C criteria are proposed. This extended model allows accounting for explicitly how the above decision criteria depends on the basic model parameters representing the type of strategies, maintenance intervals, durations, human resources and material resources. Finally, an application case is performed to optimize the maintenance plan of a motor-driven pump equipment considering as decision variables maintenance and test intervals and human and material resources.

Maintenance modeling and optimization integrating human and material resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martorell, S., E-mail: smartore@iqn.upv.e [Dpto. Ingenieria Quimica y Nuclear, Universidad Politecnica Valencia (Spain); Villamizar, M.; Carlos, S. [Dpto. Ingenieria Quimica y Nuclear, Universidad Politecnica Valencia (Spain); Sanchez, A. [Dpto. Estadistica e Investigacion Operativa Aplicadas y Calidad, Universidad Politecnica Valencia (Spain)

2010-12-15

Maintenance planning is a subject of concern to many industrial sectors as plant safety and business depend on it. Traditionally, the maintenance planning is formulated in terms of a multi-objective optimization (MOP) problem where reliability, availability, maintainability and cost (RAM+C) act as decision criteria and maintenance strategies (i.e. maintenance tasks intervals) act as the only decision variables. However the appropriate development of each maintenance strategy depends not only on the maintenance intervals but also on the resources (human and material) available to implement such strategies. Thus, the effect of the necessary resources on RAM+C needs to be modeled and accounted for in formulating the MOP affecting the set of objectives and constraints. In this paper RAM+C models to explicitly address the effect of human resources and material resources (spare parts) on RAM+C criteria are proposed. This extended model allows accounting for explicitly how the above decision criteria depends on the basic model parameters representing the type of strategies, maintenance intervals, durations, human resources and material resources. Finally, an application case is performed to optimize the maintenance plan of a motor-driven pump equipment considering as decision variables maintenance and test intervals and human and material resources.

Value maximizing maintenance policies under general repair

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marais, Karen B.

2013-01-01

One class of maintenance optimization problems considers the notion of general repair maintenance policies where systems are repaired or replaced on failure. In each case the optimality is based on minimizing the total maintenance cost of the system. These cost-centric optimizations ignore the value dimension of maintenance and can lead to maintenance strategies that do not maximize system value. This paper applies these ideas to the general repair optimization problem using a semi-Markov decision process, discounted cash flow techniques, and dynamic programming to identify the value-optimal actions for any given time and system condition. The impact of several parameters on maintenance strategy, such as operating cost and revenue, system failure characteristics, repair and replacement costs, and the planning time horizon, is explored. This approach provides a quantitative basis on which to base maintenance strategy decisions that contribute to system value. These decisions are different from those suggested by traditional cost-based approaches. The results show (1) how the optimal action for a given time and condition changes as replacement and repair costs change, and identifies the point at which these costs become too high for profitable system operation; (2) that for shorter planning horizons it is better to repair, since there is no time to reap the benefits of increased operating profit and reliability; (3) how the value-optimal maintenance policy is affected by the system's failure characteristics, and hence whether it is worthwhile to invest in higher reliability; and (4) the impact of the repair level on the optimal maintenance policy. -- Highlights: •Provides a quantitative basis for maintenance strategy decisions that contribute to system value. •Shows how the optimal action for a given condition changes as replacement and repair costs change. •Shows how the optimal policy is affected by the system's failure characteristics. •Shows when it is

North American nuclear maintenance best practices compared to Japanese utility maintenance practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harazim, M.L.; Ferguson, B.J.

2003-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to compare the best practices in North America concerning Preventive Maintenance, Predictive Maintenance and Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) or Preventive Maintenance Optimization (PMO) with the time-directed maintenance philosophies utilized by Japanese utilities, and how the Japanese utilities are considering (and some have begun) adopting North American ways of doing business. Preventive Maintenance Living Programs are also discussed, along with the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations AP-913 process, Equipment Reliability Process. Also, a cost benefit analysis will be demonstrated showing how major cost savings can be achieved by shifting from a predominantly time-directed maintenance philosophy to a predominantly predictive strategy utilizing vibration analysis, lubricating oil analysis, thermography and other predictive technologies to better utilize resources, reduce spare part consumption and to minimize maintenance induced errors. As a result of the strides made while incorporating these new philosophies, we no longer advocate tearing apart perfectly good equipment. (author)

The ITER EC H and CD Upper Launcher: Maintenance concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ronden, D.M.S.; Baar, M. de; Chavan, R.; Elzendoorn, B.S.Q.; Grossetti, G.; Heemskerk, C.J.M.; Koning, J.F.; Landis, J.-D.; Spaeh, P.; Strauss, D.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► We explain how an overall maintenance strategy defines individual maintenance tasks. ► Concepts are presented for replacement strategies of the in-vessel optical components. ► Vertical placement of the Upper Launcher in the Hot Cell may simplify maintenance. -- Abstract: Maintenance of the ITER EC H and CD Upper Launcher (UL) shall be performed through the use of Remote Handling (RH) in the ITER Hot Cell Facility (HCF). The UL design will have to be fully compliant with ITER RH maintenance requirements and the set of RH tooling and services available in the HCF. This paper describes the development of an overall maintenance strategy for the UL, starting from a listing of all conceivable maintenance operations, including hands-on tasks. Components for which design concepts are discussed in this paper are the Blanket Shield Module (BSM), the steering mirror (M4), the mid optics (M1, M2) and the waveguide (WG) feed-through plate. Aspects related to RH documentation, overall maintenance strategy and design concepts for optimizing the maintainability of the UL are presented

An Optimization Method for Condition Based Maintenance of Aircraft Fleet Considering Prognostics Uncertainty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiang Feng

2014-01-01

Full Text Available An optimization method for condition based maintenance (CBM of aircraft fleet considering prognostics uncertainty is proposed. The CBM and dispatch process of aircraft fleet is analyzed first, and the alternative strategy sets for single aircraft are given. Then, the optimization problem of fleet CBM with lower maintenance cost and dispatch risk is translated to the combinatorial optimization problem of single aircraft strategy. Remain useful life (RUL distribution of the key line replaceable Module (LRM has been transformed into the failure probability of the aircraft and the fleet health status matrix is established. And the calculation method of the costs and risks for mission based on health status matrix and maintenance matrix is given. Further, an optimization method for fleet dispatch and CBM under acceptable risk is proposed based on an improved genetic algorithm. Finally, a fleet of 10 aircrafts is studied to verify the proposed method. The results shows that it could realize optimization and control of the aircraft fleet oriented to mission success.

Identifying Human Factors Issues in Aircraft Maintenance Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Veinott, Elizabeth S.; Kanki, Barbara G.; Shafto, Michael G. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

Maintenance operations incidents submitted to the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) between 1986-1992 were systematically analyzed in order to identify issues relevant to human factors and crew coordination. This exploratory analysis involved 95 ASRS reports which represented a wide range of maintenance incidents. The reports were coded and analyzed according to the type of error (e.g, wrong part, procedural error, non-procedural error), contributing factors (e.g., individual, within-team, cross-team, procedure, tools), result of the error (e.g., aircraft damage or not) as well as the operational impact (e.g., aircraft flown to destination, air return, delay at gate). The main findings indicate that procedural errors were most common (48.4%) and that individual and team actions contributed to the errors in more than 50% of the cases. As for operational results, most errors were either corrected after landing at the destination (51.6%) or required the flight crew to stop enroute (29.5%). Interactions among these variables are also discussed. This analysis is a first step toward developing a taxonomy of crew coordination problems in maintenance. By understanding what variables are important and how they are interrelated, we may develop intervention strategies that are better tailored to the human factor issues involved.

Predictive Maintenance (PdM) Centralization for Significant Energy Savings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, Dale

2010-09-15

Cost effective predictive maintenance (PdM) technologies and basic energy calculations can mine energy savings form processes or maintenance activities. Centralizing and packaging this information correctly empowers facility maintenance and reliability professionals to build financial justification and support for strategies and personnel to weather global economic downturns and competition. Attendees will learn how to: Systematically build a 'pilot project' for applying PdM and tracking systems; Break down a typical electrical bill to calculate energy savings; Use return on investment (ROI) calculations to identify the best and highest value options, strategies and tips for substantiating your energy reduction maintenance strategies.

Maintenance contract strategies for reliability at minimum cost

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gamman, E.

1992-01-01

The conference paper deals with offshore contract philosophies concerning maintenance. The main philosophies of the contract should be built on the following key success factors: Safe operations and correct quality must be sustained at any time; the maintenance contractor should be viewed as a cooperation partner, not only as a supplier; optimum exploitation of learning curve effects and economies of scale. The paper illustrates the importance of each of them in a contract context with a few recommendations

Multiple Learning Strategies Project. Building Maintenance & Engineering. Visually Impaired.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Dwight; And Others

This instructional package is designed for visually impaired students in the vocational area of building maintenance and engineering. The twenty-eight learning modules are organized into six units: floor care, general maintenance tasks; restrooms; carpet care; power and hand tools; and cabinet construction. Each module, printed in large block…

Estimation of dynamic treatment strategies for maintenance therapy of children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: an application of history-adjusted marginal structural models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosthøj, Susanne; Keiding, Niels; Schmiegelow, Kjeld

2012-01-01

Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is treated with long-term intensive chemotherapy. During the latter part of the treatment, the maintenance therapy, the patients receive oral doses of two cytostatics. The doses are tailored to blood counts measured on a weekly basis, and the treatment is t...... of the methods in relation to the formulation of alternative dosing strategies for the maintenance therapy....

Economic evaluation of maintenance strategies for steam generator tubes using probabilistic fracture mechanics and financial method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sagisaka, Mitsuyuki; Isobe, Yoshihiro; Yoshimura, Shinobu; Yagawa, Genki

2004-01-01

As an application of probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) and a financial method, risk-benefit analyses were performed for the purpose of optimizing maintenance activities of steam generator (SG) tubes used in pressurized water reactors (PWRs). Parameters such as in-service inspection (ISI) detection accuracy, ISI interval, sampling inspection, replacement of SGs and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) allowance operation were selected for sensitivity analyses. In the analysis of the operation introducing maintenance criteria, the effect of quantitative accuracy of the inspection was also taken into account. Although the analyses were mainly conducted for SG tubes made of Inconel 600 mill anneal (MA) materials, the analyses were also performed for SCC-resistant materials with making assumptions on their crack initiation probabilities and crack propagation laws. To justify whether or not it is worth while implementing the selected maintenance strategies in terms of an economic point of view, net present value (NPV) was calculated as an index which is one of the most fundamental financial indices for decision-making based on the discounted cash flow (DCF) method. (author)

Building relationships for better maintenance.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hackman Hon Yin; Scott, David

2009-02-01

Effective management of building maintenance is a vital ingredient in ensuring a high quality built environment for any building's occupiers. However, maintenance is not high on the list of priorities for most organisations. Communication between top management personnel looking at maintenance issues from a strategic standpoint and maintenance staff considering them at an operational level is often not as good as it should be. When planning maintenance activities maintenance personnel often draw too heavily on their technical experience and expertise without taking sufficient account of wider organisational objectives or consulting effectively with top management. Senior managers also regularly complain about lack of managerial input from maintenance departments. Such barriers contribute to communication difficulties between top management at a strategic level and maintenance personnel at an operational level. Identifying where the key differences lie in senior managers' and maintenance personnel's viewpoints on maintenance strategy can prove invaluable in achieving some convergence of opinions and optimising the efficiency of the overall building maintenance process.

The Nordic maintenance care program

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Malmqvist, Stefan; Leboeuf-Yde, Charlotte

2009-01-01

of maintenance care. Previous studies have identified chiropractors' choices of case management strategies in response to different case scenarios. However, the rationale for these management strategies is not known. In other words, when presented with both the case, and different management strategies......Maintenance care is a well known concept among chiropractors, although there is little knowledge about its exact definition, its indications and usefulness. As an initial step in a research program on this phenomenon, it was necessary to identify chiropractors' rationale for their use......, there was consensus on how to match these, but if only the management strategies were provided, would chiropractors be able to define the cases to fit these strategies? The objective with this study was to investigate if there is a common pattern in Finnish chiropractors' case management of patients with low back...

Development Of An Optimal Planning And Maintenance System A Case Study Of Shell Petroleum Development Company Obigbo Node

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Temple Temple Amachree

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Preventive and breakdown maintenance system for a gas compressor plant were analyzed and appraised using established maintenance tools. To determine this comparative cost benefit analysis of preventive and breakdown maintenance activities on Agbada gas compressor plant of the Shell Petroleum Development Company was carried out. The cost of achieving 20000 run hours overhaul preventive maintenance with some disused repaired parts was analyzed and compared with the cost of carrying out the same activity with all new parts. Comparative studies showed that carrying out preventive maintenance with repairable parts which were recovered in the as new state is more cost effective than using all new parts. A cost saving of 14.63 was achieved. The same trend was also observed when the cost benefit analysis was carried out in breakdown maintenance option. This again gave a cost savings of 7.51 when repaired disused parts were used. The results showed that the rate of return on investment if breakdown maintenance is adopted is 24 as compared to the rate of return 01 26 that was obtained when preventive maintenance system was used. An NPV of N6703491725.00 and N5371346424.00 were obtained for preventive maintenance and breakdown maintenance respectively. It is therefore observed that preventive maintenance system strategy presented a better NPV over breakdown maintenance.

Maintenance strategy and availabity increasing of a gas compression station in the oil industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nilis Adriano dos Santos

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this article was to propose a maintenance strategy and a set of improvement actions for increasing the availability in a compression station of waste gases from the petroleum distillation process, composed of two alternative compressors A and B in a plant of the oil industry. The research method was the quantitative modeling. The methodology includes the calculation of the current availability and suggesting actions to raise it. Time to repair (TTR and time between failures (TBF were modeled for the individual compressors and for the gas compression station as a whole. With the average values of the models (MTBF and MTTR were calculated individual availabilities of A and B (32.4% and 83.3%, respectively and global, 96.7%. The data were collected from the company's information system. By the form factors associated with TBF, it was possible to affirm that, despite operating for over twenty years, both machines are in the premature failures phase. This fact is due to the exchange of raw materials, which occurred about five years ago: the plant proceeded to process heavier oil, originated from the pre-salt layer, for which the installation was not designed. Such divergence may be characterized as a design fault, associated with the corrective maintenance strategy. Finally, a list of improvements projects was presented to increase the availability of the post and terminate the phase of premature failures.

Space station orbit maintenance

Science.gov (United States)

Kaplan, D. I.; Jones, R. M.

1983-01-01

The orbit maintenance problem is examined for two low-earth-orbiting space station concepts - the large, manned Space Operations Center (SOC) and the smaller, unmanned Science and Applications Space Platform (SASP). Atmospheric drag forces are calculated, and circular orbit altitudes are selected to assure a 90 day decay period in the event of catastrophic propulsion system failure. Several thrusting strategies for orbit maintenance are discussed. Various chemical and electric propulsion systems for orbit maintenance are compared on the basis of propellant resupply requirements, power requirements, Shuttle launch costs, and technology readiness.

Methods and tools in development in the field of maintenance; Methodes et outils pour la maintenance en cours de developpement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Le Reverend, D.; Tortolano, M. [Electricite de France (EDF/RD), 78 - Chatou (France); Leniaud, F. [Electricite de France (EDF), Div. Production Nuleaire, 93 - Saint-Denis (France)

2004-07-01

This article is dedicated to the maintenance strategy followed by EDF for its nuclear power plants. This strategy is based on the American method RCM (reliability centered method) that has been extended to passive components such as structures and relies on 4 axis. The first axis can be defined as the optimization of maintenance with regard to safety, outage and costs. The aim is to set the border between preventive maintenance and remedial maintenance. The second axis is the condition based maintenance that is the maintenance action that is triggered by the real state of the equipment. This type of maintenance implies the search for reliable and accurate diagnostics. The third axis is the design of simulation and planning tools required for the management of the moving of tools, machinery and spare-parts on a maintenance work site. The fourth axis is the design of tools able to repair some important equipment, this way may be a valid alternative to the replacement of equipment in terms of cost and outage time. (A.C.)

Suncor maintenance and reliability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Little, S. [Suncor Energy, Calgary, AB (Canada)

2006-07-01

Fleet maintenance and reliability at Suncor Energy was discussed in this presentation, with reference to Suncor Energy's primary and support equipment fleets. This paper also discussed Suncor Energy's maintenance and reliability standard involving people, processes and technology. An organizational maturity chart that graphed organizational learning against organizational performance was illustrated. The presentation also reviewed the maintenance and reliability framework; maintenance reliability model; the process overview of the maintenance and reliability standard; a process flow chart of maintenance strategies and programs; and an asset reliability improvement process flow chart. An example of an improvement initiative was included, with reference to a shovel reliability review; a dipper trip reliability investigation; bucket related failures by type and frequency; root cause analysis of the reliability process; and additional actions taken. Last, the presentation provided a graph of the results of the improvement initiative and presented the key lessons learned. tabs., figs.

CANDU plant maintenance: Recent developments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charlebois, P.

2000-01-01

CANDU units have long been recognized for their exceptional safety and reliability. Continuing development in the maintenance area has played a key role in achieving this performance level. For over two decades, safety system availability has been monitored closely and system maintenance programs adjusted accordingly to maintain high levels of performance. But as the plants approach mid life in a more competitive environment and component aging becomes a concern, new methods and techniques are necessary. As a result, recent developments are moving the maintenance program largely from a corrective and preventive approach to predictive and condition based maintenance. The application of these techniques is also being extended to safety related systems. These recent developments include use of reliability centred methods to define system maintenance requirements and strategies. This approach has been implemented on a number of systems at Canadian CANDU plants with positive results. The pilot projects demonstrated that the overall maintenance effort remained relatively constant while the system performance improved. It was also possible to schedule some of the redundant component maintenance during plant operation without adverse impact on system availability. The probabilistic safety assessment was found to be useful in determining the safety implications of component outages. These new maintenance strategies are now making use of predictive and condition based maintenance techniques to anticipate equipment breakdown and schedule preventive maintenance as the need arises rather than time based. Some of these techniques include valve diagnostics, vibration monitoring, oil analysis, thermography. Of course, these tools and techniques must form part of an overall maintenance management system to ensure that maintenance becomes a living program. To facilitate this process and contain costs, new information technology tools are being introduced to provide system engineers

Analysis of the ITER ECH Upper Port Launcher remote maintenance using virtual reality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elzendoorn, Ben; de Baar, Marco; Chavan, Rene; Goodman, Timothy; Heemskerk, Cock; Heidinger, Roland; Kleefeldt, Klaus; Koning, Jarich; Sanders, Stephen; Spaeh, Peter; Strauss, Dirk; Verhoeven, Toon; Vreede, Fred de

2009-01-01

All ITER sub-systems of remote handling (RH) classes 1 and 2 have to be remotely maintainable. The maintenance strategy for these components has to ensure system availability after failure or scheduled maintenance. This paper shows how virtual reality (VR) simulation can be used as a tool to analyze the maintenance process, to predict the mean time to repair and to ensure the RH compatibility of one ITER sub-system, the Upper Port Launcher (UPL) . Special emphasis is put on the development of RH procedures and the identification of tooling requirements. The possibility to simulate RH logistics and repair actions in an early stage of the design process allows for the identification of those maintenance actions that require dedicated tests in the Launcher Handling Test Facility at Karlsruhe. The VR analysis, together with dedicated mock-up tests will demonstrate the RH compatibility of the UPL plug, provide input to the design of the Port Plug maintenance area in the ITER Hot Cell, and support the development of RH maintenance tooling.

Reliability-based performance simulation for optimized pavement maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chou, Jui-Sheng; Le, Thanh-Son

2011-01-01

Roadway pavement maintenance is essential for driver safety and highway infrastructure efficiency. However, regular preventive maintenance and rehabilitation (M and R) activities are extremely costly. Unfortunately, the funds available for the M and R of highway pavement are often given lower priority compared to other national development policies, therefore, available funds must be allocated wisely. Maintenance strategies are typically implemented by optimizing only the cost whilst the reliability of facility performance is neglected. This study proposes a novel algorithm using multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) technique to evaluate the cost-reliability tradeoff in a flexible maintenance strategy based on non-dominant solutions. Moreover, a probabilistic model for regression parameters is employed to assess reliability-based performance. A numerical example of a highway pavement project is illustrated to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed MOPSO algorithms. The analytical results show that the proposed approach can help decision makers to optimize roadway maintenance plans. - Highlights: →A novel algorithm using multi-objective particle swarm optimization technique. → Evaluation of the cost-reliability tradeoff in a flexible maintenance strategy. → A probabilistic model for regression parameters is employed to assess reliability-based performance. → The proposed approach can help decision makers to optimize roadway maintenance plans.

Reliability-based performance simulation for optimized pavement maintenance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chou, Jui-Sheng, E-mail: jschou@mail.ntust.edu.tw [Department of Construction Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech), 43 Sec. 4, Keelung Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan (China); Le, Thanh-Son [Department of Construction Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech), 43 Sec. 4, Keelung Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan (China)

2011-10-15

Roadway pavement maintenance is essential for driver safety and highway infrastructure efficiency. However, regular preventive maintenance and rehabilitation (M and R) activities are extremely costly. Unfortunately, the funds available for the M and R of highway pavement are often given lower priority compared to other national development policies, therefore, available funds must be allocated wisely. Maintenance strategies are typically implemented by optimizing only the cost whilst the reliability of facility performance is neglected. This study proposes a novel algorithm using multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) technique to evaluate the cost-reliability tradeoff in a flexible maintenance strategy based on non-dominant solutions. Moreover, a probabilistic model for regression parameters is employed to assess reliability-based performance. A numerical example of a highway pavement project is illustrated to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed MOPSO algorithms. The analytical results show that the proposed approach can help decision makers to optimize roadway maintenance plans. - Highlights: > A novel algorithm using multi-objective particle swarm optimization technique. > Evaluation of the cost-reliability tradeoff in a flexible maintenance strategy. > A probabilistic model for regression parameters is employed to assess reliability-based performance. > The proposed approach can help decision makers to optimize roadway maintenance plans.

The study of the maintenance for a cryogenics pilot plant in nuclear regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anghel, Vasile

2002-01-01

The Cryogenic Pilot Plant, CPP, has as goal the extraction of tritium from heavy water at the CANDU Reactors in Cernavoda. Its operation allows a continuos nuclear regime. CPP consists in several modules, each of them implying static and dynamical complex equipment in which fluids circulate at cryogenic temperatures. From these reasons it results that the CPP maintenance is essential. The relational structure regarding the integrated maintenance systems in the whole ICSI's activity is presented in the frame of management decision system and contains a procedural program of maintenance (PPM). PPM includes adoption strategy for maintenance activity in the conditions required by the Manuals worked out in compliance with QA of ICSI and specific regulations of operation in nuclear regime. An explanation based on a thorough analysis is given for the strategy of maintenance, the structure of modules and the use of informatics subsystems. The structure of PPM strategy has a flowchart implying: - Reorganization, Scientific background, and Operative Maintenance strategy (inside/outside strategy) as well as PPM stage realization and specifications for maintenance assurance (manuals, cards and subsystems). Also, provided in the maintenance strategy are the PPM preparatory and proper stage conceptions

Qualitative study on maintenance management in Moroccan industries

Science.gov (United States)

Naji, Amal; El Oumami, Mohamed; Bouksour, Otmane; Beidouri, Zitouni

2018-05-01

Maintenance management is, and has been studied in depth, especially for strategies to be implemented in industry, even though, authors note that there is a gap between literature and management adopted by industries. In this paper, we present a qualitative study in five Moroccan industries to investigate “how maintenance is managed” rather than “how it should be”. The questionnaire utilized for the study consists on semi-structured and open-ended questions. We consider factors and variables related to maintenance management and we explore the relationships between those factors. The original contribution of this paper is to provide a «real view »about maintenance management in Moroccan industries, which could help to improve understanding of barriers to implementing maintenance strategy.

Integrated maintenance program (IMP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zemdegs, R.T.; Chout, Q.B.

1998-01-01

the station's maintenance effectiveness and reduce maintenance costs including RCM4, callup overhauls, analysis of equipment and system failure history to name a few. It has become apparent that there is no single D o-All m aintenance strategy. What is needed is an integrated program combining the benefits of a variety of problem-specific strategies. Such a program should address both the short term and long term station requirements. The impact of the Integrated Maintenance Program (IMP) is expected to be high. In the short term, IMP will upgrade the call-up management system to provide accurate classification, effective monitoring and reporting, and develop a documented rationale (PMO) for each Preventive Maintenance task. To the greatest extent possible, IMP will utilize on-condition (predictive) maintenance and result in the elimination of replacement of many obsolete or ineffective preventive maintenance call-ups. The IMP described in this paper, will improve maintenance effectiveness, equipment reliability and have cost benefits to Ontario Hydro. In doing so it will reduce the cost of maintenance and improve system availability and reliability. (author)

Mechatronics technology in predictive maintenance method

Science.gov (United States)

Majid, Nurul Afiqah A.; Muthalif, Asan G. A.

2017-11-01

This paper presents recent mechatronics technology that can help to implement predictive maintenance by combining intelligent and predictive maintenance instrument. Vibration Fault Simulation System (VFSS) is an example of mechatronics system. The focus of this study is the prediction on the use of critical machines to detect vibration. Vibration measurement is often used as the key indicator of the state of the machine. This paper shows the choice of the appropriate strategy in the vibration of diagnostic process of the mechanical system, especially rotating machines, in recognition of the failure during the working process. In this paper, the vibration signature analysis is implemented to detect faults in rotary machining that includes imbalance, mechanical looseness, bent shaft, misalignment, missing blade bearing fault, balancing mass and critical speed. In order to perform vibration signature analysis for rotating machinery faults, studies have been made on how mechatronics technology is used as predictive maintenance methods. Vibration Faults Simulation Rig (VFSR) is designed to simulate and understand faults signatures. These techniques are based on the processing of vibrational data in frequency-domain. The LabVIEW-based spectrum analyzer software is developed to acquire and extract frequency contents of faults signals. This system is successfully tested based on the unique vibration fault signatures that always occur in a rotating machinery.

Main maintenance operations for Test Blanket Systems in ITER TBM port cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pascal, R., E-mail: romain.pascal@iter.org [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 Saint Paul Lez Durance (France); Cortes, P.; Friconneau, J.-P.; Giancarli, L.M.; Gotewal, K.K.; Iseli, M.; Kim, B.Y.; Levesy, B.; Martins, J.-P.; Merola, M. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 Saint Paul Lez Durance (France); Nevière, J.-C. [Comex-Nucleaire, 13115 Saint Paul Lez Durance (France); Patisson, L. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 Saint Paul Lez Durance (France); Siarras, A. [Sogetti, Parc de la Duranne, 13857 Aix-en-Provence (France); Tesini, A. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 Saint Paul Lez Durance (France)

2013-10-15

Highlights: • The Test Blanket System components layout in Port Cell room is described. • The maintenance of the two Test Blanket Systems in ITER port cell is addressed. • The overall replacement/maintenance strategy is defined. • The main maintenance tasks of the systems are discussed. • The maintenance strategy and required tools are presented. -- Abstract: Each Test Blanket System in ITER is formed by an in-vessel component, the Test Blanket Module, and several associated ancillary systems (coolant and Tritium systems, instrumentation and control systems). The paper describes the overall replacement/maintenance strategy and the main maintenance tasks that have to be considered in the design of the systems. It shows that there are no critical issues.

Monitoring Strategies in Permeable Pavement Systems to Optimize Maintenance Scheduling

Science.gov (United States)

As the surface in a permeable pavement system clogs and performance decreases, maintenance is required to preserve the design function. Currently, guidance is limited for scheduling maintenance on an as needed basis. Previous research has shown that surface clogging in a permea...

Maintenance optimization after RCM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doyle, E.K.; Lee, C.-G.; Cho, D.

2005-01-01

Variant forms of RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance) have been the maintenance optimizing tools of choice in industry for the last 20 years. Several such optimization techniques have been implemented at the Bruce Nuclear Station. Further cost refinement of the Station preventive maintenance strategy whereby decisions are based on statistical analysis of historical failure data are now being evaluated. The evaluation includes a requirement to demonstrate that earlier optimization projects have long term positive impacts. This proved to be a significant challenge. Eventually a methodology was developed using Crowe/AMSAA (Army Materials Systems Analysis Activity) plots to justify expenditures on further optimization efforts. (authors)

Risk-based Operation and Maintenance for Offshore Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, John Dalsgaard; Nielsen, Jannie Jessen

2011-01-01

For offshore wind turbines, costs to Operation and Maintenance (OM) are substantial, and can be expected to increase when wind farms are placed at deeper water depths and in more harsh environments. Traditional strategies for OM include corrective and preventive (scheduled and condition...... statistics and costs of the different operations. The different OM strategies are described and compared in an illustrative example with focus on which types of information that are needed. Special focus is on comparison between risk-based maintenance strategies and the conventional maintenance planning...... and are often the driving mechanisms for failures / faults that need maintenance. Observations of the degree of damage can increase the reliability of predictions and decrease the costs of OM if integrated in a risk-based framework theoretically based on pre-posterior Bayesian decision theory. The mathematical...

Investigation of an innovative maintenance contracting strategy : the performance-based maintenance contract (PBMC).

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-01

One of the major responsibilities of state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) is to maintain their road assets so : that road users can travel cost effectively, safely, and in a timely manner. Maintenance projects can be performed : either by using...

A study on maintenance reliability allocation of urban transit brake system using hybrid neuro-genetic technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bae, Chul Ho; Kim, Hyun Jun; Lee, Jung Hwan; Suh, Myung Won; Chu, Yul

2007-01-01

For reasonable establishing of maintenance strategies, safety security and cost limitation must be considered at the same time. In this paper, the concept of system reliability introduces and optimizes as the key of reasonable maintenance strategies. This study aims at optimizing component's reliability that satisfies the target reliability of brake system in the urban transit. First of all, constructed reliability evaluation system is used to predict and analyze reliability. This data is used for the optimization. To identify component reliability in a system, a method is presented in this paper which uses hybrid neuro-genetic technique. Feed-forward multi-layer neural networks trained by back propagation are used to find out the relationship between component reliability (input) and system reliability (output) of a structural system. The inverse problem can be formulated by using neural network. Genetic algorithm is used to find the minimum square error. Finally, this paper presents reasonable maintenance cycle of urban transit brake system by using optimal system reliability

Equipment reliability process improvement and preventive maintenance optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Darragi, M.; Georges, A.; Vaillancourt, R.; Komljenovic, D.; Croteau, M.

2004-01-01

The Gentilly-2 Nuclear Power Plant wants to optimize its preventive maintenance program through an Integrated Equipment Reliability Process. All equipment reliability related activities should be reviewed and optimized in a systematic approach especially for aging plants such as G2. This new approach has to be founded on best practices methods with the purpose of the rationalization of the preventive maintenance program and the performance monitoring of on-site systems, structures and components (SSC). A rational preventive maintenance strategy is based on optimized task scopes and frequencies depending on their applicability, critical effects on system safety and plant availability as well as cost-effectiveness. Preventive maintenance strategy efficiency is systematically monitored through degradation indicators. (author)

Assessment of diagnostic and prognostic condition indices for efficient and robust maintenance decision-making of systems subject to stress corrosion cracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huynh, K.T.; Grall, A.; Bérenguer, C.

2017-01-01

Seeking condition indices characterizing the health state of a system is a key problem in condition-based maintenance. For this purpose, diagnostic and prognostic models have been unceasingly developed and improved over the past few decades; nevertheless none of them explains thoroughly the impacts of such indices on the effectiveness of maintenance operations. As a complement to these efforts, this paper analyzes the effectiveness of some well-known diagnostic and prognostic indices for maintenance decision-making. The study is based on a system subject to competing risks due to multiple crack paths. A periodic inspection scheme is used to monitor the system health state. Each inspection returns the perfect diagnostic information: the number of cracks, corresponding crack sizes, and the system failure/working state. Based on this information, two kinds of prognostic condition indices are predicted: the average value and probability law of the system residual useful life. The associated condition-based maintenance strategies and cost models are then developed and compared with the ones whose maintenance decisions are based on diagnostic condition indices. The comparison results allow us to conclude on the performance and on the robustness of these strategies, hence giving some suggestions on the choice of reliable condition indices for maintenance decision-making. - Highlights: • Developing a new and generic degradation and failure model. • Synthesizing diagnostic and prognostic condition indices on the basis of the developed degradation and failure model. • Building diagnosis and prognosis-based maintenance strategies, and developing the associated cost models. • Assessing the performance and robustness of the considered strategies to find out reliable indices.

Maintenance and test strategies to optimize NPP equipment performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mayer, S.; Tomic, B.

2000-01-01

This paper proposes an approach to maintenance optimization of nuclear power plant components, which can help to increase both safety and availability. In order to evaluate the benefits of preventive maintenance on a quantitative basis, a software code has been developed for component performance and reliability simulation of safety related nuclear power plant equipment. A three state Markov model will be introduced, considering a degraded state in addition to an operational state and a failed state. (author)

Advantages of condition-based maintenance approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bareiss, J.; Roos, E.; Jovanovic, A.; Perunicic, M.; Balos, D.

2004-01-01

Pilot applications in EnBW steam boiler components and high-pressure pipe systems in the context of the European research project RIMAP (''Risk Based Inspection and Maintenance Procedures for European Industry'') showed that application of a risk-based maintenance strategy (e.g. RIMAP) will make the decision process more transparent and enable better condition-oriented maintenance. With regard to life management of the systems (availability, product quality), this appears to be more important than than the aspect of cost reduction in the maintenance sector, although the latter may not be unwelcome. (orig.) [de

Proceedings of the third international conference on CANDU maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

The third international conference on Candu maintenance included sessions on the following topics: predictive maintenance, reliability improvements, steam generator monitoring, tools and instrumentation, valve performance, fuel channel inspection and maintenance, steam generator maintenance, environmental qualification, predictive maintenance, instrumentation and control, steam generator cleaning, decontamination and radiation protection, inspection techniques, maintenance program strategies and valve packing experience, remote tooling/ robotics and fuel handling. The individual papers have been abstracted separately

Proceedings of the third international conference on CANDU maintenance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-12-31

The third international conference on Candu maintenance included sessions on the following topics: predictive maintenance, reliability improvements, steam generator monitoring, tools and instrumentation, valve performance, fuel channel inspection and maintenance, steam generator maintenance, environmental qualification, predictive maintenance, instrumentation and control, steam generator cleaning, decontamination and radiation protection, inspection techniques, maintenance program strategies and valve packing experience, remote tooling/ robotics and fuel handling. The individual papers have been abstracted separately.

Ageing model considering effects of maintenance and working conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martorell, S.; Sanchez, A.; Serradell, V.

1998-01-01

Nowadays, there is some doubt about building new Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). Instead, there is a growing interest in analyzing the possibility to extend current NPP operation where life management programs play an important role. The evolution of the NPP safety depends on the evolution of the reliability of its safety components as a function of their age along the NPP operational life. In this paper, a new age-dependent reliability model is presented, which includes parameters related to surveillance and maintenance effectiveness and working conditions, both environmental and operational, of the equipment. This model may be used to support NPP life management and life extension programs by improving or optimizing surveillance and maintenance tasks using risk and cost models based on such an age-dependent reliability model. The results of the sensitivity study in the application show that the selection of the most appropriate maintenance strategy would directly depend on the previous parameters and very important differences are expected to appear under certain circumstance. (Author) 7 refs

Maintenance Strategies to Reduce Downtime Due to\\ud Machine Positional Errors

OpenAIRE

Shagluf, Abubaker; Longstaff, Andrew P.; Fletcher, Simon

2014-01-01

Manufacturing strives to reduce waste and increase\\ud Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). When managing machine tool maintenance a manufacturer must apply an appropriate decision technique in order to reveal hidden costs associated with production losses, reduce equipment downtime\\ud competently and similarly identify the machines’ performance.\\ud Total productive maintenance (TPM) is a maintenance program that involves concepts for maintaining plant and equipment effectively. OEE is a pow...

Estimating Maintenance Cost for Web Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion IVAN

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The current paper tackles the issue of determining a method for estimating maintenance costs for web applications. The current state of research in the field of web application maintenance is summarized and leading theories and results are highlighted. The cost of web maintenance is determined by the number of man-hours invested in maintenance tasks. Web maintenance tasks are categorized into content maintenance and technical maintenance. Research is centered on analyzing technical maintenance tasks. The research hypothesis is formulated on the assumption that the number of man-hours invested in maintenance tasks can be assessed based on the web application’s user interaction level, complexity and content update effort. Data regarding the costs of maintenance tasks is collected from 24 maintenance projects implemented by a web development company that tackles a wide area of web applications. Homogeneity and diversity of collected data is submitted for debate by presenting a sample of the data and depicting the overall size and comprehensive nature of the entire dataset. A set of metrics dedicated to estimating maintenance costs in web applications is defined based on conclusions formulated by analyzing the collected data and the theories and practices dominating the current state of research. Metrics are validated with regards to the initial research hypothesis. Research hypothesis are validated and conclusions are formulated on the topic of estimating the maintenance cost of web applications. The limits of the research process which represented the basis for the current paper are enunciated. Future research topics are submitted for debate.

Maintenance of scientific instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lucero, E.

1986-01-01

During the last years Colombia has increased the use of nuclear techniques, instruments and equipment in ambitious health programs, as well as in research centers, industry and education; this has resulted in numerous maintenance problems. As an alternative solution IAN has established a Central Maintenance Laboratory for nuclear instruments within an International Atomic Energy Agency program for eight Latin American and nine Asian Countries. Established strategies and some results are detailed in this writing

SYSTMS: Systematic approach for the development of strategies for maintenance and surveillance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, J.X.; McCrea, L.; Dam, R.F.; Nickerson, J.H.

2004-01-01

As part of AECL's Integrated PLiM program, the SYSTMS TM tool has been developed to assist in applying the Systematic Assessment of Maintenance (SAM) technology. SYSTMS builds upon AECL's experience in this area, capturing lessons learned to result in an efficient and effective assessment of system maintenance in NPPs. An important feature of SYSTMS is that it provides analysts with needed information that is easy to review and select for inclusion in the system maintenance assessment. This is accomplished through the use of maintenance templates which can be built and tracked using SYSTMS or imported from AECL's own Maintenance Template Database. This database was developed originally to capture information gathered in SAM studies for use in future studies. It has grown to become a central tool for organizing and integrating aging related knowledge from both within AECL and from outside resources. The SYSTMS tool and the Maintenance Template Database work together to provide an effective tool for performing SAM assessments. This combination also becomes an integral part of the Asset Management program development and System based Adaptive Maintenance Program applications. This paper looks at the features of the SYSTMS tool and Maintenance Database, and discusses how these tools are an important part of the AECL Integrated PLiM products and services. (author)

Initiating statistical maintenance optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doyle, E. Kevin; Tuomi, Vesa; Rowley, Ian

2007-01-01

Since the 1980 s maintenance optimization has been centered around various formulations of Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM). Several such optimization techniques have been implemented at the Bruce Nuclear Station. Further cost refinement of the Station preventive maintenance strategy includes evaluation of statistical optimization techniques. A review of successful pilot efforts in this direction is provided as well as initial work with graphical analysis. The present situation reguarding data sourcing, the principle impediment to use of stochastic methods in previous years, is discussed. The use of Crowe/AMSAA (Army Materials Systems Analysis Activity) plots is demonstrated from the point of view of justifying expenditures in optimization efforts. (author)

Using the system maintenance datastore to characterize lifetime maintenance for PLiM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watson, P.; Dam, R.; Nickerson, J.

2004-01-01

A comprehensive Plant Life Management (PLiM) program involves evaluating a large amount of information. For any plant, there are numerous maintenance, surveillance and inspection programs for the important systems, structures and components. There is extensive industry experience on component failure modes, degradation mechanisms and recommended maintenance practices. This information forms the basis of the aging assessment work, through which improvements to these plant programs are identified. AECL has developed several tools to manage the quantities of information required in aging assessment studies, such as the SYSTMS (SYtematic approach for the development of STrategy for Maintenance and Surveillance) tool and the System Maintenance Datastore (SMD). The SMD has been developed to serve as a hub to a Systematic based Adaptive Maintenance Program (SAMP), by storing maintenance resource requirements for recommended maintenance tasks for use by the other processes in a SAMP. The SMD can be used to (a) quantify the savings or cost of optimising a maintenance program, (b) characterize and understand long term trends in condition-based maintenance due to component aging, (c) quantify the resource savings due to optimum timing of component replacement or general plant refurbishment, and (d) provide aging assessment cost information for input to plant asset evaluation. The SMD contains data for regular maintenance program tasks, plant condition assessment recommendations, and equipment refurbishment costs. A prototype SMD has been developed with data tables populated with information from operating CANDU stations. The SMD is now available to be used either with a SYSTMS evaluation or with a plant's database of maintenance tasks. (author)

Maintenance Process Strategic Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Jasiulewicz-Kaczmarek, M.; Stachowiak, A.

2016-08-01

The performance and competitiveness of manufacturing companies is dependent on the availability, reliability and productivity of their production facilities. Low productivity, downtime, and poor machine performance is often linked to inadequate plant maintenance, which in turn can lead to reduced production levels, increasing costs, lost market opportunities, and lower profits. These pressures have given firms worldwide the motivation to explore and embrace proactive maintenance strategies over the traditional reactive firefighting methods. The traditional view of maintenance has shifted into one of an overall view that encompasses Overall Equipment Efficiency, Stakeholders Management and Life Cycle assessment. From practical point of view it requires changes in approach to maintenance represented by managers and changes in actions performed within maintenance area. Managers have to understand that maintenance is not only about repairs and conservations of machines and devices, but also actions striving for more efficient resources management and care for safety and health of employees. The purpose of the work is to present strategic analysis based on SWOT analysis to identify the opportunities and strengths of maintenance process, to benefit from them as much as possible, as well as to identify weaknesses and threats, so that they could be eliminated or minimized.

Remote handling maintenance of ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haange, R.

1999-01-01

The remote maintenance strategy and the associated component design of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) have reached a high degree of completeness, especially with respect to those components that are expected to require frequent or occasional remote maintenance. Large-scale test stands, to demonstrate the principle feasibility of the remote maintenance procedures and to develop the required equipment and tools, were operational at the end of the Engineering Design Activities (EDA) phase. The initial results are highly encouraging: major remote equipment deployment and component replacement operations have been successfully demonstrated. (author)

Maintenance cost optimization in condition based maintenance: a case study for critical facilities

OpenAIRE

Filippo De Carlo; Maria Antonietta Arleo

2013-01-01

The increasing availability required to industrial plants and the limited budget often existing to assure it, require a careful formulation of maintenance optimization models. This need is primary for process plants, for which minimization of stops and maximization of their availability, are essential for ensuring targeted production and, therefore, profitability. In this context, the choice of the maintenance strategy is hence fundamental, depending on the system features and then on the eff...

Maintenance strategies and safety on a deregulated market. Mapping of changes in maintenance strategies and their possible consequences; Underhaallsstrategier och saekerhet paa en avreglerad elmarknad. En kartlaeggning av foeraendrade underhaallsstrategier och dess moejliga konsekvenser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kecklund, Lena [MTO Psykologi AB, Huddinge (Sweden)

2004-11-01

The overall purpose of the project was to make a survey of the changes in the Swedish nuclear power plants over the last five years. There is a risk that nuclear power companies after a deregulation will focus especially on reducing operation and maintenance costs and that the changes could have a negative effect on the reactor safety. The task has involved summarising the actual changes, describing the present situation, the need for future development and the differences between the plants as well as identifying possible reactor safety related risks. The survey has been carried out in a broad perspective, studying the changes in equipment, maintenance strategies and the work situation of the staff. Three case studies were carried out at the Swedish nuclear power plants. Documentation from the companies has been analysed and a selection of in total 27 'informed' employees in different positions have been interviewed in total. The project also included a fourth case study concerning railway traffic. This branch of business is interesting because of its longer experience on a deregulated and competitive market. Conclusions concerning the companies individually as well as similarities and differences between them are presented in this report. Results: There have been more changes both in strategy and organisation in the last five years than during the preceding 5-10-year-period and the pace has been relatively rapid. The deregulation of the electricity market was implemented January 1997 and became the main motive force for the changes. The staffing has been reduced or unchanged and the work demands have increased. The maintenance skills have been redistributed within the organisation. New methods and equipment, i.e. RCM, and programmable systems make increased demands for analytical and theoretical competence. In the short term, job satisfaction and motivation have in some cases been negatively influenced by the new organisation forms, according to several

Towards total productive maintenance in the Eastern European mining industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buck, J.D. [Kepner-Tregoe (United Kingdom) Ltd., Windsor

1999-08-01

An European Union consultancy project was undertaken to install a `best-in-class` maintenance system for the lignite mines of Romania. The project, funded by PHARE, started with a critical analysis of the maintenance and repair systems of equipment in both the open-pit and underground mines operated by RALO (Regia Autonoma a Lignitului Octenia). This study paved the way for the introduction of a computerised maintenance system and the inception of a planned preventative maintenance scheme. A development strategy leading by a structural methodology towards predictive maintenance and total productive maintenance was drawn up and attention was given to multi-skilling, training and further facilitating activities to enable the success of the total productive maintenance strategy. An abridged version of the paper was presented at MAINTE 97, held in Birmingham, UK in 1997. 5 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.

Jointly Production and Correlated Maintenance Optimization for Parallel Leased Machines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tarek ASKRI

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with a preventive maintenance strategy optimization correlated to production for a manufacturing system made by several parallel machines under lease contract. In order to minimize the total cost of production and maintenance by reducing the production system interruptions due to maintenance activities, a correlated group preventive maintenance policy is developed using the gravity center approach (GCA. The aim of this study is to determine an economical production plan and an optimal group preventive maintenance interval Tn at which all machines are maintained simultaneously. An analytical correlation between failure rate of machines and production level is considered and the impact of the preventive maintenance policy on the production plan is studied. Finally, the proposed maintenance policy GPM is compared with an individual simple strategy approach IPM in order to illustrate its efficiency.

Risk mitigation strategies for operations and maintenance activities.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-01

The objective of this research was to investigate the application of integrated risk modeling to operations and maintenance activities, specifically moving operations, such as pavement testing, pavement marking, painting, snow removal, shoulder work,...

How safe is defect specific maintenance of steam generator tubes?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dvorsek, T.; Cizelj, L.

1995-01-01

Outside diameter stress corrosion cracking at the tube to tube support plate intersections is assessed in the paper. The impact of defect specific maintenance on steam generator operation safety and reliability was investigated. This was performed by comparing efficiencies of defect specific and traditional maintenance strategy. The efficiency was studied through expected primary-to-secondary leak rate and tube rupture probability in a case of postulated accidental operating conditions, and number of tubes which shall be plugged using both maintenance strategies. In general, the efficiency of specific maintenance is function of particular steam generator and operating cycle. (author)

Condition-Based Maintenance Strategy for Production Systems Generating Environmental Damage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Tlili

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We consider production systems which generate damage to environment as they get older and degrade. The system is submitted to inspections to assess the generated environmental damage. The inspections can be periodic or nonperiodic. In case an inspection reveals that the environmental degradation level has exceeded the critical level U, the system is considered in an advanced deterioration state and will have generated significant environmental damage. A corrective maintenance action is then performed to renew the system and clean the environment and a penalty has to be paid. In order to prevent such an undesirable situation, a lower threshold level L is considered to trigger a preventive maintenance action to bring back the system to a state as good as new at a lower cost and without paying the penalty. Two inspection policies are considered (periodic and nonperiodic. For each one of them, a mathematical model and a numerical procedure are developed to determine simultaneously the preventive maintenance (PM threshold L∗ and the inspection sequence which minimize the average long-run cost per time unit. Numerical calculations are performed to illustrate the proposed maintenance policies and highlight their main characteristics with respect to relevant input parameters.

New Models for Maintenance of Offshore Wind Farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Kristian R.

component that was causing a large amount of downtime were identified. Further analysis with the Reliability-Centred Maintenance concept helped determine the most appropriate maintenance strategy. In the final perspective, long-term strategic decisions were the focus. Asset Management and especially Asset...... Life-Cycle Management were studied using a case study. The case study analysis was used to generate strategies to help managers perform maintenance more proactively and to prepare the management of the offshore wind farm turbines for the future. Existing literature on Asset Life-Cycle Management has......Operations and maintenance (O&M) processes are important for keeping offshore wind turbines in operation. Costs related to such activities constitute approximately 30% of the lifetime cost of an offshore wind farm project. Currently, the offshore wind energy industry has shown a rapid increase...

Quantitative techniques for medical equipment maintenance management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ben Houria, Zeineb; Masmoudi, Malek; Al Hanbali, Ahmad; Khatrouch, Ikram; Masmoudi, Faouzi

2016-01-01

The maintenance department in a hospital is responsible for ensuring the safety of medical equipment and their availability while keeping the operation costs minimal. The selection of the best maintenance strategy is a key decision to reduce the equipment downtime, increase the availability, and

New optimization strategies of pavement maintenance: A case study for national road network in Indonesia using integrated road management system

Science.gov (United States)

Hamdi, Hadiwardoyo, Sigit P.; Correia, A. Gomes; Pereira, Paulo

2017-06-01

A road network requires timely maintenance to keep the road surface in good condition onward better services to improve accessibility and mobility. Strategies and maintenance techniques must be chosen in order to maximize road service level through cost-effective interventions. This approach requires an updated database, which the road network in Indonesia is supported by a manual and visual survey, also using NAASRA profiler. Furthermore, in this paper, the deterministic model of deterioration was used. This optimization model uses life cycle cost analysis (LCCA), applied in an integrated manner, using IRI indicator, and allows determining the priority of treatment, type of treatment and its relation to the cost. The purpose of this paper was focussed on the aspects of road maintenance management, i.e., maintenance optimization models for different levels of traffic and various initial of road distress conditions on the national road network in Indonesia. The implementation of Integrated Road Management System (IRMS) can provide a solution to the problem of cost constraints in the maintenance of the national road network. The results from this study found that as the lowest as agency cost, it will affect the increasing of user cost. With the achievement of the target plan scenario Pl000 with initial value IRI 2, it was found that the routine management throughout the year and in early reconstruction and periodic maintenance with a 30 mm thick overlay, will simultaneously provide a higher net benefit value and has the lowest total cost of transportation.

Applying reliability centered maintenance analysis principles to inservice testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flude, J.W.

1994-01-01

Federal regulations require nuclear power plants to use inservice test (IST) programs to ensure the operability of safety-related equipment. IST programs are based on American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code requirements. Many of these plants also use Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) to optimize system maintenance. ASME Code requirements are hard to change. The process for requesting authority to use an alternate strategy is long and expensive. The difficulties of obtaining this authority make the use of RCM method on safety-related systems not cost effective. An ASME research task force on Risk Based Inservice Testing is investigating changing the Code. The change will allow plants to apply RCM methods to the problem of maintenance strategy selection for safety-related systems. The research task force is working closely with the Codes and Standards sections to develop a process related to the RCM process. Some day plants will be able to use this process to develop more efficient and safer maintenance strategies

Development of a methodology for maintenance optimization at Kozloduy NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitchev, E.

1997-01-01

The paper presents the overview of a project for development of an applicable strategy and methods for Kozloduy NPP (KNPP) to optimize its maintenance program in order to meet the current risk based maintenance requirements. The strategy in a format of Integrated Maintenance Program (IMP) manual will define the targets of the optimization process, the major stages and elements of this process and their relationships. IMP embodies the aspects of the US NRC Maintenance Rule compliance and facilitates the integration of KNPP programs and processes which impact the plant maintenance and safety. The methods in a format of IMP Instructions (IM-PI) will define how the different IMP stages can be implemented and the IMP targets can be achieved at KNPP environment. (author). 8 refs

Age-dependent reliability model considering effects of maintenance and working conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martorell, Sebastian; Sanchez, Ana; Serradell, Vicente

1999-01-01

Nowadays, there is some doubt about building new nuclear power plants (NPPs). Instead, there is a growing interest in analyzing the possibility to extend current NPP operation, where life management programs play an important role. The evolution of the NPP safety depends on the evolution of the reliability of its safety components, which, in turn, is a function of their age along the NPP operational life. In this paper, a new age-dependent reliability model is presented, which includes parameters related to surveillance and maintenance effectiveness and working conditions of the equipment, both environmental and operational. This model may be used to support NPP life management and life extension programs, by improving or optimizing surveillance and maintenance tasks using risk and cost models based on such an age-dependent reliability model. The results of the sensitivity study in the example application show that the selection of the most appropriate maintenance strategy would directly depend on the previous parameters. Then, very important differences are expected to appear under certain circumstances, particularly, in comparison with other models that do not consider maintenance effectiveness and working conditions simultaneously

Asbestos exposure of building maintenance personnel.

Science.gov (United States)

Mlynarek, S; Corn, M; Blake, C

1996-06-01

The exposures of building maintenance personnel and occupants to airborne asbestos fibers, and the effects of operations and maintenance programs on those exposures, continue to be an important public health issue. The subject of this investigation was a large metropolitan county with numerous public buildings which routinely conducted air sampling for asbestos. A total of 302 personal air samples in nine task categories collected during maintenance worker activities in proximity to asbestos-containing materials were analyzed; 102 environmental air samples in four task categories were also analyzed. The arithmetic means of the 8-hr time weighted average exposures for personal sampling for each task category were all below the Occupational Safety and Health Administration permissible exposure level of 0.1 fibers (f)/cc > 5 microm. The highest mean 8-hr time weighted average exposure was 0.030 f/cc > 5 microm for ceiling tile replacement. The maximum asbestos concentration during sample collection for environmental samples was 0.027 f/cc > 5 microm. All asbestos-related maintenance work was done within the framework of an Operations and Maintenance Program (OMP) which utilized both personal protective equipment and controls against fiber release/dispersion. Results are presented in association with specific OMP procedures or controls. These results support the effectiveness of using Operations and Maintenance Programs to manage asbestos in buildings without incurring unacceptable risk to maintenance workers performing maintenance tasks.

Monitoring Strategies in Permeable Pavement Systems to Optimize Maintenance Scheduling - abstract

Science.gov (United States)

As the surface in a permeable pavement system clogs and performance decreases, maintenance is required to preserve the design function. Currently, guidance is limited for scheduling maintenance on an as needed basis. Previous research has shown that surface clogging in a permea...

Construction and maintenance of underground mine roads

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Logan, A.S.; Seedsman, R.W. [Coffey Partners International Pty. Ltd. (Australia)

1995-12-31

Good roads are essential in moving men and materials to and from the underground workplace. An underground coal industry funded project was recently completed on underground mine road construction and maintenance. This paper discusses practical approaches to construction and maintenance of underground mine roads using transferable civil technologies and innovative techniques. Mine pavements are generally low-cost (relative to civil roads), constructed to varying standards using locally available materials to best meet the mobility needs of the mine. Performance of pavements is thus largely dependent on the environmental conditions, quality of the available road making materials, maintenance policies and available resources. This paper explains the causes of bad roads in various underground environments. It details available management strategies, construction and water control techniques, road maintenance and vehicle considerations. It concludes that the trend to larger rubber tires mining equipment needs to be matched with construction and maintenance of high quality road surfaces. For large operations, the total cost due to poor roads may equate to in excess of $A1 million per annum. The strategies outlined in this paper provide the basis for construction and maintenance of underground mine roads to help achieve desired production targets. (author). 2 tabs., 4 figs., 7 refs.

Maintenance evaluation using risk based criteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torres Valle, A.

1996-01-01

The maintenance evaluation is currently performed by using economic and, in some case, technical equipment failure criteria, however this is done to a specific equipment level. In general, when statistics are used the analysis for maintenance optimization are made isolated and whit a post mortem character; The integration provided by mean of Probabilistic Safety assessment (PSA) together with the possibilities of its applications, allow for evaluation of maintenance on the basis of broader scope criteria in regard to those traditionally used. The evaluate maintenance using risk based criteria, is necessary to follow a dynamic and systematic approach, in studying the maintenance strategy, to allow for updating the initial probabilistic models, for including operational changes that often take place during operation of complex facilities. This paper proposes a dynamic evaluation system of maintenance task. The system is illustrated by means of a practical example

Maintenance scheduling of a manufacturing system subject to deterioration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmadi, Reza; Newby, Martin

2011-01-01

This paper presents an integrated model for the joint determination of both optimal inspection strategy and optimal repair policy for a manufacturing system whose resulting output is subject to system state. An appropriate maintenance strategy is essential to optimize revenue from a manufacturing system which is in continuous operation and subject to deterioration. The optimum policy balances the amount of maintenance required to increase availability against the loss of revenue arising from the down time: insufficient maintenance leads to an increase in the number of defective items, low profit and low maintenance cost; excessive maintenance results in a reduction in the proportion of defective items, high profit and high maintenance cost. In this paper, an intensity control model adapted to partial information provides an optimal inspection intensity and repair degree of the system as an optimal control process to yield maximum revenue. The solution is obtained through formulating an equivalent deterministic Hamilton-Jacobi equation. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the behavior of the optimal control process. The optimal control process determines a solution to both optimum inspection frequency and optimal replacement policy which results in an optimal production run length of the system. - Highlights: → We develop an optimum asset management strategy based on the revenue generated by the asset. → The optimum strategy controls the intensity, rate of occurrence, of interruptions to service. → The decisions are based on partial observation of the system and do not need perfect information. There is no need for continuous monitoring of the system.

Maintenance in sustainable manufacturing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimir Stuchly

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Sustainable development is about reaching a balance between economic, social, and environmental goals, as well as people's participation in the planning process in order to gain their input and support. For a company, sustainable development means adoption of such business strategy and actions that contribute to satisfying present needs of company and stakeholders, as well as simultaneous protection, maintenance and strengthening of human and environmental potential which will be needed in the future. This new approach forces manufacturing companies to change their previous management paradigms. New management paradigm should include new issues and develop innovative methods, practices and technologies striving for solving problem of shortages of resources, softening environment overload and enabling development of environment-friendly lifecycle of products. Hence, its realization requires updating existing production models as they are based on previously accepted paradigm of unlimited resources and unlimited regeneration capabilities. Maintenance plays a crucial role because of its impact on availability, reliability, quality and life cycle cost, thus it should be one of the main pillars of new business running model.  Material and methods: The following paper is a result of research on the literature and observation of practices undertaken by a company within maintenance area. Results and conclusions: The main message is that considering sustainable manufacturing requires considerable expanding range of analysis and focusing on supporting processes. Maintenance offers numerous opportunities of decreasing influence of business processes on natural environment and more efficient resources utilization. The goal of maintenance processes realizing sustainable development strategy is increased profitability of exploitation and optimization of total lifecycle cost without disturbing safety and environmental issues. 

Improving nuclear power plant reliability through predictive maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geilhausen, R.; Kunze, U.

1996-01-01

Maintenance strategies can be assigned to one of three categories: failure maintenance, periodic maintenance or condition-oriented maintenance. The optimum maintenance scheme can be selected on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis but the safety of life and limb or the political climate for NPP can hardly expressed in numbers. The implementation of preventive maintenance needs two preconditions: high-performance instrumentation in the form of stationary and mobile monitoring systems for the determination of the condition of the nuclear power plant components and provision of a tool that can handle both the organization of the work and the evaluation of the results obtained. (authors)

Multiple Learning Strategies Project. Building Maintenance & Engineering. Regular Vocational. [Vol. 2.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Dwight; And Others

This instructional package is one of two designed for regular vocational students in the vocational area of building maintenance and engineering. The fifty-three learning modules are organized into ten units: office cleaning; grounds; sanitation; boiler maintenance and operation; power and hand tools; cabinet construction; repair of damaged…

Developing framework to analyze world-class maintenance (wcm) indicators: gap analysis to highlight challenges and opportunities for the Norwegian petroleum industry

OpenAIRE

Imam, Syeda Fahmida

2012-01-01

Master's thesis in Offshore Technology World-class Maintenance (WCM) is a unique business process which actually does not cost, rather pays back. This study was an initial attempt to understand the extent of WCM concept being utilized in the Norwegian industry. The aim of the study was to develop a framework for analyzing the WCM indicators. For this purpose, the study was focused to: identify measurable WCM indicators, find the trends of WCM in the Norwegian sector, and find gap betwee...

Environmental favourable foundries through maintenance activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Saniuk

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Maintenance today contributes to the aim of sustainable development in society, including environmental and energy saving, safety and economical aspects. The main purpose of the paper is to present the role of maintenance in the realization of sustainable developing practices in a foundry industry. Maintenance offers numerous opportunities to reduce the influence of foundry processes on the natural environment and utilize resources more efficiently. Maintenance activities can help to reduce losses and thereby improve the efficiency of the processes used in the production of resources (e.g. raw materials, energy, etc., especially in areas such as: the choice of an appropriate strategy for the maintenance of machinery and equipment (e.g. reactive, preventive, proactive; inventory management of spare parts; lubrication management and management of technology media.

Multiple Learning Strategies Project. Building Maintenance & Engineering. Low Reader. [Vol. 2.

Science.gov (United States)

Steinberg, A.; And Others

This instructional package is one of two designed for low reader students (those reading at grade level 3-6) in the vocational area of building maintenance and engineering. The forty-four learning modules are organized into eleven units: chalkboards; carpet care; office cleaning; grounds; sanitation; boiler maintenance and operation; power and…

A novel approach for modelling complex maintenance systems using discrete event simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alrabghi, Abdullah; Tiwari, Ashutosh

2016-01-01

Existing approaches for modelling maintenance rely on oversimplified assumptions which prevent them from reflecting the complexity found in industrial systems. In this paper, we propose a novel approach that enables the modelling of non-identical multi-unit systems without restrictive assumptions on the number of units or their maintenance characteristics. Modelling complex interactions between maintenance strategies and their effects on assets in the system is achieved by accessing event queues in Discrete Event Simulation (DES). The approach utilises the wide success DES has achieved in manufacturing by allowing integration with models that are closely related to maintenance such as production and spare parts systems. Additional advantages of using DES include rapid modelling and visual interactive simulation. The proposed approach is demonstrated in a simulation based optimisation study of a published case. The current research is one of the first to optimise maintenance strategies simultaneously with their parameters while considering production dynamics and spare parts management. The findings of this research provide insights for non-conflicting objectives in maintenance systems. In addition, the proposed approach can be used to facilitate the simulation and optimisation of industrial maintenance systems. - Highlights: • This research is one of the first to optimise maintenance strategies simultaneously. • New insights for non-conflicting objectives in maintenance systems. • The approach can be used to optimise industrial maintenance systems.

Multiple Learning Strategies Project. Building Maintenance & Engineering. Low Reader. [Vol. 1.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Dwight; And Others

This instructional package is one of two designed for low reader students (those reading at a 3-6 grade level) in the vocational area of building maintenance and engineering. The forty-six learning modules are organized into three units: floor care; general maintenance tasks; and restrooms. Each module includes these elements: a performance…

Maintenance strategy for tilting table of rolling mill based on reliability considerations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deshpande, V.S.; Modak, J.P.

2003-01-01

Reliability centred maintenance (RCM) is a new strategic framework for ensuring that any asset continues to perform, as its users want it to perform. RCM is a process used to determine the maintenance requirement of any physical asset in its operating context. RCM process entails asking seven questions about each of the selected assets. It makes use of two documents namely, RCM information worksheet and RCM decision worksheet. RCM decision diagram integrates all the decision processes into a single strategic framework. RCM concept developed by US commercial airlines industry has been successfully implemented by Military, Navy, Nuclear power plants, electric power generation and distribution undertakings and several other sectors. These projects have been carried out in the United Kingdom, The Republic of Ireland, the United States, Hong Kong, Australia, Spain and Singapore. The fact that people has enthusiastically received RCM at all levels and has enabled users to achieve some remarkable successes in all of these countries, suggests that it can be universally employed. Literature review indicates that RCM approach is not conventionally applied in process industries in India. Presently, predictive maintenance (PDM) approach along with conventional preventive maintenance is used in continuous/process industries. This approach if implemented in totality will increase the production cost to a large degree and make the production uneconomical. Similarly breakdown maintenance (BDM) approach cannot be applied in such industries as each breakdown involves huge costs. RCM approach is a compromise between PDM and BDM approach for optimising the cost and ensuring the availability of machine. The RCM approach has been applied to the tilting table system of rolling mill for the research work reported in this paper. In the present study, preventive maintenance tasks suggested for power transmission subsystem, guiding and transportation subsystem and hydraulic subsystem in

The use of lifetime functions in the optimization of interventions on existing bridges considering maintenance and failure costs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Seung-Ie [Department of Civil, Enviromental, and Architectural Enginnering, University of Colorado, Campus Box 428, Boulder, CO 80309-0428 (United States)]. E-mail: yangsione@dreamwiz.com; Frangopol, Dan M. [Department of Civil, Enviromental, and Architectural Enginnering, University of Colorado, Campus Box 428, Boulder, CO 80309-0428 (United States)]. E-mail: dan.frangopol@colorado.edu; Kawakami, Yoriko [Hanshin Expressway Public Corporation, Kobe Maintenance Department, 16-1 Shinko-cho Chuo-ku Kobe City, Hyogo, 650-0041 (Japan)]. E-mail: yoriko-kawakami@hepc.go.jp; Neves, Luis C. [Department of Civil, Enviromental, and Architectural Enginnering, University of Colorado, Campus Box 428, Boulder, CO 80309-0428 (United States)]. E-mail: lneves@civil.uminho.pt

2006-06-15

In the last decade, it became clear that life-cycle cost analysis of existing civil infrastructure must be used to optimally manage the growing number of aging and deteriorating structures. The uncertainties associated with deteriorating structures require the use of probabilistic methods to properly evaluate their lifetime performance. In this paper, the deterioration and the effect of maintenance actions are analyzed considering the performance of existing structures characterized by lifetime functions. These functions allow, in a simple manner, the consideration of the effect of aging on the decrease of the probability of survival of a structure, as well as the effect of maintenance actions. Models for the effects of proactive and reactive preventive maintenance, and essential maintenance actions are presented. Since the probability of failure is different from zero during the entire service life of a deteriorating structure and depends strongly on the maintenance strategy, the cost of failure is included in this analysis. The failure of one component in a structure does not usually lead to failure of the structure and, as a result, the safety of existing structures must be analyzed using a system reliability framework. The optimization consists of minimizing the sum of the cumulative maintenance and expected failure cost during the prescribed time horizon. Two examples of application of the proposed methodology are presented. In the first example, the sum of the maintenance and failure costs of a bridge in Colorado is minimized considering essential maintenance only and a fixed minimum acceptable probability of failure. In the second example, the expected lifetime cost, including maintenance and expected failure costs, of a multi-girder bridge is minimized considering reactive preventive maintenance actions.

The use of lifetime functions in the optimization of interventions on existing bridges considering maintenance and failure costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Seung-Ie; Frangopol, Dan M.; Kawakami, Yoriko; Neves, Luis C.

2006-01-01

In the last decade, it became clear that life-cycle cost analysis of existing civil infrastructure must be used to optimally manage the growing number of aging and deteriorating structures. The uncertainties associated with deteriorating structures require the use of probabilistic methods to properly evaluate their lifetime performance. In this paper, the deterioration and the effect of maintenance actions are analyzed considering the performance of existing structures characterized by lifetime functions. These functions allow, in a simple manner, the consideration of the effect of aging on the decrease of the probability of survival of a structure, as well as the effect of maintenance actions. Models for the effects of proactive and reactive preventive maintenance, and essential maintenance actions are presented. Since the probability of failure is different from zero during the entire service life of a deteriorating structure and depends strongly on the maintenance strategy, the cost of failure is included in this analysis. The failure of one component in a structure does not usually lead to failure of the structure and, as a result, the safety of existing structures must be analyzed using a system reliability framework. The optimization consists of minimizing the sum of the cumulative maintenance and expected failure cost during the prescribed time horizon. Two examples of application of the proposed methodology are presented. In the first example, the sum of the maintenance and failure costs of a bridge in Colorado is minimized considering essential maintenance only and a fixed minimum acceptable probability of failure. In the second example, the expected lifetime cost, including maintenance and expected failure costs, of a multi-girder bridge is minimized considering reactive preventive maintenance actions

A multi-agent based intelligent configuration method for aircraft fleet maintenance personnel

OpenAIRE

Feng, Qiang; Li, Songjie; Sun, Bo

2014-01-01

A multi-agent based fleet maintenance personnel configuration method is proposed to solve the mission oriented aircraft fleet maintenance personnel configuration problem. The maintenance process of an aircraft fleet is analyzed first. In the process each aircraft contains multiple parts, and different parts are repaired by personnel with different majors and levels. The factors and their relationship involved in the process of maintenance are analyzed and discussed. Then the whole maintenance...

Modeling of the maintenance policy of an offshore wind farm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maddens, L.; Labeau, P.E.

2004-01-01

Wind energy has a key position in the market of renewable electricity production means. Offshore wind farms offer additional surfaces to exploit this form of energy, together with more favourable wind conditions. Yet offshore windmills ask for higher investment and maintenance costs. Optimising the latter costs should therefore turn out to be particularly beneficial for this technology. The present paper summarizes the main modelling aspects of the maintenance of a typical offshore wind farm, such as the accessibility of the wind turbines and the impact of weather conditions, the cost of the different transport resources, the number of maintenance teams, a tolerated unavailability of part of the windmills, the opportunity to combine corrective and preventive maintenance actions on one or several windmills. All these features were embedded in a Petri net model of the maintenance policy of the farm, allowing to estimate the maintenance costs entailed by several strategies. Advantages and drawbacks of using Petri nets for the modelling of such a maintenance strategy are finally discussed. (authors)

A New Biobjective Model to Optimize Integrated Redundancy Allocation and Reliability-Centered Maintenance Problems in a System Using Metaheuristics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shima MohammadZadeh Dogahe

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A novel integrated model is proposed to optimize the redundancy allocation problem (RAP and the reliability-centered maintenance (RCM simultaneously. A system of both repairable and nonrepairable components has been considered. In this system, electronic components are nonrepairable while mechanical components are mostly repairable. For nonrepairable components, a redundancy allocation problem is dealt with to determine optimal redundancy strategy and number of redundant components to be implemented in each subsystem. In addition, a maintenance scheduling problem is considered for repairable components in order to identify the best maintenance policy and optimize system reliability. Both active and cold standby redundancy strategies have been taken into account for electronic components. Also, net present value of the secondary cost including operational and maintenance costs has been calculated. The problem is formulated as a biobjective mathematical programming model aiming to reach a tradeoff between system reliability and cost. Three metaheuristic algorithms are employed to solve the proposed model: Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II, Multiobjective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO, and Multiobjective Firefly Algorithm (MOFA. Several test problems are solved using the mentioned algorithms to test efficiency and effectiveness of the solution approaches and obtained results are analyzed.

The maintenance management for lean organization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel D. GEORGESCU

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The goal of lean maintenance approach is to maintain organization international competitiveness. In the spirit of continuously improvement, in the paper it is shown how by adjusting some Lean manufacturing specific techniques for Total Productive Maintenance (TPM system, was born new maintenance system named Lean TPM. This is a systemic approach with three techniques, which don’t exclude specific techniques of TPM pillars, but complete them: the 7Ss as a critical first step in any improvement program; instantaneous maintenance; improvement setup operations. In the spirit of Lean principle, Lean TPM adjusts overall equipment effectiveness concept for all supply-chain from supplier to customer. Maintaining equipment in its optimal state and continually improving its productivity is the whole strategy behind Lean TPM.

The human factor in maintenance work

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansson, B.

1996-01-01

In most of the maintenance works performed at operating plants, the personnel is the warranty for both efficient performance and good quality. To reach the right quality level in performance, the personnel needs adequate tools and of course a maintenance strategy and an organisation that supports the efficient work. The human factor is mostly referred to when something went wrong and analyses are done. There is a great potential of doing preventive analysis. The presentation will focus on experience in this field and what has been done at Barsebaeck NPP to analyse and improve the maintenance work. As maintenance work can't be seen as an isolated area, the rest of the plant organisation is included in the presentation. (author) figs., tabs

A risk based model supporting long term maintenance and reinvestment strategy decision making

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sand, Kjell; Montard, Julien; Tremoen, Tord H.

2010-02-15

This Technical Report is a product from the project Risk-Based Distribution System Asset Management (short: RISK DSAM) - Work Package 3 Risk exposure on company/strategic level. In the report a concept for portfolio distribution system asset management is presented. The approach comprises four main steps: 1. Decide the asset base. 2. Divide the asset base into relevant archetypes. 3. Develop or select relevant maintenance and reinvestment strategies for the different archetypes. 4. Estimate risks and costs for each archetype for the relevant strategies. For the different steps guidelines are given and a proposal for implementation of the concept is given in terms of a proposed IT system architecture.To evaluate the feasibility of such a concept, a prototype was developed in by using Visual Basic macros in Excel using real technical data from a small DSO. The experience from using the prototype shows that the concept is realistic. All assets are included and depending of the ambition of the risk analysis both simple simulation models and more advanced might be embedded. Presentations of the concept for a utility engineers have receive positive feedback indicating that the concept is regarded as a practical way to develop risk based asset management strategies for the asset fleet. It should be noted that the concept should be applied on a company strategic level and is thus not designed to be applied for a specific project or asset decisions. For this, more detailed models with area specific information, topology etc. are needed. (Author)

The advantages of reliability centered maintenance for standby safety systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dam, R.F.; Ayazzudin, S.; Nickerson, J.H.; DeLong, A.I.

2002-01-01

Full text: On standby safety systems, nuclear plants have to balance the requirements of demonstrating the reliability of each system, while maintaining the system and plant availability. With the goal of demonstrating statistical reliability, these systems have extensive testing programs, which often makes the system unavailable and this can impact the plant capacity. The inputs to the process are often safety and regulatory related, resulting in programs that provide a high level of scrutiny on the systems being considered. In such cases, the value of the application of a maintenance optimization strategy, such as Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM), is questioned. Part of the question stems from the use of the word 'Reliability' in RCM, which implies a level of redundancy when applied to a system maintenance program driven by reliability requirements. A deeper look at the RCM process, however, shows that RCM has the goal of ensuring that the system operates 'reliably' through the application of an integrated maintenance strategy. This is a subtle, but important distinction. Although the system reliability requirements are an important part of the strategy evaluation, RCM provides a broader context where testing is only one part of an overall strategy focused on ensuring that component function is maintained through a combination of monitoring technologies (including testing), predictive techniques, and intrusive maintenance strategies. Each strategy is targeted to identify known component degradation mechanisms. The conclusion is that a maintenance program driven by reliability requirements will tend to have testing defined at a frequency intended to support the needed statistics. The testing demonstrates that the desired function is available today. Maintenance driven by functional requirements and known failure causes, as developed through an RCM assessment, will have frequencies tied to industry experience with components and rely on a higher degree of

Current Situation of Highway Daily Maintenance Management in Beijing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pan Feng Ming

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Combined with the industry property, characteristics and management needs of highway maintenance project in Beijing, through investigation and research of the highway daily maintenance management, the present situation of highway repair and maintenance is expounded from the aspects such as the determination of maintenance funds and plan, maintenance management mode, and so on. Then in order to explore the new mechanisms for market management of highway maintenance, the advantages and disadvantages of highway maintenance and minor repairment of Beijing are analyzed.

Telomeres and viruses: common themes of genome maintenance

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Zhong; Wang, Zhuo; Lieberman, Paul M.

2012-01-01

Genome maintenance mechanisms actively suppress genetic instability associated with cancer and aging. Some viruses provoke genetic instability by subverting the host’s control of genome maintenance. Viruses have their own specialized strategies for genome maintenance, which can mimic and modify host cell processes. Here, we review some of the common features of genome maintenance utilized by viruses and host chromosomes, with a particular focus on terminal repeat (TR) elements. The TRs of cellular chromosomes, better known as telomeres, have well-established roles in cellular chromosome stability. Cellular telomeres are themselves maintained by viral-like mechanisms, including self-propagation by reverse transcription, recombination, and retrotransposition. Viral TR elements, like cellular telomeres, are essential for viral genome stability and propagation. We review the structure and function of viral repeat elements and discuss how they may share telomere-like structures and genome protection functions. We consider how viral infections modulate telomere regulatory factors for viral repurposing and can alter normal host telomere structure and chromosome stability. Understanding the common strategies of viral and cellular genome maintenance may provide new insights into viral–host interactions and the mechanisms driving genetic instability in cancer. PMID:23293769

Photovoltaic power plants maintenance; El mantenimiento en plantas fotovoltaicas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suanzes, F.; Rodelgo, I.

2010-07-01

It is reviewed the evolution of the maintenance contracts in solar facilities in a young environment and with a large projection. Thus, is described the preventive maintenance in this kind of facilities, and are also analyzed the most relevant cases of corrective maintenance. (Author)

Mobile equipment maintenance at Elk Valley Coal Corporation Fording River

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-07-01

Major loading and support equipment, haul trucks, and the number of staff and hourly tradesmen working in the maintenance manpower division at Elk Valley Coal are listed. Maintenance strategies are safety, high maintenance of equipment availabilities and reliability, cost reduction, and maximized productivity of assets. Maintenance assets comprise a large shop, shovel and drill crew, machine shop, light vehicle facility, line crew, radio technicians, and cranes. Most maintenance work is completed in- house. Fording River uses a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) that was developed in-house to match business needs. Several examples of the application of Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) are described. 12 figs., 2 tabs.

Case Based Asset Maintenance for the Electric Equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Ji-Hyeon; Jung, Jae-Cheon; Chang, Young-Woo; Chang, Hoon-Seon; Kim, Jae-Cheol; Kim, Hang-Bae; Kim, Kyu-Ho; Hur, Yong; Lee, Dong-Chul

2006-01-01

The electric equipment maintenance strategies are changing from PM(Preventive Maintenance) or CM(Corrective Maintenance) to CBM(Condition Based Maintenance). The main benefits of CBM are reduced possibility of service failures of critical equipment and reduced costs or maintenance work. In CBM, the equipment status need to be monitored continuously and a decision should be made whether an equipment need to be repaired or replaced. For the maintenance decision making, the CBR(Case Base Reasoning) system is introduced. The CBR system receives the current equipment status and retrieves the case based historic database to determine any possible equipment failure under current conditions. In retrieving the case based historic data, the suggested DSS(Decision Support System) uses a reasoning engine with an equipment/asset ontology that describes the equipment subsumption relationships

Multiple Learning Strategies Project. Building Maintenance & Engineering. Educable Mentally Impaired. [Vol. 2.

Science.gov (United States)

Constantini, Debra; And Others

This instructional package is one of three designed for educable mentally impaired students in the vocational area of building maintenance and engineering. The thirty-four learning modules are organized into six units: general maintenance tasks; restrooms; chalkboards; carpet care; office cleaning; and grounds. Each module includes these elements:…

[Development of Hospital Equipment Maintenance Information System].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Zhixin

2015-11-01

Hospital equipment maintenance information system plays an important role in improving medical treatment quality and efficiency. By requirement analysis of hospital equipment maintenance, the system function diagram is drawed. According to analysis of input and output data, tables and reports in connection with equipment maintenance process, relationships between entity and attribute is found out, and E-R diagram is drawed and relational database table is established. Software development should meet actual process requirement of maintenance and have a friendly user interface and flexible operation. The software can analyze failure cause by statistical analysis.

Integration of infrared thermography into various maintenance methodologies

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, William T.

1993-04-01

Maintenance methodologies are in developmental stages throughout the world as global competitiveness drives all industries to improve operational efficiencies. Rapid progress in technical advancements has added an additional strain on maintenance organizations to progressively change. Accompanying needs for advanced training and documentation is the demand for utilization of various analytical instruments and quantitative methods. Infrared thermography is one of the primary elements of engineered approaches to maintenance. Current maintenance methodologies can be divided into six categories; Routine ('Breakdown'), Preventive, Predictive, Proactive, Reliability-Based, and Total Productive (TPM) maintenance. Each of these methodologies have distinctive approaches to achieving improved operational efficiencies. Popular though is that infrared thermography is a Predictive maintenance tool. While this is true, it is also true that it can be effectively integrated into each of the maintenance methodologies for achieving desired results. The six maintenance strategies will be defined. Infrared applications integrated into each will be composed in tabular form.

Preventive Maintenance Optimization in Healthcare Domain: Status of Research and Perspective

OpenAIRE

Mahfoud, H.; El Barkany, A.; El Biyaali, A.

2016-01-01

Although medical equipment maintenance has been carefully managed for years, very few in-depth studies have been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of these implemented preventive maintenance strategies, especially after the debate about the credibility of manufacturer’s recommendations has increased in the clinical engineering community. Facing the dilemma of merely following manufactures maintenance manual or establishing an evidence-based maintenance, medical equipment ...

Multiple Learning Strategies Project. Building Maintenance & Engineering. Educable Mentally Impaired. [Vol. 1.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Dwight; And Others

This instructional package is one of three designed for educable mentally impaired students in the vocational area of building maintenance and engineering. The thirty learning modules are organized into two units: floor care and general maintenance tasks. Each module includes these elements: a performance objective page which tells the student…

Successful factors to a better maintenance effectiveness in Cernavoda NPP 's Unit 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riedel, M.; Bigu, D.

2001-01-01

Two tables are presented titled 'Existing maintenance-specific and maintenance-related plant programs' and 'New programs intended to be developed', respectively. In the first table the following items are indicated and commented: 1. Corrective maintenance program; 2. EQ Program; 3. Equipment maintenance history program; 4. In service inspection program; 5. Lube oil analysis program; 6. MOVs program; 7. Operational test procedures; 8. Performance evaluation program; 9. Preventive maintenance program; 10. Spares management program; 11. Vibration monitoring program. In table 2 the following items are indicated and commented: 1. Check Valves program; 2. Electrical Cable Diagnostics; 3. Erosion-corrosion; 4. Temperature monitoring (infra red thermography; noncontact thermometer); 5. Airborne Ultrasound Detection program; 6. PdM Program. A flowchart is presented in figure 1 showing the maintenance strategies' selection. In figure 2 there is presented a flowchart showing the plants maintenance current approach. Finally, in figure 3 the station maintenance program is presented in a diagram structured on the following fields: concepts, requirements, strategies, specific programs and plans

Perspective of the Westinghouse steam generator secondary side maintenance approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramaley, D. [Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania (United States)

2012-07-01

Historically, Westinghouse had developed a set of steam generator secondary maintenance guidelines focused around performing recurring activities each outage without direct regards to the age, deposit loading, operational status, or corrosion status of the steam generator. Through the evolution of steam generator design and steam generator condition data, Westinghouse now uses a proactive assessment and planning approach for utilities. Westinghouse works with utilities to develop steam generator secondary maintenance plans for long term steam generator viability. Westinghouse has developed a portfolio of products to allow utilities to optimize steam generator operability and develop programs aimed at maintaining the steam generator secondary side in a favorable condition for successful long term operation. Judicious use of the means available for program development should allow for corrosion free operation, long term full power operation at optimum thermal efficiency, and leveling of outage expenditures over a long period of time. This paper will review the following required elements for an effective steam generator secondary side strategy: • Assessment: In order to develop an appropriate maintenance strategy, actions must be taken to obtain an accurate picture of the SG secondary side condition. • Forecasting: Using available data predictions are developed for future steam generator conditions and required maintenance actions. • Action: Cost effective engineering and maintenance actions must be completed at the appropriate time as designated by the plan. • Evaluation of Results: Following execution of maintenance tactics, it is necessary to revise strategy and develop technology enhancements as appropriate. (author)

On-line maintenance at Cofrentes NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roldan Vilches, J.; Moreno Matarranz, M. A.; Hermana Mendioroz, I.

1998-01-01

Cofrentes NPP has begun in 1997 activities related to At Power Preventive Maintenance over trains or systems which lead to a voluntary entry in a Limitative Condition of Operation (LCO) of the Technical Specifications. From others benefits, this program ha improved the risk management and the staff's knowledge over the functions and safety implications of the different systems, the better exploit of the resources, the co-ordination of the different organisations involved (Maintenance an Operation) and the reductions of works during shutdowns. Previous to each work, a feasibility study analyzes qualitative and quantitative (PSA), using the Risk Monitor, the implications on safety of all the tasks, assuring that the global safety of the Plant is always maintained. Tech. Spec. are analyzed in detail and also are analyzed situations of simultaneous unavailabilities of systems which could lead to a high risk situation. Two different risk controls are defined (punctual and accumulated) to assure that high risk situations will not be given. Finally, historical risk profile is analyzed to assure that the accumulated risk increase is not significant. Risk Monitor helps staff in the schedule and follow-up of the activities of On-Line Maintenance. Each one of the tasks are deeply planned and harshly analyzed and are carried out by high qualified workers. By the moment, this program is running with fully satisfaction on the Plant. (Author)

Maintenance cost savings - snubber elimination with limit stops

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cloud, R.L.; Taylor, W.H.

1993-01-01

'Active' snubbers can be replaced with 'passive' Limit Stops using two separate strategies. One is a straightforward piping re-analysis to optimize the number of dynamic supports and replace remaining snubbers with Limit Stops. A second approach is to take implicit advantage of the margins afforded by the ASME Code Case N-411 reduced damping ratios and simply replace snubbers one-for-one with no re-analysis. Both methods result in major maintenance cost savings and both have been discussed with the NRC. Approaches to maintenance cost reduction using these strategies are discussed in this paper

Preventive maintenance program of motorized operated valves (MOV) at Cernavoda NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Groza, M.; Moldoveanu, Edy

2001-01-01

This is a Power Point presentation. The following objectives are addressed: A. Determine the target of MOV program; B. Define the strategy for MOV; C. Establish the MOV program execution phases; D. Identification of key parameters; E. Examples. The target of MOV program is to improve the safety by ensuring the adequacy of safety valves and the reliability of safety equipment and, subsequently, to ensure the economic operation of the plant. Consequences of MV malfunction are indicated. The strategy for MOV program development is both general, namely, to define the minimal requirements of preventive /corrective maintenance activities for all MOV's according to design/ manufacture specification and particular, namely to identify MV's specific problems and the need for increasing/decreasing the preventing maintenance tasks or frequency established in 'general' MOV program. Strategy for MOV program development implies: - Establish MOV program applicability; - Develop diagnostic strategy (define key parameters ); - Perform program for engineering review; - Establish program for preventive maintenance; - Revise procedures for operating and maintenance tests; - Dynamic evaluation of MOV. The program execution phases are listed as follows: 1. Perform risk assessment of the MOV's to determine criticality level (program applicability); 2. Collect data to fill in MOV Application Data Sheet; 3. Perform engineering review to determine functional parameters acceptable range and determine key parameters; 4. Analysis for maintenance tasks / frequencies selection and determination of implementing actions (engineer review); 5. Prepare work packages for availability confirmation; 6. Schedule and plan corrective actions or provide input to other programs; 7. Schedule and plan implementing actions in preparation for program field execution; 8. Program field implementation; 9. Program monitoring, evaluation and optimization. The criteria defining the key operational and maintenance

Steam generator tube support plate degradation in French plants: maintenance strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gauchet, J.-P.; Gillet, N.; Stindel, M.

1998-01-01

This paper reports on the degradations of Steam Generator (SG) Tube Support Plates (TSPs) observed in French plants and the maintenance strategy adopted to continue operating the plant without any decrease of the required safety level. Only drilled carbon steel TSPs of early SGs are affected. Except the particular damage of the TSP8 of FESSENHEIM 2 caused by chemical cleaning procedures implemented in 1992, two main problems were observed almost exclusively on the upper TSP: Ligaments ruptured near the aseismic block located at 215 degrees. This degradation is perfectly detectable by bobbin coil inspection. It occurs very early in the life of the SG as can be seen from the records of previous inspections and no evolution of the signals was observed. This damage can be detected for 51M model SGs on several sites; Wastage of the ligaments resulting in enlargement of flow holes with in some cases complete consumption of a ligament. This damage was only observed for SGs of at GRAVELINES. This damage evolved cycle after cycle. Detailed studies were performed to analyze tubing behavior when a tube is not supported by the upper TSP because of missing ligaments. These studies evaluated the risk of vibratory instability, the behavior of both the TSP and the tubing in case of a seismic event or a LOCA and finally the behavior of the TSP in case of a Steam Line Break. Concerning vibratory instability it was possible to define zones where stability could not be demonstrated. Dampine, cables and sentinel plugs were then used when necessary to eliminate the risk of Steam Generator Tube Rupture (SGTR). For accidental conditions, it could be shown that no unacceptable damage occurs and that the core cooling function of the SG is always maintained if some tubes are plugged. From this analysis, It was possible to define the inspection programs for the different plants taking into account the specific situation of each plant regarding the damages detected. These programs include

GRAPHICAL MODELS OF THE AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE PROCESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanislav Vladimirovich Daletskiy

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The aircraft maintenance is realized by a rapid sequence of maintenance organizational and technical states, its re- search and analysis are carried out by statistical methods. The maintenance process concludes aircraft technical states con- nected with the objective patterns of technical qualities changes of the aircraft as a maintenance object and organizational states which determine the subjective organization and planning process of aircraft using. The objective maintenance pro- cess is realized in Maintenance and Repair System which does not include maintenance organization and planning and is a set of related elements: aircraft, Maintenance and Repair measures, executors and documentation that sets rules of their interaction for maintaining of the aircraft reliability and readiness for flight. The aircraft organizational and technical states are considered, their characteristics and heuristic estimates of connection in knots and arcs of graphs and of aircraft organi- zational states during regular maintenance and at technical state failure are given. It is shown that in real conditions of air- craft maintenance, planned aircraft technical state control and maintenance control through it, is only defined by Mainte- nance and Repair conditions at a given Maintenance and Repair type and form structures, and correspondingly by setting principles of Maintenance and Repair work types to the execution, due to maintenance, by aircraft and all its units mainte- nance and reconstruction strategies. The realization of planned Maintenance and Repair process determines the one of the constant maintenance component. The proposed graphical models allow to reveal quantitative correlations between graph knots to improve maintenance processes by statistical research methods, what reduces manning, timetable and expenses for providing safe civil aviation aircraft maintenance.

Clustering condition-based maintenance for a multi-unit system with aperiodic inspections

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Olde Keizer, Minou C.A.; Teunter, Ruud H.; Podofillini, Luca; Sudret, Bruno; Stojadinović, Božidar; Zio, Enrico; Kröger, Wolfgang

2015-01-01

Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) is a predictive maintenance strategy, which bases the maintenance scheduling on condition measurements of the components. In this paper, we continue work on the CBM optimization approach proposed by Castanier, B., A. Grall & C. Bérenguer (2005). A condition-based

Implementing a customer focused continual business improvement program to improve the maintenance process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kharshafdjian, G.; Fisher, C.; Beres, T.; Brooks, S.; Forbes, S.; Krause, M.; McAuley, K.; Wendorf, M.

2006-01-01

Global market pressures and increasing competition demands that successful companies establish a continual business improvement program as part of implementing its business strategy. Such programs must be driven by the definition of quality from the customer's perspective. This customer quality focus often requires a change in all aspects of the business including products, services, processes and culture. This paper will describe how Atomic Energy of Canada Limited implemented a Continual Business Improvement Program in their Nuclear Laboratories Business Unit. In particular, to review how the techniques were applied to improve the maintenance process and the status of the project. Customer (internal users of the processes at CRL) feedback has shown repeatedly there is dissatisfaction of the maintenance process. Customers complain about jobs not getting done to schedule or being deferred. A project has been launched with the following goals: to improve the maintenance process customer satisfaction and increase trades wrench time by 30 minutes / trade / day. DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) methodology was applied to find out the Root Cause(s) of the problem, provide solutions, and implement improvements. The expected Operational Benefits include: Executing work efficiently to quality standards and business performance of the site, improve maintenance efficiencies, reduce cycle time for maintenance process and improve process yield, and improve customer and employee satisfaction. (author)

Implementing a customer focused continual business improvement program to improve the maintenance process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kharshafdjian, G.; Fisher, C.; Beres, T.; Brooks, S.; Forbes, S.; Krause, M.; McAuley, K.; Wendorf, M. [Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River, Ontario (Canada)

2006-07-01

Global market pressures and increasing competition demands that successful companies establish a continual business improvement program as part of implementing its business strategy. Such programs must be driven by the definition of quality from the customer's perspective. This customer quality focus often requires a change in all aspects of the business including products, services, processes and culture. This paper will describe how Atomic Energy of Canada Limited implemented a Continual Business Improvement Program in their Nuclear Laboratories Business Unit. In particular, to review how the techniques were applied to improve the maintenance process and the status of the project. Customer (internal users of the processes at CRL) feedback has shown repeatedly there is dissatisfaction of the maintenance process. Customers complain about jobs not getting done to schedule or being deferred. A project has been launched with the following goals: to improve the maintenance process customer satisfaction and increase trades wrench time by 30 minutes / trade / day. DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) methodology was applied to find out the Root Cause(s) of the problem, provide solutions, and implement improvements. The expected Operational Benefits include: Executing work efficiently to quality standards and business performance of the site, improve maintenance efficiencies, reduce cycle time for maintenance process and improve process yield, and improve customer and employee satisfaction. (author)

Selective maintenance for multi-state series–parallel systems under economic dependence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dao, Cuong D.; Zuo, Ming J.; Pandey, Mayank

2014-01-01

This paper presents a study on selective maintenance for multi-state series–parallel systems with economically dependent components. In the selective maintenance problem, the maintenance manager has to decide which components should receive maintenance activities within a finite break between missions. All the system reliabilities in the next operating mission, the available budget and the maintenance time for each component from its current state to a higher state are taken into account in the optimization models. In addition, the components in series–parallel systems are considered to be economically dependent. Time and cost savings will be achieved when several components are simultaneously repaired in a selective maintenance strategy. As the number of repaired components increases, the saved time and cost will also increase due to the share of setting up between components and another additional reduction amount resulting from the repair of multiple identical components. Different optimization models are derived to find the best maintenance strategy for multi-state series–parallel systems. A genetic algorithm is used to solve the optimization models. The decision makers may select different components to be repaired to different working states based on the maintenance objective, resource availabilities and how dependent the repair time and cost of each component are

Maintenance cost models in deregulated power systems under opportunity costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Arfaj, K.; Dahal, K.; Azaiez, M.N.

2007-01-01

In a centralized power system, the operator is responsible for scheduling maintenance. There are different types of maintenance, including corrective maintenance; predictive maintenance; preventive maintenance; and reliability-centred maintenance. The main cause of power failures is poor maintenance. As such, maintenance costs play a significant role in deregulated power systems. They include direct costs associated with material and labor costs as well as indirect costs associated with spare parts inventory, shipment, test equipment, indirect labor, opportunity costs and cost of failure. In maintenance scheduling and planning, the cost function is the only component of the objective function. This paper presented the results of a study in which different components of maintenance costs were modeled. The maintenance models were formulated as an optimization problem with single and multiple objectives and a set of constraints. The maintenance costs models could be used to schedule the maintenance activities of power generators more accurately and to identify the best maintenance strategies over a period of time as they consider failure and opportunity costs in a deregulated environment. 32 refs., 4 tabs., 4 figs

Maintenance cost savings - snubber elimination with limit stops

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monette, P.; Baltus, R.; Cloud, R.L.

1995-01-01

''Active'' snubbers can be replaced with ''passive'' Limit Stops using two separate strategies. One is a straightforward piping re-analysis to optimize the number of dynamics supports and replace remaining snubbers with Limit Stops. A second approach is to take implicit advantage of the margins afforded by the ASME Code Case N-411 damping ratios and simply replace snubbers one-for-one with no re-analysis. Both methods result in major maintenance cost savings and both have been received favorably by the USNRC (United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission). Approaches to maintenance cost reduction using these strategies are discussed in this paper. (Author). 11 refs., 4 figs

Visual simulation study of equipment maintenance in dangerous environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Bo; Yang Yanhua; Li Shiting

2010-01-01

The maintenance characteristics in dangerous environments are analyzed, and the application characteristics of visualized maintenance technology are introduced. The interactive method to implement maintenance simulation is presented using EON simulation platform. Then an interacted Virtual Maintenance Training System (VMTS) is further developed, and the composition and function are described in details. The VMTS can be used in extensive array of application scopes, and it is well compatible to the hardware of virtual reality. (author)

Using systematic aging assessments to improve effectiveness of plant maintenance programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watson, P.; Yang, J.X.; Dam, R.F.; Nickerson, J.H.

2003-01-01

Nuclear plant equipment aging assessment studies provided by AECL include life assessments, condition assessments or systematic assessments of maintenance. AECL has developed several tools to apply the results of aging assessment studies to improve the effectiveness of actual plant maintenance programs. The Systematic Assessment of Maintenance and the SYSTMS tool generate maintenance tasks for a system. The System Maintenance Datastore tool assesses the maintenance resources on a system basis, and can thus quantify the savings realized by optimizing the maintenance program. Long term trends in condition-based maintenance due to component aging can be predicted, and resource savings due to optimum timing of component replacement or general plant refurbishment can be quantified. The System based Adaptive Maintenance Process ensures the maintenance program is continually updated to reflect the latest plant equipment condition and maintenance strategy information. (author)

Adaptation and Implementation of Predictive Maintenance Technique with Nondestructive Testing for Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Gye Jo; Jung, Nam Gun

2010-01-01

Many forces are pressuring utilities to reduce operating and maintenance costs without cutting back on reliability or availability. Many utility managers are re-evaluating maintenance strategies to meet these demands. To utilities how to reduce maintenance costs and extent the effective operating life of equipment, predictive maintenance technique can be adapted. Predictive maintenance had three types program which are in-house program, engineering company program and mixed program. We can approach successful predictive maintenance program with 'smart trust' concept

Tools for Analyzing Computing Resource Management Strategies and Algorithms for SDR Clouds

Science.gov (United States)

Marojevic, Vuk; Gomez-Miguelez, Ismael; Gelonch, Antoni

2012-09-01

Software defined radio (SDR) clouds centralize the computing resources of base stations. The computing resource pool is shared between radio operators and dynamically loads and unloads digital signal processing chains for providing wireless communications services on demand. Each new user session request particularly requires the allocation of computing resources for executing the corresponding SDR transceivers. The huge amount of computing resources of SDR cloud data centers and the numerous session requests at certain hours of a day require an efficient computing resource management. We propose a hierarchical approach, where the data center is divided in clusters that are managed in a distributed way. This paper presents a set of computing resource management tools for analyzing computing resource management strategies and algorithms for SDR clouds. We use the tools for evaluating a different strategies and algorithms. The results show that more sophisticated algorithms can achieve higher resource occupations and that a tradeoff exists between cluster size and algorithm complexity.

Strategy for success in maintenance management at Point Lepreau nuclear generating station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, R.M.

1987-01-01

Improvements in availability of the station and in productivity of workers were achieved at Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station through implementation of a Maintenance Management System, which incorporates work planning and outage management techniques. Eight software systems on a VAX 11/70 minicomputer control work orders, temporary and permanent design changes, parts and material inventories, time keeping, and project management. All maintenance is coordinated through a regular planning meeting

Reliability centered maintenance streamlining through lessons learned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strong, D.K.

1991-01-01

In late 1986, PSE and G concluded that the Nuclear Department would develop a consistent approach to maintenance at Artificial Island (Salem and Hope Creak nuclear units). Preventive maintenance (PM) would be the heart of this approach. In the last six months of 1987 departments affected by the maintenance program participated on working groups that developed the Artificial Island maintenance philosophy. The central theme of the maintenance philosophy is the RCM (reliability centered maintenance) process. A pilot project tested the process in 1988. In 1989 the Central PM Group formed and in 1990 was given responsibility and authority to analyze, approve, implement, and control PM program changes. RCM is the central theme of the PM improvement effort but not the whole effort. Other important pieces included in this paper are: development of a common PM program, improvement of work instructions, development of predictive maintenance techniques into programs, development of a PM basis database, development of PM feedback from failure trends, root cause analysis, maintenance performance indicators, technicians, and engineers

Condition-based maintenance effectiveness for series–parallel power generation system—A combined Markovian simulation model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azadeh, A.; Asadzadeh, S.M.; Salehi, N.; Firoozi, M.

2015-01-01

Condition-based maintenance (CBM) is an increasingly applicable policy in the competitive marketplace as a means of improving equipment reliability and efficiency. Not only has maintenance a close relationship with safety but its costs also make it even more attractive issue for researchers. This study proposes a model to evaluate the effectiveness of CBM policy compared to two other maintenance policies: Corrective Maintenance (CM) and Preventive Maintenance (PM). Maintenance policies are compared through two system performance indicators: reliability and cost. To estimate the reliability and costs of the system, the proposed Markovian discrete-event simulation model is developed under each of these policies. The applicability and usefulness of the proposed Markovian simulation model is illustrated for a series–parallel power generation system. The simulated characteristics of CBM system include its prognostics efficiency to estimate remaining useful life of the equipment. Results show that with an efficient prognostics, CBM policy is an effective strategy compared to other maintenance strategies. - Highlights: • A model is developed to evaluate the effectiveness of CBM policy. • Maintenance policies are compared through reliability and cost. • A Markovian simulation model is developed. • A series–parallel power generation system is considered. • CBM is an effective strategy compared to others

The present status and future growth of maintenance in US manufacturing: results from a pilot survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Xiaoning; Siegel, David; Weiss, Brian A; Gamel, Ellen; Wang, Wei; Lee, Jay; Ni, Jun

A research study was conducted (1) to examine the practices employed by US manufacturers to achieve productivity goals and (2) to understand what level of intelligent maintenance technologies and strategies are being incorporated into these practices. This study found that the effectiveness and choice of maintenance strategy were strongly correlated to the size of the manufacturing enterprise; there were large differences in adoption of advanced maintenance practices and diagnostics and prognostics technologies between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Despite their greater adoption of maintenance practices and technologies, large manufacturing organizations have had only modest success with respect to diagnostics and prognostics and preventive maintenance projects. The varying degrees of success with respect to preventative maintenance programs highlight the opportunity for larger manufacturers to improve their maintenance practices and use of advanced prognostics and health management (PHM) technology. The future outlook for manufacturing PHM technology among the manufacturing organizations considered in this study was overwhelmingly positive; many manufacturing organizations have current and planned projects in this area. Given the current modest state of implementation and positive outlook for this technology, gaps, future trends, and roadmaps for manufacturing PHM and maintenance strategy are presented.

Risk-based maintenance-Techniques and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arunraj, N.S.; Maiti, J.

2007-01-01

Plant and equipment, however well designed, will not remain safe or reliable if it is not maintained. The general objective of the maintenance process is to make use of the knowledge of failures and accidents to achieve the possible safety with the lowest possible cost. The concept of risk-based maintenance was developed to inspect the high-risk components usually with greater frequency and thoroughness and to maintain in a greater manner, to achieve tolerable risk criteria. Risk-based maintenance methodology provides a tool for maintenance planning and decision making to reduce the probability of failure of equipment and the consequences of failure. In this paper, the risk analysis and risk-based maintenance methodologies were identified and classified into suitable classes. The factors affecting the quality of risk analysis were identified and analyzed. The applications, input data and output data were studied to understand their functioning and efficiency. The review showed that there is no unique way to perform risk analysis and risk-based maintenance. The use of suitable techniques and methodologies, careful investigation during the risk analysis phase, and its detailed and structured results are necessary to make proper risk-based maintenance decisions

Future-oriented maintenance strategy based on automated processes is finding its way into large astronomical facilities at remote observing sites

Science.gov (United States)

Silber, Armin; Gonzalez, Christian; Pino, Francisco; Escarate, Patricio; Gairing, Stefan

2014-08-01

With expanding sizes and increasing complexity of large astronomical observatories on remote observing sites, the call for an efficient and recourses saving maintenance concept becomes louder. The increasing number of subsystems on telescopes and instruments forces large observatories, like in industries, to rethink conventional maintenance strategies for reaching this demanding goal. The implementation of full-, or semi-automatic processes for standard service activities can help to keep the number of operating staff on an efficient level and to reduce significantly the consumption of valuable consumables or equipment. In this contribution we will demonstrate on the example of the 80 Cryogenic subsystems of the ALMA Front End instrument, how an implemented automatic service process increases the availability of spare parts and Line Replaceable Units. Furthermore how valuable staff recourses can be freed from continuous repetitive maintenance activities, to allow focusing more on system diagnostic tasks, troubleshooting and the interchanging of line replaceable units. The required service activities are decoupled from the day-to-day work, eliminating dependencies on workload peaks or logistic constrains. The automatic refurbishing processes running in parallel to the operational tasks with constant quality and without compromising the performance of the serviced system components. Consequentially that results in an efficiency increase, less down time and keeps the observing schedule on track. Automatic service processes in combination with proactive maintenance concepts are providing the necessary flexibility for the complex operational work structures of large observatories. The gained planning flexibility is allowing an optimization of operational procedures and sequences by considering the required cost efficiency.

Principles of marketing: Setting goals and marketing strategies

OpenAIRE

Marjanova Jovanov, Tamara

2015-01-01

Presented material to the students: 6.1. The mission of the organization and corporate goals 6.2. Marketing goals 6.3. Classification of marketing strategies 6.4. Generic marketing strategies regarding the wanted competitive advantage. 6.5. Competitive strategies in relation to the competitors and in relation to the environment. 6.6. Growth strategies or investment (intensive growth and integration / diversification) and maintenance strategies or divest (maintenance, harvest...

Research and development strategy and maintenance engineering to strengthen the basis of ageing management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekimura, Naoto

2006-01-01

The major research and development fields for ageing management of complex systems such as nuclear power plants are categorized into the following 4 items; 1) research and development of technologies for inspection, evaluation and repair in the components and materials, 2) engineering information systems, 3) development of codes and standards and 4) synthesized maintenance engineering. The 'synthesized maintenance engineering' field includes methodologies for optimum combination for inspection, maintenance actions and cost, definition of importance of components for maintenance, and performance indicates of a power plant system. Studying and learning these systematic approaches is also indicated in the Road Map as one of the important issues for collaboration of industries, regulatory bodies and universities to keep leading engineers and to improve regulatory systems. (author)

Reliability Centered Maintenance - Methodologies

Science.gov (United States)

Kammerer, Catherine C.

2009-01-01

Journal article about Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) methodologies used by United Space Alliance, LLC (USA) in support of the Space Shuttle Program at Kennedy Space Center. The USA Reliability Centered Maintenance program differs from traditional RCM programs because various methodologies are utilized to take advantage of their respective strengths for each application. Based on operational experience, USA has customized the traditional RCM methodology into a streamlined lean logic path and has implemented the use of statistical tools to drive the process. USA RCM has integrated many of the L6S tools into both RCM methodologies. The tools utilized in the Measure, Analyze, and Improve phases of a Lean Six Sigma project lend themselves to application in the RCM process. All USA RCM methodologies meet the requirements defined in SAE JA 1011, Evaluation Criteria for Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) Processes. The proposed article explores these methodologies.

Safety-classified steel cylinder reinforced concrete pipelines: mechanism of corrosion, diagnosis and maintenance strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aimonino, J.; Jacq, S.

2015-01-01

EDF operates 6 km of safety-classified steel cylinder reinforced concrete pipelines spread over 8 PWR nuclear reactors located on the sea coast. These pipelines, placed in galleries, convey approximately 3000 m 3 /h of sea water under a pressure of 4 bar. They have been in operation since the mid eighties or early nineties. Their service life is limited by different scenarios of corrosion by pitting due to the presence of chlorides from sea water. Pipelines are subjected to frequent visual checks that can lead to immediate temporary reinforcement and subsequent replacement. In addition, a diagnosis methodology was developed in order to better anticipate the maintenance operations and in order to assess the remaining service life of pipelines. This methodology combines autopsies of replaced pipes with periodic campaigns of exhaustive half-cell potential mapping. For exhaustive campaigns, the grid spacing was 30 cm x 30 cm, refined to 10 cm x 10 cm in singular zones, on the entire external concrete surface of pipelines, which represents around 6x10 5 measurement points for 6 km of pipelines. Robust specifications were drawn up for the measurement method and the interpretation of the results, initially based on RILEM and ASTM recommendations and then significantly reinforced based on operational feedback. These specifications ensure the implementation and the interpretation of half-cell potential mapping can be carried out on a very large scale and enable the comparison of results between successive campaigns. The diagnosis methodology was a decisive factor in the planning of a preventive maintenance strategy which would enable a pipeline service life of 60 years. (authors)

Improving regulatory oversight of maintenance programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, S.

2008-01-01

Safe nuclear power plant operation requires that risks due to failure or unavailability of Structures, Systems and Components (SSCs) be minimized. Implementation of an effective maintenance program is a key means for achieving this goal. In its regulatory framework, the important relationship between maintenance and safety is acknowledged by the CNSC. A high level maintenance program requirement is included in the Class I Facilities Regulations. In addition, the operating licence contains a condition based on the principle that the design function and performance of SSCs needs to remain consistent with the plant's design and analysis documents. Nuclear power plant licensees have the primary responsibility for safe operation of their facilities and consequently for implementation of a successful maintenance program. The oversight role of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) is to ensure that the licensee carries out that responsibility. The challenge for the CNSC is how to do this consistently and efficiently. Three opportunities for improvement to regulatory maintenance oversight are being pursued. These are related to the regulatory framework, compliance verification inspection activities and monitoring of self-reporting. The regulatory framework has been improved by clarifying expectations through the issuance of S-210 'Maintenance Programs for Nuclear Power Plants'. Inspection activities have been improved by introducing new maintenance inspections into the baseline program. Monitoring is being improved by making better use of self-reported and industry produced maintenance related performance indicators. As with any type of program change, the challenge is to ensure the consistent and optimal application of regulatory activities and resources. This paper is a summary of the CNSC's approach to improving its maintenance oversight strategy. (author)

Strategy and Management Guideline on Preventive School Maintenance in Eritrea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vagnby, Bo Hellisen

An action-oriented and practical guideline for the planning, organisation and management of preventive school maintenance in Eritrea. The manual is the result of a participatory planning process which has involved actors at the school and community level, district levels and the national policy...

Maintenance implementation plan for the Plutonium Finishing Plant. Revision 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meldrom, C.A.

1996-03-01

This document outlines the Maintenance Implementation Plan (MIP) for the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) located at the Hanford site at Richland, Washington. This MIP describes the PFP maintenance program relative to DOE order 4330.4B. The MIP defines the key actions needed to meet the guidelines of the Order to produce a cost-effective and efficient maintenance program. A previous report identified the presence of significant quantities of Pu-bearing materials within PFP that pose risks to workers. PFP's current mission is to develop, install and operate processes which will mitigate these risks. The PFP Maintenance strategy is to equip the facility with systems and equipment able to sustain scheduled PFP operations. The current operating run is scheduled to last seven years. Activities following the stabilization operation will involve an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to determine future plant activities. This strategy includes long-term maintenance of the facility for safe occupancy and material storage. The PFP maintenance staff used the graded approach to dictate the priorities of the improvement and upgrade actions identified in Chapter 2 of this document. The MIP documents PFP compliance to the DOE 4330.4B Order. Chapter 2 of the MIP follows the format of the Order in addressing the eighteen elements. As this revision is a total rewrite, no sidebars are included to highlight changes

Reliability assessment of power pole infrastructure incorporating deterioration and network maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryan, Paraic C.; Stewart, Mark G.; Spencer, Nathan; Li, Yue

2014-01-01

There is considerable investment in timber utility poles worldwide, and there is a need to examine the structural reliability and probability based management optimisation of these power distribution infrastructure elements. The work presented in this paper builds on the existing studies in this area through assessment of both treated and untreated timber power poles, with the effects of deterioration and network maintenance incorporated in the analysis. This more realistic assessment approach, with deterioration and maintenance considered, was achieved using event-based Monte Carlo simulation. The output from the probabilistic model is used to illustrate the importance of considering network maintenance in the time-dependent structural reliability assessment of timber power poles. Under wind load, treated and untreated poles designed and maintained in accordance with existing Australian standards were found to have similar failure rates. However, untreated pole networks required approximately twice as many maintenance based pole replacements to sustain the same level of reliability. The effect of four different network maintenance strategies on infrastructure performance was also investigated herein. This assessment highlighted the fact that slight alterations to network maintenance practices can lead to significant changes in performance of timber power pole networks. - Highlights: • A time-dependent structural reliability model was developed for timber power poles. • Deterioration and network maintenance were incorporated into this event based model. • Network maintenance had a significant impact on power pole wind vulnerability. • Treated and untreated poles designed to Australian standards had similar reliability. • Minor alterations to maintenance strategies had large effects on network performance

ON THE NECESSITY OF CHANGES IN THE STRATEGY OF UTILIZATION SHIP BOILER TECHNICAL CONDITION MAINTENANCE IN THE ASPECT OF LNG APPLIED AS FUEL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrzej ADAMKIEWICZ

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Heavy oils (HFO fuels used on ships play a part in degradation of technical condition of heat exchange surfaces of utiliza-tion boilers especially on the exhaust gas side. Presence of sulphur in these fuels is the main factor favouring degrada-tion. The upper limit for sulphur content in the fuel used outside the SECA areas equal to 3.5% is currently in force, at least until the year 2020 or 2025. The recommended by classification societies overhauls of utilization boilers are, there-fore characterized by a specially chosen strategy thanks to which it is possible to maintain their appropriate technical condition. The requirement to use fuels with low sulphur content (LSFO, which are significantly more expensive than MDO fuels, in the areas of controlled sulphur emissions also led to a further introduction of alternative fuels, such as methanol and above all liquefied natural gas (LNG, onto ships. That is especially valid for the ship owners whose vessels e.g. ferries sail mainly within SCECA This article analyses the consequences of the introduced fuel change on utilization boiler maintenance. A change in the technical condition maintenance strategy for utilization boilers has been suggested.

NPP component maintenance and life management in Russia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tutnov, I.; Lyssakov, V.

2002-01-01

This report represents the conceptual strategies (ideas) on life management programs for nuclear power plants. Use of the optimum programs for NPP's NDE, maintenance service, operation and service life can provide the best economic benefit for the utilities. The paper presents general approaches to life management, maintenance service, and risks of operating and service life of NPPs in Russia. The report offers some optimized ways for the solution of these important tasks

Probabilistic analysis of free ways for maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torres V, A.; Rivero O, J.J.

2004-01-01

The safety during the maintenance interventions is treated in limited manner and in general independent of the systems of management of the maintenance. This variable is affected by multiple technical or human factors many times subjective and difficult to quantifying, what limits the design of preventive plans. However, some factors constitute common points: the isolation configurations during the free ways (bank drafts in the oil industry) and the human errors associated to their violation. This characteristic allowed to develop the analysis of such situations through the methodology of fault trees that it links faults of teams and human errors cohesively. The methodology has been automated inside the MOSEG Win Ver 1.0 code and the same one can embrace from the analysis of a particular situation of free way until that of a complete strategy of maintenance from the point of view of the safety of the maintenance personal. (Author)

Operation and maintenance of waste incinerators - A comparison of two techniques and strategies; Drift och underhaall av avfallsfoerbraenningsanlaeggningar - En jaemfoerelse av tvaa tekniker och strategier

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johansson, Andreas [SP Technical Research Inst. of Sweden, Boraas (Sweden); Hoegskolan i Boraas, Boraas (Sweden); Niklasson, Fredrik [SP Technical Research Inst. of Sweden, Boraas (Sweden); Johnsson, Anders [Boraas Energi och Miljoe, Boraas (Sweden); Fredaeng, Julia [Dalkia, Stockholm (Sweden); Wettergren, Hans [Renova AB, Goeteborg (Sweden)

2009-06-15

This work has developed and demonstrated a simple method for comparison of operation and maintenance cost for various waste combustion techniques and plants. The principal of the method is to coarsely and initially divide cost into comparable posts. Post of specific interest is thereafter compared on a more detailed level. This procedure allows comparison with a modest consumption of time and effort. There is a lack of such comparison because of the effort needed to in detail compare the, often for each plant unique, selection of techniques and strategies. A consequence of the lack of comparisons is that success stories become invisible. The same can be said about common research needs. The demonstrated method visualizes the effects of various selections of techniques and strategies. It also points out bottlenecks for further improvement of the investigated units. The method has been simple to use and it is therefore considered as suitable to use in a larger investigation covering several waste combustion units. Thus, the project has accomplished its aims.

Performance indicators, practices and maintenance costs in tires management of a transport company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcos Dario

2014-12-01

Full Text Available There are three operational costs that are more expressive for PSL: vehicle maintenance, tires and fuel. In studies of maintenance has been little researched the concept of tire management, technical maintenance and performance together. In this context, this study aims at identifying the practices and performance indicators in the area of maintenance and tire management also analyze the influence of costs applied to the tires on the total cost of maintenance. We conducted a case study of exploratory and descriptive. The main instruments of data collection were on-site observation, unstructured interviews, document analysis and reports results indicators. Data were analyzed by correlation analysis and multiple regression. It was revealed that among the performance indicators in the management of tire maintenance costs applied to the tires have a higher correlation with the total cost of maintenance. The ANOVA indicated that tire maintenance costs influence in 54% of the variations in the total cost of maintenance. We clarified the concepts of maintenance techniques specific tire management, and identify performance indicators in the area of tire managent.

Centralized operations and maintenance planning at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, Bernhard; Whyborn, Nicholas D.; Guniat, Serge; Hernandez, Octavio; Gairing, Stefan

2016-07-01

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a joint project between astronomical organizations in Europe, North America, and East Asia, in collaboration with the Republic of Chile. ALMA consists of 54 twelve-meter antennas and 12 seven-meter antennas operating as an aperture synthesis array in the (sub)millimeter wavelength range. Since the inauguration of the observatory back in March 2013 there has been a continuous effort to establish solid operations processes for effective and efficient management of technical and administrative tasks on site. Here a key aspect had been the centralized maintenance and operations planning: input is collected from science stakeholders, the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) and from the technical teams spread around the world, then this information is analyzed and consolidated based on the established maintenance strategy, the observatory long-term plan and the short-term priorities definitions. This paper presents the high-level process that has been developed for the planning and scheduling of planned- and unplanned maintenance tasks, and for site operations like the telescope array reconfiguration campaigns. We focus on the centralized planning approach by presenting its genesis, its current implementation for the observatory operations including related planning products, and we explore the necessary next steps in order to fully achieve a comprehensive centralized planning approach for ALMA in steady-state operations.

Risk-informed optimisation of railway tracks inspection and maintenance procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Podofillini, Luca; Zio, Enrico; Vatn, Jorn

2006-01-01

Nowadays, efforts are being made by the railway industry for the application of reliability-based and risk-informed approaches to maintenance optimisation of railway infrastructures, with the aim of reducing the operation and maintenance expenditures while still assuring high safety standards. In particular, in this paper, we address the use of ultrasonic inspection cars and develop a methodology for the determination of an optimal strategy for their use. A model is developed to calculate the risks and costs associated with an inspection strategy, giving credit to the realistic issues of the rail failure process and including the actual inspection and maintenance procedures followed by the railway company. A multi-objective optimisation viewpoint is adopted in an effort to optimise inspection and maintenance procedures with respect to both economical and safety-related aspects. More precisely, the objective functions here considered are such to drive the search towards solutions characterized by low expenditures and low derailment probability. The optimisation is performed by means of a genetic algorithm. The work has been carried out within a study of the Norwegian National Rail Administration (Jernbaneverket)

Remote maintenance of future fusion reactors - a challenge for rad-hard components and smart control strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Decreton, M.; Geeter, J. De

1996-01-01

The future fusion reactor will need frequent maintenance turns, involving inspection, repair and parts replacement inside the vacuum vessel. These operations will require high payload manipulations in constrained space under very high gamma-radiation dose-rates and temperature. Present research is being undertaken to qualify the components of the handling machine under representative conditions, in the framework of the ITER international consortium. Simultaneously, challenging control strategies will be needed to achieve reliable tasking under very poor viewing conditions and elementary sensing help. The paper reviews the present state of the art on both issues and present results of the ongoing research themes among the partners of the ITER programme. In particular, SCK''centre-dot''CEN coordinates the ITER T252 task on Radiation Tolerance Assessment of Remote Handling Components. (UK)

Analysis and modeling of rail maintenance costs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir Ali Bakhshi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Railroad maintenance engineering plays an important role on availability of roads and reducing the cost of railroad incidents. Rail is of the most important parts of railroad industry, which needs regular maintenance since it covers a significant part of total maintenance cost. Any attempt on optimizing total cost of maintenance could substantially reduce the cost of railroad system and it can reduce total cost of the industry. The paper presents a new method to estimate the cost of rail failure using different cost components such as cost of inspection and cost of risk associated with possible accidents. The proposed model of this paper is used for a real-world case study of railroad transportation of Tehran region and the results have been analyzed.

Preventive maintenance scheduling by variable dimension evolutionary algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Limbourg, Philipp; Kochs, Hans-Dieter

2006-01-01

Black box optimization strategies have been proven to be useful tools for solving complex maintenance optimization problems. There has been a considerable amount of research on the right choice of optimization strategies for finding optimal preventive maintenance schedules. Much less attention is turned to the representation of the schedule to the algorithm. Either the search space is represented as a binary string leading to highly complex combinatorial problem or maintenance operations are defined by regular intervals which may restrict the search space to suboptimal solutions. An adequate representation however is vitally important for result quality. This work presents several nonstandard input representations and compares them to the standard binary representation. An evolutionary algorithm with extensions to handle variable length genomes is used for the comparison. The results demonstrate that two new representations perform better than the binary representation scheme. A second analysis shows that the performance may be even more increased using modified genetic operators. Thus, the choice of alternative representations leads to better results in the same amount of time and without any loss of accuracy

Optimization potential in maintenance; Optimierungspotenzial in der Instandhaltung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Janisch, H. [EnBW Kraftwerke AG, Kernkraftwerk Philippsburg (Germany)

2001-04-01

Also in the future, the supreme goal of nuclear power plant operation is going to be plant safety. At the same time, the economic component must be taken into account, which has become more important as a consequence of the deregulation in the electricity market. Until now, the electricity generating costs in nuclear power plants have been optimized by increases in electricity generation, and by high plant availabilities in terms of time and capacity. However, these capacity-based influences on the generating costs practically have been exploited to the full extent possible because of the high plant reliability reached. This makes the cost term the focal point in all optimization efforts, i.e. in existing nuclear power plants especially the maintenance costs. At the present high level of safety, which is going to develop even further, growing operating experience will allow a change to be made from preventive maintenance to cost-optimized state-oriented maintenance strategies. Other measures of advanced maintenance strategies are seen in the fields of work organization, personnel management, and personnel and plant use planning for more than one site. Important components in this effort are IT-based plant management systems allowing the complex problems to be planned, executed, controlled, and analyzed. All these measures serve to allow the operation of nuclear power plants at an even higher level of optimization, maximum safety in line with the state of the art, and demonstrably competitive electricity generating costs. (orig.) [German] Oberstes Ziel des Betriebs von Kernkraftwerken wird auch in Zukunft uneingeschraenkt deren Sicherheit sein, bei gleichzeitiger Beruecksichtigung der durch die Liberalisierung des Strommarktes bedeutungsvoller gewordenen wirtschaftlichen Komponente. Bislang wurden die Erzeugungskosten in Kernkraftwerken durch Erhoehung der Stromerzeugungsleistung und durch hohe Zeit- und Arbeitsverfuegbarkeiten optimiert. Auf Grund der erreichten

Cost effectiveness of the MDOT preventive maintenance program.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-01

The Michigan Department of Transportations (MDOT) pavement preservation program dates back to 1992. MDOTs pavement preservation strategy is primarily implemented through its capital preventive maintenance (CPM) program, in which preventive main...

Aging based maintenance and reinvestment scheduling of electric distribution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Korpijarvi, J.

2012-07-01

The maintenance of electric distribution network is a topical question for distribution system operators because of increasing significance of failure costs. In this dissertation the maintenance practices of the distribution system operators are analyzed and a theory for scheduling maintenance activities and reinvestment of distribution components is created. The scheduling is based on the deterioration of components and the increasing failure rates due to aging. The dynamic programming algorithm is used as a solving method to maintenance problem which is caused by the increasing failure rates of the network. The other impacts of network maintenance like environmental and regulation reasons are not included to the scope of this thesis. Further the tree trimming of the corridors and the major disturbance of the network are not included to the problem optimized in this thesis. For optimizing, four dynamic programming models are presented and the models are tested. Programming is made in VBA-language to the computer. For testing two different kinds of test networks are used. Because electric distribution system operators want to operate with bigger component groups, optimal timing for component groups is also analyzed. A maintenance software package is created to apply the presented theories in practice. An overview of the program is presented (orig.)

Maintenance system improvement in cast iron foundry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Kukla

2011-07-01

Full Text Available The work presents the issue of technical equipment management in an iron foundry basing on the assumptions of the TPM system (Total Productive Maintenance. Exploitation analysis of automatic casting lines has been carried out and their work’s influence on the whole production system’s functioning has been researched. Within maintenance system improvement, implementation of autonomic service and planned lines’ review have been proposed in order to minimize the time of breakdown stoppages. The SMED method was used to optimize changeover time, and the OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness was applied to evaluate the level of resources usage before and after implementing changes. Further, the influence of the maintenance strategy of casting devices’ efficiency on own costs of casting manufac- ture was estimated.

Beyond its cost, the value of maintenance: An analytical framework for capturing its net present value

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marais, Karen B.; Saleh, Joseph H.

2009-01-01

Maintenance planning and activities have grown dramatically in importance across many industries and are increasingly recognized as drivers of competitiveness if managed appropriately. Correlated with this observation is the proliferation of maintenance optimization techniques in the technical literature. But while all these models deal with the cost of maintenance (as an objective function or a constraint), only a handful addresses the notion of value of maintenance, and seldom in an analytical or quantitative way. In this paper, we propose that maintenance has intrinsic value and argue that existing cost-centric models ignore an important dimension of maintenance, namely its value, and in so doing, they can lead to sub-optimal maintenance strategies. We develop a framework for capturing and quantifying the value of maintenance activities. Our framework is based on four key components. First, we consider systems that deteriorate stochastically and exhibit multi-state failures, and model their state evolution using Markov chains and directed graphs. Second, we consider that the system provides a flow of service per unit time. This flow in turn is 'priced' and a discounted cash flow is calculated resulting in a present value (PV) for each branch of the graph-or 'value trajectory' of the system. Third as the system ages or deteriorates, it migrates towards lower PV branches of the graph, or lower value trajectories. Fourth, we conceptualize maintenance as an operator (in a mathematical sense) that raises the system to a higher PV branch in the graph. We refer to the value of maintenance as the incremental PV between the pre- and post-maintenance branches of the graphs minus the cost of maintenance. The framework presented here offers rich possibilities for future work in benchmarking existing maintenance strategies based on their value implications, and in deriving new maintenance strategies that are 'value-optimized.'

Preventive maintenance and reliability-centered maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, J.G.

1989-01-01

In the recent past, the primary function of the preventive maintenance program at a nuclear power plant was to maintain the operability and reliability of the plant. Reducing overall maintenance costs by performing effective preventive maintenance, instead of more costly and disruptive corrective maintenance, instead of more costly and disruptive corrective maintenance, was a secondary consideration. In today's operating environment, the preventive maintenance program must meet the test of cost-effectiveness as well as many new standards for performance that are being required by rate regulators. The preventive maintenance program must be able to withstand the challenge of independent audit to a new standard of technical adequacy and compliance with recommendations from component vendors. In this new environment, the standard that is being applied at the San Onofre nuclear generating station (SONGS) is that the preventive maintenance program must meet the test of cost-effectiveness, improve equipment performance, support increased plant availability, and (a) literally implement the recommendations of the vendor, (b) provide other compensation for the vendor recommendation, or (c) provide technical justification for the deviation. The subject of this paper is the way that reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) is helping SONGS meet these challenges

Maintenance of neural progenitor cell stemness in 3D hydrogels requires matrix remodelling

Science.gov (United States)

Madl, Christopher M.; Lesavage, Bauer L.; Dewi, Ruby E.; Dinh, Cong B.; Stowers, Ryan S.; Khariton, Margarita; Lampe, Kyle J.; Nguyen, Duong; Chaudhuri, Ovijit; Enejder, Annika; Heilshorn, Sarah C.

2017-12-01

Neural progenitor cell (NPC) culture within three-dimensional (3D) hydrogels is an attractive strategy for expanding a therapeutically relevant number of stem cells. However, relatively little is known about how 3D material properties such as stiffness and degradability affect the maintenance of NPC stemness in the absence of differentiation factors. Over a physiologically relevant range of stiffness from ~0.5 to 50 kPa, stemness maintenance did not correlate with initial hydrogel stiffness. In contrast, hydrogel degradation was both correlated with, and necessary for, maintenance of NPC stemness. This requirement for degradation was independent of cytoskeletal tension generation and presentation of engineered adhesive ligands, instead relying on matrix remodelling to facilitate cadherin-mediated cell-cell contact and promote β-catenin signalling. In two additional hydrogel systems, permitting NPC-mediated matrix remodelling proved to be a generalizable strategy for stemness maintenance in 3D. Our findings have identified matrix remodelling, in the absence of cytoskeletal tension generation, as a previously unknown strategy to maintain stemness in 3D.

Maintenance and replacement policies under technological obsolescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clavareau, Julien; Labeau, Pierre-Etienne

2009-01-01

The technological obsolescence of a unit is characterized by the existence of challenger units displaying identical functionalities, but with higher performances. This paper aims to define and model in a realistic way, possible maintenance policies of a system including replacement strategies when one type of challenger unit is available. The comparison of these possible strategies is performed based on a Monte Carlo estimation of the costs they incur

Maintenance and replacement policies under technological obsolescence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clavareau, Julien [Service de Metrologie Nucleaire, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Av. Franklin Roosevelt 50, CP165/84 Bruxelles B-1050 (Belgium)], E-mail: jclavare@ulb.ac.be; Labeau, Pierre-Etienne [Service de Metrologie Nucleaire, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Av. Franklin Roosevelt 50, CP165/84 Bruxelles B-1050 (Belgium)], E-mail: pelabeau@ulb.ac.be

2009-02-15

The technological obsolescence of a unit is characterized by the existence of challenger units displaying identical functionalities, but with higher performances. This paper aims to define and model in a realistic way, possible maintenance policies of a system including replacement strategies when one type of challenger unit is available. The comparison of these possible strategies is performed based on a Monte Carlo estimation of the costs they incur.

Failure and Maintenance Analysis Using Web-Based Reliability Database System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Seok Won; Kim, Myoung Su; Seong, Ki Yeoul; Na, Jang Hwan; Jerng, Dong Wook

2007-01-01

Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Company has lunched the development of a database system for PSA and Maintenance Rule implementation. It focuses on the easy processing of raw data into a credible and useful database for the risk-informed environment of nuclear power plant operation and maintenance. Even though KHNP had recently completed the PSA for all domestic NPPs as a requirement of the severe accident mitigation strategy, the component failure data were only gathered as a means of quantification purposes for the relevant project. So, the data were not efficient enough for the Living PSA or other generic purposes. Another reason to build a real time database is for the newly adopted Maintenance Rule, which requests the utility to continuously monitor the plant risk based on its operation and maintenance performance. Furthermore, as one of the pre-condition for the Risk Informed Regulation and Application, the nuclear regulatory agency of Korea requests the development and management of domestic database system. KHNP is stacking up data of operation and maintenance on the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system since its first opening on July, 2003. But, so far a systematic review has not been performed to apply the component failure and maintenance history for PSA and other reliability analysis. The data stored in PUMAS before the ERP system is introduced also need to be converted and managed into the new database structure and methodology. This reliability database system is a web-based interface on a UNIX server with Oracle relational database. It is designed to be applicable for all domestic NPPs with a common database structure and the web interfaces, therefore additional program development would not be necessary for data acquisition and processing in the near future. Categorization standards for systems and components have been implemented to analyze all domestic NPPs. For example, SysCode (for a system code) and CpCode (for a component code) were newly

Conceptual design of in-service inspection and maintenance for KALIMER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ju, Y. S.; Kim, S. H.; Koo, K. H.; You, B.

1999-01-01

In-service inspection and maintenance are very important for the safety and availability of nuclear power plants. The conceptual requirements of in-service inspection and maintenance should be reflected in the earlier design process for the verification of the plant operability and reliability. In this paper the fundamental approaches of the inspection and maintenance for KALIMER are established to ensure the structural integrity and operability for KALIMER. The general strategy and methodology of maintenance and inspection for the reactor system and components are proposed and described for satisfying the intents of the Section XI, Division 3, of ASME code and considering the design characteristics of KALIMER

A Tailored Ontology Supporting Sensor Implementation for the Maintenance of Industrial Machines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elaheh Maleki

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The longtime productivity of an industrial machine is improved by condition-based maintenance strategies. To do this, the integration of sensors and other cyber-physical devices is necessary in order to capture and analyze a machine’s condition through its lifespan. Thus, choosing the best sensor is a critical step to ensure the efficiency of the maintenance process. Indeed, considering the variety of sensors, and their features and performance, a formal classification of a sensor’s domain knowledge is crucial. This classification facilitates the search for and reuse of solutions during the design of a new maintenance service. Following a Knowledge Management methodology, the paper proposes and develops a new sensor ontology that structures the domain knowledge, covering both theoretical and experimental sensor attributes. An industrial case study is conducted to validate the proposed ontology and to demonstrate its utility as a guideline to ease the search of suitable sensors. Based on the ontology, the final solution will be implemented in a shared repository connected to legacy CAD (computer-aided design systems. The selection of the best sensor is, firstly, obtained by the matching of application requirements and sensor specifications (that are proposed by this sensor repository. Then, it is refined from the experimentation results. The achieved solution is recorded in the sensor repository for future reuse. As a result, the time and cost of the design process of new condition-based maintenance services is reduced.

A Tailored Ontology Supporting Sensor Implementation for the Maintenance of Industrial Machines.

Science.gov (United States)

Maleki, Elaheh; Belkadi, Farouk; Ritou, Mathieu; Bernard, Alain

2017-09-08

The longtime productivity of an industrial machine is improved by condition-based maintenance strategies. To do this, the integration of sensors and other cyber-physical devices is necessary in order to capture and analyze a machine's condition through its lifespan. Thus, choosing the best sensor is a critical step to ensure the efficiency of the maintenance process. Indeed, considering the variety of sensors, and their features and performance, a formal classification of a sensor's domain knowledge is crucial. This classification facilitates the search for and reuse of solutions during the design of a new maintenance service. Following a Knowledge Management methodology, the paper proposes and develops a new sensor ontology that structures the domain knowledge, covering both theoretical and experimental sensor attributes. An industrial case study is conducted to validate the proposed ontology and to demonstrate its utility as a guideline to ease the search of suitable sensors. Based on the ontology, the final solution will be implemented in a shared repository connected to legacy CAD (computer-aided design) systems. The selection of the best sensor is, firstly, obtained by the matching of application requirements and sensor specifications (that are proposed by this sensor repository). Then, it is refined from the experimentation results. The achieved solution is recorded in the sensor repository for future reuse. As a result, the time and cost of the design process of new condition-based maintenance services is reduced.

Briefly Analyze Domestic Wine Market and the International Marketing Strategy of Changyu Group

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Xiaomin Wang

2013-01-01

Since the great policy of reform and opening which began in 1979 has turned up, an unprecedented vigorous development opportunity was brought for our domestic wine industry. On the one hand, the increasing in personal income level has stimulated the growth of wine consumption demand, leading to a nice development prospect for domestic wine industry;on the other hand, the dramatical y decreasing in tariff of importing wine is an undoubtedly major impact to the domestic wine industry. The competition between the enterprises is almost the same as the competition of marketing ability, the success of the marketing operation wil create rich profits resources for enterprises which wil lay a good foundation for enterprises to cultivate their ability and improve the core competitive ability. This article wil briefly analyze the marketing strategy of Changyu Group which is in the leading position of Chinese wine industry and provide the certain reference value for the same industry when they develop their own marketing strategy.

Ageing Management Based Maintenance at ETRR-II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kamoon, A.; Ali, A., E-mail: akamoun2004@yahoo.com [Inshas Nuclear Research Centre, Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA), Cairo (Egypt)

2014-08-15

The second research reactor of Egypt, ETRR-II, is an open pool type multi-purpose reactor of 22 MW that has been in operation since 1998. The main purposes of ETRR-II are the production of radioisotopes, personnel training, research and development. Ageing management of ETRR-II is based on the maintenance programme. This programme was planned to have a proactive maintenance strategy that mainly depends on adequate preventive and predictive maintenance. Screening of SSCs is based on safety classes, needs and quality levels. The operation condition and maintenance history are the basis to assess the level of degradation. The ultimate aim of the maintenance team is to perform adequate maintenance work only when it is really necessary. The objectives of the ageing management based maintenance are to maintain and improve equipment availability, confirm compliance with operational limits and conditions, and detect and correct any abnormal condition that might affect reactor safety. The programme also helps to detect trends in ageing so that a plan for mitigating ageing effects can be prepared and implemented. Reactor service conditions are monitored through many parameters and conditions such as conductivity and pH of coolant water, water radiochemical analysis, thermal and hydraulic parameters, a leak detection system, corrosion rate of piping, vibration level of rotating equipment and control rod drop time.

Utility based maintenance analysis using a Random Sign censoring model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andres Christen, J.; Ruggeri, Fabrizio; Villa, Enrique

2011-01-01

Industrial systems subject to failures are usually inspected when there are evident signs of an imminent failure. Maintenance is therefore performed at a random time, somehow dependent on the failure mechanism. A competing risk model, namely a Random Sign model, is considered to relate failure and maintenance times. We propose a novel Bayesian analysis of the model and apply it to actual data from a water pump in an oil refinery. The design of an optimal maintenance policy is then discussed under a formal decision theoretic approach, analyzing the goodness of the current maintenance policy and making decisions about the optimal maintenance time.

Development of optical fiber cable's inspection technology and maintenance criteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Min-Su; Ju, Hee-Wan; Shim, Seon-Heum; Lee, Youn-Ki; Kim, Jin-Il; Huh, Tae-Young

2008-01-01

Improve the reliability and establish the systematic maintenance methods for the digital control facilities' optical fiber cable, reviewed the technical requirements and the current maintenance procedures, analyzed the optical fiber cable's characteristics through actual test like bending, tension, attenuation. Based on the results of review, test and analysis, prepared the maintenance criteria and standard maintenance guideline. Also we verified those can be applied directly to the operating nuclear power plant through the actual test at Ulchin Unit 6. The details of test and analysis are presented in this paper. Also introduce the contents of maintenance criteria and guidelines

A human factors approach to effective maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Penington, J.; Shakeri, S.

2006-01-01

Traditionally in the field of Human Factors within the nuclear industry, the focus has been to identify the potential for human errors in operating tasks, and develop strategies to prevent their occurrence, provide recovery mechanisms, and mitigate the consequences of error as appropriate. Past experience has demonstrated however a significant number of human errors within the nuclear industry occur during maintenance tasks. It is for this reason, and the fact that our nuclear power plants are ageing and increasingly in need of maintenance, that the industry must pay more attention to maintenance tasks. The purpose of this paper is to present a framework for effective maintenance programs, and based upon this framework discuss an approach (an audit tool) that can be used to both design such a program, and to assess existing programs. In addition, this tool can form the basis of cost benefit decisions relating to priorities for improvements to existing programs. (author)

Human factor analysis and preventive countermeasures of maintenance in nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Li; Hu Chao

2008-01-01

Based on the human error analysis theory and the characteristics of maintenance in a nuclear power plant, human factors of maintenance in NPP are divided into three different areas: human, technology, and organization, in which human refers to the individual factors, mainly including psychological quality, physiological characteristic, state of health, knowledge, skill level, and interpersonal relationship. Technology includes the maintenance technology, maintenance strategy, maintenance tool, maintenance interface, maintenance regulation, and work environment. Organization includes task arrangement, information communication, training, personnel external environment, team construction, and leadership. The analysis also reveals that the organization factors, which can indirectly influence personnel performance, are the primary initiators of human error. Based on these, some countermeasures are brought forward in order to reduce human errors. (authors)

Sustainable resilience in property maintenance: encountering changing weather conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cox, Rimante Andrasiunaite; Nielsen, Susanne Balslev

2014-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to develop a methodological approach for project management to integrate sustainability and resilience planning in property maintenance as an incremental strategy for upgrading existing properties to meet new standards for sustainable and climate resilient...... buildings. Background: Current maintenance practice is focused on the technical standard of buildings, with little consideration of sustainability and resilience. There is a need to develop tools for incorporating sustainable resilience into maintenance planning. Approach: The study is primarily theoretical......, developing the concept of sustainable resilience for changing weather conditions Results: The paper suggests a decision support methodology that quantifies sustainable resilience for the analytical stages of property maintenance planning. Practical Implications: The methodology is generic and expected users...

Optimisation of maintenance in electric power grids; Optimierung der Instandhaltung in elektrischen Netzen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeromin, Ingo [Mainova AG, Frankfurt am Main (Germany); Balzer, Gerd [Technische Univ. Darmstadt (Germany). Forschungsgruppe Elektrische Energieversorgung

2012-10-15

During the past few years, the regulation efforts in power supply resulted in structuring of maintenance and replacement of operating facilities. Activities in this field are summarized under the heading of asset management. Investigations so far tended to focus on maintenance strategies and neglected the financial aspect, i.e. the total cost of a grid with different groups of operating facilities. The authors show strategies for solving this central problem of asset management.

DC-Analyzer-facilitated combinatorial strategy for rapid directed evolution of functional enzymes with multiple mutagenesis sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiong; Zheng, Kai; Zheng, Huayu; Nie, Hongli; Yang, Zujun; Tang, Lixia

2014-12-20

Iterative saturation mutagenesis (ISM) has been shown to be a powerful method for directed evolution. In this study, the approach was modified (termed M-ISM) by combining the single-site saturation mutagenesis method with a DC-Analyzer-facilitated combinatorial strategy, aiming to evolve novel biocatalysts efficiently in the case where multiple sites are targeted simultaneously. Initially, all target sites were explored individually by constructing single-site saturation mutagenesis libraries. Next, the top two to four variants in each library were selected and combined using the DC-Analyzer-facilitated combinatorial strategy. In addition to site-saturation mutagenesis, iterative saturation mutagenesis also needed to be performed. The advantages of M-ISM over ISM were that the screening effort is greatly reduced, and the entire M-ISM procedure was less time-consuming. The M-ISM strategy was successfully applied to the randomization of halohydrin dehalogenase from Agrobacterium radiobacter AD1 (HheC) when five interesting sites were targeted simultaneously. After screening 900 clones in total, six positive mutants were obtained. These mutants exhibited 4.0- to 9.3-fold higher k(cat) values than did the wild-type HheC toward 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol. However, with the ISM strategy, the best hit showed a 5.9-fold higher k(cat) value toward 1,3-DCP than the wild-type HheC, which was obtained after screening 4000 clones from four rounds of mutagenesis. Therefore, M-ISM could serve as a simple and efficient version of ISM for the randomization of target genes with multiple positions of interest.

Management of maintenance activities at Cernavoda NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riedel, M.; Urjan, R.; Marinescu, S.; Corlan, L.

2000-01-01

After the Construction and Commissioning phases are over, the safety and economic performances of each nuclear unit are determined by the quality of its operation as well as by the combination of reliability and availability of the systems consisting the whole unit. Therefore, the value of a good maintenance program in making a safe and profitable operation is now widely recognized; all stations operating with excellent performance have well-defined policies and effectively administered programs to govern maintenance activities. The Cernavoda maintenance optimization initiative is derived from good practices suggested by such recognized bodies as the IAEA, INPO and EPRI. It should be noted that the program is evolving at this time and that this paper is an attempt to summarize the myriad of activities and plans required to finally implement the maintenance program. Although many of the elements of the program are in place, many are in various stages of completion. The main components of the program (policy's objectives, strategies used, specific subprograms, maintenance plans and their integration) are presented in brief along with the performance indicators used to assess the effectiveness of the program and maintenance activities. The new programs intended to be developed are also specified, as well as the main comments and recommendations received from IAEA experts. (author)

Risk-Based Operation and Maintenance Planning for Offshore Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jannie Jessen; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2010-01-01

Operation and maintenance (O&M) are large contributors to the cost of energy for offshore wind turbines. Optimal planning of O&M should include use of inspections and monitoring results to make decisions that minimize the expected costs through the lifetime of the structures. For offshore...... structures it is especially important because of the dependence on weather windows for inspections and repairs to be possible. A model has been developed to estimate the expected costs to corrective and condition based maintenance for a wind turbine with a single component. The deterioration of the component...... is simulated, and the expected costs are found for different strategies. An application example shows that condition based maintenance has the potential of reducing the costs, and a risk based approach can be used to find the optimal strategy for O&M. Further the influence of failure rate and damage parameters...

Mapping Operation and Maintenance Strategy for U.S. Offshore Wind Farms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dewan, Ashish; Stehly, Tyler

2017-06-22

This presentation provides an overview of a collaborative effort between ECN and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory that focused on an operation and maintenance study of six offshore wind power plants in the United States.

Model-based fault diagnosis framework for effective predictive maintenance / B.B. Akindele

OpenAIRE

Akindele, Babatunde Babajide

2010-01-01

Predictive maintenance is a proactive maintenance strategy that is aimed at preventing the unexpected failure of equipment through condition monitoring of the health and performance of the equipment. Incessant equipment outage resulting in low availability of production facilities is a major issue in the Nigerian manufacturing environment. Improving equipment availability in Nigeria industry through institution of a full featured predictive maintenance has been suggested by many authors. T...

Improving Maintenance Data Collection Via Point-Of-Maintenance (POMX) Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

2006-03-01

accurate documentation, (3) identifying and correcting the root causes for poor data integrity, and (4) educating the unit on the critical need for data ...the validity of the results. The data in this study were analyzed using the SAS JMP 6.0 statistical software package. The results for the tests...traditional keyboard data entry methods at a computer terminal. These terminals are typically located in the aircraft maintenance unit (AMU) facility , away

Transfer of technology in maintenance tools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delorme, H.; Cartry, J.P.

1985-10-01

For maximum reliability of maintenance operations, FRAMATOME has aimed to improve the accessibility of highly irradiated and contaminated reactor coolant system equipment by the active promotion of an automation and robotization strategy. A number of robot designs have been developed providing replacement of operators inside the steam generator channel head, smooth handling of heavy or cumbersome objects in this zone, easy marking of steam generator tubes and increased speed of repetitive channel head operations: maintenance spider, theta-theta prime robotic service arm, R-theta robotic service arm, remote manipulator arm. Two operations are described: channel head folding cover plate and, operation of the torquing machine for head cover plate

Configuration management of on-line maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grantom, C.R.

1996-01-01

Maintenance activities are performed on station equipment to ensure continued safe and reliable performance. Equipment reliability is thereby improved, resulting in greater confidence that the component will be capable of performing its intended (safety) function. Probabilistic Safety Assessments (PSAs) consider equipment reliability and availability to calculate Core Damage Frequency (CDF) and other risk-related values. Since maintenance activities are included in PSA analyses, the effect of equipment outages on CDF can be analyzed. Results from these types of studies can be scaled to reflect different time periods and show the time-dependent impact of planned equipment outages on CDF. These time-dependent impacts on CDF are graphically presented and referred to as ''risk profiles''. Risk profiles are being successfully used at the South Texas Project (STP) to plan preventive maintenance activities and to assess the impact of unplanned maintenance activities on plant safety. At STP, planned maintenance activities are scheduled to minimize the risk impact of unavailable equipment and to prevent the Occurrence of undesirable plant configurations. The features of the risk profiles used at STP enable the evaluation of both work scope and duration of maintenance activities to be evaluated. This is possible since the risk profile illustrates both instantaneous CDF effects and cumulative impacts to CDF

Factor analysis for imperfect maintenance planning at nuclear power plants by cognitive task analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takagawa, Kenichi; Iida, Hiroyasu

2011-01-01

Imperfect maintenance planning was frequently identified in domestic nuclear power plants. To prevent such an event, we analyzed causal factors in maintenance planning stages and showed the directionality of countermeasures in this study. There is a pragmatic limit in finding the causal factors from the items based on report descriptions. Therefore, the idea of the systemic accident model, which is used to monitor the performance variability in normal circumstances, is taken as a new concept instead of investigating negative factors. As an actual method for analyzing usual activities, cognitive task analysis (CTA) was applied. Persons who experienced various maintenance activities at one electric power company were interviewed about sources related to decision making during maintenance planning, and then usual factors affecting planning were extracted as performance variability factors. The tendency of domestic events was analyzed using the classification item of those factors, and the directionality of countermeasures was shown. The following are critical for preventing imperfect maintenance planning: the persons in charge should fully understand the situation of the equipment for which they are responsible in the work planning and maintenance evaluation stages, and they should definitely understand, for example, the maintenance bases of that equipment. (author)

Analysis of trends in aviation maintenance risk: An empirical approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marais, Karen B.; Robichaud, Matthew R.

2012-01-01

Safety is paramount in the airline industry. A significant amount of effort has been devoted to reducing mechanical failures and pilot errors. Recently, more attention has been devoted to the contribution of maintenance to accidents and incidents. This study investigates and quantifies the contribution of maintenance, both in terms of frequency and severity, to passenger airline risk by analyzing three different sources of data from 1999 to 2008: 769 NTSB accident reports, 3242 FAA incident reports, and 7478 FAA records of fines and other legal actions taken against airlines and associated organizations. We analyze several safety related metrics and develop an aviation maintenance risk scorecard that collects these metrics to synthesize a comprehensive track record of maintenance contribution to airline accidents and incidents. We found for example that maintenance-related accidents are approximately 6.5 times more likely to be fatal than accidents in general, and that when fatalities do occur, maintenance accidents result in approximately 3.6 times more fatalities on average. Our analysis of accident trends indicates that this contribution to accident risk has remained fairly constant over the past decade. Our analysis of incidents and FAA fines and legal actions also revealed similar trends. We found that at least 10% of incidents involving mechanical failures such as ruptured hydraulic lines can be attributed to maintenance, suggesting that there may be issues surrounding both the design of and compliance with maintenance plans. Similarly 36% of FAA fines and legal actions involve inadequate maintenance, with recent years showing a decline to about 20%, which may be a reflection of improved maintenance practices. Our results can aid industry and government in focusing resources to continue improving aviation safety.

Modernizing international maintenance obligations in Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bordaš Bernadet

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the modernization of private international law of maintenance in Serbia in the light of the two newest international instruments drawn up by the Hague Conference on Private International Law. As Serbia has ratified the Hague Protocol on the Law Applicable to Maintenance Obligations in January 2013 introducing modern rules to the legal system of Serbia, the issue of ratification of the Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance has arisen, in order to modernize this aspect of the international maintenance as well. In order to establish a position on the issue, the paper presents and analyzes the essential provisions of the Convention (scope of application, administrative cooperation, recognition and enforcement of decisions, stricto sensu enforcement. Based on the analyses, the concluding remarks offers some elements on the bases of which the competent authorities could form an opinion on the necessity and desirability of the ratification of the Convention.

Developing and analyzing long-term fuel management strategies for an advanced Small Modular PWR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hedayat, Afshin, E-mail: ahedayat@aeoi.org.ir

2017-03-15

Highlights: • Comprehensive introduction and supplementary concepts as a review paper. • Developing an integrated long-term fuel management strategy for a SMR. • High reliable 3-D core modeling over fuel pins against the traditional LRM. • Verifying the expert rules of large PWRs for an advanced small PWR. • Investigating large numbers of safety parameters coherently. - Abstract: In this paper, long-term fuel management (FM) strategies are introduced and analyzed for a new advanced Pressurized Light Water Reactor (PWR) type of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). The FM strategies are developed to be safe and practical for implementation as much as possible. Safety performances, economy of fuel, and Quality Assurance (QA) of periodic equilibrium conditions are chosen as the main goals. Flattening power density distribution over fuel pins is the major method to ensure safety performance; also maximum energy output or permissible discharging burn up indicates economy of fuel fabrication costs. Burn up effects from BOC to EOC have been traced, studied, and highly visualized in both of transport lattice cell calculations and diffusion core calculations. Long-term characteristics are searched to gain periodical equilibrium characteristics. They are fissile changes, neutron spectrum, refueling pattern, fuel cycle length, core excess reactivity, average, and maximum burn up of discharged fuels, radial Power Peaking Factors (PPF), total PPF, radial and axial power distributions, batch effects, and enrichment effects for fine regulations. Traditional linear reactivity model have been successfully simulated and adapted via fine core and burn up calculations. Effects of high burnable neutron poison and soluble boron are analyzed. Different numbers of batches via different refueling patterns have been studied and visualized. Expert rules for large type PWRs have been influenced and well tested throughout accurate equilibrium core calculations.

Architecture and Key Techniques of Augmented Reality Maintenance Guiding System for Civil Aircrafts

Science.gov (United States)

hong, Zhou; Wenhua, Lu

2017-01-01

Augmented reality technology is introduced into the maintenance related field for strengthened information in real-world scenarios through integration of virtual assistant maintenance information with real-world scenarios. This can lower the difficulty of maintenance, reduce maintenance errors, and improve the maintenance efficiency and quality of civil aviation crews. Architecture of augmented reality virtual maintenance guiding system is proposed on the basis of introducing the definition of augmented reality and analyzing the characteristics of augmented reality virtual maintenance. Key techniques involved, such as standardization and organization of maintenance data, 3D registration, modeling of maintenance guidance information and virtual maintenance man-machine interaction, are elaborated emphatically, and solutions are given.

From reliability to maintenance of emergency generator sets in nuclear plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reyraud, Y.

1986-01-01

The particular conditions of operation of emergency generator sets in a nuclear energy plant induce to take up a strategy of supervision and of maintenance very different of the one recommended for production generator sets. Mechanical and thermal pulls are affected by the size of the set and the choice of rotation running in respect of the wanted power and the response time requirements for the security of nuclear reactor. Reliability studies are helpful to define the strategy of supervision tests. The importance of the number of starts with respect to the running time requires the introduction of the idea of equivalent hours for the definition of maintenance periods. The security of the equipment and the upholding of the reliability at a value close to the optimum impose rigorous choices and strict conditions of supervision and maintenance [fr

The Science of Sustaining Health Behavior Change: The Health Maintenance Consortium

Science.gov (United States)

Ory, Marcia G.; Smith, Matthew Lee; Mier, Nelda; Wernicke, Meghan M.

2013-01-01

Objective The Health Maintenance Consortium (HMC) is a multisite Grantee Consortium funded by the National Institutes of Health from 2004–2009. The goal of HMC is to enhance understanding of the long-term maintenance of behavior change, as well as effective strategies for achieving sustainable health promotion and disease prevention. Methods This introductory research synthesis prepared by the Resource Center gives context to this theme issue by providing an overview of the HMC and the articles in this journal. Results It explores the contributions to our conceptualization of behavior change processes and intervention strategies, the trajectory of effectiveness of behavioral and social interventions, and factors influencing the long-term maintenance of behavioral and social interventions. Conclusions Future directions for furthering the science of maintaining behavior change and reducing the gaps between research and practice are recommended. PMID:20604691

A Costing Analysis for Decision Making Grid Model in Failure-Based Maintenance

OpenAIRE

M. A., Burhanuddin; Halawani, Sami M.; Ahmad, A. R.

2011-01-01

Background. In current economic downturn, industries have to set good control on production cost, to maintain their profit margin. Maintenance department as an imperative unit in industries should attain all maintenance data, process information instantaneously, and subsequently transform it into a useful decision. Then act on the alternative to reduce production cost. Decision Making Grid model is used to identify strategies for maintenance decision. However, the model has limitation as it c...

BALTICA IV. Plant maintenance for managing life and performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hietanen, S; Auerkari, P [eds.; VTT Manufacturing Technology, Espoo (Finland). Operational Reliability

1999-12-31

BALTICA IV International Conference on Plant Maintenance Managing Life and performance held on September 7-9, 1998 on board M/S Silja Symphony on its cruise between Helsinki-Stockholm and at Aavaranta in Kirkkonummi. The BALTICA IV conference provides a forum for the transfer of technology from applied research to practice. This is one of the two volumes of the proceedings of the BALTICA IV International Conference on Plant Maintenance Managing Life and Performance. The BALTICA IV conference focuses on new technology, recent experience and applications of condition and life management, and on improvements in maintenance strategies for safe and economical operation of power plants. (orig.)

BALTICA IV. Plant maintenance for managing life and performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hietanen, S.; Auerkari, P. [eds.] [VTT Manufacturing Technology, Espoo (Finland). Operational Reliability

1998-12-31

BALTICA IV International Conference on Plant Maintenance Managing Life and performance held on September 7-9, 1998 on board M/S Silja Symphony on its cruise between Helsinki-Stockholm and at Aavaranta in Kirkkonummi. The BALTICA IV conference provides a forum for the transfer of technology from applied research to practice. This is one of the two volumes of the proceedings of the BALTICA IV International Conference on Plant Maintenance Managing Life and Performance. The BALTICA IV conference focuses on new technology, recent experience and applications of condition and life management, and on improvements in maintenance strategies for safe and economical operation of power plants. (orig.)

The Issues of Track Maintenance Management in Indonesia (Based on Study of the British Railways

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tetria Yunik Dewi Pamungkas

2017-01-01

Full Text Available It is believed that there is merit in researching how the management of track maintenance is organized in the United Kingdom, in particular by Network Rail, and then evaluating how this can be applied to the benefit of Indonesian Railways. The purpose of this research was expected to provide recommendations for management improvement of track maintenance by researching the track maintenance management system in Network Rail. This research study is based on secondary data. The analysis was conducted by using comparison method which compares the British Railways management and Indonesia railway management related to track maintenance management. The track maintenance management system was studied by using Network Rail. The results were compared with track maintenance management system in Indonesia. The comparison will provide the data differences that evaluated so the problem can be identified. The final result of this analysis was the identification of problems and improvisation that can be done for the development of track maintenance management in Indonesia. Several management issues have been mapped to several groups: finance management, structure organization, and asset management. From the problems that have been mapped, some improvements are recommended as monopolist authority restriction, maintenance system contract extension, re-structuring organization hierarchy, business plan consideration, track monitoring strategy arrangement, and condition based maintenance strategy adoption.

Mechanics of structures and maintenance of pressurized water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hutin, J.P.

1992-01-01

Electricite de France nowadays has in operation 34 units of 900 MW and 17 units of 1300 MW of PWR. Since the first unit was run, this means that more than 350 reactor-years have been performed, to which should be added the experience already gained on fossil fuel or natural uranium plants. This enabled EDF to build its own philosophy and a strategy for maintenance that are best suited for the specific requirements of the hardware with which the actual nuclear boilers are made-up. This philosophy and strategy rest upon an analysis which calls widely for the mechanics of structures, to such an extent that major decisions concerning maintenance depend on the ability that one has for resolving problems within the scope of that discipline

Recent Educational Experiences in Electric Machine Maintenance Teaching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose Alfonso Antonino-Daviu

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Maintenance of electric machines and installations is a particularly important area; eventual faults in these devices may lead to significant losses in terms of time and money. The investment and concern in developing proper maintenance protocols have been gradually increasing over recent decades. As a consequence, there is a need to instruct future engineers in the electric machines and installations maintenance area. The subject "Maintenance of Electric Machines and Installations" has been designed under this idea. It is taught within an official master degree in Maintenance Engineering. This work describes the educational experiences reached during the initial years of the teaching of the subject. Aspects such as student profiles, subject approaches, design of the syllabus, methodology and structure of the laboratory sessions are remarked in the work. In addition, the paper discusses other educational strategies which are being introduced to increase the interest in the subject, such as integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT, promotion of the collaborative work, inclusion of the possibility of remote learning or development of new assessment systems.

Application of reliability centered maintenance to Embalse NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torres, Antonio; Perdomo, Manuel; Fornero, Damian; Corchera, Roberto

2010-01-01

One of the most recent applications of Probabilistic Safety Analysis to Embalse NPP is the Safety Oriented Maintenance Program developed through the Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) methodology. Such an application was carried out by a cooperated effort between the staff of nuclear safety department of NPP and experts from Instituto Superior de Tecnologias y Ciencias Aplicadas of Cuba. So far 6 technological systems have been analyzed with important results regarding the optimization of preventive and predictive maintenance program of those systems. Any tasks of RCM were automated via MOSEG code. The results of this study were focused on the elaboration and modification of the Preventive Program, prioritization of stocks, reorientation of predictive techniques and modification in the time parameters of maintenance. (author)

Operations and Maintenance Cost for Stratified Buildings: A Critical Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Che-Ghani Nor Zaimah

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Building maintenance is essential in preserving buildings’ appearance and performance. It needs to upkeep the building performance to prolong its value and building life cycle. Malaysia is still lacking in managing cost for building operation and maintenance. It has been found that the cost for housing maintenance is high due to poor maintenance practices. In order to get better understanding on how to manage the cost, this study reviews the contributing factors that affecting operation and maintenance cost of stratified buildings in Malaysia. The research first identified the factors through extensive literature review and scrutinize on factors that affecting and can minimize operation and maintenance cost. This literature review offers insight into building maintenance scenario in Malaysia focusing on the issues and challenges. The study also finds that operation and maintenance cost for housing in Malaysia is still in poor state. Interestingly, this paper revealed that operation and maintenance cost is also influenced by three significant factors like expectation of tenants, building characteristics and building defects. Measures to reduce the housing operation and maintenance cost are also highlighted so that this study can be a stepping stone towards proposing efficient and effective facilities management strategies for affordable housing in future.

Preliminary conceptual design of inspection and maintenance for KALIMER reactor system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joo, Young Sang; Kim, Seok Hun; Yoo, Bong

2000-08-01

In-service inspection and maintenance are very important for improving the safety and availability of nuclear power plants. The conceptual requirements of in-service inspection and maintenance should be reflected in the earlier design process for the verification of the plant operability and reliability. In this report the fundamental approaches of the inspection and maintenance for KALIMER are established to ensure the structural integrity and operability for KALIMER. The general strategy and methodology of maintenance and inspection for the reactor system and components are proposed and described for satisfying the intents of the section XI, division 3, of ASME code and considering the design characteristics of KALIMER.

Generating unit maintenance scheduling under competitive market environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin Ho Kim; Jong Bae Park; Jong Keun Park; Yeung Han Chun

2005-01-01

A novel approach to a generating unit maintenance scheduling problem in competitive electricity markets is presented in this paper. The objective is to develop a game-theoretic framework for analyzing strategic behaviors of generating companies (Gencos) from the standpoint of the generating unit maintenance scheduling (GMS) game and for obtaining the equilibrium solution for the GMS game. The GMS problem is formulated as a dynamic non-cooperative game with complete information. The players correspond to profit maximizing individual Gencos, and the payoff of each player is defined as the profits from the energy market. The optimal schedule is defined by Nash equilibrium (equilibriums) of the game. Numerical results for two-Genco system are used to demonstrate that the proposed framework can be successfully applied to analyzing the strategic behaviors of each Genco and to obtaining the corresponding Nash equilibrium. The result indicates that generating unit maintenance schedule is one of the major strategic behaviors whereby Genco maximize their profits in a competitive market environment. (author)

Trend-Centric Motion Visualization: Designing and Applying a New Strategy for Analyzing Scientific Motion Collections.

Science.gov (United States)

Schroeder, David; Korsakov, Fedor; Knipe, Carissa Mai-Ping; Thorson, Lauren; Ellingson, Arin M; Nuckley, David; Carlis, John; Keefe, Daniel F

2014-12-01

In biomechanics studies, researchers collect, via experiments or simulations, datasets with hundreds or thousands of trials, each describing the same type of motion (e.g., a neck flexion-extension exercise) but under different conditions (e.g., different patients, different disease states, pre- and post-treatment). Analyzing similarities and differences across all of the trials in these collections is a major challenge. Visualizing a single trial at a time does not work, and the typical alternative of juxtaposing multiple trials in a single visual display leads to complex, difficult-to-interpret visualizations. We address this problem via a new strategy that organizes the analysis around motion trends rather than trials. This new strategy matches the cognitive approach that scientists would like to take when analyzing motion collections. We introduce several technical innovations making trend-centric motion visualization possible. First, an algorithm detects a motion collection's trends via time-dependent clustering. Second, a 2D graphical technique visualizes how trials leave and join trends. Third, a 3D graphical technique, using a median 3D motion plus a visual variance indicator, visualizes the biomechanics of the set of trials within each trend. These innovations are combined to create an interactive exploratory visualization tool, which we designed through an iterative process in collaboration with both domain scientists and a traditionally-trained graphic designer. We report on insights generated during this design process and demonstrate the tool's effectiveness via a validation study with synthetic data and feedback from expert musculoskeletal biomechanics researchers who used the tool to analyze the effects of disc degeneration on human spinal kinematics.

Waste sampling and characterization facility (WSCF) maintenance implementation plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinemann, J.L.; Millard, G.E.

1997-08-01

This Maintenance Implementation Plan (MIP) is written to satisfy the requirements of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Order 4330.4B, Maintenance Management Program that specifies the general policy and objectives for the establishment of the DOE controlled maintenance programs. These programs provide for the management and performance of cost effective maintenance and repair of the DOE property, which includes facilities. This document outlines maintenance activities associated with the facilities operated by Waste Management Hanford, Inc. (WMH). The objective of this MIP is to provide baseline information for the control and execution of WMH Facility Maintenance activities relative to the requirements of Order 4330.4B, assessment of the WMH maintenance programs, and actions necessary to maintain compliance with the Order. Section 2.0 summarizes the history, mission and description of the WMH facilities. Section 3.0 describes maintenance scope and requirements, and outlines the overall strategy for implementing the maintenance program. Specific elements of DOE Order 4330.4B are addressed in Section 4.0, listing the objective of each element, a discussion of the WMH compliance methodology, and current implementation requirements with references to WMH and HNF policies and procedures. Section 5.0 addresses deviations from policy requirements, and Section 6.0 is a schedule for specific improvements in support of this MIP

Experience based reliability centered maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haenninen, S.; Laakso, K.

1993-03-01

The systematic analysis and documentation of operating experiences should be included in a living NPP life management program. Failure mode and effects and maintenance effects analyses are suitable methods for analysis of the failure and corrective maintenance experiences of equipment. Combined use of the information on occurred functional failures and the decision tree logic of the reliability centered maintenance identifies applicable and effective preventive maintenance tasks of equipment in an old plant. In this study the electrical motor drives of closing and isolation valves (MOV) of TVO and Loviisa nuclear power plants were selected to serve as pilot study objects. The study was limited to valve drives having actuators manufactured by AUMA in Germany. The fault and maintenance history of MOVs from 1981 up to and including October 1991 in different safety and process systems at TVO 1 and 2 nuclear power units was at first analyzed in a systematic way. The scope of the components studied was 81 MOVs in safety-related systems and 127 other MOVs per each TVO unit. In the case of the Loviisa plant, the observation period was limited to three years, i.e. from February 1989 up to February 1992. The scope of the Loviisa 1 and 2 components studied was 44 respectively 95 MOVs. (25 refs., 22 figs., 8 tabs.)

Contamination Analyzer

Science.gov (United States)

1994-01-01

Measurement of the total organic carbon content in water is important in assessing contamination levels in high purity water for power generation, pharmaceutical production and electronics manufacture. Even trace levels of organic compounds can cause defects in manufactured products. The Sievers Model 800 Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Analyzer, based on technology developed for the Space Station, uses a strong chemical oxidizing agent and ultraviolet light to convert organic compounds in water to carbon dioxide. After ionizing the carbon dioxide, the amount of ions is determined by measuring the conductivity of the deionized water. The new technique is highly sensitive, does not require compressed gas, and maintenance is minimal.

Value centric approaches to the design, operations and maintenance of wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Khadabadi, Madhur Aravind

Wind turbine maintenance is emerging as an unexpectedly high component of turbine operating cost, and there is an increasing interest in managing this cost. This thesis presents an alternative view of maintenance as a value-driver, and develops an optimization algorithm to evaluate the value delivered by different maintenance techniques. I view maintenance as an operation that moves the turbine to an improved state in which it can generate more power and, thus, earn more revenue. To implement this approach, I model the stochastic deterioration of the turbine in two dimensions: the deterioration rate, and the extent of deterioration, and then use maintenance to improve the state of the turbine. The value of the turbine is the difference between the revenue from to the power generation and the costs incurred in operation and maintenance. With a focus on blade deterioration, I evaluate the value delivered by implementing two different maintenance schemes, predictive maintenance and scheduled maintenance. An example of predictive maintenance technique is the use of Condition Monitoring Systems to precisely detect deterioration. I model Condition Monitoring System (CMS) of different degrees of fidelity, where a higher fidelity CMS would allow the blade state to be determined with a higher precision. The same model is then applied for the scheduled maintenance technique. The improved state information obtained from these techniques is then used to derive an optimal maintenance strategy. The difference between the value of the turbine with and without the inspection type can be interpreted as the value of the inspection. The results indicate that a higher fidelity (and more expensive) inspection method does not necessarily yield the highest value, and, that there is an optimal level of fidelity that results in maximum value. The results also aim to inform the operator of the impact of regional parameters such as wind speed, variance and maintenance costs to the optimal

Research on Application of FMECA in Missile Equipment Maintenance Decision

Science.gov (United States)

Kun, Wang

2018-03-01

Fault mode effects and criticality analysis (FMECA) is a method widely used in engineering. Studying the application of FMEA technology in military equipment maintenance decision-making, can help us build a better equipment maintenance support system, and increase the using efficiency of weapons and equipment. Through Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) of equipment, known and potential failure modes and their causes are found out, and the influence on the equipment performance, operation success, personnel security are determined. Furthermore, according to the synthetical effects of the severity of effects and the failure probability, possible measures for prevention and correction are put forward. Through replacing or adjusting the corresponding parts, corresponding maintenance strategy is decided for preventive maintenance of equipment, which helps improve the equipment reliability.

JRR-3 maintenance program utilizing accumulated maintenance data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Izumo, Hironobu; Kato, Tomoaki; Kinase, Masami; Torii, Yoshiya; Murayama, Yoji

2007-07-01

JRR-3(Japan Research Reactor No.3) has been operated for more than 15 years after the modification, without significant troubles by carrying out maintenance such as the preventive maintenance (mainly time-based maintenance) for the safety-grade equipments and the breakdown maintenance for the non-safety-grade equipments. Unscheduled shutdowns causes by aged non-safety-grade equipments have been increasing, and the resources such as budgets have been decreasing year by year. In this situation, JRR-3 maintenance program was reviewed about safety, reliability and economic efficiency. This report offers the policy of the maintenance review and the future direction of maintenance programs. (author)

Principles of MONJU maintenance. Characteristic of MONJU maintenance and reflection of LWR maintenance experience to FBR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakai, Satoru; Nishio, Ryuichi; Uchihashi, Masaya; Kaneko, Yoshihisa; Yamashita, Hironobu; Yamaguchi, Atsunori; Aoki, Takayuki

2014-01-01

A sodium cooled fast breeder reactor (FBR) has unique systems and components and different degradation mechanism from light water reactor (LWR) so that need to establish maintenance technology in accordance with its features. The examination of the FBR maintenance technology is carried out in the special committee for considering the maintenance for Monju established in the Japan Society of Maintenology (JSM). As a result of the study such as extraction of Monju maintenance feature, maintenance technology benchmark between Monju and LWR components and survey of LWR maintenance experience, it is clear that principles of maintenance are same as LWR, necessity of LWR maintenance experience reflection and points to be considered in Monju maintenance. The road map to establish a FBR maintenance technology in the technical aspect became clear and it is vital to acquire operation and maintenance experience of the plant to implement this road map, and to establish a fast reactor maintenance. (author)

Weight maintenance as a tight rope walk - a Grounded Theory study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weinehall Lars

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Overweight and obesity are considerable public health problems internationally as well as in Sweden. The long-term results of obesity treatment are modest as reported by other studies. The importance of extending the focus to not only comprise obesity treatment but also prevention of weight gain is therefore being emphasized. However, despite the suggested change in focus there is still no consensus on how to prevent obesity or maintain weight. This study reports findings from a qualitative study focusing on attitudes, behaviors and strategies important for primary weight maintenance in a middle-aged population. Methods In depth interviews were conducted with 23 maintainers and four slight gainers in Sweden. The interviews were transcribed and an analysis of weight maintenance was performed using Grounded Theory. Results Based on the informants' stories, describing attitudes, behaviors and strategies of importance for primary weight maintenance, a model illustrating the main findings, was constructed. Weight maintenance was seen as "a tightrope walk" and four strategies of significance for this "tightrope walk" were described as "to rely on heritage", "to find the joy", "to find the routine" and "to be in control". Eleven "ideal types" were included in the model to illustrate different ways of relating to the main strategies. These "ideal types" described more specific attitudes and behaviors such as; eating food that is both tasteful and nutritious, and choosing exercise that provides joy. However, other somewhat contradictory behaviors were also found such as; only eating nutritious food regardless of taste, and being physically active to control stress and emotions. Conclusion This study show great variety with regards to attitudes, strategies and behaviors important for weight maintenance, and considerations need to be taken before putting the model into practice. However, the results from this study can be used within

Pre-conceptual design assessment of DEMO remote maintenance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loving, A., E-mail: antony.loving@ccfe.ac.uk [EURATOM/Culham Center Fusion Energy, Culham Science Centre, OX14 3DB, Abingdon (United Kingdom); Crofts, O.; Sykes, N.; Iglesias, D.; Coleman, M.; Thomas, J. [EURATOM/Culham Center Fusion Energy, Culham Science Centre, OX14 3DB, Abingdon (United Kingdom); Harman, J. [EFDA Close Support Unit Garching, Boltzmannstaße 2, D-85748 Garching Bei München (Germany); Fischer, U. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Neutron Physics and Reactor Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, D-76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Sanz, J. [Instituto de Fusión Nuclear/UPM, Madrid (Spain); Siuko, M. [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT (Finland); Mittwollen, M. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institut für Fördertechnik und Logistiksysteme, Gotthard-Franz-Straße 8, Geb.50.38, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany)

2014-10-15

EDFA, as part of the Power Plant Physics and Technology programme, has been working on the pre-conceptual design of a Demonstration Power Plant (DEMO). As part of this programme, a review of the remote maintenance strategy considered maintenance solutions compatible with expected environmental conditions, whilst showing potential for meeting the plant availability targets. A key finding was that, for practical purposes, the expected radiation levels prohibit the use of complex remote handling operations to replace the first wall. In 2012/2013, these remote maintenance activities were further extended, providing an insight into the requirements, constraints and challenges. In particular, the assessment of blanket and divertor maintenance, in light of the expected radiation conditions and availability, has elaborated the need for a very different approach from that of ITER. This activity has produced some very informative virtual reality simulations of the blanket segments and pipe removal that are exceptionally valuable in communicating the complexity and scale of the required operations. Through these simulations, estimates of the maintenance task durations have been possible demonstrating that a full replacement of the blankets within 6 months could be achieved. The design of the first wall, including the need to use sacrificial limiters must still be investigated. In support of the maintenance operations, a first indication of the requirements of an Active Maintenance Facility (AMF) has been elaborated.

Three AREVA tools for maintenance and outage support

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lumpe, A.

2012-01-01

WlS is a knowledge-based database for the support of nuclear maintenance for components of different types It is productive since 2004 and has been continuously developed according to customer requirements. WIS allows for a centralized management of maintenance information and knowledge, including strategies, scheduling and reporting. WIS is already utilized in national and international NPPs. lts main advantages are: Support of service documentation for plant and service company employees, Support of integration into already existing IT infrastructure, Support of information and knowledge sharing, Easy and intuitive information usage, Savings by using standardized approach.

Maintenance and Logistics Support for the International Monitoring System Network of the CTBTO

Science.gov (United States)

Haslinger, F.; Brely, N.; Akrawy, M.

2007-05-01

The global network of the International Monitoring System (IMS) of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), once completed, will consist of 321 monitoring facilities of four different technologies: hydroacoustic, seismic, infrasonic, and radionuclide. As of today, about 65% of the installations are completed and contribute data to the products issued by the International Data Centre (IDC) of the CTBTO. In order to accomplish the task to reliably collect evidence for any potential nuclear test explosion anywhere on the planet, all stations are required to perform to very high data availability requirements (at least 98% data availability over a 12-month period). To enable reaching this requirement, a three-layer concept has been developed to allow efficient support of the IMS stations: Operations, Maintenance and Logistics, and Engineering. Within this concept Maintenance and Logistics provide second level support of the stations, whereby problems arising at the station are assigned through the IMS ticket system to Maintenance if they cannot be resolved on the Operations level. Maintenance will then activate the required resources to appropriately address and ultimately resolve the problem. These resources may be equipment support contracts, other third party contracts, or the dispatch of a maintenance team. Engineering Support will be activated if the problem requires redesign of the station or after catastrophic failures when a total rebuild of a station may be necessary. In this model, Logistics Support is responsible for parts replenishment and support contract management. Logistics Support also collects and analyzes relevant failure mode and effect information, develops supportability models, and has the responsibility for document management, obsolescence, risk & quality, and configuration management, which are key elements for efficient station support. Maintenance Support in addition is responsible for maintenance strategies, for

Risk-Based Predictive Maintenance for Safety-Critical Systems by Using Probabilistic Inference

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tianhua Xu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Risk-based maintenance (RBM aims to improve maintenance planning and decision making by reducing the probability and consequences of failure of equipment. A new predictive maintenance strategy that integrates dynamic evolution model and risk assessment is proposed which can be used to calculate the optimal maintenance time with minimal cost and safety constraints. The dynamic evolution model provides qualified risks by using probabilistic inference with bucket elimination and gives the prospective degradation trend of a complex system. Based on the degradation trend, an optimal maintenance time can be determined by minimizing the expected maintenance cost per time unit. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated and demonstrated by a collision accident of high-speed trains with obstacles in the presence of safety and cost constrains.

Weight Loss Maintenance in African American Women: A Systematic Review of the Behavioral Lifestyle Intervention Literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lisa M. Tussing-Humphreys

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We performed a systematic review of the behavioral lifestyle intervention trials conducted in the United States published between 1990 and 2011 that included a maintenance phase of at least six months, to identify intervention features that promote weight loss maintenance in African American women. Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria. Generally, African American women lost less weight during the intensive weight loss phase and maintained a lower % of their weight loss compared to Caucasian women. The majority of studies failed to describe the specific strategies used in the delivery of the maintenance intervention, adherence to those strategies, and did not incorporate a maintenance phase process evaluation making it difficult to identify intervention characteristics associated with better weight loss maintenance. However, the inclusion of cultural adaptations, particularly in studies with a mixed ethnicity/race sample, resulted in less % weight regain for African American women. Studies with a formal maintenance intervention and weight management as the primary intervention focus reported more positive weight maintenance outcomes for African American women. Nonetheless, our results present both the difficulty in weight loss and maintenance experienced by African American women in behavioral lifestyle interventions.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR MAINTENANCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.K. Visser

2012-01-01

Full Text Available

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Business enterprises are under increasing pressure to become internationally competitive due to globalisation. World-class companies from abroad can now easily compete with local companies, introducing high quality products and services to the local community and industry. The pace of technological change is also forcing companies to increase productivity and to become more cost effective. Performance management is part of the strategic management process in the business enterprise and the maintenance department therefore has to address this as part of the strategy formulation for the maintenance function. This paper outlines the strategic management process that is required in the maintenance department and defines a systematic process to develop a performance measurement system for maintenance.

AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Besigheidsondernemings is onder toenemende druk om internasionaal kompeterend te word weens globalisering. Wêreldklas maatskappye kan nou maklik met plaaslike maatskappye meeding deur hoë kwaliteit produkte en dienste aan die plaaslike gemeenskap en nywerheid te lewer. Die tempo van tegnologiese verandering dwing maatskappye ook om produktiwiteit te verhoog en meer koste-effektief te word. Prestasiebestuur is deel van strategiese bestuur in 'n onderneming en die instandhoudingsafdeling moet derhalwe prestasiebestuur aanspreek as deel van die ontwikkeling van strategie vir die instandhoudingsfunksie. Hierdie artikel bespreek die strategiese bestuursproses soos benodig in die instandhoudingsafdeling en stel 'n sistematiese proses voor vir die ontwikkeling van 'n prestasiemetingstelsel vir instandhouding.

Benefits of a systematic approach to maintenance for safety and safety related systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dam, R.F.; Ayazzudin, S.; Nickerson, J.H.

2003-01-01

For safety and safety-related systems, nuclear plants have to balance the requirements of demonstrating the reliability of each system, while maintaining the system and plant availability. With the goal of demonstrating statistical reliability, these systems have extensive testing programs, which often results in system unavailability and this can impact the plant capacity. The inputs to the process are often safety and regulatory related, resulting in programs that provide a high level of scrutiny. In such cases, the value of the application of a Systematic Assessment of Maintenance (SAM) process, such as Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM), is questioned. The special case of Standby-Safety systems was discussed in a previous paper, where it was demonstrated how SAM techniques provide useful insight into current system performance, the impact of testing on component and system reliability, and how PSA considerations can be integrated into a comprehensive Maintenance, Surveillance, and Inspection (MSI) strategy. Although the system reliability requirements are an important part of the strategy evaluation, SAM techniques provide a systematic assessment within a broader context. Testing is only one part of an overall strategy focused on ensuring that component function is maintained through a combination of monitoring technologies (including testing), predictive techniques, and intrusive maintenance strategies. Each strategy is targeted to known component degradation mechanisms. This thinking can be extended to safety and safety related systems in general. Over the past 6 years, AECL has been working with CANDU utilities in the development and implementation of a comprehensive and integrated Plant Life Management (PLiM) program. As part of developing a comprehensive plant asset management approach, SAM techniques are used to develop a technical basis that not only works towards ensuring reliable operation of plant systems, but also facilitates the optimization and

A two-stage preventive maintenance optimization model incorporating two-dimensional extended warranty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su, Chun; Wang, Xiaolin

2016-01-01

In practice, customers can decide whether to buy an extended warranty or not, at the time of item sale or at the end of the basic warranty. In this paper, by taking into account the moments of customers purchasing two-dimensional extended warranty, the optimization of imperfect preventive maintenance for repairable items is investigated from the manufacturer's perspective. A two-dimensional preventive maintenance strategy is proposed, under which the item is preventively maintained according to a specified age interval or usage interval, whichever occurs first. It is highlighted that when the extended warranty is purchased upon the expiration of the basic warranty, the manufacturer faces a two-stage preventive maintenance optimization problem. Moreover, in the second stage, the possibility of reducing the servicing cost over the extended warranty period is explored by classifying customers on the basis of their usage rates and then providing them with customized preventive maintenance programs. Numerical examples show that offering customized preventive maintenance programs can reduce the manufacturer's warranty cost, while a larger saving in warranty cost comes from encouraging customers to buy the extended warranty at the time of item sale. - Highlights: • A two-dimensional PM strategy is investigated. • Imperfect PM strategy is optimized by considering both two-dimensional BW and EW. • Customers are categorized based on their usage rates throughout the BW period. • Servicing cost of the EW is reduced by offering customized PM programs. • Customers buying the EW at the time of sale is preferred for the manufacturer.

Maintenance implications of critical components in ITER CXRS upper port plug design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koning, Jarich; Jaspers, Roger; Doornink, Jan; Ouwehand, Bernard; Klinkhamer, Friso; Snijders, Bart; Sadakov, Sergey; Heemskerk, Cock

2009-01-01

Already in the early phase of a design for ITER, the maintenance aspects should be taken into account, since they might have serious implications. This paper presents the arguments in support of the case for the maintainability of the design, notably if this maintenance is to be performed by advanced remote methods. This structure is compliant to the evolving maintenance strategy of ITER. Initial results of a Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) and a development risk analysis for the ITER upper port plug no. 3, housing the Charge Exchange Recombination Spectroscopy (CXRS) diagnostic, are employed for the definition of the maintenance strategy. The CXRS upper port plug is essentially an optical system which transfers visible light from the plasma into a fiber bundle. The most critical component in this path is the first mirror (M1) whose reflectivity degrades during operation due to deposition and/or erosion dominated effects. Amongst other measures to mitigate these effects, the strategy is to allow for a replacement of this mirror. Therefore it is mounted on a retractable central tube. The main purpose of this tube is to make frequent replacements possible without hindering operation. The maintenance method in terms of time, geometry and spare part policy has a large impact on cost of the system and time usage in the hot cell. Replacement of the tube under vacuum and magnetic field seems infeasible due to the operational risk involved. The preferred solution is to have a spare tube available which is replaced in parallel with other maintenance operations on the vessel, as to avoid any interference in the hot cell with the shutdown scheduling. This avoids having to refurbish a full port plug and also allows for a more frequent replacement of M1, as we can replace the mirror anytime the vacuum vessel is vented, estimated to be once a year.

Reliability analysis of maintenance operations for railway tracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rhayma, N.; Bressolette, Ph.; Breul, P.; Fogli, M.; Saussine, G.

2013-01-01

Railway engineering is confronted with problems due to degradation of the railway network that requires important and costly maintenance work. However, because of the lack of knowledge on the geometrical and mechanical parameters of the track, it is difficult to optimize the maintenance management. In this context, this paper presents a new methodology to analyze the behavior of railway tracks. It combines new diagnostic devices which permit to obtain an important amount of data and thus to make statistics on the geometric and mechanical parameters and a non-intrusive stochastic approach which can be coupled with any mechanical model. Numerical results show the possibilities of this methodology for reliability analysis of different maintenance operations. In the future this approach will give important informations to railway managers to optimize maintenance operations using a reliability analysis

Analysis of the ITER ECH Upper Port Launcher remote maintenance using virtual reality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Elzendoorn, B.; Baar, M. de; Chavan, R.; Goodman, T.; Heemskerk, C.; Heidinger, R.; Kleefeldt, K.; Koning, J.; Sanders, S.; Späh, P.; Strauss, D.; Verhoeven, T.; Vreede, F. de

2009-01-01

All ITER sub-systems of remote handling (RH) classes 1 and 2 have to be remotely maintainable. The maintenance strategy for these components has to ensure system availability after failure or scheduled maintenance. This paper shows how virtual reality (VR) simulation [1] can be used as a tool to

Risk-Based Maintenance Assessment in the Manufacturing Industry: Minimisation of Suboptimal Prioritisation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ratnayake R.M. Chandima

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Manufacturing firms continuously strive to increase the efficiency and effectiveness in the maintenance management processes. Focus is placed on eliminating the unexpected failures which cause unnecessary costs and the production losses. Risk-based maintenance (RBM strategies enable to address the above through the identification of probability and consequences of potential failures whilst providing a way for prioritisation of maintenance actions based on the risk of possible failures. Such prioritisations enable to identify the optimal maintenance strategy, intervals of maintenance tasks, and optimal level of spare parts inventory. However, the risk assessment activities are performed with the support of a risk matrix. Suboptimal classifications and/or prioritisations arise due to the inherent nature of the risk matrix. This is caused by the fact that there are no means to incorporate actual circumstances at the boundary of the input ranges or at the levels of linguistic data and risk categories. In this paper, a risk matrix is first developed in collaboration with one of the manufacturing firms in Poland. Then, it illustrates the use of fuzzy logic for minimisation of suboptimal prioritisation and/or classifications using a fuzzy inference system (FIS together with illustrative membership functions and a rule base. Finally, an illustrative risk assessment is also demonstrated to illustrate the methodology.

Application of Elements of TPM Strategy for Operation Analysis of Mining Machine

Science.gov (United States)

Brodny, Jaroslaw; Tutak, Magdalena

2017-12-01

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) strategy includes group of activities and actions in order to maintenance machines in failure-free state and without breakdowns thanks to tending limitation of failures, non-planned shutdowns, lacks and non-planned service of machines. These actions are ordered to increase effectiveness of utilization of possessed devices and machines in company. Very significant element of this strategy is connection of technical actions with changes in their perception by employees. Whereas fundamental aim of introduction this strategy is improvement of economic efficiency of enterprise. Increasing competition and necessity of reduction of production costs causes that also mining enterprises are forced to introduce this strategy. In the paper examples of use of OEE model for quantitative evaluation of selected mining devices were presented. OEE model is quantitative tool of TPM strategy and can be the base for further works connected with its introduction. OEE indicator is the product of three components which include availability and performance of the studied machine and the quality of the obtained product. The paper presents the results of the effectiveness analysis of the use of a set of mining machines included in the longwall system, which is the first and most important link in the technological line of coal production. The set of analyzed machines included the longwall shearer, armored face conveyor and cruscher. From a reliability point of view, the analyzed set of machines is a system that is characterized by the serial structure. The analysis was based on data recorded by the industrial automation system used in the mines. This method of data acquisition ensured their high credibility and a full time synchronization. Conclusions from the research and analyses should be used to reduce breakdowns, failures and unplanned downtime, increase performance and improve production quality.

After reliability centred maintenance. Preventive maintenance living program implementation at Bruce Power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harazim, Michael L.; Ferguson, Brian J.

2003-01-01

Industrial preventive maintenance (PM) programs represent a large part of plant O and M costs. PM Optimization (PMO) projects represent an effective mechanism for identifying unnecessary PM, extending PM intervals and infusing predictive maintenance (PdM) methods. However, once optimized, what process prevents the PM program from returning to a state of disarray? This is the function of a PM living program (PMLP). In 1997, an independent performance assessment identified concerns with the applicability and effectiveness of all Ontario Power Generation, Inc. (OPGI) PM programs. In response, OPGI instituted an Integrated Maintenance Program (IMP) including Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) and a PMLP. It should be noted that the PMLP was developed for the 3 OPGI nuclear Sites (i.e. Bruce, Pickering, and Darlington). Effective 1 May 2001, the Bruce Site has been leased to a group of investors lead by British Energy. This paper is written in historical context and therefore refers to the Bruce Site as part of OPGI. The PMLP is made up of five elements: 1) process control, 2) change control, 3) worker feedback, 4) program performance metrics, and 5) deferral module. A PMLP software tool, originally applied to Duke Energy nuclear plants, was enhanced and customized specifically for the OPGI PMLP, and then implemented at all three of OPGI's nuclear sites. The objective of the OPGI PMLP was to: Provide processes/procedures for continual optimization of all site PM tasks, Ensure effective and timely revision of PM tasks in the work management system, Ensure PM tasks remain applicable/effective at all times, Maintain and enhance PM consistency on a component, system and Site basis, Ensure that new predictive maintenance techniques are applied and integrated with the PM program, Ensure that mandated PM tasks are identified and executed, Provide a mechanism for craft feedback, Meet regulatory requirements for PM program effectiveness, and Provide PM task deferral

Managed maintenance, the next step in power plant maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butterworth, G.; Anderson, T.M.

1984-01-01

The Westinghouse Nuclear Services Integration Division managed maintenance services are described. Essential to the management and control of a total plant maintenance programme is the development of a comprehensive maintenance specification. During recent years Westinghouse has jointly developed total plant engineering-based maintenance specifications with a number of utilities. The process employed and the experience to date are described. To efficiently implement the maintenance programme Westinghouse has developed a computer software program specifically designed for day to day use at the power plant by maintenance personnel. This program retains an equipment maintenance history, schedules maintenance activities, issues work orders and performs a number of sophisticated analyses of the maintenance backlog and forecast, equipment failure rates, etc. The functions of this software program are described and details of Westinghouse efforts to support the utilities in reducing outage times through development of predefined outage plans for critical report maintenance activities are given. Also described is the experience gained in the training of specialized maintenance personnel, employing competency-based training techniques and equipment mock-ups, and the benefits experienced, in terms of improved quality and productivity of maintenance performed. The success experienced with these methods has caused Westinghouse to expand the use of these training techniques to the more routine skill areas of power plant maintenance. A significant reduction in the operating costs of nuclear power plants will only be brought about by a significant improvement in the quality of maintenance. Westinghouse intends to effect this change by expanding its international service capabilities and to make major investments in order to promote technological developments in the area of power plant maintenance. (author)

A concept of distributed architecture for maintenance robot systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asama, Hajime

1990-01-01

Aiming at development of a robot system for maintenance tasks in nuclear power plants, a concept of distributed architecture for autonomous robot systems is discussed. At first, based on investigation of maintenance tasks, requirements for maintenance robots are introduced, and structures to realize multi-functions are discussed. Then, as a new design strategy of maintenance robot system, an autonomous and decentralized robot systems is proposed, which is composed of multiple robots, computers, and equipments, and concept of ACTRESS (ACTor-based Robots and Equipments Synthetic System) including communication framework between robotic components is designed. Finally, as a model of ACTRESS, a experimental system is developed, which deals with object-pushing tasks by two micromice and an environment modeler with communicating with each other. Both of parallel independent motion and cooperative motion based on communication is reconciled, and the efficiency of the distributed architecture is verified. (author)

Reliability Centered Maintenance as a tool for plant life extension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elliott, J.O.; Mulay, J.N.; Nakahara, Y.

1991-01-01

Currently in the nuclear industry there is a growing interest in lowering the cost and complexity of maintenance activities while at the same time improving plant reliability and safety in an effort to prepare for the technical and regulatory challenges of life extension. This seemingly difficult task is being aided by the introduction of a maintenance philosophy developed originally by the airline industry and subsequently applied with great success both in that industry and the U.S. military services. Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM), in its basic form, may be described as a consideration of reliability and maintenance problems from a systems level approach, allowing a focus on preservation of system function as the aim of a maintenance program optimized for both safety and economics. It is this systematic view of plant maintenance, with the emphasis on overall functions rather than individual parts and components which sets RCM apart from past nuclear plant maintenance philosophies. It is also the factor which makes application of RCM an ideal first step in development of strategies for life extension, both for aging plants, and for plants just beginning their first license term. (J.P.N.)

Establishing an In-House Wind Maintenance Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2011-12-01

Update to the 2008 guidebook titled “Establishing an In-house Wind Maintenance Program”, which was developed to support utilities in developing O&M strategies. This update includes significant contributions from utilities and other stakeholders around the country, representing all perspectives and regardless of whether or not they own wind turbines or projects.

Evaluation of artillery equipment maintenance support capability based on grey clustering

Science.gov (United States)

Zhai, Mei-jie; Gao, Peng

2017-12-01

This paper, the theory and method of evaluating the capability of equipment maintenance support in China and abroad are studied, from the point of view of the combat task of artillery troops and the strategic attachment in the future military struggle. This paper establishes the framework of the evaluation Index system of the equipment maintenance support capability of the artillery units, and applies the grey clustering method to the evaluation of the equipment maintenance support capability of the artillery units, and finally evaluates the equipment maintenance and support capability of the artillery brigade as an example, and analyzes the evaluation results. This paper finds out the outstanding problems existing in the maintenance and support of military equipment, and puts forward some constructive suggestions, in order to improve the status of military equipment maintenance and support and improve the level of future equipment maintenance.

Field maintenance of radiation-shielding windows at HFEF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tobias, D.A.

1983-01-01

The achievement of excellent viewing through hot-cell shielding windows does not occur by chance. Instead, it requires a well planned and executed program of field maintenance. The lack of such a program is a major factor when a hot-cell facility has poor window viewing. At HFEF, all preventive maintenance is performed by one group of trained technical-support personnel under the immediate direction of a Systems Engineer, who has responsibility for the shielding windows. Window maintenance is prescheduled and recorded by being incorporated into the computerized Maintenance Data System (MDS). Measurements of window light transmission are scheduled annually to determine glass browning or oil cloudiness conditions within the window tank. The tank oil is sampled and chemically analyzed annually to determine the moisture content, the acidity, and the probable deterioration rate caused by irradiation

Program integration of predictive maintenance with reliability centered maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strong, D.K. Jr; Wray, D.M.

1990-01-01

This paper addresses improving the safety and reliability of power plants in a cost-effective manner by integrating the recently developed reliability centered maintenance techniques with the traditional predictive maintenance techniques of nuclear power plants. The topics of the paper include a description of reliability centered maintenance (RCM), enhancing RCM with predictive maintenance, predictive maintenance programs, condition monitoring techniques, performance test techniques, the mid-Atlantic Reliability Centered Maintenance Users Group, test guides and the benefits of shared guide development

The use of condition monitoring information for maintenance planning and decision-making

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laakso, K.; Rosqvist, T. [VTT Industrial Systems (Finland); Paulsen, J.L. [Risoe National Lab., Roskilde (Denmark)

2002-12-01

A survey is presented outlining the use of condition monitoring information in three Nordic nuclear power plants. The questions of the survey relate to the role of condition monitoring in strategic, as well as operative, maintenance planning and decision-making. The survey indicates that condition monitoring is increasingly implemented at nuclear power plants, but very selectively and in a rather slow pace for predictive maintenance. A combined strategy of condition based maintenance and predetermined preventive maintenance is applied for important equipment such as main circulation pumps and steam turbines. A realistic aim is to reduce the number of costly or error prone maintenance and disassembling inspection activities by condition monitoring given that the approach enables a good diagnosis and prediction. Systematic follow-up and analysis of such condition monitoring information followed by a case-specific planning and decision making of timely and rightly directed maintenance actions can justify an extension of the intervals of a number of predetermined inspection, maintenance or periodic testing tasks. (au)

The analyzing of Dove marketing strategy

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Guo; Yaohui

2015-01-01

<正>1.Introduction In this report,I try to analyze the related information about DOVE chocolate.Firstly,I would like to introduce this product.Dove chocolate is one of a series of products launched by the world’s largest pet food and snack food manufacturers,U.S.multinational food company Mars(Mars).Entered China in 1989,It becomes China’s leading brand of chocolate in

Program plan for future regulatory activity in nuclear-power-plant maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badalamente, R.V.

1982-10-01

The intent of this paper is to describe the results of a study of nuclear power plant (NPP) maintenance conducted by Battelle's Pacific Northwest Laboratories (PNL) for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The purpose of the study for the NRC was to determine problems affecting human performance in NPP maintenance, pinpoint those which adversely affect public health and safety, review strategies for overcoming the problems, and suggest the direction that regulatory activities should take. Results of the study were presented to the NRC (Division of Human Factors Safety) in the form of a recommended program plan for future regulatory activity in NPP maintenance

An Intelligent Fleet Condition-Based Maintenance Decision Making Method Based on Multi-Agent

OpenAIRE

Bo Sun; Qiang Feng; Songjie Li

2012-01-01

According to the demand for condition-based maintenance online decision making among a mission oriented fleet, an intelligent maintenance decision making method based on Multi-agent and heuristic rules is proposed. The process of condition-based maintenance within an aircraft fleet (each containing one or more Line Replaceable Modules) based on multiple maintenance thresholds is analyzed. Then the process is abstracted into a Multi-Agent Model, a 2-layer model structure containing host negoti...

On maintenance management of wind and nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nilsson, Julia

2009-11-01

Electrical production in Sweden today is mainly from nuclear and hydro power. However, there is large increase in renewable energy like wind power and the installed new capacity goals are large. Several electrical production sources are important for the sustainability of the energy system. Maintenance is an approach for keeping a system sustainable. The importance of structured maintenance for reliable electrical production systems triggers the development of qualitative and quantitative maintenance management methods. Examples of these methods are Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) which is a structured qualitative approach that focuses on reliability when planning maintenance, and Reliability Centered Asset Management (RCAM) which is a development of RCM into a quantitative approach with the aim to relate preventive maintenance to total maintenance cost and system reliability. This thesis presents models, as applications of RCAM, based on the methods of Life Cycle Cost (LCC) and mathematical optimization, applied to wind and nuclear power plants. Both deterministic and stochastic approaches have been used and the proposed models are based on the Total Cost model, which summarizes costs for maintenance and production loss, and the Aircraft model, which is an opportunistic maintenance optimization model. Opportunistic maintenance is preventive maintenance performed at opportunities. The wind power applications in this study show on different ways to cover costs of condition monitoring systems (CMS) and further on economic benefits of these when uncertainties of times to failure are included in the model. The nuclear power applications show on that the optimization model is dependent on the discount rate and that a high discount rate gives more motivation for opportunistic replacements. When put into a stochastic framework and compared to other maintenance strategies it is shown that an extended opportunistic maintenance optimization model has a good overall

Markovian Study of Maintenance Practice in a Production Firm – A ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

There are several reasons why maintenance managers need to ascertain, from time to time, the reliability profile of their production machines that are subject to constant use. This study furnishes the justifications by analyzing a 12-year maintenance data classified under machine time, downtime, idle time, running time, ...

CERN experience and strategy for the maintenance of cryogenic plants and distribution systems

CERN Document Server

Serio, L; Claudet, S; Delikaris, D; Ferlin, G; Pezzetti, M; Pirotte, O; Tavian, L; Wagner, U

2015-01-01

CERN operates and maintains the world largest cryogenic infrastructure ranging from ageing installations feeding detectors, test facilities and general services, to the state-of-the-art cryogenic system serving the flagship LHC machine complex. After several years of exploitation of a wide range of cryogenic installations and in particular following the last two years major shutdown to maintain and consolidate the LHC machine, we have analysed and reviewed the maintenance activities to implement an efficient and reliable exploitation of the installations. We report the results, statistics and lessons learned on the maintenance activities performed and in particular the required consolidations and major overhauling, the organization, management and methodologies implemented.

CERN experience and strategy for the maintenance of cryogenic plants and distribution systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serio, L; Bremer, J; Claudet, S; Delikaris, D; Ferlin, G; Pezzetti, M; Pirotte, O; Tavian, L; Wagner, U

2015-01-01

CERN operates and maintains the world largest cryogenic infrastructure ranging from ageing installations feeding detectors, test facilities and general services, to the state-of-the-art cryogenic system serving the flagship LHC machine complex. After several years of exploitation of a wide range of cryogenic installations and in particular following the last two years major shutdown to maintain and consolidate the LHC machine, we have analysed and reviewed the maintenance activities to implement an efficient and reliable exploitation of the installations. We report the results, statistics and lessons learned on the maintenance activities performed and in particular the required consolidations and major overhauling, the organization, management and methodologies implemented. (paper)

Stochastic maintenance optimization at Candu power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doyle, E.K.; Duchesne, T.; Lee, C.G.; Cho, D.I.

2004-01-01

The use of various innovative maintenance optimization techniques at Bruce has lead to cost effective preventive maintenance applications for complex systems as previously reported at ICONE 6 in New Orleans (1996). Further refinement of the station maintenance strategy was evaluated via the applicability of statistical analysis of historical failure data. The viability of stochastic methods in Candu maintenance was illustrated at ICONE 10 in Washington DC (2002). The next phase consists of investigating the validity of using subjective elicitation techniques to obtain component lifetime distributions. This technique provides access to the elusive failure statistics, the lack of which is often referred to in the literature as the principal impediment preventing the use of stochastic methods in large industry. At the same time the technique allows very valuable information to be captured from the fast retiring 'baby boom generation'. Initial indications have been quite positive. The current reality of global competition necessitates the pursuit of all financial optimizers. The next construction phase in the power generation industry will soon begin on a worldwide basis. With the relatively high initial capital cost of new nuclear generation all possible avenues of financial optimization must be evaluated and implemented. (authors)

The effects of ergonomic stressors on process tool maintenance and utilization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, D.

1998-03-31

This study examines ergonomic stressors associated with front-end process tool maintenance, relates them to decreased machine utilization, and proposes solution strategies to reduce their negative impact on productivity. Member company ergonomists observed technicians performing field maintenance tasks on seven different bottleneck tools and recorded ergonomic stressors using SEMaCheck, a graphics-based, integrated checklist developed by Sandia National Laboratories. The top ten stressors were prioritized according to a cost formula that accounted for difficulty, time, and potential errors. Estimates of additional time on a task caused by ergonomic stressors demonstrated that machine utilization could be increased from 6% to 25%. Optimal solution strategies were formulated based on redesign budget, stressor cost, and estimates of solution costs and benefits

Preventive maintenance: optimization of time - based discard decisions at the bruce nuclear generating station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doyle, E.K.; Jardine, A.K.S.

2001-01-01

The use of various maintenance optimization techniques at Bruce has lead to cost effective preventive maintenance applications for complex systems. As previously reported at ICONE 6 in New Orleans, 1996, several innovative practices reduced Reliability Centered Maintenance costs while maintaining the accuracy of the analysis. The optimization strategy has undergone further evolution and at the present an Integrated Maintenance Program (IMP) is in place where an Expert Panel consisting of all players/experts proceed through each system in a disciplined fashion and reach agreement on all items under a rigorous time frame. It is well known that there are essentially 3 maintenance based actions that can flow from a Maintenance Optimization Analysis: condition based maintenance, time based maintenance and time based discard. The present effort deals with time based discard decisions. Maintenance data from the Remote On-Power Fuel Changing System was used. (author)

Formation of activation mechanism for investment maintenance management of gas industry enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Вікторія Валеріївна Чорній

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The problematic aspects of the existing management mechanism of investment management of gas industry enterprises are analyzed in the article. The ways of their elimination are suggested in accordance with the Energy Strategy of Ukraine – 2035 at different levels of its operation. The ways of improving the investment management mechanism of the enterprises in this industry on three levels are proved. Activation mechanism for investment maintenance management of gas industry enterprises is developed as result of research. Its implementation will allow enterprises of the industry to increase its investment attractiveness and effectively carry out the procedure for enterprises’ entry to the market of initial public offering to raise the required amount of investment resources for the modernization of investigated industry.

Reliability study: maintenance facilities Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Post, B.E.; Sikorski, P.A.; Fankell, R.; Johnson, O.; Ferryman, D.S.; Miller, R.L.; Gearhart, E.C.; Rafferty, M.J.

1981-08-01

A reliability study of the maintenance facilities at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant has been completed. The reliability study team analyzed test data and made visual inspections of each component contributing to the overall operation of the facilities. The impacts of facilities and equipment failures were given consideration with regard to personnel safety, protection of government property, health physics, and environmental control. This study revealed that the maintenance facilities are generally in good condition. After evaluating the physical condition and technology status of the major components, the study team made several basic recommendations. Implementation of the recommendations proposed in this report will help assure reliable maintenance of the plant through the year 2000

Towards Signalling Maintenance Scheduling for European Railway Traffic Management System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

M. Pour, Shahrzad

signalling system. Therefore, the entire maintenance system needs to change from the previous system to the newest system, and hence, new optimisation techniques need to be established so as to facilitate managers in creating ideal maintenance strategies. The aim of this thesis is to develop new maintenance......The European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS) is the newest signalling standard that has been introduced in the railway industry. The aim of ERTMS is to ensure better signalling communication amongst various train systems, and hence, to help in attaining improved connectivity and commuting...... between European countries. In various countries across the world, there is a gradual shift from the current signalling systems to ERTMS. Amongst the European countries, Denmark was the first country to commence a full upgrading of its signalling system to ERTMS. A variety of maintenance requirements...

Applicability of Operational Research Techniques in CANDU Nuclear Plant Maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doyle, E. Kevin

2002-01-01

As previously reported at ICONE 6 in New Orleans, 1996, and ICONE 9 in Niece, 2001, the use of various maintenance optimization techniques at Bruce has lead to cost effective preventive maintenance applications for complex systems. Innovative practices included greatly reducing Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) costs while maintaining the accuracy of the analysis. The optimization strategy has undergone further evolution and at the present an Integrated Maintenance Program (IMP) is being put in place. Further cost refinement of the station preventive maintenance strategy whereby decisions are based on statistical analysis of historical failure data is being evaluated. A wide range of Operational Research (OR) literature was reviewed for implementation issues and several encouraging areas were found that will assist in the current effort of evaluating maintenance optimization techniques for nuclear power production. The road ahead is expected to consist first of resolving 25 years of data issues and preserving the data via appropriate knowledge system techniques while post war demographics permit experts to input into the system. Subsequent analytical techniques will emphasize total simplicity to obtain the requisite buy in from Corporate Executives who possibly are not trained in Operational Research. Case studies of containment airlock seal failures are used to illustrate the direct applicability of stochastic processes. Airlocks and transfer chambers were chosen as they have long been known as high maintenance items. Also, the very significant financial consequences of this type of failure will help to focus the attention of Senior Management on the effort. Despite substantial investment in research, improvement in the design of the seal material or configuration has not been achieved beyond the designs completed in the 1980's. Overall, the study showed excellent agreement of the relatively quick stochastic methods with the maintenance programs produced at

The safety monitor and RCM workstation as complementary tools in risk based maintenance optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rawson, P.D.

2000-01-01

Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) represents a proven technique for rendering maintenance activities safer, more effective, and less expensive, in terms of systems unavailability and resource management. However, it is believed that RCM can be enhanced by the additional consideration of operational plant risk. This paper discusses how two computer-based tools, i.e., the RCM Workstation and the Safety Monitor, can complement each other in helping to create a living preventive maintenance strategy. (author)

Task analysis of human-in-the-loop tele-operated maintenance: What can be learned from JET?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boessenkool, H.; Thomas, J.; Heemskerk, C.J.M.; Baar, M.R. de; Steinbuch, M.; Abbink, D.A.

2014-01-01

Highlights: •Maintenance task execution at JET was analyzed to guide improvements for ITER. •A large variation in task duration was found for various operator experience levels. •Results indicate significant room for improvement for tele-operated performance. •Improvent of visual feedback and artificial guiding forces was considered promising. -- Abstract: Remote maintenance will determine the available uptime of future fusion plants such as ITER. Experience at predecessor JET showed that a human-in-the-loop tele-operated approach is crucial, although this approach entails drawbacks such as the unavoidable extensive operator training and relatively long execution times. These drawbacks are common knowledge, but little quantitative research is available to guide improvements (such as improved training methods, or active operator support systems). The aim of this paper is to identify the key areas for further improvement of tele-operated maintenance. This is achieved by a detailed task analysis based on recent maintenance at JET, using task logbooks and video data as well as interviews with experienced master–slave operators. The resulting task analysis shows the (sub)tasks that were most time-consuming and shows a large variance in time performance within operators, but also substantial differences between qualified operators with different levels of experience. The operator interviews indicate that intuitive (virtual) visual feedback and artificial (guiding) forces are promising directions for improvement. The results found in this study will be used for future research and development activities focusing on haptic guiding strategies, with the aim to further design and optimize RH maintenance systems for ITER and beyond

Pricing and performance in health maintenance organizations: a strategic management perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Conant, J S; Mokwa, M P; Burnett, J J

1989-03-01

Innovative, consumer-oriented pricing strategies have contributed to the impressive growth of health maintenance organizations (HMOs). In a national study of HMO marketing directors, the relationships between strategic management style and (1) the relative importance of pricing in competitive marketing strategy, (2) the effectiveness of price strategy planning, and (3) financial performance are examined. The findings indicate that HMOs practicing effective price planning also perform well on an overall basis. Insight into the content and substance of HMO pricing strategies is also provided.

Using Maintenance Rehearsal to Explore Recognition Memory

Science.gov (United States)

Humphreys, Michael S.; Maguire, Angela M.; McFarlane, Kimberley A.; Burt, Jennifer S.; Bolland, Scott W.; Murray, Krista L.; Dunn, Ryan

2010-01-01

We examined associative and item recognition using the maintenance rehearsal paradigm. Our intent was to control for mnemonic strategies; to produce a low, graded level of learning; and to provide evidence of the role of attention in long-term memory. An advantage for low-frequency words emerged in both associative and item recognition at very low…

Systematic approach to remote maintenance in the fuels and materials examination facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frandsen, G.B.; Nash, C.R.; Divona, C.J.; May, R.F.

1979-01-01

The Fuels and Materials Examination Facility (FMEF) is systematically analyzed from a remote maintenance standpoint using functional analysis methods. From the analysis the remote maintainability of equipment is ascertained, required tooling lists are formed, and maintenance downtimes are established. These techniques identify deficiencies or inefficiencies in the early design stage where changes have a minimum impact on cost. Special tooling and fixture requirements are minimized by standardizing remote maintenance design features

Maintenance Effectiveness and Target Observation System and its ERP Interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soon, Han Seong; Kim, Gi Yong; Seo, Mi Ro; Jeong, Hun Jong; Choi, Kwang Hee; Hong, Sung Yull

2005-01-01

Maintenance effectiveness and target observation system (MENTOS) is a maintenance rule (MR) implementation software for plant personnel to collect, edit, store, and analyze all information required for the MR implementation. Potential users and the developers of MENTOS have decided that MENTOS is implemented in the ERP system of KHNP. This article describes MENTOS briefly and introduces the ERP interface of MENTOS

Management of remanent lifetime. Short-term benefits of the maintenance evaluation and improvement programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sainero Garcia, J.

1993-01-01

Remanent Lifetime Management, which is scientifically based on knowing the degradatory phenomena associated with aging, today allows us to optimize plant life through a long-term maintenance strategy combining preventive maintenance and condition monitoring programmes. Within a project for Remanent Lifetime Management (RLM), the determination of methods of control and mitigation of degradations due to aging depends on the programme of Maintenance Evaluation and Improvement (MEI). This programme, underpinned by the analysis of degradatory phenomena to which plant components are subjected, evaluates current maintenance practices and defines the complementary actions which would facilitate establishment of a long-term strategy to control aging. Together with this main objective of the RLM project, the MEI programme achieves short-term benefits since, right from the beginning, it offers solutions to mitigate and guard against degradations in crucial plant components, and generally sets out a programme to control aging. The MEI programme further serves as a tool to reach the final objectives of the new 10CFR50.65 rule, 'Requirements for Maintenance Programs for NPPs'. The MEI always offers the option should the Utility Owner decide to extend plant life. (author)

A review on condition-based maintenance optimization models for stochastically deteriorating system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alaswad, Suzan; Xiang, Yisha

2017-01-01

Condition-based maintenance (CBM) is a maintenance strategy that collects and assesses real-time information, and recommends maintenance decisions based on the current condition of the system. In recent decades, research on CBM has been rapidly growing due to the rapid development of computer-based monitoring technologies. Research studies have proven that CBM, if planned properly, can be effective in improving equipment reliability at reduced costs. This paper presents a review of CBM literature with emphasis on mathematical modeling and optimization approaches. We focus this review on important aspects of the CBM, such as optimization criteria, inspection frequency, maintenance degree, solution methodology, etc. Since the modeling choice for the stochastic deterioration process greatly influences CBM strategy decisions, this review classifies the literature on CBM models based on the underlying deterioration processes, namely discrete- and continuous-state deterioration, and proportional hazard model. CBM models for multi-unit systems are also reviewed in this paper. This paper provides useful references for CBM management professionals and researchers working on CBM modeling and optimization. - Highlights: • A review on Condition-based maintenance (CBM) optimization models is presented. • The CBM models are classified based on the underlying deterioration processes. • Existing CBM models for both single- and multi-unit systems are reviewed. • Future essential research directions on CBM are identified.

To select the best tool for generating 3D maintenance data and to set the detailed process for obtaining the 3D maintenance data

Science.gov (United States)

Prashanth, B. N.; Roy, Kingshuk

2017-07-01

Three Dimensional (3D) maintenance data provides a link between design and technical documentation creating interactive 3D graphical training and maintenance material. It becomes difficult for an operator to always go through huge paper manuals or come running to the computer for doing maintenance of a machine which makes the maintenance work fatigue. Above being the case, a 3D animation makes maintenance work very simple since, there is no language barrier. The research deals with the generation of 3D maintenance data of any given machine. The best tool for obtaining the 3D maintenance is selected and the tool is analyzed. Using the same tool, a detailed process for extracting the 3D maintenance data for any machine is set. This project aims at selecting the best tool for obtaining 3D maintenance data and to select the detailed process for obtaining 3D maintenance data. 3D maintenance reduces use of big volumes of manuals which creates human errors and makes the work of an operator fatiguing. Hence 3-D maintenance would help in training and maintenance and would increase productivity. 3Dvia when compared with Cortona 3D and Deep Exploration proves to be better than them. 3Dvia is good in data translation and it has the best renderings compared to the other two 3D maintenance software. 3Dvia is very user friendly and it has various options for creating 3D animations. Its Interactive Electronic Technical Publication (IETP) integration is also better than the other two software. Hence 3Dvia proves to be the best software for obtaining 3D maintenance data of any machine.

In which preterm labor-patients is intravenous maintenance tocolysis effective?

Science.gov (United States)

Yoneda, Satoshi; Yoneda, Noriko; Fukuta, Kaori; Shima, Tomoko; Nakashima, Akitoshi; Shiozaki, Arihiro; Yoshino, Osamu; Kigawa, Mika; Yoshida, Taketoshi; Saito, Shigeru

2018-03-01

We evaluated whether maintenance tocolysis (intravenous ritodrine hydrochloride and/or magnesium sulfate) was effective in cases of spontaneous preterm labor with intact membranes. One hundred and thirty preterm labor patients who reached 36 weeks of gestation by maintenance tocolysis were selected. Immediate delivery (ID) after ceasing maintenance tocolysis was defined as an 'effective case'. The correlated factors between ID and no immediate delivery (NID) were statistically analyzed. Thirty-six patients delivered maintenance tocolysis (27.7%) and were defined as effective cases. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that amniotic fluid interleukin-8 at admission (≥ 2.3 ng/mL; odds ratio [OR] 5.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.1-17.6; P Maintenance tocolysis may be effective in limited cases with mild intra-amniotic inflammation, in lean women and in cerclage cases. Maintenance tocolysis should be ceased in cases without these clinical factors when clinical symptoms disappear. © 2017 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The Role of Diverse Strategies in Sustainable Knowledge Production.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lingfei Wu

Full Text Available Online communities are becoming increasingly important as platforms for large-scale human cooperation. These communities allow users seeking and sharing professional skills to solve problems collaboratively. To investigate how users cooperate to complete a large number of knowledge-producing tasks, we analyze Stack Exchange, one of the largest question and answer systems in the world. We construct attention networks to model the growth of 110 communities in the Stack Exchange system and quantify individual answering strategies using the linking dynamics on attention networks. We identify two answering strategies. Strategy A aims at performing maintenance by doing simple tasks, whereas strategy B aims at investing time in doing challenging tasks. Both strategies are important: empirical evidence shows that strategy A decreases the median waiting time for answers and strategy B increases the acceptance rate of answers. In investigating the strategic persistence of users, we find that users tends to stick on the same strategy over time in a community, but switch from one strategy to the other across communities. This finding reveals the different sets of knowledge and skills between users. A balance between the population of users taking A and B strategies that approximates 2:1, is found to be optimal to the sustainable growth of communities.

Computer-aided acquisition and logistics support (CALS): Concept of Operations for Depot Maintenance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bourgeois, N.C.; Greer, D.K.

1993-04-01

This CALS Concept of Operations for Depot Maintenance provides the foundation strategy and the near term tactical plan for CALS implementation in the depot maintenance environment. The user requirements enumerated and the overarching architecture outlined serve as the primary framework for implementation planning. The seamless integration of depot maintenance business processes and supporting information systems with the emerging global CALS environment will be critical to the efficient realization of depot user's information requirements, and as, such will be a fundamental theme in depot implementations.

Maintenance optimization of the Ignalina NPP safety systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuokas, D.; Augutis, J.

2000-01-01

This paper represents some theses and mathematical approach to optimization of technical specification problems of the diesel generators system (DGS) at the Ignalina NPP (INPP) in Lithuania. Analysis unites three chapters, each attributed to the solving of related problems: dependency of the Core Damage Frequency (CDF) on DGS test interval (Chapter 2), analysis and comparison of two different maintenance strategies for DGS (Chapter 3), DGS test interval's optimisation (averaged loss function minimisation) taking into consideration maintenance and DGS failure's consequence costs (Chapter 4). The mathematical model was developed which lets to estimate DGS failure probability, the averaged loss function value and study the influence of different parameters into final results. (author)

A bridge network maintenance framework for Pareto optimization of stakeholders/users costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orcesi, Andre D.; Cremona, Christian F.

2010-01-01

For managing highway bridges, stakeholders require efficient and practical decision making techniques. In a context of limited bridge management budget, it is crucial to determine the most effective breakdown of financial resources over the different structures of a bridge network. Bridge management systems (BMSs) have been developed for such a purpose. However, they generally rely on an individual approach. The influence of the position of bridges in the transportation network, the consequences of inadequate service for the network users, due to maintenance actions or bridge failure, are not taken into consideration. Therefore, maintenance strategies obtained with current BMSs do not necessarily lead to an optimal level of service (LOS) of the bridge network for the users of the transportation network. Besides, the assessment of the structural performance of highway bridges usually requires the access to the geometrical and mechanical properties of its components. Such information might not be available for all structures in a bridge network for which managers try to schedule and prioritize maintenance strategies. On the contrary, visual inspections are performed regularly and information is generally available for all structures of the bridge network. The objective of this paper is threefold (i) propose an advanced network-level bridge management system considering the position of each bridge in the transportation network, (ii) use information obtained at visual inspections to assess the performance of bridges, and (iii) compare optimal maintenance strategies, obtained with a genetic algorithm, when considering interests of users and bridge owner either separately as conflicting criteria, or simultaneously as a common interest for the whole community. In each case, safety and serviceability aspects are taken into account in the model when determining optimal strategies. The theoretical and numerical developments are applied on a French bridge network.

RoVi: Continuous transport infrastructure monitoring framework for preventive maintenance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Seraj, Fatjon; Meratnia, Nirvana; Havinga, Paul J.M.

2017-01-01

Ground transport infrastructures require in-situ monitoring to evaluate their condition and deterioration and to design appropriate preventive maintenance strategies. Current monitoring practices provide accurate and detailed spatial measurements but often lack the required temporal resolution. This

Maintenance methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchis, H.; Aucher, P.

1990-01-01

The maintenance method applied at the Hague is summarized. The method was developed in order to solve problems relating to: the different specialist fields, the need for homogeneity in the maintenance work, the equipment diversity, the increase of the materials used at the Hague's new facilities. The aim of the method is to create a knowhow formalism, to facilitate maintenance, to ensure the running of the operations and to improve the estimation of the maintenance cost. One of the method's difficulties is the demonstration of the profitability of the maintenance operations [fr

Analysis of human-in-the-loop tele-operated maintenance inspection tasks using VR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boessenkool, H.; Abbink, D.A.; Heemskerk, C.J.M.; Steinbuch, M.; Baar, M.R. de; Wildenbeest, J.G.W.; Ronden, D.; Koning, J.F.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Execution of tele-operated inspection tasks for ITER maintenance was analyzed. ► Human factors experiments using Virtual Reality showed to be a valuable approach. ► A large variation in time performance and number of collisions was found. ► Results indicate significant room for improvement for teleoperated free space tasks. ► A promising solution is haptic shared control: assist operator with guiding forces. -- Abstract: One of the challenges in future fusion plants such as ITER is the remote maintenance of the plant. Foreseen human-in-the-loop tele-operation is characterized by limited visual and haptic feedback from the environment, which results in degraded task performance and increased operator workload. For improved tele-operated task performance it is required to get insight in the expected tasks and problems during maintenance at ITER. By means of an exploratory human factor experiment, this paper analyses problems and bottlenecks during the execution of foreseen tele-operated maintenance at ITER, identifying most promising areas of improvement. The focus of this paper is on free space (sub)tasks where contact with the environment needs to be avoided. A group of 5 subjects was asked to carry-out an ITER related free space task (visual inspection), using a six degree of freedom master device connected to a simulated hot cell environment. The results show large variation in time performance between subjects and an increasing number of collisions for more difficult tasks, indicating room for improvement for free space (sub)tasks. The results will be used in future research on the haptic guidance strategies in the ITER Remote Handling framework

Analysis of human-in-the-loop tele-operated maintenance inspection tasks using VR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boessenkool, H., E-mail: h.boessenkool@differ.nl [FOM Institute DIFFER (Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research), Association EURATOM-FOM, Partner in the Trilateral Euregio Cluster, PO Box 1207, 3430 BE Nieuwegein (Netherlands); Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dynamics and Control Group, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); Abbink, D.A. [Delft University of Technology, Faculty of 3mE, BioMechanical Engineering Department, Mekelweg 2, 2628 CD Delft (Netherlands); Heemskerk, C.J.M. [Heemskerk Innovative Technology B.V., Jonckerweg 12, 2201 DZ Noordwijk (Netherlands); Steinbuch, M. [Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dynamics and Control Group, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); Baar, M.R. de [FOM Institute DIFFER (Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research), Association EURATOM-FOM, Partner in the Trilateral Euregio Cluster, PO Box 1207, 3430 BE Nieuwegein (Netherlands); Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dynamics and Control Group, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); Wildenbeest, J.G.W. [Delft University of Technology, Faculty of 3mE, BioMechanical Engineering Department, Mekelweg 2, 2628 CD Delft (Netherlands); Heemskerk Innovative Technology B.V., Jonckerweg 12, 2201 DZ Noordwijk (Netherlands); Ronden, D. [FOM Institute DIFFER (Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research), Association EURATOM-FOM, Partner in the Trilateral Euregio Cluster, PO Box 1207, 3430 BE Nieuwegein (Netherlands); Koning, J.F. [Heemskerk Innovative Technology B.V., Jonckerweg 12, 2201 DZ Noordwijk (Netherlands)

2013-10-15

Highlights: ► Execution of tele-operated inspection tasks for ITER maintenance was analyzed. ► Human factors experiments using Virtual Reality showed to be a valuable approach. ► A large variation in time performance and number of collisions was found. ► Results indicate significant room for improvement for teleoperated free space tasks. ► A promising solution is haptic shared control: assist operator with guiding forces. -- Abstract: One of the challenges in future fusion plants such as ITER is the remote maintenance of the plant. Foreseen human-in-the-loop tele-operation is characterized by limited visual and haptic feedback from the environment, which results in degraded task performance and increased operator workload. For improved tele-operated task performance it is required to get insight in the expected tasks and problems during maintenance at ITER. By means of an exploratory human factor experiment, this paper analyses problems and bottlenecks during the execution of foreseen tele-operated maintenance at ITER, identifying most promising areas of improvement. The focus of this paper is on free space (sub)tasks where contact with the environment needs to be avoided. A group of 5 subjects was asked to carry-out an ITER related free space task (visual inspection), using a six degree of freedom master device connected to a simulated hot cell environment. The results show large variation in time performance between subjects and an increasing number of collisions for more difficult tasks, indicating room for improvement for free space (sub)tasks. The results will be used in future research on the haptic guidance strategies in the ITER Remote Handling framework.

Cernavoda NPP risk - Based test and maintenance planning - Methodology development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Georgescu, G.; Popa, P.; Petrescu, A.; Naum, M.; Gutu, M.

1997-01-01

The Cernavoda Power Plant starts the commercial operation in November 1996. During operation of the nuclear power plant, several mandatory tests and maintenance are performed on stand-by safety system components to ensure their availability in case of accident. The basic purpose of such activities is the early detection of any failure and degradation, and timely correction of deteriorations. Because of the large number of such activities, emphasis on plant safety and allocation of resources becomes difficult. The probabilistic model and methodology can be effectively used to obtain the risk significance of these activities so that the resources are directed to the most important areas. The proposed Research Contract activity is strongly connected with other safety related areas under development. Since, the Cernavoda Probabilistic Safety Evaluation Level 1 PSA Study (CPSE) was performed and now the study is revised taking into account the as-built information, it is recommended to implement into the model the necessary modeling features to support further PSA application, especially related to Test and Maintenance optimization. Methods need to be developed in order to apply the PSA model including risk information together with other needed information for Test and Maintenance optimization. Also, in parallel with the CPSE study updating, the software interface for the PSA model is under development (Risk Monitor Software class), methods and models needing to be developed for the purpose of using it for qualified monitoring of Test and Maintenance Strategy efficiency. Similar, the Data Collection System need to be appropriate for the purpose of an ongoing implementation of a risk - based Test and Maintenance Strategy. (author). 4 refs, 1 fig

Systems Analyze Water Quality in Real Time

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

A water analyzer developed under Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts with Kennedy Space Center now monitors treatment processes at water and wastewater facilities around the world. Originally designed to provide real-time detection of nutrient levels in hydroponic solutions for growing plants in space, the ChemScan analyzer, produced by ASA Analytics Inc., of Waukesha, Wisconsin, utilizes spectrometry and chemometric algorithms to automatically analyze multiple parameters in the water treatment process with little need for maintenance, calibration, or operator intervention. The company has experienced a compound annual growth rate of 40 percent over its 15-year history as a direct result of the technology's success.

Regulatory requirements related to risk-based inspection and maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schroeder, H.C.; Kauer, R.

2003-01-01

By asking the question why new inspection and maintenance strategies have to be developed one can often be made aware that there is always a continue demand for cost reduction and optimisation. In this framework, general trends involving staff reduction, outsourcing, benchmarking etc. can often be observed nearly everywhere. Since inspection and maintenance are amongst the few cost factors, which could be actively influenced in the short term, and in combination with the recent regulatory fundamental changes (e.g. PED) yielding to considerably greater responsibilities for the operator of a plant, also the demand for documentation and comprehensibility of measures will increase. (orig.)

Maintenance of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lashgari, Farbod.

1995-01-01

This paper is about maintenance of nuclear power plants. In part one, the outage management of nuclear power plants has described. Meaning of the outage and objectives of outage management is given in introduction. The necessity of a long-term outage strategy is shown in chapter one. The main parts of an outage are as follows: Planning; Preparation; Execution, Each of them and also post-outage review have been explained in the followed chapters. Part two deals with technical details of main primary components of nuclear power plant type WWER. After an introduction about WWER reactors, in each chapter first the general and detailed description of main primary components has given and then their maintenance schedules and procedures. Chapter about reactor and steam generator is related to both types of WWER-440 and WWER-1000, but chapter about reactor coolant pump has specified to WWER-1000 to be more in details.(author)

Initiating stochastic maintenance optimization at Candu Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doyle, E.K.

2003-01-01

As previously reported at ICONE 6 in New Orleans (1996), the use of various innovative maintenance optimization techniques at Bruce has lead to cost effective preventive maintenance applications for complex systems. Further cost refinement of the station maintenance strategy is being evaluated via the applicability of statistical analysis of historical failure data. Since the statistical evaluation was initiated in 1999 significant progress has been made in demonstrating the viability of stochastic methods in Candu maintenance. Some of the relevant results were presented at ICONE 10 in Washington DC (2002). Success with the graphical displays and the relatively easy to implement stochastic computer programs was sufficient to move the program along to the next significant phase. This next phase consists of investigating the validity of using subjective elicitation techniques to obtain component lifetime distributions. This technique provides access to the elusive failure statistics, the lack of which is often referred to in the literature as the principle impediment preventing the use of stochastic methods in large industry. At the same time the technique allows very valuable information to be captured from the fast retiring 'baby boom generation'. Initial indications have been quite positive. (author)

A strategic value management approach for energy and maintenance management in a building

Science.gov (United States)

Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd; Dahlan, Nofri Yenita; Nadarajan, Santhirasegaran

2015-05-01

Fragmentation process is always been highlighted by the stakeholders in the construction industry as one of the `critical' issue that diminishing the opportunity for stakeholders that involved during the operation and maintenance stage to influence design decisions. Failure of design professionals to consider how a maintenance contractor or facility manager will construct the design thus results in higher operating cost, wastage, defects during the maintenance and operation process. Moving towards team integration is considered a significant strategy for overcoming the issue. Value Management is a style of management dedicated to guiding people and promoting innovation with the aim to improve overall building performance through structured, team-oriented exercises which make explicit, and appraise subsequent decisions, by reference to the value requirements of the clients. Accordingly, this paper discusses the fragmentation issue in more detail including the definition, causes and effects to the maintenance and operation of building and at the same time will highlighted the potential of VM integrated team approach as a strategic management approach for overcoming that issue. It also explores that the team integration strategy alleviates scheduling problems, delays and disputes during the construction process, and, hence, prevent harming the overall building performance.

Assessment and Evaluation Report on a Pilot Project on Preventive School Maintenance in Eritrea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vagnby, Bo Hellisen

In 2002, efforts started on formulating a maintenance policy for schools and other social service facilities in Eritrea. Since then, an appropriate policy and related implementation strategies have been further developed. In 2003, a specific pilot project was designed covering a number of schools...... of a school based approach to school maintenance are presented in the report....

Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE Enhancement in Manufacture of Electronic Components & Boards Industry through Total Productive Maintenance Practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fam Soo-Fen

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In an environment of intense global competition, both creative and proven strategies need to be considered in order to bring about the effectiveness and efficiency in manufacturing operation. Total Productive Maintenance (TPM is one of the effective maintenance strategy in enhancing the equipment effectiveness and to achieve a significant competitive advantage. This research paper addresses the impact of three TPM pillars namely planned maintenance (PM, autonomous maintenance (AM and focused maintenance (FM on overall equipment effectiveness (OEE of die attach equipment in the production line of semiconductor industry. The effect of TPM on the OEE is also investigated depending on the equipment types, in where die attach process consist of two models-CANON and ESEC. The primary data was collected from an organization's database and was analysed by SPSS V23. The preliminary results of the analysis showed that the performance of OEE in ESEC is better than the CANON after the implementation of TPM. The analysis also showed that out of the three TPM practices deployed, planned maintenance of equipment by production and maintenance team played the biggest role in increasing the equipment effectiveness. In conclusion, this study provides insights the importance of implementing TPM in order to succeed in a highly demanding market arena.

A Costing Analysis for Decision Making Grid Model in Failure-Based Maintenance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Burhanuddin M. A.

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Background. In current economic downturn, industries have to set good control on production cost, to maintain their profit margin. Maintenance department as an imperative unit in industries should attain all maintenance data, process information instantaneously, and subsequently transform it into a useful decision. Then act on the alternative to reduce production cost. Decision Making Grid model is used to identify strategies for maintenance decision. However, the model has limitation as it consider two factors only, that is, downtime and frequency of failures. We consider third factor, cost, in this study for failure-based maintenance. The objective of this paper is to introduce the formulae to estimate maintenance cost. Methods. Fish bone analysis conducted with Ishikawa model and Decision Making Grid methods are used in this study to reveal some underlying risk factors that delay failure-based maintenance. The goal of the study is to estimate the risk factor that is, repair cost to fit in the Decision Making Grid model. Decision Making grid model consider two variables, frequency of failure and downtime in the analysis. This paper introduces third variable, repair cost for Decision Making Grid model. This approaches give better result to categorize the machines, reduce cost, and boost the earning for the manufacturing plant. Results. We collected data from one of the food processing factories in Malaysia. From our empirical result, Machine C, Machine D, Machine F, and Machine I must be in the Decision Making Grid model even though their frequency of failures and downtime are less than Machine B and Machine N, based on the costing analysis. The case study and experimental results show that the cost analysis in Decision Making Grid model gives more promising strategies in failure-based maintenance. Conclusions. The improvement of Decision Making Grid model for decision analysis with costing analysis is our contribution in this paper for

The right maintenance on the right components, at the right time, with the right parts: maintaining high plant reliability through an effective maintenance program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Von Hatten, P.

2008-01-01

The objective of the maintenance program at a Nuclear Power Plant is to be proactive and prevent unexpected failures of equipment that can impact on Nuclear or Conventional Safety and Plant Production. This does not mean that all equipment failures will be prevented; in a number of cases the most cost effective solution is to allow equipment to run to failure. Deciding what components are critical to the plant is the first step. The industry uses guidance from INPO Advanced Process, AP913, to classify components as Critical, Non Critical or Run to Failure based on the consequence of the failure. Once this is complete, then the right maintenance program needs to be specified. This is done through utilization of experience from the industry based on the type of component. Maintenance strategies and templates have been produced for most power plant components. Each station or fleet needs then to apply the criteria, with exceptions as required, to determine the maintenance requirements and frequency for their components. This includes predictive and preventative maintenance. The more critical the component is the more rigorous the maintenance requirements. Once the maintenance program is defined it can be implemented. This requires that the Preventative Maintenance (PM's) are updated to ensure the correct tasks are in place and the frequency is correct. Work Management will group the PM's so they can scheduled efficiently and to minimize equipment down time. The last element is to ensure that the required parts are specified and are stocked or readily available for the maintenance when it is scheduled. This is an ongoing effort since components become obsolete or suppliers go out of business or change hands. (author)

Maintenance of buildings: Italian examples of deviations between planned and incurred costs

Science.gov (United States)

Rebaudengo, Manuela; Piantanida, Paolo

2018-05-01

In recent years, drawing up the maintenance plan for a building has proved to be a theoretical practice, which has been expressed in the indication of a multiplicity of interventions more for caution reasons than for real needs. In this way, the document (mandatory by the Italian law both for public and private works) has been interpreted as a formal requirement: it must be part of the project, without any particular operational interest. So, the maintenance plans are more often "standard plans", not directing the user towards a specific maintenance strategy and thus consolidating the common thesis that reality is different. The paper compares, with reference to two xxx of study (offices and residence), the planned maintenance actions and those carried out, with an indication of the difference between expected and incurred costs.

Environmental management system for transportation maintenance operations : [technical brief].

Science.gov (United States)

2014-04-01

This report provides the framework for the environmental management system to analyze : greenhouse gas emissions from transportation maintenance operations. The system enables user : to compare different scenarios and make informed decisions to minim...

Development and application of degradation modeling to define maintenance practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stock, D.; Samanta, P.; Vesely, W.

1994-06-01

This report presents the development and application of component degradation modeling to analyze degradation effects on reliability and to identify aspects of maintenance practices that mitigate degradation and aging effects. Using continuous time Markov approaches, a component degradation model is discussed that includes information about degradation and maintenance. The component model commonly used in probabilistic risk assessments is a simple case of this general model. The parameters used in the general model have engineering interpretations and can be estimated using data and engineering experience. The generation of equations for specific models, the solution of these equations, and a methodology for estimating the needed parameters are all discussed. Applications in this report show how these models can be used to quantitatively assess the benefits that are expected from maintaining a component, the effects of different maintenance efficiencies, the merits of different maintenance policies, and the interaction of surveillance test intervals with maintenance practices

IEC 61850 based refurbishment strategies for protection and automation systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tholomier, D. [Areva T and D Automation Canada Inc., Monteal, PQ (Canada); Hossenlopp, L. [Areva T and D Automation Inc., Paris (France); Apostolov, A. [Omicron Electronics, Houston, TX (United States)

2008-07-01

Electric utilities are currently facing the challenge of refurbishing aging transmission networks and power system infrastructure at a time of severe economic, environmental and competitive constraints. This paper addressed the issue of an appropriate approach to retrofit the hardware and software of substation secondary systems, and how IEC standards could be used to set up a long term strategy. The first part of the paper considered an asset management strategy for refurbishing substation secondary systems, while the second part of the paper addressed the strategies for refurbishing existing power plants. The final section of the paper analyzed refurbishment strategies designed to protect power distribution systems. The impact of IEC 61850 and how legacy devices can be integrated in substation automation systems were discussed. It was concluded that new SCADA systems are needed to handle new technology. Additional features like remote control, remote settings, remote disturbance records analysis and remote maintenance are also needed to properly operate the power system. The value of preventive maintenance using remote monitoring systems to determine the status of all the digital electronic devices installed in substation was also discussed. IEC 61850 offers several opportunities to improve grid operation and control. It supports interoperability between protective relays and control devices from different manufacturers in the substation, which is required in order to achieve substation level interlocking, protection and control functions and improve the efficiency of microprocessor based relays applications. This technology has now passed the initial stage of implementation and several projects are underway worldwide. 13 figs.

Machine and lubricant condition monitoring for extended equipment lifetimes and predictive maintenance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lukas, M; Anderson, D P [Spectro Incorporated, Littleton, Massachusetts (United States)

1998-12-31

Predictive maintenance has gained wide acceptance as a cost cutting strategy in modern industry. Condition monitoring by lubricant analysis is one of the basic tools of a predictive maintenance program along with vibration monitoring, performance monitoring and thermography. In today`s modern power generation, manufacturing, refinery, transportation, mining, and military operations, the cost of equipment maintenance, service, and lubricants are ever increasing. Parts, labor, equipment downtime and lubricant prices and disposal costs are a primary concern in a well run maintenance management program. Machine condition monitoring based on oil analysis has become a prerequisite in most maintenance programs. Few operations can afford not to implement a program if they wish to remain competitive, and in some cases, profitable. This presentation describes a comprehensive Machine Condition Monitoring Program based on oil analysis. Actual operational condition monitoring programs will be used to review basic components and analytical requirements. Case histories will be cited as examples of cost savings, reduced equipment downtime and increased efficiencies of maintenance programs through a well managed oil analysis program. (orig.)

Machine and lubricant condition monitoring for extended equipment lifetimes and predictive maintenance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lukas, M.; Anderson, D.P. [Spectro Incorporated, Littleton, Massachusetts (United States)

1997-12-31

Predictive maintenance has gained wide acceptance as a cost cutting strategy in modern industry. Condition monitoring by lubricant analysis is one of the basic tools of a predictive maintenance program along with vibration monitoring, performance monitoring and thermography. In today`s modern power generation, manufacturing, refinery, transportation, mining, and military operations, the cost of equipment maintenance, service, and lubricants are ever increasing. Parts, labor, equipment downtime and lubricant prices and disposal costs are a primary concern in a well run maintenance management program. Machine condition monitoring based on oil analysis has become a prerequisite in most maintenance programs. Few operations can afford not to implement a program if they wish to remain competitive, and in some cases, profitable. This presentation describes a comprehensive Machine Condition Monitoring Program based on oil analysis. Actual operational condition monitoring programs will be used to review basic components and analytical requirements. Case histories will be cited as examples of cost savings, reduced equipment downtime and increased efficiencies of maintenance programs through a well managed oil analysis program. (orig.)

Maintenance optimization and prognostics of residual life - A state of the art report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nystad, Bent

2006-01-15

In many industries a huge part of the daily operational costs are related to maintenance. One key function in cutting costs is in optimization of the maintenance efforts. A major task is to change the work culture and work processes from being repair oriented, with focus on repairing breakdowns, to being proactive and maintain critical parts/systems before failures occur. Estimation of residual life distributions is of great need to obtain an optimum preventive maintenance strategy. In this report two approaches for estimation of residual life are discussed. The first model assumes that the residual life follows a Weibull distribution where the parameters are dependent on expert judgement, inspection data, repair data, and technical health trends. The second model is based on a continuous time Markov chain. In maintenance optimization a quantitative approach like the mean residual life estimation is needed in addition to a qualitative approach like the Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) methodology to give support for e.g. optimization of the maintenance overhaul intervals.The use of residual life knowledge in opportunistic maintenance is also discussed.(auth)

The security analyzer, a security analyzer program written in Prolog

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmerman, B.D.; Densley, P.J.; Carlson, R.L.

1987-01-01

A technique has been developed to characterize a nuclear facility and measure the strengths and weaknesses of the physical protection system. It utilizes the artificial intelligence capabilities available in the prolog programming language to probe a facility's defenses and find potential attack paths that meet designated search criteria. As sensors or barriers become inactive due to maintenance, failure, or inclement weather conditions, the protection system can rapidly be reanalyzed to discover weaknesses that would need to be strengthened by alternative means. Conversely, proposed upgrades and enhancements can be easily entered into the database and their effect measured against a variety of potential adversary attacks. Thus the security analyzer is a tool that aids the protection planner as well as the protection operations staff

Maintenance management for nuclear power plant 'Integrated valve maintenance'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerner, P.; Zanner, G.

2001-01-01

The deregulation of Europe's power market does force many utilities, and especially nuclear power plant operators, to introduce extensive cost-cutting measures in order to be able to compete within this new environment. The optimization of plant outages provides considerable potential for raising plant availability but can also lower operating costs by reducing e.g. expenditure on maintenance. Siemens Nuclear Power GmbH, in cooperation with plant operators, is currently implementing new and improved service concepts which can have a major effect on the way in which maintenance will be performed in the future. Innovative service packages for maintenance in nuclear power plants are available which can be used to perform a time- and cost-effective maintenance. The concepts encompass optimization of the overall sequence from planning in advance to the individual measures including reduction of the scope of maintenance activities, identification of cost cutting potential and bundling of maintenance activities. The main features of these maintenance activities are illustrated here using the examples of outage planning and integrated valve maintenance. In nuclear power plants approx. 5000 valves are periodically preventively, condition-based or breakdown-based maintained. Because of this large number of valves to be maintained a high potential of improvements and cost reductions can be achieved by performing an optimized, cost-effective maintenance based on innovative methods and tools. Siemens Nuclear Power GmbH has developed and qualified such tools which allow to reduce service costs while maintaining high standards of safety and availability. By changing from preventive to predictive (condition-based) maintenance - the number of valves to be maintained may be reduced considerably. The predictive maintenance is based on the Siemens Nuclear Power GmbH diagnostic and evaluation method (ADAM). ADAM is used to monitor the operability of valves by analytical verification of

Maintaining the flow: Maintenance service provision in the Alto Río Lerma Irrigation District, Mexico

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Urban, K.; Wester, P.

2003-01-01

Through irrigation management transfer inMexico poorly functioning governancemechanisms for maintenance were replaced.New actors, new roles, and newresponsibilities in the maintenance ofMexican irrigation systems wereestablished. This article analyzes themaintenance service delivery mechanisms inthe

Maintenance or replacement of primary equipments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Branchu, J.

1995-01-01

The principal materials, such as the primary equipments of a PWR type steam generator, have a finite service life. Framatome, builder of steam generators and maintenance contractor of Electricite de France has developed a methodology for the maintenance or the replacement of primary equipments. The paper describes the methodology followed by Framatome to identify and localize the wear mode and to treat or repair the component. Four failure modes have been considered: crack propagation, rubbing/vibration wear, neutron irradiation and corrosion propagation under permanent stress. A kinetic modelling of wear propagation has been computerized and validated using mechanical tests on Inconel 600 mockups. These analyses have allow to determine the strategy of repair or replacement of vessel heads for each unit. The method is evaluated taking into account the risk assessment, cost, dosimetry, efficiency and time delay involved. (J.S.). 1 fig., 3 photos

A multi-level maintenance policy for a multi-component and multifailure mode system with two independent failure modes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Wenjin; Fouladirad, Mitra; Bérenguer, Christophe

2016-01-01

This paper studies the maintenance modelling of a multi-component system with two independent failure modes with imperfect prediction signal in the context of a system of systems. Each individual system consists of multiple series components and the failure modes of all the components are divided into two classes due to their consequences: hard failure and soft failure, where the former causes system failure while the later results in inferior performance (production reduction) of system. Besides, the system is monitored and can be alerted by imperfect prediction signal before hard failure. Based on an illustration example of offshore wind farm, in this paper three maintenance strategies are considered: periodic routine, reactive and opportunistic maintenance. The periodic routine maintenance is scheduled at fixed period for each individual system in the perspective of system of systems. Between two successive routine maintenances, the reactive maintenance is instructed by the imperfect prediction signal according to two criterion proposed in this study for the system components. Due to the high setup cost and practical restraints of implementing maintenance activities, both routine and reactive maintenance can create the opportunities of maintenance for the other components of an individual system. The life cycle of the system and the cost of the proposed maintenance policies are analytically derived. Restrained by the complexity from both the system failure modelling and maintenance strategies, the performances and application scope of the proposed maintenance model are evaluated by numerical simulations. - Highlights: • We study the life behavior of a complex system with two failure modes. • We consider the imperfect prediction signal of potential failure by monitoring. • We propose an integrated maintenance policy with three levels based on wind turbine. • We derive the mathematical cost formulations for the proposed maintenance policy.

The maintenance management framework models and methods for complex systems maintenance

CERN Document Server

Crespo Márquez, Adolfo

2010-01-01

“The Maintenance Management Framework” describes and reviews the concept, process and framework of modern maintenance management of complex systems; concentrating specifically on modern modelling tools (deterministic and empirical) for maintenance planning and scheduling. It will be bought by engineers and professionals involved in maintenance management, maintenance engineering, operations management, quality, etc. as well as graduate students and researchers in this field.

Improving the TRIGA facility maintenance by predictive maintenance techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preda, M.; Sabau, C.; Barbalata, E.

1997-01-01

This work deals with the specific operation of equipment in radioactive environment or in conditions allowing radioactive contamination. The requirements of remote operation ensuring the operators' protection are presented. Also, the requirements of international standards issued by IAEA-Vienna are reviewed. The organizational withdraws of the maintenance activities, based on the standards and maintenance and repair directives still in force, are shown. It is emphasized the fact that this type of maintenance was adequate to a given level of technical development, characteristic for pre-computerized industry, but, at present, it is obsolete and uneconomic both in utilization and maintenance. Such a system constitutes already a burden hindering the efforts of maximizing the availability, maintenance, prolongation the service life of equipment and utilities, finally, of increasing the efficiency of complex installations. Moreover, the predictive maintenance techniques are strongly requested by the character of radioactive installations precluding the direct access in given zones (a potential risk of irradiation or radioactive contamination) of installations during operation. The results obtained by applying the predictive maintenance techniques in the operation of the double circuit irradiation loop, used in the TRIGA reactors, are presented

Intelligent control system Cellular Robotics Approach to Nuclear Plant control and maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fukuda, Toshio; Sekiyama, Kousuke; Xue Guoqing; Ueyama, Tsuyoshi.

1994-01-01

This paper presents the concept of Cellular Robotic System (CEBOT) and describe the strategy of a distributed sensing, control and planning as a Cellular Robotics Approach to the Nuclear Plant control and maintenance. Decentralized System is effective in large plant and The CEBOT possesses desirable features for realization of Nuclear Plant control and maintenance because of its flexibility and adaptability. Also, as related on going research work, self-organizing manipulator and communication issues are mentioned. (author)

Examining the Relationship Between Passenger Airline Aircraft Maintenance Outsourcing and Aircraft Safety

Science.gov (United States)

Monaghan, Kari L.

The problem addressed was the concern for aircraft safety rates as they relate to the rate of maintenance outsourcing. Data gathered from 14 passenger airlines: AirTran, Alaska, America West, American, Continental, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Midwest, Northwest, Southwest, United, and USAir covered the years 1996 through 2008. A quantitative correlational design, utilizing Pearson's correlation coefficient, and the coefficient of determination were used in the present study to measure the correlation between variables. Elements of passenger airline aircraft maintenance outsourcing and aircraft accidents, incidents, and pilot deviations within domestic passenger airline operations were analyzed, examined, and evaluated. Rates of maintenance outsourcing were analyzed to determine the association with accident, incident, and pilot deviation rates. Maintenance outsourcing rates used in the evaluation were the yearly dollar expenditure of passenger airlines for aircraft maintenance outsourcing as they relate to the total airline aircraft maintenance expenditures. Aircraft accident, incident, and pilot deviation rates used in the evaluation were the yearly number of accidents, incidents, and pilot deviations per miles flown. The Pearson r-values were calculated to measure the linear relationship strength between the variables. There were no statistically significant correlation findings for accidents, r(174)=0.065, p=0.393, and incidents, r(174)=0.020, p=0.793. However, there was a statistically significant correlation for pilot deviation rates, r(174)=0.204, p=0.007 thus indicating a statistically significant correlation between maintenance outsourcing rates and pilot deviation rates. The calculated R square value of 0.042 represents the variance that can be accounted for in aircraft pilot deviation rates by examining the variance in aircraft maintenance outsourcing rates; accordingly, 95.8% of the variance is unexplained. Suggestions for future research include

Insight From Pilot Online Maintenance Implementation and A Graded Approach in Korea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, H. S.; Kim, J. W.; Song, T. Y. [Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. -Central Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2012-03-15

Online maintenance (OLM) is widely used in many countries such as the US, France, Spain and Switzerland to improve equipment reliability, reduce outage work activities, and improve availability of safety systems during outages. Many benefits of OLM have been reported from the above countries. Thus, some countries like Korea and Japan have tried to introduce OLM, but entering into a Limiting Condition for Operation voluntarily for preventive maintenance of safety systems during normal operation has not been allowed, even though corrective maintenance of safety systems is allowed at any time if it is within an allowed outage time in the Technical Specifications. Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) recently performed the OLM for one safety system as a pilot program to determine the requirements and make preparations for full scope implementation to reduce work activities during the outage. There are several different positions between the regulators and industry on implementing the OLM from a safety standpoint. So a strategy for OLM was developed with a phased approach in order to minimize sudden transitions and to support successful implementation. This strategy includes required work management processes and risk management processes for each phase. In this paper, some insights from the pilot implementation and a strategy for a phased approach will be discussed, both of which may be useful for countries which want to introduce OLM.

Insight From Pilot Online Maintenance Implementation and A Graded Approach in Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, H. S.; Kim, J. W.; Song, T. Y.

2012-01-01

Online maintenance (OLM) is widely used in many countries such as the US, France, Spain and Switzerland to improve equipment reliability, reduce outage work activities, and improve availability of safety systems during outages. Many benefits of OLM have been reported from the above countries. Thus, some countries like Korea and Japan have tried to introduce OLM, but entering into a Limiting Condition for Operation voluntarily for preventive maintenance of safety systems during normal operation has not been allowed, even though corrective maintenance of safety systems is allowed at any time if it is within an allowed outage time in the Technical Specifications. Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) recently performed the OLM for one safety system as a pilot program to determine the requirements and make preparations for full scope implementation to reduce work activities during the outage. There are several different positions between the regulators and industry on implementing the OLM from a safety standpoint. So a strategy for OLM was developed with a phased approach in order to minimize sudden transitions and to support successful implementation. This strategy includes required work management processes and risk management processes for each phase. In this paper, some insights from the pilot implementation and a strategy for a phased approach will be discussed, both of which may be useful for countries which want to introduce OLM

Optimization of Reliability Centered Maintenance Bassed on Maintenance Costs and Reliability with Consideration of Location of Components

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahdi Karbasian

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The reliability of designing systems such as electrical and electronic circuits, power generation/ distribution networks and mechanical systems, in which the failure of a component may cause the whole system failure, and even the reliability of cellular manufacturing systems that their machines are connected to as series are critically important. So far approaches for improving the reliability of these systems have been mainly based on the enhancement of inherent reliability of any system component or increasing system reliability based on maintenance strategies. Also in some of the resources, only the influence of the location of systems' components on reliability is studied. Therefore, it seems other approaches have been rarely applied. In this paper, a multi criteria model has been proposed to perform a balance among a system's reliability, location costs, and its system maintenance. Finally, a numerical example has been presented and solved by the Lingo software.

EHV network operation, maintenance, organization and training

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gravier, J P [Electricite de France (EDF), 75 - Paris (France)

1994-12-31

The service interruptions of electricity have an ever increasing social and industrial impact, it is thus fundamental to operate the network to its best level of performances. To face these changing conditions, Electricite de France has consequently adapted its strategy to improve its organization for maintenance and operation, clarify the operation procedures and give further training to the staff. This work presents the above mentioned issues. (author) 2 figs.

AN ALTERNATIVE STRATEGY TO ANALYZE THE CONTENTS OF BIOCHEMISTRY INTRODUCTORY COURSES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.K. Miskalo

2008-05-01

Full Text Available A common problem  educators  from  different areas face  is  to  fit the increasing  amount  of information  with the maintenance  and/or,  not seldom,  a decrease in the class load of their courses. This actual situation  necessarily forces the educator  to severely select the topics to be worked out. In the cur rent scenario of most teaching institutions, this decision  is  taken by the teacher.  In order to do this, a  list of the topics considered to be essential  for an appropriate biochemistry course is necessary. Taking for granted that questions from biochemistry courses tests reflect  the topics  considered most relevant by teachers,  questions from different courses offered by Biochemistry Department of USP were analyzed. The objective of this analysis  was  to  answer two main questions, namely (1  Which is the exte nt and  depth  of the common topics  in  biochemistry  introductory courses? and (2  Are there (and ,  if  there are,  which are they?  specific topics  for  different careers?  The  method we adopted was to verify  the demanded topics  in  written tests and  to  classify  their  cognitive level according to Bloom’s Taxonomy.  The most recurring topics found are Protein Structure and Metabolism Regulation. The results indicate a strong predominance of  low-level categories  (Knowledge e Comprehension,  with little  occurrence  of high-level categories (from Application on.  It is expected, from further development of this study,  to outline  the topics considered  relevant  to  set the basis for  the discussion  on the establishment of a minimum curriculum for biochemistry courses. Key words: Bloom’s Taxonomy, minimum curriculum, written tests analysis.

An Improved Distribution Policy with a Maintenance Aspect for an Urban Logistic Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadia Ndhaief

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we present an improved distribution plan supporting an urban distribution center (UDC to solve the last mile problem of urban freight. This is motivated by the need of UDCs to satisfy daily demand in time under a high service level in allocated urban areas. Moreover, these demands could not be satisfied in individual cases because the delivery rate can be less than daily demand and/or affected by random failure or maintenance actions of vehicles. The scope of our work is to focus on a UDC, which needs to satisfy demands in a finite horizon. To that end, we consider a distribution policy on two sequential plans, a distribution plan correlated to a maintenance plan using a subcontracting strategy with several potential urban distribution centers (UDCs and performing preventive maintenance to ensure deliveries for their allocated urban area. The choice of subcontractor will depend on distance, environmental and availability criteria. In doing so, we define a mathematical model for searching the best distribution and maintenance plans using a subcontracting strategy. Moreover, we consider delay for the next periods with an expensive penalty. Finally, we present a numerical example illustrating the benefits of our approach.

Wireless sensors for predictive maintenance of rotating equipment in research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashemian, H.M.

2011-01-01

In 2008-2009, the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) tested the potential of predictive or condition-based maintenance techniques to reduce maintenance costs, minimize the risk of catastrophic failures, and maximize system availability by attaching wireless-based sensors to selected rotating equipment at HFIR. Rotating equipment is an ideal 'test case' for the viability of integrated, online predictive maintenance strategies because motors, bearings, and shafts are ubiquitous in nuclear power plants and because the maintenance methods typically performed on rotating equipment today (such as portable or handheld vibration data collection equipment) are highly labor-intensive. The HFIR project achieved all five of its objectives: (1) to identify rotating machinery of the types used in research reactors and determine their operational characteristics, degradation mechanisms, and failure modes, (2) to establish a predictive maintenance program for rotating equipment in research reactors, (3) to identify wireless sensors that are suitable for predictive maintenance of rotating machinery and test them in a laboratory setting, (4) to establish the requirements and procedures to be followed when implementing wireless sensors for predictive maintenance in research reactors, and (5) to develop a conceptual design for a predictive maintenance system for research reactors based on wireless sensors. The project demonstrated that wireless sensors offer an effective method for monitoring key process conditions continuously and remotely, thereby enhancing the safety, reliability, and efficiency of the aging research reactor fleet.

Joint optimization of preventive maintenance and spare parts inventory for an optimal production plan with consideration of CO_2 emission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ba, Kader; Dellagi, Sofiene; Rezg, Nidhal; Erray, Walid

2016-01-01

This article presents a joint optimization of spare parts inventory and preventive maintenance. While minimizing CO_2 emissions, this approach is based on an optimal production plan achieved thanks to the HMMS model. The process which is studied in this paper only manufactures one type of product. The purpose of the paper is to determine for a random demand over a given period, a cost-effective production plan and a maintenance policy which integrates a spare parts strategy in accordance with environmental requirements and regulations. Our green spare parts management can be defined as a set of actions that are applied in order to decrease the spare parts footprint in its lifetime (Ba et al., 2015) [1]. Indeed, we take into account the spare parts characteristics (new or used) which will be used during maintenance actions (preventive or corrective) to preserve the environment. Consequently, we set up analytical models based on the effect of the production rate on the system deterioration so as to substantially cut the maintenance costs, production costs and CO_2 emissions. To evaluate the performance of our models, we give some illustrative examples. - Highlights: • Establishment of an optimal production plan for a manufacturing process. • Cost-effective maintenance strategy with a green spare parts strategy. • Possibility to choose between used and new spare parts to execute maintenance action.

Service and Maintenance - Lillgrund Offshore Wind Farm. Lillgrund Pilot Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soederberg, David; Weisbach, Henrik (Vattenfall Vindkraft AB, Stockholm (Sweden))

2008-11-15

This report aims to provide information of, and experiences from, service and maintenance of Lillgrund Offshore Wind Farm. The report deals with operation and maintenance (O and M) during construction, commissioning and the first three months of operation. Focus has been to describe the organization and cooperation between Vattenfall and Siemens. Experiences have been collected by interviews with representatives from Siemens and Vattenfall. The O and M strategy defined by Lillgrund's service and maintenance contract are based on a gradual take over of O and M. Siemens will be responsible for maintenance of Lillgrund during the first five years. During this five-year period, Vattenfall will build up its own maintenance organization for Lillgrund. The first three years, Vattenfall's technicians are supposed to form 30 % of the total number of maintenance technicians. The fourth and fifth year, the corresponding amount should be 50 %. During daytime, Lillgrund is operated locally. During nights and weekends, it is operated remotely by Vattenfall's operating centre in Esbjerg. The major O and M experience from Lillgrund is the need for good administrative and technical information systems. These systems should be implemented as soon as possible because of the large amounts of documentation that are created during the commissioning phase. The technical information systems must be able to present historic data of measurements in order to see trends and analyse faults

Proof-testing strategies induced by dangerous detected failures of safety-instrumented systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Yiliu; Rausand, Marvin

2016-01-01

Some dangerous failures of safety-instrumented systems (SISs) are detected almost immediately by diagnostic self-testing as dangerous detected (DD) failures, whereas other dangerous failures can only be detected by proof-testing, and are therefore called dangerous undetected (DU) failures. Some items may have a DU- and a DD-failure at the same time. After the repair of a DD-failure is completed, the maintenance team has two options: to perform an insert proof test for DU-failure or not. If an insert proof test is performed, it is necessary to decide whether the next scheduled proof test should be postponed or performed at the scheduled time. This paper analyzes the effects of different testing strategies on the safety performance of a single channel of a SIS. The safety performance is analyzed by Petri nets and by approximation formulas and the results obtained by the two approaches are compared. It is shown that insert testing improves the safety performance of the channel, but the feasibility and cost of the strategy may be a hindrance to recommend insert testing. - Highlights: • Identify the tests induced by detected failures. • Model the testing strategies following DD-failures. • Propose analytical formulas for effects of strategies. • Simulate and verify the proposed models.

[PARAMOUNT trial: clinical meaning of continuous maintenance therapy in lung cancer].

Science.gov (United States)

Gridelli, Cesare

2015-05-01

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains one of the leading causes of cancer related deaths worldwide across both sex. Patients with Advanced -NSCLC (A-NSCLC) do not have curative treatment options, so the primary endpoint of every therapeutic decision aims to prolong survival, improving or maintain a good Quality of Life (QoL). Histology could represent a positive predictive factor for patients with Non squamous NSCLC (Nsq-NSCLC) respect to pemetrexed treatment. Pemetrexed is an antifolate that inhibits primarily thymidylate synthase (TS), together with dihydrofolate reductase and glycinamide ribonucleotide formyl transferase. Pemetrexed in combination with cisplatin is approved in the first line setting and as monotherapy in the switch or continuous maintenance of Non Squamous A-NSCLC. Maintenance therapy is a widely used therapeutic option in other solid and hematologic malignancies, but in the A-NSCLC represent an innovative approach. The rationale in this new setting of patients is based on the evidence that patients who benefit from an initial induction therapy platinum based may benefit from maintenance therapy with the third generation agent dropping the platinum drug after four to six cycles. We can define two types of maintenance therapy: continuation maintenance and switch maintenance. Major results in prolonging Overall Survival (OS) was reported with the continuation maintenance strategy as in the PARAMOUNT trial.

On risk-based operation and maintenance of offshore wind turbine components

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jannie Jessen; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2011-01-01

Operation and maintenance are significant contributors to the cost of energy for offshore wind turbines. Optimal planning could rationally be based on Bayesian pre-posterior decision theory, and all costs through the lifetime of the structures should be included. This paper contains a study...... of a generic case where the costs are evaluated for a single wind turbine with a single component. Costs due to inspections, repairs, and lost production are included in the model. The costs are compared for two distinct maintenance strategies, namely with and without inclusion of periodic imperfect...

Perencanaan Kegiatan Maintenance Dengan Metode Reability Centered Maintenance (Rcm) II

OpenAIRE

Rachmad Hidayat; Nachnul Ansori; Ali Imron

2010-01-01

Maintenance Activity Planning by Reability Centered Maintenance (RCM) II Method. This research discussmaintenance activity by using RCM II method to determine failure function risk at compresor screw. Calculation isgiven to magnitude optimum time maintenance interval by considering the cost maintenance and the cost reparation.From the research results with RPN points out that critical component that needs to get main priority in givemaintenance on compresor screw are bust logistic on timeworn...

AN ALTERNATIVE STRATEGY TO ANALYZE THE CONTENTS OF BIOCHEMISTRY INTRODUCTORY COURSES

OpenAIRE

A.K. Miskalo; B.B. Torres

2008-01-01

A common problem  educators  from  different areas face  is  to  fit the increasing  amount  of information  with the maintenance  and/or,  not seldom,  a decrease in the class load of their courses. This actual situation  necessarily forces the educator  to severely select the topics to be worked out. In the cur rent scenario of most teaching institutions, this decision  is  taken by the teacher.  In order to do this, a  list of the topics considered to be essential  for an appropriate bioch...

Lean Maintenance Applied to Improve Maintenance Efficiency in Thermoelectric Power Plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Orlando Duran

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Thermoelectric power plants consist of a set of critical equipment that require high levels of availability and reliability. Due to this, maintenance of these physical assets is gaining momentum in industry. Maintenance is considered as an activity that contributes to improving the availability, efficiency and productivity of each piece of equipment. Several techniques have been used to achieve greater efficiencies in maintenance, among which we can find the lean maintenance philosophy. Despite the wide diffusion of lean maintenance, there is no structured method that supports the prescription of lean tools applied to the maintenance function. This paper presents the experience gathered in two lean maintenance projects in thermoelectric power plants. The application of lean techniques was based on using a previously developed multicriterial decision making process that uses the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP methodology to carry out a diagnosis and prescription tasks. That methodology allowed the prescription of the appropriated lean techniques to resolve the main deficiencies in maintenance function. The results of applying such lean tools show that important results can be obtained, making the maintenance function in thermoelectric power plants more efficient and lean.

Risk-based equipment removal guide for on-line maintenance at PSE ampersand G

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knoll, A.; Smith, C.; Pollock, J.

1995-01-01

On-line maintenance plays an important role in achieving safe and reliable power generation in a nuclear power plant. However, maintenance, if not properly planned and performed, may also be an important contributor to plant risk. Therefore, plant-specific procedures are needed for equipment removal from service to enhance the benefits of on-line maintenance and minimize the risks involved. The problem is to identify and implement the most effective on-line maintenance policy in the form of a proceduralized guide to assure plant safety under various operation and maintenance constraints. This paper presents a methodology to develop plant-specific on-line maintenance strategies and acceptance criteria using a multivariate safety approach based on risk assessment. Based on plant-specific data as modeled in the individual plant evaluation (IPE) and the updated probabilistic safety assessment (PSA), the risk-based methodology is currently being applied to the development of proceduralized equipment removal guides at Hope Creek and Salem units 1 and 2 of Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE ampersand G)

Dynamics of Implementation and Maintenance of Organizational Health Interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Jalali, Mohammad S; Rahmandad, Hazhir; Bullock, Sally Lawrence; Ammerman, Alice

2017-08-15

In this study, we present case studies to explore the dynamics of implementation and maintenance of health interventions. We analyze how specific interventions are built and eroded, how the building and erosion mechanisms are interconnected, and why we can see significantly different erosion rates across otherwise similar organizations. We use multiple comparative obesity prevention case studies to provide empirical information on the mechanisms of interest, and use qualitative systems modeling to integrate our evolving understanding into an internally consistent and transparent theory of the phenomenon. Our preliminary results identify reinforcing feedback mechanisms, including design of organizational processes, motivation of stakeholders, and communication among stakeholders, which influence implementation and maintenance of intervention components. Over time, these feedback mechanisms may drive a wedge between otherwise similar organizations, leading to distinct configurations of implementation and maintenance processes.

Hardware-oriented reliability centered maintenance for the diesel generators of Wolsong unit 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bae, Sang Min; Park, Jin Hee; Kim, Tae Woon; Lee, Yoon Kee; Song, Jin Bae

1997-01-01

The DGs (Diesel Generators) in NPP (Nuclear Power Plant) has been used for the emergency electric power source to shut down the nuclear reactor safely in case of station blackout. The RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance) has been applied to DGs for increasing the safety of NPP. The structured defects of DG were not remedied by the improvement of maintenance method. As the first stage of RCM, to find the structured defects, its failure modes were searched and analyzed through the ten year maintenance information. The structured defects such as the air compressor, the lubricating oil pressure, and the insufficient load were the root causes of main failures. The air reservoir reinstallation, the lubricating oil tube modification, the load bank installation, and the qualitative instrumentation were the solutions for the hardware oriented RCM of DGs. There remains the software oriented RCM such as the rejection of useless maintenance, the preventive maintenance, the database of maintenance information, and the predictive maintenance

An Intelligent Fleet Condition-Based Maintenance Decision Making Method Based on Multi-Agent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Sun

2012-01-01

Full Text Available According to the demand for condition-based maintenance online decision making among a mission oriented fleet, an intelligent maintenance decision making method based on Multi-agent and heuristic rules is proposed. The process of condition-based maintenance within an aircraft fleet (each containing one or more Line Replaceable Modules based on multiple maintenance thresholds is analyzed. Then the process is abstracted into a Multi-Agent Model, a 2-layer model structure containing host negotiation and independent negotiation is established, and the heuristic rules applied to global and local maintenance decision making is proposed. Based on Contract Net Protocol and the heuristic rules, the maintenance decision making algorithm is put forward. Finally, a fleet consisting of 10 aircrafts on a 3-wave continuous mission is illustrated to verify this method. Simulation results indicate that this method can improve the availability of the fleet, meet mission demands, rationalize the utilization of support resources and provide support for online maintenance decision making among a mission oriented fleet.

Analysis of the possibility of applying a condition-based maintenance model on an example of tank weapons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor J. Epler

2013-12-01

Full Text Available For any modern army it is very important to continuously maintain a high degree of operational (combat readiness (availability in order to maximize the effectiveness of the use of technical systems. Since determination and prediction of technical states and failures of technical systems in engineering, especially in armament, are difficult due to the impossibility of continuous condition monitoring with appropriate measuring equipment there is a need for a maintenance model that would be most helpful in taking timely action maintenance. In this paper, the subject of research is a model of maintenance of the M-84 tank  weapoons systems.   IntroductionThe M-84 tank is one of the most promising technical systems in the Serbian Army. Its use and modifications are foreseen in the next ten years. The  M-84 is characterized by good tactical and technical characteristics. It has a powerful 125 mm cannon, coupled 7.62 mm machine gun and 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun. The M-84 tank has an automatic battery charger and a fire control system. The fire control system enables fast target tracking and stabilization of the cannon barrel, which is a prerequisite for timely and favorable effect on the target. There are certain ambiguities in the existing model of maintenance of tank weapons.   Technical diagnostics Technical diagnostics, as a part of the process of condition-based maintenance, should determine technical conditions of components or technical systems with certain accuracy at a point in time.   Maintenance strategy A maintenance strategy can be defined as a variant of a maintenance system determined by a concept, organization and character of maintenance procedures, as well as the relationship between the various levels at which maintenance is performed. It is defined for technical system parts, individual technical systems and for system maintenance as a whole. The basic maintenance strategies implemented today are: -      corrective

Maintenance management systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rohan, M. de

1989-01-01

This paper is concerned principally with Maintenance Management systems and their effective introduction into organisations. Maintenance improvement is basically a problem of managing the maintenance department in the broadest sense. Improvement does not only lie in the area of special techniques, systems or procedures; although they are valuable tools, but rather in a balanced attack, carefully guided by management. Over recent years, maintenance systems have received the major emphasis and in many instances the selection of the system has become a pre-occupation, whereas the importance of each maintenance function must be recognised and good management practices applied to all maintenance activities. The ingredients for success in the implementation of maintenance management systems are summarised as: having a management committee, clear objectives, project approach using project management techniques and an enthusiastic leader, user managed and data processing supported project, realistic budget and an understanding of the financial audit requirements. (author)

Advanced maintenance research programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marston, T.U.; Gelhaus, F.; Burke, R.

1985-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to provide the reader with an idea of the advanced maintenance research program at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). A brief description of the maintenance-related activities is provided as a foundation for the advanced maintenance research projects. The projects can be divided into maintenance planning, preventive maintenance program development and implementation, predictive (or conditional) maintenance, and innovative maintenance techniques. The projects include hardware and software development, human factors considerations, and technology promotion and implementation. The advanced concepts include: the incorporation of artificial intelligence into outage planning; turbine and pump maintenance; rotating equipment monitoring and diagnostics with the aid of expert systems; and the development of mobile robots for nuclear power plant maintenance

Information Management System Development for the Characterization and Analysis of Human Error in Naval Aviation Maintenance Related Mishaps

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Wood, Brian

2000-01-01

.... The Human Factors Analysis and Classification System-Maintenance Extension taxonomy, an effective framework for classifying and analyzing the presence of maintenance errors that lead to mishaps...

Maintenance Management Update.

Science.gov (United States)

Sternloff, Robert E.

1987-01-01

Current trends in park maintenance are overviewed, including maintenance impact statements, avoidance of cost through efficient use and national resource conservation, horticultural accomplishments that influence maintenance management, and vandalism prevention. (CB)

Optimum analysis of pavement maintenance using multi-objective genetic algorithms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amr A. Elhadidy

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Road network expansion in Egypt is considered as a vital issue for the development of the country. This is done while upgrading current road networks to increase the safety and efficiency. A pavement management system (PMS is a set of tools or methods that assist decision makers in finding optimum strategies for providing and maintaining pavements in a serviceable condition over a given period of time. A multi-objective optimization problem for pavement maintenance and rehabilitation strategies on network level is discussed in this paper. A two-objective optimization model considers minimum action costs and maximum condition for used road network. In the proposed approach, Markov-chain models are used for predicting the performance of road pavement and to calculate the expected decline at different periods of time. A genetic-algorithm-based procedure is developed for solving the multi-objective optimization problem. The model searched for the optimum maintenance actions at adequate time to be implemented on an appropriate pavement. Based on the computing results, the Pareto optimal solutions of the two-objective optimization functions are obtained. From the optimal solutions represented by cost and condition, a decision maker can easily obtain the information of the maintenance and rehabilitation planning with minimum action costs and maximum condition. The developed model has been implemented on a network of roads and showed its ability to derive the optimal solution.

Probability-based assessment and maintenance of welded joints damaged by fatigue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cremona, C.; Lukic, M.

1998-01-01

This paper presents a probabilistic reliability assessment procedure for steel components damaged by fatigue. The study combines the structural reliability theory with a maintenance strategy. The fatigue assessment model is based on a modelisation of the fatigue phenomenon issued from the principles of fracture mechanics theory. The safety margin includes the crack growth propagation and allows to treat fatigue damage in a general manner. Damaging cycles and non damaging cycles are distinguished. The sensitivity study of the different parameters shows that some variables can be taken as deterministic. Applications are made on a welded joint 'stiffener/bottom-plate' of a typical steel bridge. The model is then used for taking into account inspection results. Non destructive inspection (NDI) techniques are also used for updating failure probabilities. The results show their ability to be inserted in a maintenance strategy for optimizing the next inspection time. This has led to define cost functions related to the total maintenance cost; this cost is then minimized for determining the optimal next inspection time. An example of welded joint cracked by fatigue highlights the different concepts. The approach presented in the paper is not only restrained to fatigue problems, but can be applied to a wide variety of degrading phenomena. (orig.)

Analytical method for optimization of maintenance policy based on available system failure data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coria, V.H.; Maximov, S.; Rivas-Dávalos, F.; Melchor, C.L.; Guardado, J.L.

2015-01-01

An analytical optimization method for preventive maintenance (PM) policy with minimal repair at failure, periodic maintenance, and replacement is proposed for systems with historical failure time data influenced by a current PM policy. The method includes a new imperfect PM model based on Weibull distribution and incorporates the current maintenance interval T 0 and the optimal maintenance interval T to be found. The Weibull parameters are analytically estimated using maximum likelihood estimation. Based on this model, the optimal number of PM and the optimal maintenance interval for minimizing the expected cost over an infinite time horizon are also analytically determined. A number of examples are presented involving different failure time data and current maintenance intervals to analyze how the proposed analytical optimization method for periodic PM policy performances in response to changes in the distribution of the failure data and the current maintenance interval. - Highlights: • An analytical optimization method for preventive maintenance (PM) policy is proposed. • A new imperfect PM model is developed. • The Weibull parameters are analytically estimated using maximum likelihood. • The optimal maintenance interval and number of PM are also analytically determined. • The model is validated by several numerical examples

Instrumentation maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mack, D.A.

1976-09-01

It is essential to any research activity that accurate and efficient measurements be made for the experimental parameters under consideration for each individual experiment or test. Satisfactory measurements in turn depend upon having the necessary instruments and the capability of ensuring that they are performing within their intended specifications. This latter requirement can only be achieved by providing an adequate maintenance facility, staffed with personnel competent to understand the problems associated with instrument adjustment and repair. The Instrument Repair Shop at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory is designed to achieve this end. The organization, staffing and operation of this system is discussed. Maintenance policy should be based on studies of (1) preventive vs. catastrophic maintenance, (2) records indicating when equipment should be replaced rather than repaired and (3) priorities established to indicate the order in which equipment should be repaired. Upon establishing a workable maintenance policy, the staff should be instructed so that they may provide appropriate scheduled preventive maintenance, calibration and corrective procedures, and emergency repairs. The education, training and experience of the maintenance staff is discussed along with the organization for an efficient operation. The layout of the various repair shops is described in the light of laboratory space and financial constraints

Systematic maintenance analysis with decision support method and tool for optimizing maintenance programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laakso, K.; Simola, K.; Dorrepaal, J.; Skogberg, P.

1999-01-01

This report describes an approach to evaluate the effectiveness of test and maintenance programs of technical systems used during several years. The method combines an analysis of the historical data on faults and repairs with an analysis of the history of periodic testing and preventive maintenance action programs. The application of the maintenance analysis from the methodological point of view in the reliability centered maintenance (RCM) project for Barsebaeck nuclear power plant is described. In order to limit the analysis resources, a method for ranking of objects for maintenance analysis is needed. Preliminary suggestions for changes in maintenance action programs are based on signals from simple maintenance indicators and qualitative analysis of underlying data on failures and maintenance. To facilitate generation of maintenance indicators, and make the maintenance analysis more efficient, a powerful and suitable data treatment tool is needed for analysis of the work order history. In the final maintenance decisions, additional decision criteria must be taken into account, and thus a more formal decision analysis is often needed for decision support. (au)