Abstract
M.Phil. (Engineering Management)
By definition, reliability is the probability that a system (could be equipment, vehicle, machine or even a product) performs its intended function, under specified conditions or environment for a set period of time. The Chemical plant at Company X has been struggling to produce PGM salts in a specified time duration due factors such as equipment failure, process related issues and product quality. This paper addresses the importance and value of reliability engineering to the Company X Chemical plant and reasons for considering reliability engineering more fundamentally in the management of operations and maintenance in the plant.
The study focused on production loss; factors that contribute to production loss and reliability theory that can be applied to the plant with special focus on equipment failures.
The study achieved the research objectives through an extensive study of literature related to the research topic and implementation of practical research. Practical research was carried out through the collection of empirical data from the day to running of the plant, whereby every production stoppage was captured with causes of the interruption. The study employed qualitative method through review of literature to compare what other authors have discovered about different reliability tools and effective maintenance strategies. A case study method was employed to satisfy the other two objectives whereby data was collected, analysed and interpreted to identify factors that contributes to production loss.
The results revealed equipment failures as the main contributing factor to production loss in the plant; this was further broken down to individual vessels to see which ones experience the most failures or have shorter MTTF.
The findings of the study revealed further that; in order to improve reliability, availability and maintainability of equipment in the plant, a proper RCM process could add value in the plant. RCM analysis will identify most problematic equipment with most failures, analyse failure modes through FMEA process and suggest maintenance strategies that can be implemented to improve performance of the plant.
It is concluded that current corrective maintenance approach in the plant is ineffective because it fails to pre-empt or prevent failures before they occur, instead opting for a more proactive preventative maintenance approach will be cost effective for the company. And that reliability theory should be applied specifically for each plant and not use a holistic approach because plants are unique and operate under different conditions...