Expected impact quantification–based reliability assessment methodology for Chilean copper smelting process: A case study

Abstract

Currently, a lack of interpretation tools and methodologies hinders the ability to assess the performance of a single piece of equipment or a total system. Therefore, a reliability, availability, and maintainability analysis must be combined with a quantitative reliability impact analysis to interpret the actual performance and identify bottlenecks and improvement opportunities. This article proposes a novel methodology that uses reliability, availability, and maintainability analysis to quantify the expected impact. The strengths of the failure expected impact methodology include its ability to systematically and quantitatively assess the expected impact in terms of reliability, availability, and maintainability indicators and the logical configuration of subsystems and individual equipment, which show the direct effects of each element on the total system. This proposed analysis complements plant modeling and analysis. Determining the operational effectiveness impact, as the final result of the computation process, enables the quantitative and unequivocal prioritization of the system elements by assessing the associated loss as a ''production loss'' regarding its unavailability and effect on the system process. The Chilean copper smelting process study provides useful results for developing a hierarchization that enables an analysis of improvement actions that are aligned with the best opportunities.

Criticality Analysis Based on Reliability and Failure Propagation Effect for a Complex Wastewater Treatment Plant

“…The methodology [13,14] proposal performs an analysis based on an RBD [19,20] configuration and desegregates the overall process into levels in which the highest level represents the system itself, and the lower levels represent singular indivisible units. More specifically, the availability analysis is performed from the lower levels to the highest, running from the singular elements to the system itself.…”

“…This article comprehensibly analyses a Wastewater Treatment Plant production effectiveness by further developing a methodology proposed by Kristjanpoller et al (2016) [13,14] called operational effectiveness impact (OEI) analysis, in which they analyze the operational effectiveness of a biomethanation plant by disaggregating the system into several levels of detail-identifying subprocesses and the individual pieces of equipment embedded on said subprocesses, similar to an RBD [15].…”

“…The latter of which is an expression of the probability that in a given window of time, the equipment will be available as required [22]. Considering the latter and under the assumption that required equipment must always be operational and that the work orders are immediately executed after failure, the expected availability of any equipment is [13,14]:…”

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“…Generally, transportation systems are characterised by their flexibility, large amount of equipment, and dynamism, which gives them a condition of overcapacity that is rarely the bottleneck of a process [17]. In addition, the particularity of sharing the load allows the calculation of a required capacity based on the sum of available equipment, which can even operate at a lower load than required.…”