Plant maintenance method and apparatus
First Claim
1. An apparatus for maintaining plant equipment comprising:
- an input unit configured to receive data on inspection, diagnosis, repair and operation histories for an equipment that constitute a plant;
a failure-event tree breakdown unit configured to perform failure-event tree breakdown on failures to be expected for component parts of the equipment, in order to obtain a failure-event tree;
a probabilistic life assessment unit configured to predict unreliability of a starting event in the failure-event tree;
a failure-unreliability function calculation unit configured to calculate unreliability between items in the failure-event tree;
a failure-derived monetary loss calculation unit configured to multiply each unreliability and a cost of recovery from each failure-event in the failure-event tree and accumulate results of the multiplication in accordance with the failure-event tree breakdown, thus obtaining a recovery cost;
a preventive-maintenance expense calculation unit configured to calculate preventive maintenance expenses for preventing failure events; and
a maintenance decision-making unit configured to decide maintenance timing and technique through comparison between the recovery cost and the preventive maintenance expenses.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Data on inspection, diagnosis, repair and operation histories are entered in a plant-maintenance apparatus for equipment that constitute a plant to be maintained. Failure-event tree breakdown is performed on failures to be expected for the equipment. Unreliability is predicted of at least one starting item in the failure-event tree breakdown. Unreliability of each item in the failure-event tree is calculated based on a failure unreliability function. Unreliability and a cost of recovery from each failure event in the failure-event tree are multiplied and results of the multiplication are accumulated in accordance with the tree breakdown to obtain a recovery cost. Preventive maintenance expenses are calculated for preventing failure events. Maintenance timing and technique are decided through comparison between the recovery cost and the preventive maintenance expenses.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. An apparatus for maintaining plant equipment comprising:
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an input unit configured to receive data on inspection, diagnosis, repair and operation histories for an equipment that constitute a plant;
a failure-event tree breakdown unit configured to perform failure-event tree breakdown on failures to be expected for component parts of the equipment, in order to obtain a failure-event tree;
a probabilistic life assessment unit configured to predict unreliability of a starting event in the failure-event tree;
a failure-unreliability function calculation unit configured to calculate unreliability between items in the failure-event tree;
a failure-derived monetary loss calculation unit configured to multiply each unreliability and a cost of recovery from each failure-event in the failure-event tree and accumulate results of the multiplication in accordance with the failure-event tree breakdown, thus obtaining a recovery cost;
a preventive-maintenance expense calculation unit configured to calculate preventive maintenance expenses for preventing failure events; and
a maintenance decision-making unit configured to decide maintenance timing and technique through comparison between the recovery cost and the preventive maintenance expenses. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An apparatus for maintaining plant equipment comprising:
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an input unit configured to receive data on inspection, diagnosis, repair and operation histories for equipment that constitute a plant;
an efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree breakdown unit configured to perform efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree breakdown on efficiency and operational-function decay factors to be expected for the equipment, in order to make an efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree;
an efficiency and operational-function decay parameter assessment unit configured to predict unreliability of at least one starting item in the efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree;
an efficiency and operational-function decay unreliability calculation unit configured to calculate unreliability of each item in the efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree based on failure unreliability function;
an efficiency and operational-function decay prediction unit to calculate efficiency and operational-function decay configured to be expected based on prediction by the efficiency and operational-function decay unreliability calculation unit;
an efficiency and operational-function decay derived monetary loss calculation unit configured to multiply each unreliability and monetary loss due to efficiency and operational-function decay and a cost of recovery from the decay and accumulate results of the multiplication in accordance with the efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree breakdown;
a preventive-maintenance expense calculation unit configured to calculate preventive maintenance expenses for preventing the efficiency and operational-function decay; and
an operation and maintenance decision-making unit configured to decide maintenance timing and technique through comparison between the recovery cost and the preventive maintenance expenses. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of maintaining plant equipment comprising the steps of:
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receiving data on inspection, diagnosis, repair and operation histories for equipment that constitute a plant;
performing failure-event tree breakdown on failures to be expected for the equipment, thereby obtaining a failure-event tree;
predicting unreliability of at least one starting item in the failure-event tree;
calculating unreliability of each item in the failure-event tree based on a failure unreliability function;
multiplying each unreliability and a cost of recovery from each failure event in the failure-event tree and accumulating results of the multiplication in accordance with the tree breakdown, thus obtaining a recovery cost;
calculating preventive maintenance expenses for preventing failure events; and
deciding maintenance timing and technique through comparison between the recovery cost and the preventive maintenance expenses.
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12. A method of maintaining plant equipment comprising the steps of:
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receiving data on inspection, diagnosis, repair and operation histories for equipment that constitute a plant;
performing efficiency and operational-function decay event-tree breakdown on efficiency and operational-function decay factors to be expected for the equipment, thereby obtaining a efficiency and operational-function decay event-tree;
predicting unreliability of at least one starting item in the efficiency and operational-function decay event-tree;
calculating unreliability of each item in the efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree based on failure unreliability function;
calculating efficiency and operational-function decay to be expected from the calculation based on the failure unreliability function;
multiplying each unreliability and monetary loss due to efficiency and operational-function decay and a cost of recovery from the decay and accumulating results of the multiplication in accordance with the efficiency and operational-function decay-event tree breakdown;
calculating preventive maintenance expenses for preventing the efficiency and operational-function decay; and
deciding maintenance timing and technique through comparison between the recovery cost and the preventive maintenance expenses.
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Specification