Adolfo Crespo

Advanced model for maintenance management in a continuous improvement cycle: integration into the business strategy

This paper presents an advanced model for the integrated management for industrial plant maintenance and equivalent. The proposed model achieves to align the local maintenance objectives with the overall business objectives. Additionally, the model provides a real operational context and takes consideration of certain restrictions that may affect the efficiency and/or the effectiveness of the industrial maintenance management. First, the importance of a proper maintenance management and its consequences are discussed. Then, the model will describe in seven stages how to manage and optimize in a continuous way all the processes that deal with planning, programming and maintenance execution. This starts from a management process in the design stage or, from an already established management process. Moreover, the model includes fundamental aspects that fully integrate the directives of the business with maintenance activities. This article ends with conclusions and all references used during the research process prior to the drafting of this document.

On the role of Prognostics and Health Management in advanced maintenance systems

Abstract The advanced use of the Information and Communication Technologies is evolving the way that systems are managed and maintained. A great number of techniques and methods have emerged in the light of these advances allowing to have an accurate and knowledge about the systems’ condition evolution and remaining useful life. The advances are recognised as outcomes of an innovative discipline, nowadays discussed under the term of Prognostics and Health Management (PHM). In order to analyse how maintenance will change using PHM, a conceptual model is proposed built upon three views. The model highlights: (i) how PHM may impact the definition of maintenance policies; (ii) how PHM fits within the condition-based maintenance; and (iii) how PHM can be integrated into reliability-centred maintenance programmes. The conceptual model is the research finding of this review note and helps to discuss the role of PHM in advanced maintenance systems.

Stochastic model of reliability for use in the evaluation of the economic impact of a failure using life cycle cost analysis. Case studies on the rail freight and oil industries

This paper aims to investigate the technical and economic factors related to failure costs (non-reliability costs) within the life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) of a production asset. Life cycle costing is a well-established method for the evaluation of alternative asset options. It is a structured approach that addresses all the elements of this cost and can be used to produce a spend profile for an asset over its anticipated life-span. The results of an LCCA are used to assist management in the decision-making process when there is a choice of options. The main costs can be classified as the capital expenditure incurred when the asset is purchased, and the operating expenditure incurred during the asset’s life. This paper explores different aspects related to the failure costs within the LCCA, and describes the most important aspects of the stochastic model: a non-homogeneous Poisson process. This model is used to estimate the frequency of failures and their impact which can cause various failures in the total costs of a production asset. This paper also contains a case study for the rail freight industry (Chile) and the oil industry (Petronox, Venezuela) where the proposed model and concepts are applied, and respectively compared in terms of results. Finally, the presented model provides maintenance managers with a decision tool that optimizes the LCCA of an asset and increases the efficiency of the decision-making process related to the control of failures.

A case study of GAMM (graphical analysis for maintenance management) in the mining industry

Abstract This paper presents a case for practical application of the GAMM method, which has been developed and published by the authors (Barbera L., Crespo A. and Viveros P.) The GAMM method supports decision-making in the overall maintenance management, through the visualization and graphical analysis of data. In addition, it allows for the identification of anomalous behavior in the equipment analyzed, whether derived from its own operations, maintenance activities, improper use of equipment or even as a result of design errors in the equipment itself. As a basis for analysis, the GAMM method uses a nonparametric estimator of the reliability function using all historical data or, alternatively, part of the history, allowing it to perform an analysis even with limited available data. In the case study developed, GAMM has been used to analyze two slurry pumps in a mining plant located in Chile. Both pumps are part of the same industrial process, which is described in Section 3 , and both pumps had a higher failure rate but one more than the other. GAMM identified deficiencies in each of the pumps being studied, thus improving decision-making and problem solving process related to the maintenance of the pumps. Particularly, this work initially provides a description of the GAMM method ( Section 1 ), and, afterwards, it is depicted with special attention the approach to the problem ( Section 2 ). In Section 3 , a background of the industrial context is presented. Then, Section 4 shows step by step the application of GAMM method. Finally, results and conclusions are presented in Section 5 where the main improvements obtained are summarized.

A Case Study of GAMM (Graphical Analysis for Maintenance Management) Applied to Water Pumps in a Sewage Treatment Plant, Chile

This article presents a case for practical application of the GAMM method, which has been developed and published by the authors. The GAMM method supports decision making in the overall maintenance management, through the visualization and graphical analysis of data. In addition, it allows for the identification of anomalous behavior in the equipment analyzed, whether derived from its own operations, maintenance activities, improper use of equipment or even as a result of design errors in the equipment itself. As a basis for analysis, the GAMM method uses a nonparametric estimator of the reliability function using all historical data or, alternatively, part of the history, allowing it to perform an analysis even with limited available data. In the case study presented, the GAMM method has been used to analyze two existing equipment parts in a sewage treatment plant located in Chile. The equipment analyzed were two progressive cavity pumps (BCP) which are part of the industrial process in the treatment plant. Both pumps are the same make and model and subjected to the same maintenance program, but one had a higher failure rate compared to its counterpart. The application of the GAMM method has identified deficiencies in each of the pumps being studied, thus improving decision-making and problem-solving process related to the maintenance of the pumps. RCM methodology was used to draft a new maintenance plan. Copyright

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

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.

Propuesta de un modelo de gestión de mantenimiento y sus principales herramientas de apoyo

Este articulo presenta un modelo para la gestion integral del mantenimiento, teniendo en consideracion la caracteristica de mejora continua en el tiempo. A modo de introduccion y contextualizacion, se explica la importancia que tiene la alineacion de objetivos a todo nivel organizacional para lograr la integracion y correcta gestion de la unidad de mantenimiento. El modelo a presentar se compone de siete principales etapas, las cuales deben desarrollarse progresivamente segun el escenario actual de la organizacion, haciendo enfasis en la gestion y optimizacion sostenida en el tiempo de procesos asociados a la planificacion, programacion y ejecucion del mantenimiento. Adicionalmente, el modelo presentado complementa herramientas de apoyo para el desarrollo e implementacion de las etapas, y caracteristicas operacionales reales, las cuales podrian afectar el desempeno de la unidad de mantenimiento. Finalmente, se presentan algunas consideraciones generales y respectivas conclusiones.

A case study of GAMM (Graphical Analysis for Maintenance Management) applied to water pumps in a sewage treatment plant, Chile

Abstract This article presents a case for practical application of the GAMM method, which has been developed and published by the authors. The GAMM method supports decision-making in the overall maintenance management, through the visualization and graphical analysis of data. In addition, it allows for the identification of anomalous behaviour in the equipment analyzed, whether derived from its own operations, maintenance activities, improper use of equipment or even as a result of design errors in the equipment itself. As a basis for analysis, the GAMM method uses a nonparametric estimator of the reliability function using all historical data or, alternatively, part of the history, allowing it to perform an analysis even with limited available data. In the case study presented, the GAMM method has been used to analyze two existing equipment parts in a sewage treatment plant located in Chile. The equipment analyzed were two progressive cavity pumps (BCP) which are part of the industrial process in the treatment plant. Both pumps are the same make and model and subjected to the same maintenance program, but one had a higher failure rate compared to its counterpart. The application of the GAMM method has identified deficiencies in each of the pumps being studied, thus improving decision-making and problem solving process related to the maintenance of the pumps.

Inequality Indices Based on the Notion of Shannon-Entropy for the Assessments of Industrial Fleets

The state-of-the-art related to reliability, availability and maintainability (RAM), provides indices that allow to effectively measuring different attributes on single complex assets. However, those methodologies usually present limitations when the aim is to analyse grouping maintenance or the remaining useful life in fleets of assets. The purpose of this contribution is to suggest the advantages of measures based on the notion of Shannon entropy, applied to fleet RAM analysis. Particularly, this research presents a derivation from well-known concepts such as the Gini, Hoover, and Theil indices.

Availability Simulation Based on Pseudo-random Failure Rates: A Case Study on Industrial Process

The main objective of this paper is to analyse the availability of different possible configurations for an industrial facility which provides loading and unloading services of LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) at the quay of a plant. Specific service availability is calculated with the support of OREDA database and applying random values for failure rates, which have been obtained from the mean failure rate and standard deviation provided by the mentioned database. As an additional objective, this paper shows a sensitivity analysis for service availability modifying the reliability of involved elements, which helps for example to review the physical stock structure or to readapt maintenance policies in the plant.