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reliability engineering

Maximize Intrinsic Reliability Through Focus in Early Project Phases

by Mohammad Naseer Uddin

Inspired by the June 2012 article by Robert DiStefano in Uptime^® magazine on the importance of implementing a reliability program in the early lifecycle of a project, I would like to share a few examples from real-life scenarios. My contention is by having a proper reliability program in place, many of these avoidable defects could have been eliminated during the early phases of the project, thereby delivering higher asset reliability at a lower lifecycle cost (LCC).

reliability engineering for maintenance

Hidden Failure Q&A - Henry Ellmann

Uptime Magazine's Steve Thomas (left) recently caught up with Henry Ellmann (right) to discuss his keynote address at IMC-2012 in Bonita Springs, Florida, December 4-7th.

Reliability Engineering for Maintenance

Improving the Reliability of a Turbofan Jet Engine

By Larry Tyson

Part 1 of this article appeared in the June/July 2011 issue of Uptime Magazine

This is a follow-up article to one published in the June/July 2011 issue of Uptime magazine.¹ Our component of interest was the fuel control (FC), with a failure mode (FM) of "flameout," where one of two engines shut down in flight. This is called in-flight abort (IFA) and has a direct "safety of flight" impact on aircraft and aircraft missions, as well as the crew, and, of course, is a very undesired consequence.

Two Honeywell Process Solutions Achieve ISASecure Embedded Device Security Assurance Certification

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA - The ISA Security Compliance Institute (ISCI) announced that two additional Honeywell Process Solutions have earned ISASecure Embedded Device Security Assurance (EDSA) certification. Honeywell’s latest demonstration of cybersecurity assurance comes on the heels of having earned, in the fall of 2011, its first EDSA certification for the company’s embedded Safety Manager device, which delivers safety assurance for operators who oversee industrial processes.

Case: Weibull-based Method for Failure Mode Characterization & Remaining Life Expectancy Estimat

Jorge Kalocai

1. Situation

Figure 1 shows a couple of process equipment, in order, a secondary reformer and a heat exchanger (heat recovery HPS boiler). Due to the shelling of the internal refractory wall surface into the reformer (in which hot output gases are used as hot draught at the heat exchanger), the heat exchange efficiency on the boiler was affected. Considering the existence of an internal bypass valve (final element of a PID output temperature controller) that regulates the hot draught bypass proportion, its progressive positioning to no bypass condition (to compensate for the heat exchanger efficiency loss) was considered a symptom of the failure mode degradation ("fouling" increasing).

This approach was failure mode based, so even when the potential failure mechanism was suspected, it dealt with it from a black box perspective.

Reliability Engineering for Maintenance

Risk Based Inspection (RBI) and Corrosion Mitigation

A forty-five minute long presentation by Richard Taggs, President, TEAM Global

Managers, learn the principles and value of RBI and corrosion mitigation to increase safety, reduce cost, maximize productivity, prevent catastrophic failures, and how to implement effective and flexible risk based inspection schedules. But you won’t be a hero for when there is no disaster, no one knows you, but should there be a disaster?

Clockwork Solutions Validates >98% Operational Availability from Waller Marine’s Floating Barge

Waller Marine, a leading EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) firm, renowned for resolving extremely difficult technical and economic challenges in the maritime environment, entrusted Clockwork Solutions Inc. to perform a complex RAM (Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability) validation study on their design of the world’s largest floating power generation barge. Clockwork Solutions Inc. highly advanced life-cycle predictive modeling and simulation technology, a form of Predictive Analytics or Business Intelligence, accurately validated >98% Operational Availability from Waller Marine’s Robust Floating Power Generation Barge Design.

How Newport Office Tower Adds Daily Temperature Monitoring to Electrical Maintenance Program

By Aku Laine

For a majority of commercial office buildings, an annual infrared testing program is the sole measure of electrical system reliability. Infrared testing does a great job of detecting overheating anomalies caused by conditions such as loose connections, overloaded circuits and unbalanced loads. Also, the thermographer or electrician conducting the infrared testing can identify visual deficiencies, such as discolored components, wiring issues and mismatched fuses, within the electrical enclosures.

Reliability Engineering for Maintenance

Understanding & Comparing Risk

By Brian Y. Webster

In the Oct/Nov11 edition of Uptime (Risk & Criticality), a concept of risk was introduced that utilized a Euclidean distance of probability and consequence, mathematically written as

Risk2 = Probability2 + Consequence2

The author claimed that "this [method] provides for accurate comparison of relative risk."¹ The purpose of this article is to explain the conflict between traditional risk calculation methods and distance methods, as well as the potential poor business decision that could result from using distance methods. For the purpose of this article, the Euclidean distance for assessing risk as described in the original article will be called the "positional risk."

Snakes, Hazard Recognition & RPN - What Is a Hazard?

By Stan Moore

What Is a Hazard? Any situation that could result in a preventable injury or illness.

Expounding on that, a hazard is any situation or condition that could present a threat to equipment, the environment, limb, or life. Hazards can be caused by human actions, or they can exist in the environment and pose no safety issues until there is interaction.

Reliability Engineering for Maintenance

Keep it Contained: Reducing Risk with Mechanical Integrity

A 45 minute long presentation by Michael Warren, Product Manager – Mechanical Integrity, Meridium

In a comprehensive Asset Performance Management program, people, processes, and technology are all equally important to maximize the value you should expect from your Mechanical Integrity solution in order to improve safety, reliability and environmental compliance in high-risk industrial environments.

Reliability Engineering for Maintenance

Reliable Operation at Start-up

An 45 minute long presentation by Kevin Lewton, Vice President, Met Demand, Inc.

Maintenance and Reliability Best Practices should be implemented from the very first time equipment and processes are commissioned. Learn what best practices will contribute to a vertical start-up.

Risks of Using PM Templates

by Anthony "Mac" Smith and Tim Allen

Some 50 years ago, a small group at United Airlines, led by Tom Matteson (then VP - Maintenance Planning) created a new way to define PM tasks for the 747-100 airplane. It was so successful that virtually every airplane since then has employed this methodology. We have known this process as Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) since the 1970s.

Reliability Engineering for Maintenance

Improving the Reliability of a Turbofan Jet Engine

By Larry Tyson

Our team is directly involved in the reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM) of a turbo fan jet engine. The engine fuel controller (FC) is one of the main components on the engine. Its purpose is to control the flow of fuel based on pilot demand from the throttle levers in the aircraft cockpit. If the FC does not operate properly, the engine does not receive fuel in accordance with pilot demand and may shut down. As can be imagined, shutting down an engine is not a good situation in flight.Improving the Reliability of a Turbofan Jet Engine by Using the Weibull Distribution for Failure Mode Analysis (WFMA)

NOTE: FM = FAILURE MODE, MAL CODE = MALFUNCTION CODE, they are the same

reliability engineering

Maximize Intrinsic Reliability Through Focus in Early Project Phases

Hidden Failure Q&A - Henry Ellmann

Improving the Reliability of a Turbofan Jet Engine

Two Honeywell Process Solutions Achieve ISASecure Embedded Device Security Assurance Certification

Case: Weibull-based Method for Failure Mode Characterization & Remaining Life Expectancy Estimat

A Toothpaste Factory Had a Problem

Risk Based Inspection (RBI) and Corrosion Mitigation

Clockwork Solutions Validates >98% Operational Availability from Waller Marine’s Floating Barge

How Newport Office Tower Adds Daily Temperature Monitoring to Electrical Maintenance Program

Risk Calculation Methodology

Understanding & Comparing Risk

Philip E. Brown Named Director of Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (RAM) Services

Snakes, Hazard Recognition & RPN - What Is a Hazard?

Risk & Criticality: Understanding Potential Failure

Keep it Contained: Reducing Risk with Mechanical Integrity

Reliable Operation at Start-up

Risks of Using PM Templates

Improving the Reliability of a Turbofan Jet Engine

Reliability Block Diagrams, Monte Carlo and Availability Simulation - Part 2

Quantifying Financial Benefits from an Asset Performance Initiative