State of the Industry in Reliability

Centered Maintenance

Presented by Marius Basson

Global Head of Reliability at CH2M HILL
Xenia, OH
June 5, 2014
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Maintenance Paradigms
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

The Primary objective of maintenance is to optimize plant

availability at minimum cost
Maintenance is all about preserving physical assets
Most equipment becomes more likely to fail as it gets older
Proactive maintenance is all about preventing failure
Generic maintenance programs can be developed for most types
of physical assets
Comprehensive data about failure rates must be available before it
is possible to develop successful maintenance strategies
The probability of catastrophic failures can be almost eliminated
by fitting suitable protection
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Maintenance Paradigms (continued)

8.

There are three basic types of maintenance: predictive, preventive

and corrective
9. The frequency of predictive tasks should be based on the
frequency of the failure and/or the criticality of the item
10. Maintenance policies should be formulated by managers and
maintenance schedules drawn up by suitably qualified specialists
or external contractors (a top-down approach)
11. The maintenance department on its own can develop a
successful, lasting maintenance program
12. Equipment manufacturers are in the best position to develop
maintenance programs for new physical assets
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1. Primary objective of maintenance

Old Paradigm
The primary objective of
maintenance is to
optimize plant availability
at minimum cost

New Paradigm
The primary objective of
maintenance is to ensure
that any physical asset
continues to do what its
users want it to do

The development of any maintenance program should therefore start

by defining what the users want the assets to do (in the present
operating context) we call this the asset functions or user
requirements. The RCM process considers the primary and secondary
functions of assets.
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1. Primary objective of maintenance

Primary Function
This is normally the reason
why the asst exist

Secondary Functions
Environmental integrity
Safety requirements
Structural integrity
Control requirements
Containment
Comfort
Appearance
Protection
Economy and Efficiency
Superfluous function

Example: The primary function of a wastewater pumping station is transfer wastewater

from the collection system to the treatment pant at a minimum rate of 600 MGD.
Examples of secondary functions may be to generate an alarm when wet well level
rises above normal operating conditions or to shut down the motor in the event of an
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electrical overload.

2. Defining maintenance
Old Paradigm
Maintenance is all about
preserving physical assets

New Paradigm
Maintenance is all about
preserving the functions
of physical assets
throughout their useful
lives

We have seen that every asset (system or subsystem) has at least one
and normally several functions (primary and secondary).
Preserving asset functions leads to optimization of the maintenance
program where on the other hand preserving physical asset could lead to
over maintenance and superficial maintenance.
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2. Defining maintenance
If we are to apply a process used to
determine what must be done to
ensure that a physical asset
continues to do whatever its users
want it to do in its present operating
context we need to:
Know exactly what its users
want it to do
Be certain that the asset is
capable of doing what its users
want from the start

Built-in capability
(what the asset can do)
Maintenance must cause
the asset to continue
to function in this zone
Desired performance
(what the user wants it to do)
Maintenance cannot raise
the performance of the asset
beyond its built-in capability
(or inherent reliability)

2. Defining maintenance
Example:
When we maintain an oil pipeline
800 miles long (by doing the same
maintenance along the entire
length), we are maintaining what it
is (asset focused) rather than what
it should be (functional focus). We
need to understand the user
requirements and asset capability
to optimize the maintenance
program.

3. Characteristics of failure
Old Paradigm
Most equipment gets
more likely to fail as they
get older

New Paradigm
Failure characteristics
indicate that for less than
20% of all failures there is a
direct relationship between
the age of the equipment
and the likelihood of failure.

The traditional view was that most failures occur on or at about the
same age, and most maintenance programs were based on this belief.
It is also true that for many failures there are no effective form of
proactive maintenance (predictive or preventive). Intrusive
maintenance may increase the likelihood of failure.

Characteristics of failure (Traditional view)

Conditional
Probability of Failure

LIFE

Most items
wear out at
about the
same age

Time (age)
Failure Pattern B
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Third Paradigm Reality of failure

A

Pattern A: The "Bathtub Curve"

High infant mortality, then a low level of
random failure, then a wear-out zone

Pattern B: "The Traditional View"

Random failure then a wear-out zone

2%

Pattern C:
Steady increase in the probability of failure

5%

Pattern D:
A sharp increase in the probability of failure
settling down to random failure

Pattern E: Random Failure

No relationship at all between how old it is and
how likely it is to fail

Pattern F: The "Reversed J" Curve

High infant mortality then random failure

4%

7%

14 %
68 %
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4. Proactive maintenance
Old Paradigm
Proactive maintenance is
all about preventing failure

New Paradigm
Proactive maintenance is
about preserving asset
functions (ensure
equipment continuous to
do what its user want it to
do)

All proactive maintenance (routine maintenance) is planned but not all

planned maintenance is routine. In some cases reactive maintenance
(repair or corrective) may be more effective.
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4. Proactive maintenance Preventive

maintenance for age related failures

Conditional Probability of Failure

Preventive maintenance Scheduled restoration and scheduled discard

tasks may be feasible for age related failures
Carry out scheduled overhaul (scheduled restoration)
or planned replacement (scheduled discard) just
before reaching the wear-out zone

Life

Wear-out
zone

Time (age)
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4. Proactive maintenance Predictive

maintenance
OK

Point where failure starts to occur

(not necessarily related to age)

Performance or Condition
(Resistance to Stress)

P = Potential Failure
(point where we can find
out that it is failing)

Functional
Failure

Time

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4. Proactive maintenance Predictive

maintenance - failures that give us a warning
On-condition techniques fall into 4 basic groups:
Condition monitoring
Use specialized equipment to monitor the condition
of other equipment
3
Product quality monitoring
Such as Statistical Process Control

X 1 000

Machine performance monitoring

Temperatures, pressures, power consumption, etc.
The human senses
Sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell
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4. Proactive maintenance Functional

checks for hidden failures
Hidden functions - equipment
(protective devices) fail in such
a way that no one knows
whether they are still working or
not during normal operation

Hidden failures only become

evident when something
else also fail

Fails

Protected
Function
(Duty Pump)
Protective
Device
(Standby Pump)

Failed

Multiple
Failure

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5. Generic maintenance programs

Old Paradigm
Generic maintenance
programs can be developed
for most types of physical
assets (similar assets)

New Paradigm
The Operating Context
determines the way
equipment fail, the
consequences of failure
and the appropriate
maintenance program

The Operating Context must be clearly defined at the start of the RCM
analysis (before maintenance strategy is defined)
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5. Generic maintenance programs

Stand alone

A
Failure of pump A affects
operations

Try to prevent it from failing

Preventive/ Predictive
maintenance)

Duty

Stand-by

If pump B fails switch

to C and repair B

No direct consequences if C
fails while B is still working

Run to failure
(Breakdown
Maintenance)

Check periodically if C has

failed (failure finding)

Traditional thinking will suggest a generic maintenance program but

the from the above it is clear that identical items should have
different failure management policies if they are applied differently

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6. Failure history and data

Old Paradigm
Comprehensive data about
failure rates must be
available before it is possible
to develop successful
maintenance strategies

GOOD

New Paradigm
It is more important to
understand the failure
mechanisms and
characteristics. In our
continuous effort to
improve availability and
reliability we destroy
data required for
developing failure
management strategies.

FAIR
POOR

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7. Protective devices
Old Paradigm
The probability of catastrophic
failures can be almost
eliminated by fitting suitable
protection

Electrical circuit
protection

Standby sump pump

New Paradigm
Adding protective
devices only is not
enough. A suitable
failure management
strategy with adequate
protection will reduce the
risk of catastrophes.
Adding protection also
increases maintenance
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7. Protective devices

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8. Maintenance Activities
Old Paradigm
There are three basic
types of maintenance:
predictive, preventive
and corrective

New Paradigm
There are four basic types
of maintenance: predictive,
preventive, functional
checks and corrective
maintenance

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9. Predictive maintenance task frequency

Old Paradigm
The frequency of predictive
tasks should be based on the
frequency of the failure and/or
the criticality of the item

New Paradigm
The frequency of
predictive task should be
based on the P-F
Interval

Maintenance should be worth doing (deal with consequences) and

technical feasible. Criticality determines weather maintenance is worth
doing, technical characteristics determine the frequency of maintenance.

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9. Predictive maintenance task frequency

OK

Point where failure starts to occur

(not necessarily related to age)

Performance or Condition
(Resistance to Stress)

P = Potential Failure
(point where we can find
out that it is failing)

P-F Interval

Functional
Failure

Time

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10. Formulating maintenance strategies

Old Paradigm
Maintenance policies should be
formulated by managers and
maintenance schedules drawn up by
suitably qualified specialists or
external contractors (a top-down
approach)

New Paradigm
Maintenance policies should be
formulated by operations and
maintenance personnel working
together with anybody else who
have something legitimate to say
about the asset.

FACILITATOR
OPERATIONS
SUPERVISOR

MAINTENANCE
SUPERVISOR

OPERATOR

MAINTAINER

SPECIALIST

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11. Formulating maintenance strategies

Old Paradigm
The maintenance department
on its own can develop a
successful, lasting
maintenance program
FACILITATOR
OPERATIONS
SUPERVISOR

MAINTENANCE
SUPERVISOR

OPERATOR

New Paradigm
Maintenance policies should
be formulated by operations
and maintenance personnel
working together with
anybody else who have
something legitimate to say
about the asset.

MAINTAINER

SPECIALIST

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12. Formulating maintenance strategies

Old Paradigm
Equipment manufacturers are in the
best position to develop maintenance
programs for new physical assets

New Paradigm
The expertise of the equipment
manufacturers should not be
ignored but in most cases the
OEMs ignore the operating
context and will provide generic
maintenance programs. On their
own, the OEMs cannot develop
sustainable maintenance
programs

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