RAM ANALYSIS OF SOME PROCESS INDUSTRIES: A CRITICAL LITERATURE REVIEW

In today's world of the automation, it is impossible to survive without reliable systems. Thus, all the working engineering systems are expected to remain operative with the maximum efficiency for the maximum duration, i.e., reliable operation. The importance of reliable operation has been realized in large complex process industries such as chemical, sugar, textile, paper plants and fertilizer plants, etc. In these process plants to achieve the high availability and productivity, it is necessary that all systems/subsystems remain in upstate for a longer duration of time. However, these systems/subsystems are subjected to random failures due to poor design, lack of operative skills and wrong manufacturing techniques, etc., causing heavy production losses. These failed systems can be brought back to their operating states after repair or replacement in minimum possible down time. The plant working conditions and the repair strategies play an important role in maintaining the operating systems, operative for maximum duration, i.e., optimal system availability. This can be accomplished only through performance evaluation and analysis of all the operating systems of the plant. The system performance can be quantified in terms of the availability if the operating system is modelled mathematically and analysed in real working conditions. It can be further optimized by means of some advanced optimization techniques.