Data-driven Application of PHM to Asset Strategies

Abstract

There are many benefits from implementing a prognostics and health management (PHM) initiative in an industrial facility, such as realizing potentials from reducing unplanned downtime and increased asset efficiency. Many industrial companies would like to take advantage of PHM technologies and algorithms to meet their business objectives, but identifying how to get started can be a daunting challenge. The classical approach is to begin with a Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) program supported by failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) where all possible failure modes, their risks, and mitigating actions are evaluated in the context of asset function. In this framework, application of PHM technologies is viewed as a maintenance strategy effective at mitigating certain failure modes in specific cases that are both feasible and costeffective. However, there are many challenges and limitations to traditional RCM where data-driven analytics embedded in these work processes can help overcome and/or automate. On the other hand, the use of data-driven approaches introduces new challenges surrounding available data, data quality, and identifying numerical methods that are scalable across large datasets. In this paper, we present a case study applied to historical maintenance data for identifying and prioritizing where to start a PHM initiative, and discuss the work processes and various challenges encountered when embedding data analytics in classical reliability approaches.