Reliability analysis of automated pond oxygen management system

Abstract

Dependability of safety-critical systems are a prime concern of the modern society due to the growing dependence on those systems. Safety of systems is a fundamental requirement for system reliability. Fault tree analysis (FTA) is powerful, well-established, and widely used tool for evaluating system safety. Fault trees provide a graphical and logical framework for analysing the dependability of systems. They have been successfully employed in studying the failure behaviour of a variety of real-world systems. In aquaculture, the volume of oxygen contained in water is considered as a critical parameter for the health and well-being of fishes. If oxygen levels drop below 4 mg/L then fishes may stop feeding, stressed and begin to die. Automated Pond Oxygen Management System (APOMS) is a critical component in aquaculture to maintain the proper oxygen level in water. In summer months, when oxygen level starts dropping due to increased temperature, then the APOMS can balance the oxygen level in water by generating oxygen artificially. Therefore, the failure of this system may result in a disastrous outcome. In this paper, we have used fault tree analysis to evaluate the reliability of an automated fault tolerant pond oxygen management system.