Reliability and Availability Analysis of Some Systems with Common-Cause Failures Using SPICE Circuit Simulation Program

Muhammad Taher Abuelma'Atti,Isa Salman Qamber

doi:10.1155/1999/12147

Abstract

The effectiveness of SPICE circuit simulation program in calculating probabilities, reliability, steady-state availability and mean-time to failure of repairable systems described by Markov models is demonstrated. Two examples are presented. The first example is a warm standby system with common-cause failures and human errors. The second example is a non-identical unit parallel system with common-cause failures. In both cases recourse to numerical solution is inevitable to obtain the Laplace transforms of the probabilities. Results obtained using SPICE are compared with previously published results obtained using the Laplace transform method. Full SPICE listings are included.

Highlights

CIRCUIT SIMULATION PROGRAMKing Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Box 203 Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia;
In the design, development, tuning and upgrading of engineering systems, performance and reliability are two ofthe main factors which must be taken into consideration
Of particular interest here is the Markov analysis technique which is widely used for calculating the reliability and availability of repairable systems

Summary

CIRCUIT SIMULATION PROGRAM

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Box 203 Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia;. B University of Bahrain, P.O. Box 32038 lsa Town Bahrain (Received 31 August 1998; ln finalform 3 December 1998). The effectiveness of SPICE circuit simulation program in calculating probabilities, reliability, steady-state availability and mean-time to failure of repairable systems described by Markov models is demonstrated. The first example is a warm standby system with common-cause failures and human errors. The second example is a non-identical unit parallel system with common-cause failures. In both cases recourse to numerical solution is inevitable to obtain the Laplace transforms of the probabilities. Results obtained using SPICE are compared with previously published results obtained using the Laplace transform method.

INTRODUCTION

PROPOSED MODEL

SPICE simulation

CONCLUSION