Reliability-Based Preventive Maintenance Strategy of Truck Unloading Systems

Awsan Mohammed,Ahmed Ghaithan,Khalaf Al-Ofi,Mashel Al-Saleh

doi:10.3390/app10196957

Awsan Mohammed, Ahmed Ghaithan + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/app10196957

Copy DOI

Abstract

The unloading of petroleum products is a complex and potentially dangerous operation since the unloading system contains complex interdependency components. Any failures in one of its components lead to a cut in the petroleum supply chain. Therefore, it is important to assess and evaluate the reliability of the unloading system in order to improve its availability. In this context, this paper presents the operation philosophy of the truck unloading system, failure modes of the components within the system, and a bottom-up approach to analyze the reliability of the system. In addition, it provides reliability data, such as failure rates, and mean time between failures of the system components. Furthermore, the reliability of the whole system was calculated and is presented for different time periods. The critical components, which are major contributors towards the system reliability, were identified. To enhance the system reliability, a reliability-based preventive maintenance strategy for the critical components was implemented. In addition, the preventive maintenance scheduling was identified based on the reliability plots of the unloading system. The best schedule for preventive maintenance of the system was determined based on the reliability function to be every 45 days for maintaining the system reliability above 0.9. Findings reveal that the reliability of the unloading system was significantly improved. For instance, the system reliability at one year improved by 80%, and this ratio increased dramatically as the time period increased.

Highlights

The supply chain of petroleum products faces major challenges, i.e., demand growth and the complexity of fluid transportation
This paper presents the operation philosophy of the truck unloading system, failure modes of the components within the system, and a bottom-up approach to analyze the reliability of the system
The aim of this study was to assess the truck unloading system reliability, which will allow the system users to know which part of the system is essential for preventive maintenance and the availability of spare parts to ensure continuous operation

Summary

Introduction

The supply chain of petroleum products faces major challenges, i.e., demand growth and the complexity of fluid transportation. The petroleum supply chain contains multiple stations extending from oil wells in exploration and production areas to the final destination. Meeting a regional demand of petroleum products requires an uninterrupted safe operation. The petroleum products pass through a process called Custody Transfer in which the ownership of the products transfers from one party to another. These massive quantities need to be measured accurately when their possession is being transferred to reserve the rights of each party. If the fluid volume is measured directly in a Custody Transfer process, fluid pressure and temperature have to be maintained at certain levels to have an accurate volume measurement

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion