Risk Assessment Based Maintenance Management for Distribution Network

Abstract

Abstract – Aiming at maintenance management of distribution network，this paper proposes a new maintenance technology based on risk assessment. It includes the procedure of risk assessment and the method of decision-making. The basic technical framework，which applies RBM to the maintenance management of distribution network is established. In the risk decision-making, the maintenance cost and maintenance profit concepts are introduced. With the help of risk assessment theory and interval analysis，the proposed technology is much more economical and operable. Application of the technology in an actual distribution network shows that it can evaluate the risk of equipment comprehensively and make decision-making quick and effective. Therefore，the technology proposed has good application prospect. Keywords : Risk assessment, Distribution network, Maintenance decision-making, RBM, Interval analysis 1. Introduction As asset-intensive companies, electric power companies give much attention to maintenance management. The conventional time-based maintenance leads to serious waste of maintenance resources, therefore, people are always seeking for a more scientific and economic maintenance method. In recent years, condition-based maintenance is introduced into electric power companies[1-2], but its decision-making is mainly based on equipment self-condition, without considering the impact of equipment on the whole system. Literature[3-4] introduce RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance) into electric equipment maintenance. Literature[5-7] consider both two factors: “equipment condition”, and “importance of equipment to system”, then use RCM for the maintenance of high-voltage breakers. However, the above methods have a common shortage: they don’t solve the problem of quantification, which would bring them big limitations when used in practice. RBM (Risk Based Maintenance), as the next generation of RCM, is the trend of modern maintenance management. Till now, RBM has been successfully applied in refineries, chemical plants, petrochemical plants and other large enterprises[8-10]. RBM can reduce the maintenance cost by 15%-40%[9]. However, RBM has few application in electric power companies in China, and the complete technical framework hasn’t been established yet. This paper proposes the new Risk Assessment Based Technology for distribution network, and establishes the basic technical framework which applies RBM into power system maintenance. The new technology not only makes maintenance decision-making more scientific and economic, but also makes it more operative in practice.