Stochastic behaviour analysis of power generating unit in thermal power plant using fuzzy methodology

The aim of this research is to study the stochastic behaviour of a PGU (power generating unit) of a medium size coal fired thermal power plant using fuzzy methodology (FM). The PN approach was used to depict series and parallel configurations of the subsystems constituting the PGU. To study the failure dynamics of the considered system, various reliability parameters such as failure rate, repair time, MTBF, ENOF, availability and reliability of the system were computed using fuzzy λ-τ approach. RCA was conducted to determine the failure causes of various subsystems of the PGU. FMEA was carried out to determine the RPN scores of the various failure causes of different components. On the basis of these RPN scores, critical components were identified and ranked on the basis of criticality. Further, the limitations of the traditional FMEA approach were overcome by introducing a Fuzzy decision support system (FDSS). Findings of this study would be communicated to field engineers/system analysts of the considered system to help them understand and anticipate system behavior, and implement appropriate and effective maintenance policies for improving system availability. © 2015, Operational Research Society of India.