Power Plant Inspection Interval Modeling for High-Temperature Components
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing maintenance regimes for power plants lack objective analysis of facility characteristics, leading to missed maintenance items and inadequate inspection intervals, resulting in power generation stoppages and reduced output.
Innovation Solution
A generating facility management device that calculates inspection intervals using a time code index, stressor index, and degradation mechanism index, employing a specific algorithm to determine optimal maintenance schedules based on these indices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual analysis and maintenance scheduling is performed for about 30,000 unit devices, then maintenance personnel can review facility characteristics, but it requires about 187.5 man-days and leads to missed maintenance items and inadequate inspection intervals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical analysis with an automated computer-based system that calculates inspection intervals using mathematical models. The system substitutes human analysts with algorithms that process facility data, stressor information, and degradation mechanisms to determine optimal inspection schedules, thereby eliminating the 187.5 man-days requirement while improving accuracy through consistent application of maintenance criteria
Solution Approach 2:
The maintenance management system enables self-service by automatically generating inspection schedules without human intervention. The system autonomously collects facility data, applies maintenance algorithms, and produces inspection interval recommendations, allowing the maintenance process to serve itself rather than requiring external human analysis for each scheduling decision
2Reliability
If habitual preventive maintenance is performed without objective analysis, then maintenance activities can be conducted regularly, but maintenance items and intervals are frequently omitted or missed resulting in power generation stoppages
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring facility operation data, stressor conditions, and degradation trends to dynamically adjust inspection intervals. This closed-loop approach ensures that maintenance schedules are continuously optimized based on actual facility performance, preventing missed maintenance items and ensuring power generation continuity through data-driven decision making
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of maintenance scheduling from fixed habitual intervals to dynamic intervals based on multiple variables including facility age, stressor levels, degradation mechanisms, and operational conditions. This parameter transformation enables precise determination of when maintenance is actually needed, improving both reliability and maintenance item coverage accuracy
3Productivity
If inspection intervals are inadequately determined, then maintenance scheduling is simple, but it results in incidences of stoppage of power generation or reduced power output
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the maintenance scheduling problem into distinct components: facility characteristic analysis, stressor evaluation, degradation mechanism assessment, and inspection interval calculation. By dividing the complex scheduling task into manageable segments that can be processed independently and systematically, the system achieves accurate maintenance planning without overwhelming complexity
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a generating facility management device capable of automatically calculating and determining inspection intervals of generating facilities using a system. In an example embodiment, the generating facility management device calculates inspection intervals of unit devices constituting each of the generating facilities using a time code index, a stressor index and a degradation mechanism index.