Implementation of a Reliability-Centered Maintenance Plan for Fire-Tube Boilers: A Case Study in the Textile Industry

Abstract

Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) application in steam systems aims to prevent potential failures by understanding their causes and consequences and determining necessary actions to preserve physical assets. The textile company frequently experiences unplanned stoppages due to steam boiler failures. This study proposes implementing an RCM plan to optimize the maintenance program for fire-tube boilers. A criticality analysis of boiler area equipment was conducted using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Failure modes and effects were assessed, and the Risk Weighting Number (RWN) was calculated. Maintenance tasks were assigned using the RCM diagram based on the RWN value. The reliability block diagram of the boiler system was designed, and optimal time intervals were determined using the Weibull distribution for critical components. The literature review found no prior studies applying RCM to fire-tube boilers in the textile industry. The proposed maintenance plan's reliability, availability, and economic viability were assessed in a case study, showing a 16.15% increase in reliability and a 0.004% increase in availability. Additionally, annual maintenance cost savings of up to 27.54% could be achieved. This novel RCM methodology optimizes fire-tube boiler maintenance plans, overcomes classical model limitations, and underscores the importance of reliability analysis for effective preventive maintenance, with potential applications to other systems in the textile industry.