Original research objectives: To improve the long term profitability of ageing plants while improving SHE (Safety, Health, Environment) performance and to support other economic decision making with respect to SHE issues and maintenance.
Methodology:
ELAPSE provides a methodology to identify potentially delinquent items of equipment (those whose reliability is inadequate or whose costs are excessive) and investigate possible improvements, such as replacement equipment or changes to maintenance procedures. The methodology uses criteria such as Availability or Maintenance Costs per Unit of Production to rank the performance of subsystems and equipment. A reference model of the plant or system is built, describing its performance on the basis of historical data. Problem areas are identified on the basis of the various criteria and a formal procedure is used to select how an item may be improved: replacement; refurbishment; changes to maintenance procedures, etc. Once possible changes have been identified, their effects can be simulated on the plant model. Once implemented, such changes can bring substantial cost savings and/or increases in productivity.
The methodology is expected to be applicable across a wide range of industrial plants. One area where it has been found to be effective, not envisaged in the original plan, is in comparing the performance of similar plants and highlighting any differences, thus giving further clues to the identification of problem areas.
ELAPSE Handbook:
A complete description of the ELAPSE Methodology, with examples of its use, and incorporating the Software User's Manual. On CD-ROM, in hypertext format. While not intended as a training manual, the Handbook contains a full worked example which could be used as a template for a first ELAPSE study.
URL: http://www.vtt.fi/aut/rm/projects/elapse/