Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) for Enhancing Reliability of Water Tube Boiler in Thermal Power Plant

Abstract

Failure mode and effect analysis is one of the QS-9000 quality system requirement supplements, with a wide applicability in all industrial fields. FMEA is the inductive failure analysis instruments which can be defined as a methodical group of activities intended to recognize and evaluate the potential failure modes of a product/ process and its effects with an aim to identify actions which could eliminate or reduce the chance of the potential failure before the problem occur. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the FMEA research and application in the Thermal Power Plant Industry. The research will highlight the application of FMEA method to water tubes (WT) in boilers with an aim to find-out all the major and primary causes of boiler failure and reduce the breakdown for continuous power generation in the plant. Failure Mode and Effect Analysis technique is applied on most critical or serious parts (components) of the plant which having highest Risk Priority Number (RPN). Comparison is made between the quantitative results of FMEA and reliability field data from real tube systems. These results are discussed to establish relationships which are useful for future water tube designs.